Overview
Pixieset started in Vancouver in 2013 and has grown outward ever since: client galleries, a print store, a website builder, proofing, and studio management for contracts and invoicing. Buying Pixieset means buying that whole surface area, and the pricing reflects it.
Picstack started in Germany in 2024 with a narrower brief. It delivers galleries, tracks what clients do inside them, and hosts everything on European servers. There is no store, no website builder, and no invoicing. Whether that is a gap or a relief depends entirely on how you run your business, which is really the whole comparison in one sentence.
Pricing comparison
Picstack publishes in euros and Pixieset in US dollars, so the two columns below are each vendor's own list price rather than a converted figure. Both discount for annual billing.
| Plan | Storage | Billed annually | Billed monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picstack Free | 1 GB | Free | Free |
| Picstack Hobby | 5 GB | 5 EUR/mo | 6 EUR/mo |
| Picstack Professional | 250 GB | 10 EUR/mo | 12 EUR/mo |
| Pixieset Free | 3 GB | Free | Free |
| Pixieset Basic | 10 GB | 8 USD/mo | 10 USD/mo |
| Pixieset Plus | 100 GB | 16 USD/mo | 20 USD/mo |
| Pixieset Pro | 1000 GB | 24 USD/mo | 30 USD/mo |
| Pixieset Ultimate | Unlimited | 40 USD/mo | 50 USD/mo |
The interesting comparison sits in the middle of the ladder. Picstack Professional gives you 250 GB for 10 EUR a month, which is more storage than Pixieset Plus (100 GB) at a lower price than Pixieset Basic (10 GB). If you need more than 250 GB, that flips: Pixieset Pro carries 1000 GB for 24 USD a month and Picstack has nothing above Professional yet.
Two details are easy to miss. Pixieset allows unlimited galleries on every tier including Free, where Picstack's free plan caps you at five. And Pixieset's Free plan displays Pixieset branding on your galleries; removing it means moving to Basic at 8 USD a month. Picstack includes custom branding and gallery activity notifications on the free plan.
Data privacy and GDPR
This is the sharpest difference between the two, and for some photographers it decides the question on its own.
Picstack operates from Germany and keeps all data on European servers. GDPR compliance follows from where the data physically sits, so there is no transfer mechanism to justify and no extra paperwork to sign before you can hand a gallery to a client.
Pixieset operates from Canada and stores data on Amazon AWS without publicly committing to specific regions. It offers a Data Processing Addendum and Standard Contractual Clauses, which is the standard route to GDPR compliance for a non-EU processor, but it means your clients' photos may be transferred to and stored outside the EU. That is perfectly legal and very common. It is simply a different answer to give when a corporate client or a privacy-conscious couple asks where their photos live.
Gallery features
The basics overlap almost completely. Both do drag-and-drop uploads, password protection, custom branding on paid tiers, download controls, and mobile-friendly galleries.
Picstack's additions are about the delivery itself: subgalleries so a wedding splits into ceremony, reception, and portraits inside one link, and real-time activity tracking with notifications that tell you when a gallery was opened, which photos were viewed, and what was downloaded. That tracking is on every plan rather than gated behind a tier.
Pixieset's additions are about everything around the gallery. Client proofing with favorites and notes handles the selection conversation, which matters if your workflow depends on clients marking picks before you retouch. The integrated print store and website builder extend it from a delivery tool into a storefront.
What Pixieset offers that Picstack doesn't
- Integrated print store with lab fulfillment, and commission-free sales from the Basic plan up
- Website builder, sold separately or bundled in the Pixieset Suite
- Client proofing with favorites lists and notes
- Studio management: contracts, invoicing, and payments
- Branded mobile apps for client gallery viewing
- Email campaign sending, from 100 per month on Basic up to 10,000 on Ultimate
- Storage above 250 GB, up to unlimited on the Ultimate plan
What Picstack offers that Pixieset doesn't
- European-only hosting, so GDPR compliance comes from data residency rather than contract clauses
- Real-time activity tracking and notifications on every plan, including the free one
- Custom branding on the free plan rather than from a paid tier up
- 250 GB for less than Pixieset charges for 10 GB
- A gallery view with nothing trying to sell your client a print
Who should choose Picstack
Choose Picstack if delivery is the actual job. It suits wedding, portrait, and event photographers who shoot, deliver, and get paid outside the platform, and who would rather not fund a store and a website builder they never open. The EU hosting matters most if you work with European clients, agencies, or anyone who asks about data residency before signing. And if you like knowing the moment a client opens a gallery, that is on by default here rather than a reason to upgrade.
Who should choose Pixieset
Choose Pixieset if print sales, proofing, or studio admin are genuinely part of how you work. Running galleries, a storefront, a website, and invoicing from one login is worth real money, and Pixieset is one of the few platforms that does all of it credibly. It is also the better answer if you need more than 250 GB, or if unlimited galleries on a free plan is what you are optimising for while you get started.