Nippy vs SmugMug
A platform subscription, or a gallery in one drag?
SmugMug is one of photography’s longest-running platforms, and what it sells is breadth: customisable portfolio sites, serious photo storage, print sales, and a home for an entire archive — all subscription-only, with no free tier beyond a trial (as of June 2026; SmugMug also owns Flickr). For a photographer whose work lives online permanently and sells from there, that bundle earns its monthly cost.
Nippy answers a smaller question much faster: this shoot, online, now. Drag the folder in and it becomes a gallery with thumbnails, a full-screen lightbox and original-quality zip downloads at an address like shoots.nippy.site; the free plan hosts a small gallery with no expiry, and paid plans add the space full shoots need, passwords for client-only access, custom domains and cookie-free analytics.
The same account hosts non-photo work — a CV, client documents, a full HTML site — which a photo platform doesn’t. What Nippy doesn’t do is SmugMug’s heartland: no print store, no proofing, no themed portfolio builder, no archive-scale storage. Platform people should weigh SmugMug against Zenfolio and Pixieset; link people just need the drag.
Last reviewed: 12 June 2026
Side by side
The differences, at a glance.
| Nippy | SmugMug | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes — one site, 25 MB, no expiry | Trial only; subscription required (June 2026) |
| What you get | Galleries, file pages and hosted sites from dragged folders | Portfolio site, archive storage and store in one platform |
| Selling prints | No store — galleries are for sharing | Built-in print and product sales |
| Beyond photos | CVs, documents, full websites on the same account | Photography-focused platform |
| Setup effort | One drag — grid, lightbox and zip generated | A site to design and organise (templates provided) |
| Custom domain | Paid plans — one CNAME, HTTPS automatic | Supported on its subscriptions |
Which one?
An honest fork in the road.
Choose Nippy when…
- You want this shoot at one clean link today, free to start
- Deliveries are “browse and download”, not proofing and print sales
- You also host non-photo things — a CV, documents, a site
Choose SmugMug when…
- Your whole archive and portfolio should live in one subscription
- You sell prints and products directly from your galleries
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Does SmugMug have a free plan?
No — a trial, then subscription-only (as of June 2026). Nippy starts free with one small gallery; full shoots sit on paid plans.
Are originals preserved on both?
Yes. Nippy serves downloads byte-for-byte as uploaded, with thumbnails generated only for browsing. SmugMug likewise keeps originals — archive storage is part of what the subscription buys.
Can I sell prints through Nippy?
No — there’s no store. If selling matters, SmugMug, Zenfolio or Pixieset are the right category; Nippy is the delivery link, not the storefront.
Which is better for a quick client delivery?
A drag-and-drop gallery link, by a distance: no platform setup, no theme, no subscription to start — the client browses and downloads at original quality.
More questions? Visit the help center or email support@nippy.host
More comparisons
How Nippy stacks up elsewhere.
- vs WeTransfer
- vs Google Drive
- vs Tiiny.host
- vs Carrd
- vs Pixieset
- vs Weebly
- vs Google Photos
- vs SwissTransfer
- All comparisons →
Looking at the wider field? Best SmugMug alternatives
Weighing two other tools? Adobe Portfolio vs SmugMug, Google Photos vs SmugMug, Pixieset vs SmugMug
Putting Nippy to work for a specific job? For photographers