Format vs Zenfolio: What’s the Best Builder in 2024?

Format vs Zenfolio: Final verdict

Format vs Zenfolio: Both platforms cater to creative professionals, but Zenfolio edges out Format with a slightly higher overall score.

• 
  Format (Overall Grade: 5.8/10)
  
  is a website builder designed for creative professionals such as photographers, artists, and designers. It offers nearly 100 customizable templates, an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, and features like an integrated online store and client proofing. Format excels in ease of use and design functionalities, making it accessible for users without extensive technical skills. However, its ecommerce capabilities are basic, and it lacks advanced marketing tools and AI capabilities.
• 
  Zenfolio (Overall Grade: 6.4/10)
  
  is a comprehensive platform tailored for professional photographers and visual artists. It provides elegant, mobile-friendly templates, integrated ecommerce capabilities, and tools for marketing, client proofing, and secure photo storage. Zenfolio stands out in ecommerce, website speed optimization, and security, offering a more robust solution for photographers looking to showcase and sell their work online. While it may have a steeper learning curve, its extensive features and higher value for money make it a strong contender in the Format vs Zenfolio comparison.

Which one is the best for ecommerce: Format or Zenfolio?

Verdict

: Zenfolio is the superior choice for ecommerce, especially for photographers, while Format offers basic ecommerce functionalities suitable for creatives.

• 
  Format
  
  : Format provides essential ecommerce features like inventory management, discounts, and multiple currency options. However, its ecommerce capabilities are basic and may not meet the needs of those looking for extensive ecommerce functionalities. When comparing Format vs Zenfolio, Format is more suited for creatives who need a simple online store to sell their work.
• 
  Zenfolio
  
  : Zenfolio excels with its comprehensive ecommerce features, including multiple currency support, discount coupons, order management, and tax management. It offers customizable templates designed for photographers to showcase and sell their work effectively. Zenfolio’s higher ecommerce score reflects its robust capabilities, making it a better choice for professional photographers looking to grow their online sales.

Which one is the best for informational and business websites?

Verdict

: Format is the preferred choice for informational and business websites, especially for creative professionals, due to its higher score and user-friendly design functionalities.

• 
  Format
  
  : Format scores 7.2 for informational business websites, making it a strong contender for creatives looking to showcase their portfolios. Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface and nearly 100 customizable templates make it easy to create visually appealing sites without coding. Format also includes features like an integrated online store, client proofing, and blogging tools, making it a comprehensive platform for creatives to share their work and connect with potential clients.
• 
  Zenfolio
  
  : Zenfolio, with a score of 6.9, is tailored specifically for professional photographers and visual artists. It offers a range of customizable templates and integrated e-commerce capabilities, allowing users to sell prints and digital downloads directly through their website. While Zenfolio provides robust tools for marketing, client proofing, and secure photo storage, it may not offer as much versatility outside of photography-specific needs. When comparing Format vs Zenfolio, Zenfolio is a solid choice for photographers but may not be as suitable for other types of informational business websites.

Format vs Zenfolio: Detailed comparison

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Winner: Format.

While both platforms are designed for creative professionals, Format offers a slightly higher score in design functionalities and templates.

Format is a website builder specifically designed for creatives, offering nearly 100 customizable templates tailored for various artistic disciplines. It emphasizes high-quality imagery and mobile-friendly designs, ensuring portfolios look professional on any device.

Format Themes

On the other hand, Zenfolio offers a variety of customizable templates and features specifically tailored for photographers, with a focus on showcasing and selling their work. While it provides several customization options, including blocks for different layouts and styles, it may not offer as much versatility outside of photography-specific needs.

Zenfolio Themes

🏆 Winner: Format

. With a score of 8.3, Format is more user-friendly than Zenfolio, which scored 6.3. Format’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface and straightforward dashboard make it accessible for users without extensive technical skills. Zenfolio, while offering a comprehensive suite of tools for photo management, sales, and display, can initially appear complex and might not fully cater to those seeking extensive customization.

Learning Resources

🏆 Winner: Format

. Format provides a comprehensive help center with a wide array of articles and maintains an official YouTube channel that features tutorials and updates. Zenfolio, on the other hand, offers a set of tutorials and articles in their help center, but users have expressed a desire for more comprehensive learning resources.

