Pixieset is a client gallery platform: you deliver a shoot to one client, who browses, favourites, downloads and buys prints. It does that very well, along with websites and studio management. The fit gets weaker when the "client" is 400 conference attendees or 1,200 runners, each looking for their own 10 photos in a gallery of 6,000. That is the situation where event photographers look for a Pixieset alternative, or add a second tool next to it.
What Pixieset is designed for
From Pixieset's site in October 2026:
- Client galleries to share, deliver, proof and sell photos, with unlimited galleries on every plan.
- A storefront inside galleries, with online payment, automatic fulfilment, coupons and gift cards. The free plan takes a commission on sales; paid plans are commission-free.
- Branding, custom domain and email campaigns on paid plans.
- Plans priced by storage, from a free 3 GB plan to a 1 TB plan.
- Separate products for websites, studio management, mobile gallery apps and AI editing.
Its public pricing and gallery pages did not list selfie or face search when we checked. Other client gallery tools differ here: Pic-Time, for example, advertises AI gallery search with keyword and face recognition, while SmugMug and ShootProof focus on galleries, storage and sales. All of them are organised around a photographer's clients and a monthly or annual plan, not around one event with hundreds of attendees.
The event-photography problem
At a wedding, the couple is the client. At a conference, a race or a school gala, everyone in the photos is a potential customer, and almost none of them want the full gallery.
- Attendees open a gallery of thousands of images and leave after a minute.
- You spend evenings answering "can you send me the ones of me?".
- Sponsors, speakers and the press each need a different selection.
- Sales of individual photos stay low because buyers cannot find themselves.
Pixieset vs Event Face Finder for event work
| Pixieset | Event Face Finder | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Delivering a shoot to one client | Delivering an event to many attendees |
| How people find photos | Browse sets and collections | Selfie search across the event, plus browsing |
| Billing model | Monthly or annual plan by storage | One payment per event by guest and photo capacity |
| Imports | Upload | Browser, ZIP, direct URL or Google Drive |
| Selling | Built-in store, prints and downloads | Optional paid full-resolution downloads through Stripe Connect |
| Guest photos | Not its focus | Optional guest uploads approved by the organizer |
| Portfolio, website, CRM | Yes | No |
Pixieset details come from its public pages and may change.
Which tool for which job
Keep Pixieset for portrait sessions, couples, families and corporate clients who receive the full set. Its gallery design, proofing and print store are made for that.
Use Event Face Finder for events where every attendee wants their own photos: conferences, races, galas, graduations, festivals and large weddings. Import the edited set (directly from your Google Drive if you deliver there), set the download rules, and send one link or QR code. Attendees take a selfie in the browser and see the photos they likely appear in. If you sell, you can offer paid full-resolution downloads after connecting Stripe.
Use both when the client is a company or a couple who still wants the classic gallery, and attendees need personal access. Many photographers keep the full set in their client gallery and use an event gallery for attendee delivery.
What to check before switching tools
- Capacity. Count photos per event, not storage per month.
- Delivery speed. How long between import and the moment guests can search?
- Download rules. Previews only, free full resolution or paid originals.
- Multiple photographers. Can several shooters' files go into one event? See combining photos from multiple photographers.
- Guest experience on a phone. Test it signed out, on mobile data.
For pricing your downloads, read how to sell event photos online.
Set up the gallery before you share it
Add your photos, choose what guests can download and open the gallery on your phone before sending the link.
Create an event
