Pixieset vs SitesBy.AI

Building the site: describe it, or assemble it

With Pixieset you start from a template. You pick a design, then fill its pages with your galleries, words and contact details in the Flex Editor, adjusting the desktop and mobile layouts as you go. It is a capable editor, and if you enjoy arranging things yourself, it gives you room to.

SitesBy.AI starts from your business instead. You write a sentence or two, say “a wedding and portrait photographer in Portland, natural light, film colours, prints for sale and a form to ask about dates”, and about 20 seconds later there is a finished site: the pages, layout, typefaces, colours and words, written for you. You can look through it before you create an account.

From there you change it by asking. “Make the gallery darker.” “Add a page for elopements.” “Put the prices above the contact form.” Or click any line of text and type over it. Every AI change is saved as a version, so you can undo it or go back to an earlier one.

Design: made for you, or chosen from a set

Templates are a quick start, and Pixieset’s are clean and put photos first. The catch with any template is that other photographers start from the same ones, so sites built on them tend to share a look.

SitesBy.AI has no templates. Each site’s layout, palette and type are chosen for the business it describes, so a moody elopement photographer and a bright newborn studio come out looking like themselves. If the first version is not quite right, ask for a different feel, or build again from a new description, in seconds.

Galleries, proofing and print sales

This is where Pixieset is strongest, and it is fair to say so. Its client galleries handle proofing and favourites, PIN and password protection, download limits and a Lightroom plugin, and its store sells prints, albums and downloads with automatic fulfilment through partner labs. There is no commission on store sales on any paid plan (15% on the free plan), on top of the usual card fees from Stripe or PayPal.

SitesBy.AI is a website builder, not a gallery delivery service. Your site’s galleries show your portfolio in justified, masonry, grid or editorial layouts, with a full-screen viewer that swipes through the set. You can list prints and packages with prices, and clients order through your inquiry form. For client delivery and proofing, link the site to the gallery service you already use; a menu item or button pointing to your Pixieset galleries takes a minute to add.

Inquiries, bookings and the business side

Pixieset Studio Manager adds booking pages, contracts with e-signatures, invoices, questionnaires and payments. Its free plan includes unlimited invoices and three contracts; paid plans start at $15 a month ($12 billed yearly).

On a SitesBy.AI site, inquiry and booking forms send each message to your email and to an inbox in the editor, and replying goes straight to the client. If you already take bookings through Calendly, you can add your booking page to the site.