Comparison
CloudSpot vs ShootProof: Where the Money Is Taken
Both platforms sell galleries, a print store and studio tooling to the same photographer. They differ in where the cut comes from and how storage is priced. All figures verified 9 September 2026.
Updated 9 September 2026
CloudSpot and ShootProof are aimed at the same studio: a photographer who delivers galleries, sells prints, and would rather not run three tools to do it. Feature lists will not separate them. Two things will. The first is where each company takes its money, because one of them charges a commission on part of its ladder and the other says it never does. The second is how each one sells capacity, because CloudSpot sells gigabytes and ShootProof sells photo counts, and those two units do not convert into each other.
Every number below was verified on 9 September 2026 from a page CloudSpot or ShootProof publishes itself, and each is listed with its URL and date at the end. Prices are as of that date. One of them is a promotional rate and is labelled as such. We build a competing product, so the last two sections say plainly which reader should pick each of these platforms instead of ours.
Where the money is taken
ShootProof states a 0% commission on three of its own pages, in three different wordings, at every plan level including the free one. Its FAQ says "Keep every penny of profit with every plan" and "ShootProof will never take a commission." There is no percentage to compare because ShootProof asserts none exists.
CloudSpot reaches 0% too, but further up the ladder. Its pricing page applies a 15% commission on sales to the Free and Entry plans and describes Lite, Pro and Unlimited as commission-free. Its print-sales article puts the paid-plan side in CloudSpot's own words: "We take exactly 0% of all of your profits for Auto-Fulfilled lab orders," alongside "A 15% commission will apply to any orders placed when your account is on a Free plan." Note that the article names only the Free plan when it describes the 15%, while the pricing page attaches it to Entry as well. Read both before you commit to Entry with a store attached.
| Line | CloudSpot | ShootProof |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan commission | 15% on sales | 0% |
| Cheapest paid plan | Entry, $7 a month or $72 a year | 1,500 plan, $9.99 a month or $8.33 a month billed annually |
| Commission on that plan | 15% on sales | 0% |
| First commission-free plan | Lite, $17 a month or $144 a year | Free, $0 |
| Card processing | Charged separately at 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction | A processing fee exists; no rate is published |
Put that against a year of print sales. The figures below use the monthly rates published on 9 September 2026, multiplied by twelve, plus the commission on the sales volume in the left column. CloudSpot's published annual rates are lower than twelve monthly payments for the two tiers where it states them, at $72 for Entry and $144 for Lite.
| Print sales in a year | CloudSpot Free (15%) | CloudSpot Entry (15%) | CloudSpot Lite (0%) | ShootProof Free (0%) | ShootProof 1,500 (0%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | $0 | $84 | $204 | $0 | $119.88 |
| $2,000 | $300 | $384 | $204 | $0 | $119.88 |
| $10,000 | $1,500 | $1,584 | $204 | $0 | $119.88 |
The shape is the point. On CloudSpot, selling prints is the thing that pushes you up the ladder, and at the monthly rates the jump from Entry to Lite pays for itself at about $800 of yearly sales. On ShootProof, selling prints never moves you. Capacity does. That is the whole difference in one sentence.
Two caveats on the prices. CloudSpot is running a promotion on 9 September 2026, at $3 a month for the first three months on every paid plan, plus banners offering 50% or more off and six months free with an annual plan. Those are promotional rates, not list rates, and the figures used above are the post-promotion prices CloudSpot publishes. On ShootProof's side, its two live marketing pages disagreed on the same day: /plans/ showed $9.99 and $19.99 a month for the 1,500 and 5,000 plans while /pricing showed $12.99 and $21.99. This page uses the /plans/ set, which the ShootProof help centre agrees with, but a reader who checks /pricing will see a different number.
Storage: gigabytes against photo counts
Both platforms cap you, in different units. CloudSpot sells a gigabyte ladder and also caps gallery count on its two cheapest plans. ShootProof sells a photo count, described in its own words as "the total number of photos you can have online in your ShootProof account at any given time," spread across unlimited galleries, with a gigabyte ceiling published beside it.
