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Photographers11 min readBy PhotoView.io

Exhibit Alternatives for Photographers: 7 Platforms Compared

Looking for Exhibit alternatives? Compare PhotoView, Google Sites, WordPress, Readymag, Zenfolio, PhotoShelter and Omeka for showing photography online.

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Exhibit Alternatives for Photographers: 7 Platforms Compared

Photographer comparing two online portfolio presentations

If you landed here searching for Exhibit alternatives, you are probably one of two people. Either you tried Exhibit.so, a tool built for narrated exhibits with IIIF images and 3D models, and found it is made for classrooms and collections more than for a photography business. Or you want a way to put a finished body of work in front of clients and viewers without building a website from scratch. For working photographers, the strongest option is a portfolio platform built around galleries, mobile viewing and Lightroom publishing, and that is where PhotoView fits. Below you will find seven options, what each one does well, and how to choose.

PhotoViewPresent Your Photography BeautifullyPhotoView brings portfolio templates, mobile-ready presentations, private sharing, and live website embeds together in one dashboard.Explore PhotoView

TL;DR

  • Exhibit.so is a storytelling tool for educators and cultural institutions. It is not designed around client galleries, print sales or a photographer’s brand.
  • PhotoView is our pick for photographers: templates in every plan, Lightroom publishing, live embeds and private sharing, from $3.99 per month.
  • Google Sites, WordPress and Readymag are general website builders. They work, but you assemble the photography workflow yourself.
  • Zenfolio and PhotoShelter lean toward selling prints and managing a full business.
  • Choose by workflow first: where your finished photos live, who needs to see them, and how often they change.

Table of Contents

What Exhibit is, and why photographers look elsewhere

There are two things people mean by “Exhibit.” The most common in this context is Exhibit.so, an online editor for creating stories and quizzes with 3D models and IIIF-compatible high-resolution images. It offers presentation modes such as scrollytelling, slideshows and kiosks, and exhibits can be public or password protected and embedded with an iframe.

That is a strong set of features for teaching and museum-style storytelling. A review of free and low-cost exhibit platforms in The American Archivist notes that on Exhibit’s free option you insert images by IIIF URL only, and uploading media requires the self-hosted option, which adds cost.

For a photographer, that setup raises practical questions:

  • Where do your finished images and videos live? Hosting them elsewhere and pointing to them by URL adds a step to every update.
  • Can a client open a private gallery on a phone without friction?
  • Can you publish from Lightroom instead of exporting and re-uploading?
  • Does the result look like your brand, on your own domain?

If you answered “yes, I need that” to most of these, you want a portfolio platform rather than an exhibit editor. If you are an archivist or educator, the tools in that same review, such as Omeka, are the better frame of reference, and we say so plainly. The rest of this article is for photographers.

How the options compare

The table below summarizes what each platform is built for. Prices are the ones we can state from published sources; check each provider for the current plan details.

Platform Built for Photography workflow fit Starting price we can verify
PhotoView Photographers presenting finished work Lightroom publishing, 30+ templates, live embeds, private sharing $3.99/month or $39.99/year
Exhibit.so Educators, museums, storytelling Narrative exhibits, IIIF images, 3D models Free option; hosting costs vary
Google Sites Team, project and event sites Drag-and-drop pages, no photography-specific tools Part of Google Workspace
WordPress Any website, any size Fully flexible, built with themes and plugins Software is open source; hosting is separate
Readymag Designers and publishers Freeform layouts for portfolios and presentations See provider
Zenfolio Photographers selling prints Galleries, client delivery, print sales From $5/month
PhotoShelter Editorial and commercial pros Storage, portfolio sites, e-commerce See provider

PhotoView: one dashboard for portfolio, mobile and embeds

PhotoView is a presentation platform for photographers who would rather shoot than maintain a website. You store finished photos and videos, organize them into multiple galleries, and publish them through more than 30 responsive portfolio templates. The same content feeds your website, mobile-ready presentations and live embeds on other sites, so you update once and everything stays current.

What that means day to day:

  • Lightroom publishing. Send finished work from Lightroom straight to your portfolio. Our Lightroom portfolio publishing page walks through the workflow.
  • Smart Folders and multiple galleries. Keep wedding, travel, fine art and commercial work separate, each with its own look.
  • Mixed media. Photos and video sit together in one portfolio.
  • Private sharing. Give a client a private link instead of emailing a zip. See private photo sharing for photographers.
  • Custom domains and branding. Your portfolio lives at your address, not ours.
  • Social campaign tools. Automated campaigns help you share work where it gets discovered.

Every plan includes all templates and portfolio features. You choose by storage: Starter is $3.99 per month or $39.99 per year, Growth is $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year, Studio is $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year, and Premier is $11.99 per month or $119.99 per year. High-volume photographers can ask about a Custom plan. A free trial comes before any subscription.

PhotoView is not meant for casual hobbyists who only need a free sharing link. It is built for photographers who want an organized, ongoing portfolio.

PhotoView: one dashboard for portfolio, mobile and embeds

Google Sites: simple, but not made for images

Google Sites lets you build team, project or event sites without programming. It offers drag-and-drop editing, templates, automatic layouts for different devices, real-time co-editing and sharing permissions, and it embeds other Workspace content.

It is a reasonable choice if you already live in Google Workspace and want a simple page or an internal project site. For a photography business, you would handle gallery structure, image presentation, client privacy and branding yourself. There is no Lightroom publishing path, and that gap shows once your library grows.