When it comes to ecommerce, Zenfolio, with a score of 6.3, outperforms Format, which has a score of 5.2. Zenfolio’s ecommerce platform is integrated and designed for photographers, enabling the sale of prints, digital downloads, gifts, and other items directly from their online stores. It also features the capability to create mobile-friendly, interactive online galleries that photographers can share with clients for showcasing and selling their work. On the other hand, Format caters specifically to creatives and photographers, offering basic ecommerce functionalities for selling physical and digital products. However, its ecommerce capabilities are basic and may not suit those looking for extensive ecommerce features.

Format ecommerce features:

• Inventory management and tracking
• Discounts
• Multiple currency options

Zenfolio ecommerce features:

• Multiple Currency Support
• Discount Coupons
• Order management
• Gift Certificates
• Tax management

Ecommerce themes & templates

Format does not have ecommerce specific templates. Zenfolio, on the other hand, provides customizable website templates with integrated e-commerce features for photographers, designed to showcase and sell their work across various genres. These templates include essential online selling tools such as secure payment options, product management, and marketing integrations.

Product page customization

Format offers limited specific details on product page customization directly, but its e-commerce features suggest a focus on showcasing products through high-quality imagery and detailed descriptions. Zenfolio allows for each product page to be adjusted to clearly display its unique attributes. Placing products in specific galleries or categories helps organize the site and improve navigation. The platform also supports customization in pricing and shipping settings, allowing sellers to cater to various needs effectively.

Payment processing

Format offers integration with major payment gateways, including Paypal and Stripe. It charges a 15% commission on the Pro plan and 5% on the Pro Plus plan. However, the platform does not have built-in POS (Point of Sale) capabilities. Zenfolio supports Stripe and PayPal for payment processing, integrating them seamlessly into its platform. The platform charges a commerce fee of 7% per order (excluding tax and shipping) and a payment processing fee for transactions through Stripe or PayPal. While Zenfolio offers robust e-commerce functionalities for online sales, it does not explicitly mention POS capabilities for in-person sales, suggesting its services are tailored primarily towards online transactions.

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Winner: Zenfolio

. Zenfolio, with a score of 7.6, offers an intuitive, no-coding-required website builder tailored for photographers, featuring drag-and-drop customization, a wide array of templates, and a powerful Custom Layout block for personalized designs. Its integrated eCommerce capabilities enable selling both digital and physical photography products, supported by comprehensive security features for protecting photographers’ work. Additionally, Zenfolio provides tools for SEO, marketing, photo and video hosting, client booking, and management, backed by award-winning customer support.

Format’s editor, scoring 7.5, offers a variety of features for creating online portfolios. It provides nearly 100 professionally designed templates and thousands of design variations without requiring any coding. Users can express creativity with custom pages, incorporating unique gallery layouts, colors, text formatting, and custom code embeds. The templates and pages are fully responsive, ensuring a mobile-first experience. Format also supports direct video hosting, high-quality image rendering, and easy template switching to give sites a new look. Additionally, it includes studio management tools, e-commerce capabilities, and SEO tools.

Mobile editor/app

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Winner: Zenfolio

. Both Format and Zenfolio cater to creative professionals, but they offer different experiences when it comes to mobile editing. Format does not offer a dedicated app for editing on mobile devices. While it is possible to edit your website using a mobile browser, the interface presented is the same as the desktop version, making it difficult to use on a smartphone.

Zenfolio, on the other hand, provides a comprehensive mobile editor app, designed to allow Zenfolio account holders to manage their websites and galleries directly from their mobile devices. It includes features for receiving notifications, managing galleries, handling sales-related tasks, and showcasing photos through a client presentation mode. Additionally, the app supports uploading and editing photos, as well as accessing various tools for reports, CRM, bookings, and blog management, although some features may still necessitate desktop use for full functionality.

In summary, Zenfolio offers a more robust and user-friendly mobile editing experience, making it the clear winner in this category.

Overall Result

:

Zenfolio wins

. Zenfolio scores slightly higher than Format with a score of 8.4 compared to Format’s 8.3. Both Format and Zenfolio offer a 14-day free trial and a 30-day money back guarantee. They also allow users to test premium features during the free trial period. However, neither of them offers a free version.

Zenfolio has a slightly higher price score than Format, indicating better value for money.

Both builders offer a range of plans with different features and prices, catering to different user needs. They also offer significant discounts for annual billing, with Format offering a 30-60% discount depending on the plan, and Zenfolio offering discounts ranging from 30% to 50% depending on the plan. Neither builder offers an enterprise plan.

Winner: Zenfolio

. Zenfolio edges out Format with a slightly higher hosting quality score. Both platforms offer hosting services, but Zenfolio provides more details about its hosting, including the type of hosting (Cloud Hosting) and the storage options available. Neither platform discloses information about their uptime statistics, uptime guarantee, or the location of their data centers.