Presenting these side by side as if they were the same measure would be dishonest, so here is each in its own terms.
| CloudSpot plan | Price a month | Storage | Client galleries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 5 GB | Up to 3 |
| Entry | $7 ($72 a year) | 15 GB | Up to 15 |
| Lite | $17 ($144 a year) | 100 GB | Unlimited |
| Pro | $34 | 500 GB | Unlimited |
| Unlimited | $50 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| ShootProof plan | Photos online at once | Storage | Monthly | Annual, per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 100 | Up to 5 GB | $0 | $0 |
| 1,500 | 1,500 | Up to 75 GB | $9.99 | $8.33 |
| 5,000 | 5,000 | Up to 250 GB | $19.99 | $16.67 |
| 25,000 | 25,000 | Up to 1,250 GB | $31.99 | $26.67 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $60.00 | $50.00 |
What that means in practice. A CloudSpot studio watches a gigabyte meter and, below Lite, a gallery counter as well: three galleries on Free and fifteen at a time on Entry. A ShootProof studio watches a photo counter that is indifferent to how many galleries those photos are spread across, and reaches the counter before the gigabyte ceiling in most delivery workflows.
One more line that separates the cheap tiers. CloudSpot restricts Free and Entry to JPEG only, and adds JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG, PSD and PDF from Lite upward. If your delivery includes a PDF or a layered file, CloudSpot's entry tiers will not carry it.
What a free-tier client actually downloads
Free tiers are how most photographers try a platform, and CloudSpot's free tier changes the deliverable itself. Its pricing page states a 2048 px limit on downloads for the free plan, with high-res downloads on the paid tiers. That is not a bookkeeping detail. It is what lands on your client's laptop. A 2048 px file is fine for a phone and for social, and it is not a print file. If you trial CloudSpot on a real job, the client gets the smaller image unless you are paying.
ShootProof publishes no equivalent download-resolution cap on any page we fetched, so this page makes no claim in either direction about ShootProof download sizes. Absence of a published cap is not the same as a published promise.
On delivery mechanics, CloudSpot's downloads article names four shapes: single digital files, a ZIP of selected images, a full-gallery download, and a ZIP of a favorites list. Limiting free downloads is done by turning them off in gallery settings and issuing a single-use discount code, and CloudSpot notes those codes apply to single digital files rather than gallery bundles. That is a workable system, but it is a workaround rather than a switch.
Expiry, and what happens to old galleries
ShootProof documents expiry as a date the photographer sets. In its words, "At 11:59 pm, on this date (in your studio's time zone), the gallery will expire and become inactive." It is a per-gallery setting that can also be set in Gallery Presets for all future galleries. No page we fetched states a default expiry period, so nobody should tell you ShootProof galleries expire after some fixed number of days.
The interesting part is what comes after. ShootProof has an advanced setting that automatically sends a gallery to Archiving a chosen number of days after it expires. Archived galleries are not live for client viewing, and archiving frees space for more active photos while keeping the originals stored and restorable with one click. It is a paid service on most plans: $2.99 a month minimum for up to 25 GB, then $0.05 per additional GB, billed monthly and retroactively for the prior month. Unarchiving is free, and archiving is included at no extra cost on the Unlimited plan. If your library keeps growing and you never delete, that is a second bill that grows with it.
CloudSpot publishes no default expiry period that we could verify, so this page makes no claim about one. What CloudSpot does document is the pressure that a gallery cap creates: three galleries on Free and fifteen at a time on Entry means old jobs come down to make room for new ones, long before any expiry setting is involved. One related operational note from CloudSpot's own help centre: galleries live on a CloudSpot subdomain in the form yourbusinessname.client-gallery.com, the subdomain can be changed at any time, and if you change it more than once, previously shared galleries have to be resent.
On plan movement, ShootProof is the more documented of the two. Upgrades take effect immediately with the remaining plan time prorated onto the new bill, downgrades wait until the next bill date, moving between plans carries no penalty, and all purchases are non-refundable.