WordPress: total control, total upkeep

WordPress is an open-source publishing platform behind millions of sites. You build with blocks and themes, edit content in real time, and extend the site with plugins for stores, analytics and newsletters.

The upside is flexibility. The cost is maintenance: you choose hosting, themes and plugins, keep them updated, and watch page speed, which matters for image-heavy pages. Photographers who go this route often need to research image optimization plugins for WordPress to keep large files from slowing the site down.

If you enjoy tinkering, WordPress rewards it. If you would rather skip that, our guide to WordPress alternatives for photographers covers options that remove the plugin work.

Readymag: freeform design for visual storytellers

Readymag is a browser-based, no-code design platform for websites, digital portfolios, presentations and online publications. It has a freeform editor, typography controls, animation and interaction features, and collaboration tools.

It suits photographers who want editorial, magazine-like layouts for a single project or a showcase piece. The tradeoff is that freeform design means you place everything yourself. A large archive of client galleries, with private sharing and regular updates, is a different job from a handful of designed spreads.

Zenfolio: portfolio plus print sales

Zenfolio combines portfolio presentation with business tools, high-resolution galleries, client delivery and print sales. According to a 2026 roundup of portfolio apps, plans start at $5 per month.

It makes sense if selling prints is central to how you earn. If your priority is a polished portfolio that stays current from Lightroom, read how PhotoView compares with Zenfolio.

PhotoShelter: built for editorial and commercial work

PhotoShelter is aimed at professional editorial and commercial photographers. It combines portfolio websites, secure storage and e-commerce, and its pricing sits higher than entry-level portfolio builders. It suits large archives and licensing workflows. If you want similar presentation without that scale, see our take on PhotoShelter alternatives.

How to choose: five checks before you commit

Pick the platform by how you work, not by feature lists. These checks help.

1. Where does your finished work live?

If you edit in Lightroom, a platform that publishes from it saves hours across a year. If you export manually, any upload-based tool will do, but you repeat the work every time you refine a gallery.

2. Who is looking, and on what device?

Travel and wedding clients often open galleries on a phone. Test the mobile view of any template before you pay. Responsive layouts and mobile-ready presentations should be standard, not an upgrade.

3. Do you need to share privately?

Client presentations call for private links or password protection. Exhibit.so supports password-protected exhibits, and PhotoView supports private sharing, so compare how each handles a client who just wants to open a link and see the work.

4. Will you mix photos and video?

Commercial and wedding photographers often show stills and motion together. Confirm the platform supports mixed media in one gallery rather than treating video as an add-on.

5. What does the price include?

Some platforms charge extra for templates or features. In PhotoView, all templates and portfolio features come with every plan, and you scale by storage. Compare total yearly cost, including hosting, plugins and domain, not only the headline monthly price.

Which option fits which photographer

  • Fine art photographers want restraint and sophisticated layouts. Pick a platform with clean gallery grids and strong template choice, or Readymag for a single designed showcase.
  • Travel photographers need fast mobile viewing and live embeds on a blog or social profile.
  • Commercial photographers need multiple galleries by client or industry, private sharing and mixed media.
  • Wedding and freelance photographers need easy client presentation and a branded domain.
  • Educators and archivists should look at exhibit-focused tools instead.

For wider lists, see our roundups of the best online portfolio builders for photographers and the best photo and video portfolio sites.

Our perspective

Most photographers do not have a website problem. They have a repetition problem. They finish a set, then rebuild it for the portfolio, again for a client, again for a blog embed, and again for a phone.

We built PhotoView around the opposite idea. You update your work once, and it shows up across your website, mobile presentations and live embeds. All templates are included in every plan, so you choose a look that fits your style without paying more for it, and you scale only by storage.

When you compare platforms, weigh the hours after launch as heavily as the launch itself. A portfolio-first tool should let you move through your images without fighting the interface, and keep your live site current without rebuilding anything.

Mitch Russo

Try PhotoView for your portfolio

If you want one place to store, organize and present finished photos and videos, PhotoView starts at $3.99 per month on Starter, with Growth, Studio and Premier adding storage. You can begin with a free trial and see your own images in the templates before deciding.

PhotoView

See the plans and templates on the PhotoView homepage, or read how photo and video storage for photographers keeps a portfolio organized.

FAQ

What is the best Exhibit alternative for photographers?

For a photographer, a portfolio platform with Lightroom publishing, responsive templates and private client sharing fits better than an exhibit editor. PhotoView is built for that workflow, with every template included in each plan.

Is Exhibit.so free?

It has a free option, but according to a review in The American Archivist, that option inserts images by IIIF URL only. Uploading media requires the self-hosted option, which adds costs.

Can I use WordPress or Google Sites for a photography portfolio?

Yes. Both can host images, and both are general-purpose. You will build the gallery structure, client privacy and image optimization yourself, so expect more setup and upkeep than with a platform made for photographers.

Can I show video next to photos?

In PhotoView, yes. Mixed-media portfolios hold photos and videos together. When you evaluate any other platform, check that video is supported inside the same gallery.

How much does a photographer’s portfolio platform cost?

It ranges widely. Zenfolio plans start at $5 per month according to a 2026 roundup, and PhotoView starts at $3.99 per month or $39.99 per year. Add hosting, domain and plugin costs when you compare.

Sources

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