🏆 Winner: Zenfolio

Both Format and Zenfolio have similar website speed optimization scores, but Zenfolio edges out slightly.

Format, a website builder designed for creative professionals, focuses on image and video optimization for speed optimization. However, they do not provide specific information on their load times, PageSpeed scores, or Core Web Vitals improvements.

Zenfolio, a website builder for professional photographers and visual artists, emphasizes mobile responsive design for speed optimization. Like Format, Zenfolio does not provide specific information on their load times, PageSpeed scores, or Core Web Vitals improvements. However, their focus on mobile responsive design gives them a slight edge over Format in website speed optimization.

🏆 Winner: Zenfolio.

Zenfolio, with a score of 6.5, offers a focused set of plugins and integrations specifically designed for photographers. These features enhance the functionality of Zenfolio websites by facilitating content integration from external sources, streamlining photo management workflows, and allowing for customized user interactions. Format, scoring 4.9, offers support for a limited selection of plugins/integrations, including Adobe Lightroom, Mailchimp, and Google Analytics. However, its overall capabilities for expansion through plugins and integrations are notably limited.

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Overall Winner: Zenfolio

. Zenfolio edges out Format with a slightly higher score and more comprehensive marketing features, especially in email marketing and analytics. Format, while offering basic marketing tools, lacks advanced capabilities.

🏆 Winner: Format

. Comparing Format vs Zenfolio, Format edges out with a slightly higher customer support score. Format offers 24/7 customer support through email and live chat, ensuring users can get help whenever they need it. The global distribution of their tech support team enhances their ability to provide timely assistance.

Zenfolio, on the other hand, provides comprehensive support through email available all year round, LiveChat from Monday to Thursday, and phone support for Advanced plan subscribers during specific hours. While Zenfolio’s support is robust, it lacks the 24/7 availability that Format offers, which can be a crucial factor for users needing immediate assistance. However, Zenfolio’s rich Support Center with articles and video tutorials is a valuable resource for self-help.

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Winner: Zenfolio

. Zenfolio takes the lead in security with a score of 8.0 compared to Format’s 7.4. Zenfolio’s commitment to data protection and website security is evident in its use of SSL encryption, provision of SSL certificates for custom domains, watermarking to protect users’ work, password-protected galleries, and cloud backup for additional data protection.

Format also prioritizes security with encrypted data storage, strict access controls, and compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR. However, Zenfolio’s more comprehensive security features, specifically tailored for photographers and visual artists, give it an edge over Format in this category.

🏆 Winner: Zenfolio

. Zenfolio, with a score of 2.4, has limited AI capabilities, mainly in the form of an AI-driven eCommerce feature called PhotoRefine.ai. This tool helps photographers manage their photo collections more efficiently, which can be beneficial for preparing and selling their work online. However, Zenfolio does not have any other AI features.

Format, with a score of 0.0, does not have any AI capabilities.

🏁 Draw: Format and Zenfolio

. Both Format and Zenfolio are designed for individual creative professionals, and as such, they only allow one user to manage and edit websites. This can be a limitation for teams or collaborative projects.

• Format: Allows only one user to manage and edit websites.
• Zenfolio: Allows only one user to edit and manage a website.

Neither platform provides user roles or access levels due to the single-user design.

Additional Features

Format vs Zenfolio: User Feedback

Users highly praise Format for its user-friendly website builder, particularly noting the ease of adding images and the effectiveness of customer service. Many reviewers appreciate the variety of modern templates and the platform’s suitability for users without technical expertise, especially photographers. Format’s mobile app and proofing section receive special mentions for their convenience and functionality. However, some users desire more customization options, particularly for mobile views, and mention minor limitations in template flexibility and SEO functionality. Overall, Format is celebrated for its ability to provide a professional online presence easily and efficiently, solving users’ needs for showcasing work and attracting new clients.

Users appreciate Zenfolio for its elegant and affordable site/portfolio designs, highlighting the platform’s suitability for photographers looking to showcase and sell their work online. The Starter plan is praised for its value, though some users express a desire to upgrade to the Pro plan for its enhanced client interaction features and customizable marketing tools. Criticisms include dissatisfaction with the platform’s handling of photo albums and a desire for more privacy and faster loading times. Overall, Zenfolio is valued for its ability to organize and share professional photographs and files, despite some navigational and performance issues.

Format vs Zenfolio: FAQ