Where clientgallery.io sits, including where it loses
We make a third thing, and it is deliberately narrower. clientgallery.io is one plan at $10 a month or $100 a year. There is no print store, no commission, no per-gallery fee and no storage tier to climb. Galleries carry your branding on your own subdomain, and hosted galleries stay live for as long as the account does.
Because this page is an argument about caps, here are ours in plain figures. Uploaded photos are browser-compressed proof JPEGs of roughly 0.6 MB each. Fair use runs to 1,000 photos per gallery and 250 GB of proofs per paid account; free accounts hold 5 GB. Full-resolution delivery is a paid feature and works differently from hosting: you upload a full-resolution ZIP per gallery, it stays live for three days per handoff, and you can re-upload it any time, with 100 GB of standing ZIPs per account. We host JPEGs. We do not warehouse RAW files or master video, which is what keeps the price flat.
Where we lose: CloudSpot's Unlimited plan at $50 a month says unlimited storage, and ShootProof's Unlimited plan at $60 a month says unlimited photos and unlimited storage with archiving included. We do not offer unlimited storage and this page will not pretend the words mean the same thing. A studio whose library genuinely needs to grow without a ceiling should read those two tiers seriously. We also have no print store, no invoicing, no contracts and no scheduling, all of which CloudSpot ships as Studio Manager from Lite upward and ShootProof includes on every paid plan.
The verdict: which reader picks which
A studio that wants a store, auto-fulfilment through a lab, and business tooling in the same product should pick CloudSpot or ShootProof, not us. We do not build those things and we are not going to.
Pick CloudSpot if you want the gallery and the back office in one subscription and you are willing to sit at Lite or above. From $17 a month you get commission-free selling, unlimited galleries, 100 GB, the broader file-type support, and the Studio Manager side with contracts, questionnaires, invoicing, scheduling and mini-sessions. CloudSpot states it takes 0% of your profits on auto-fulfilled lab orders, which is the strongest single reason to be there if the lab is central to your business. Avoid its Free and Entry plans if you sell anything, because that is exactly where the 15% lives.
Pick ShootProof if selling is the point and your volume is uneven. Commission is 0% from the free plan upward, so a photographer who sells $10,000 of prints a year pays the same plan fee as one who sells nothing, and pays it for capacity rather than for sales. Invoicing and contracts are on every paid plan. It is also the better fit if you think in photo counts rather than gigabytes, and if you want a large ceiling without a lab relationship. Budget for archiving on any plan below Unlimited, because that is where the second bill hides.
Pick clientgallery.io if you do not sell prints. If your galleries exist to deliver finished work and collect client picks, the store, the lab integration, the commission ladder and the storage ladder are all machinery you pay for and never touch. One flat $10 a month, one plan, your branding, your subdomain, and the fair-use ceilings written above rather than buried. If you outgrow those ceilings, one of the platforms on this page is the honest answer.
Sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these. CloudSpot and ShootProof marketing pages were fetched on 9 September 2026; help articles are cited with the date the vendor states the article was last updated.
- CloudSpot pricing, https://www.cloudspot.io/pricing, fetched 9 September 2026.
- CloudSpot help centre, The 411 About Print Sales, http://help.cloudspot.io/en/articles/114592-the-411-about-print-sales, article updated 19 August 2025.
- CloudSpot help centre, What are the different CloudSpot subscription plans and how do they compare, http://help.cloudspot.io/en/articles/13287496-what-are-the-different-cloudspot-subscription-plans-and-how-do-they-compare, article dated 21 January 2026.
- CloudSpot help centre, Can I change my subdomain, http://help.cloudspot.io/en/articles/114529-can-i-change-my-subdomain, article updated 5 January 2026.
- CloudSpot help centre, Limiting Downloads, http://help.cloudspot.io/en/articles/5722715-limiting-downloads, article updated 19 August 2025.
- ShootProof plans, https://www.shootproof.com/plans/, fetched 9 September 2026.
- ShootProof pricing, https://www.shootproof.com/pricing, fetched 9 September 2026.
- ShootProof help centre, Are there any other fees, https://help.shootproof.com/hc/en-us/articles/115008032267-Are-there-any-other-fees, article updated 2 March 2026.
