Thursday, November 12, 2015
12 Best Content Management Systems for Photographers
If you are creating a website for your photography business, you need a Content Managment System (CMS) that lets you make huge galleries and amp up your graphics potential.
When it comes to sharing your images on your website in the form of a web gallery, the CMS options for managing the same are many. Your CMS should make it incredibly easy to upload photos and prominently display them.
Whether you wish to create an online portfolio, or simply want to share some photos, choosing the ideal Content Managment System for your web gallery goes a long way in effectively managing the gallery.
Here are the Best 12 CMS for Photographers that will help you do just that.
12 Most Popular Content Management Systems
Zenfolio
Your complete portfolio and online client proofing website is ready as soon as you open an account. There is no coding necessary to create a beautiful website with plenty of design options and customizations in just a few clicks. The benefits of choosing something like Zenfolio over just a portfolio site is that they also offer a way to sell your images, preview them for clients, have locked or private galleries and even a blog element. Everything is customizable, so you can create a website just as unique as your photography.
Wix
Wix is a popular CMS that provides a wide selection of slick themes, many of them customized for photography. It has proven to be a popular choice for many photographers, both professional and beginners.
Weebly
Weebly is a great option if you are looking for a way to showcase your work. Not only does it let you design beautiful sites with no code required, it's easy to use and elegant. We think it's a great option and highly recommend you check it out.
SmugMug
SmugMug is one of our favorites here at CMS Critic given that it's entirely developed by photographers for photographers. It's an amazingly good platform that I highly recommend taking a look at and trying.
Portfolio Lounge
A custom domain is included in Portfolio Lounge’s free plan, which is nice! This is quite a simple service with no pricing gimmicks and overwhelming feature sets.
Portfoliobox
There’s a free account option allowing you to select a clean template and fill it with up to 40 images. A $6.90/month Pro plan (paid yearly) with Portolfiobox includes more design and marketing options, as well as a custom domain name and email.
Pixpa
Pixpa offers hosted portfolios with private galleries, ec-ommerce with Fotomoto, custom domains, social media sharing and other features.
Photoshelter
I bet you’ve heard about Photoshelter, as it’s one of the industry’s “big dawgs”. Another photo-specific CMS is PhotoShelter, a wildly popular website creator. Portfolio websites, integrated e-commerce, cloud storage and client-proofing system are the tools you can find under this shelter.
Koken
As it is by itself, Koken is a strong contender for gaining the loyal clientele of the most demanding photographers, designers, and other creatives. Koken's desktop-like interface makes it easy to upload and manage both images and videos. The CMS also allows you to add content from Flickr, Instagram, Vimeo, SoundCloud, and Twitter. Koken also has a publish services plugin for Lightroom.
Carbonmade
Wix is a popular CMS that provides a wide selection of slick themes, many of them customized for photography. It has proven to be a popular choice for many photographers, both professional and beginners.
Weebly
Weebly is a great option if you are looking for a way to showcase your work. Not only does it let you design beautiful sites with no code required, it's easy to use and elegant. We think it's a great option and highly recommend you check it out.
SmugMug
SmugMug is one of our favorites here at CMS Critic given that it's entirely developed by photographers for photographers. It's an amazingly good platform that I highly recommend taking a look at and trying.
Portfolio Lounge
A custom domain is included in Portfolio Lounge’s free plan, which is nice! This is quite a simple service with no pricing gimmicks and overwhelming feature sets.
Portfoliobox
There’s a free account option allowing you to select a clean template and fill it with up to 40 images. A $6.90/month Pro plan (paid yearly) with Portolfiobox includes more design and marketing options, as well as a custom domain name and email.
Pixpa
Pixpa offers hosted portfolios with private galleries, ec-ommerce with Fotomoto, custom domains, social media sharing and other features.
Photoshelter
I bet you’ve heard about Photoshelter, as it’s one of the industry’s “big dawgs”. Another photo-specific CMS is PhotoShelter, a wildly popular website creator. Portfolio websites, integrated e-commerce, cloud storage and client-proofing system are the tools you can find under this shelter.
Koken
As it is by itself, Koken is a strong contender for gaining the loyal clientele of the most demanding photographers, designers, and other creatives. Koken's desktop-like interface makes it easy to upload and manage both images and videos. The CMS also allows you to add content from Flickr, Instagram, Vimeo, SoundCloud, and Twitter. Koken also has a publish services plugin for Lightroom.
Carbonmade
Carbonmade is a kinda hipster among portfolio builders – its design is funky, the words are fun, and the service is on trend. Opting in for the free “Meh” plan, you get a 35-image portfolio on the carbonmade.com domain.
Folio Websites
Folio Websites templates are based on WordPress, which is quite a benefit these days. There’s just one plan available – $175/year, and your decision to sign up may only be based on examples and promises since there’s no trial period offered.
Format
Every photographer needs a portfolio. Format is focused on delivering high-quality photography portfolios. The editor side of Format is a blissfully easy drag-and-drop experience.
