PhotoShelter vs SmugMug
PhotoShelter vs SmugMug, compared side by side on 20 data points: what each one does, how big it is, what it has raised, the tech running each site, and what users report. We score both out of 100 on traction, team and visibility: PhotoShelter is on 48/100 and SmugMug on 56/100.
Where each one leads
PhotoShelter
- agent readiness: 50/100 against 39/100
SmugMug
- our overall score: 56/100 against 48/100
- funding raised: $63.0M against $12.0M
At a glance
| Measure | PhotoShelter | SmugMug |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Digital asset management and content distribution platform for professional photographers, creative teams, and brands. | A subscription-based platform for photographers to showcase, share, store, and sell their photos. |
| Category | SaaS, Digital Asset Management, Media | Photography, E-commerce, Cloud Storage, SaaS |
| Sells toBusiness model | B2B2C | B2C |
| Offering | Platform | Platform |
| Founded | 2005 | 2002 |
| Headquarters | New York, United States | Mountain View, United States |
| Status | Active | Active |
Size, funding and growth
| Measure | PhotoShelter | SmugMug |
|---|---|---|
| Employees | Not published | 116 |
| Total funding | $12.0M | $63.0M |
| Latest round | Series B | Series D |
| Valuation | Not published | $1.1B |
StartupHub scores
Our own 0-100 ratings. They measure company strength and site quality, not which product suits you.
| Measure | PhotoShelter | SmugMug |
|---|---|---|
| StartupHub scoreOur 0-100 rating | 48/100 | 56/100 |
| Traction | 35/100 | 59/100 |
| Team | 60/100 | 70/100 |
| Community | 8/100 | 8/100 |
| Search visibility | 12/100 | 17/100 |
| Quality | 58/100 | 65/100 |
| Agent readinessHow well an AI agent can read and act on the site | D (50/100) | F (39/100) |
| Domain ratingLink authority, 0-100 | 86/100 | 91/100 |
Technology
Detected on each public site, so it reflects the marketing stack as well as the product.
| Measure | PhotoShelter | SmugMug |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Not detected | AWS |
| CDN | Not detected | CloudFront |
| CMS | WordPress | Webflow |
| Frameworks | Tailwind CSS | Tailwind CSS |
| Analytics | Google Tag Manager, Hotjar | Google Tag Manager |
| Support stack | Zendesk | Not detected |
PhotoShelter vs SmugMug: common questions
Which is better, PhotoShelter or SmugMug?
On our 0-100 score SmugMug rates higher (56/100 against 48/100). The score weights traction, team, visibility and profile completeness, so it reflects company strength rather than which product suits you. We compare the two on 20 data points above: read the rows that match what you are buying for.
How do PhotoShelter and SmugMug compare on the numbers?
PhotoShelter leads on agent readiness (50/100 against 39/100). SmugMug leads on our overall score (56/100 against 48/100), funding raised ($63.0M against $12.0M).
Read the full PhotoShelter review and pricing or the SmugMug review and pricing. You can also browse other PhotoShelter alternatives we track.