- ShootProof help centre, What does ShootProof cost, https://help.shootproof.com/hc/en-us/articles/115008032167-What-does-ShootProof-cost, article updated 7 February 2023.
- ShootProof help centre, ShootProof FAQs, https://help.shootproof.com/hc/en-us/articles/360062280593-ShootProof-FAQs, article updated 26 August 2026.
- ShootProof help centre, How do your plans work, https://help.shootproof.com/hc/en-us/articles/115008189128-How-do-your-plans-work, article updated 26 August 2026.
- ShootProof help centre, What does archiving cost, https://help.shootproof.com/hc/en-us/articles/115008322408-What-does-archiving-cost, article updated 29 April 2025.
- ShootProof help centre, What is archiving, https://help.shootproof.com/hc/en-us/articles/115011743248-What-is-archiving, article updated 8 August 2023.
- ShootProof help centre, How do I archive my photos and remove them from Archiving later, https://help.shootproof.com/hc/en-us/articles/115008322448-How-do-I-archive-my-photos-and-remove-them-from-Archiving-later, article updated 4 March 2024.
- ShootProof help centre, What are all of the gallery settings, https://help.shootproof.com/hc/en-us/articles/115009679648-What-are-all-of-the-gallery-settings, article updated 18 August 2026.
- ShootProof help centre, How do I change my plan, https://help.shootproof.com/hc/en-us/articles/115008032207-How-do-I-change-my-plan, article updated 26 August 2026.
- clientgallery.io plan and fair-use figures, verified in product, 9 September 2026.
Frequently asked
Does CloudSpot or ShootProof take a commission on print sales?
ShootProof states 0% on every plan, including its free one, on three of its own pages. CloudSpot's pricing page applies 15% on sales to its Free and Entry plans and describes Lite, Pro and Unlimited as commission-free, and its print-sales article says it takes exactly 0% of profits on auto-fulfilled lab orders. Verified 9 September 2026.
Which is cheaper, CloudSpot or ShootProof?
It depends on whether you sell. CloudSpot's cheapest paid plan is Entry at $7 a month or $72 a year, below ShootProof's 1,500 plan at $9.99 a month, but Entry carries the 15% commission. The first commission-free CloudSpot plan is Lite at $17 a month or $144 a year, while ShootProof is commission-free from $0. Prices as of 9 September 2026; CloudSpot is also running a promotional $3 a month for the first three months.
Why do ShootProof's two pricing pages show different numbers?
On 9 September 2026 ShootProof's /plans/ page showed $9.99 and $19.99 a month for the 1,500 and 5,000 plans while its /pricing page showed $12.99 and $21.99 for the same tiers. The higher tiers matched on both. This comparison uses the /plans/ figures, which the ShootProof help centre agrees with.
What is CloudSpot's free plan download limit?
CloudSpot's pricing page states a 2048 px limit on downloads for the free plan, with high-res downloads on the paid tiers. That is what the client actually receives, so a free-tier trial on a real job delivers smaller files than a paid account would. Verified 9 September 2026.
How much does ShootProof archiving cost?
ShootProof's archiving article states a minimum monthly charge of $2.99 for up to 25 GB, then $0.05 per additional GB, billed monthly and retroactively for the prior month. Unarchiving is free, archived galleries are not live for client viewing, and archiving is included at no extra cost on the Unlimited plan. Article updated 29 April 2025.
Do galleries expire on ShootProof?
Only on a date the photographer sets. ShootProof documents that the gallery becomes inactive at 11:59 pm on that date in the studio's time zone, and the setting can be applied to all future galleries through Gallery Presets. No ShootProof page we fetched publishes a default expiry period, so no default should be quoted.
When should a photographer choose clientgallery.io over either of these?
When you do not sell prints. clientgallery.io is one plan at $10 a month or $100 a year with no store, no commission, no per-gallery fee and no storage tiers, and its fair-use ceilings are 1,000 photos per gallery and 250 GB of proofs per paid account. If you need a print store, lab auto-fulfilment, invoicing or genuinely unlimited storage, CloudSpot or ShootProof is the better answer.
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