# Creator Link Studio vs SmugMug for Photographers

Source: https://www.creatorlinkstudio.com/compare/smugmug

SmugMug is a photo hosting and portfolio service with client galleries, unlimited storage and print and download sales on its Portfolio and Pro plans. Partner labs print and ship the orders. Here is how the two compare, with sources.

## What Does SmugMug Charge, and What Do We Charge?
What each platform keeps from your sales.

Creator Link Studio: 10% on Creator, 3% on Studio (Free cannot sell)
SmugMug: Plans from $20/mo (billed yearly); keeps 15% of your markup on sales [Source](https://www.smugmughelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/18212462590868-Get-paid-my-profits)

## How Do the Features Compare?
SmugMug details checked on October 31, 2026 from the linked pages.

| Item | Creator Link Studio | SmugMug |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plans and fees | Platform fee of 10% on Creator, 3% on Studio, with plan prices on the pricing page. Free accounts can browse and buy but can't publish or sell. | Direct $20, Portfolio $23.50 and Pro $37 a month, billed yearly, with a 14-day free trial. Selling needs Portfolio or Pro. SmugMug keeps 15% of your markup over its base price on each print and download sale, card fees included. [source](https://www.smugmughelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/18212462590868-Get-paid-my-profits) |
| What you can sell | Memberships with tiers and free trials, pay-per-view posts and paid messages, sets as downloadable bundles and booked sessions. | Prints and keepsakes, digital downloads of photos and videos up to the original size, whole-gallery downloads, and print or download packages on Pro. [source](https://www.smugmughelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/18212586509716-Sell-digital-downloads) |
| Prints | No. Sales are digital: images, video, sessions and memberships. | Yes. Bay Photo, Loxley, Fujifilm or WHCC print and ship your orders, and SmugMug handles order fulfilment. [source](https://www.smugmughelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/18212621501588-Print-labs-available-with-SmugMug) |
| Getting photos to buyers | A bought set sits in the buyer's purchases, ready to download. Pay-per-view images unlock on your page. | Client galleries on every plan, set to public, unlisted or private, and locked with a password or to people you choose. [source](https://www.smugmughelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/18212691894420-Gallery-Page-and-Folder-privacy-settings) |
| Watermarks | A watermark you switch on for each image in your library. | Custom watermarks on Portfolio and Pro. They don't appear on prints ordered through SmugMug. [source](https://www.smugmughelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/18212632250644-Watermark-photos) |
| Getting paid | Fans pay with credits (10 credits for every $1) or by card for memberships. You cash out to your bank on request from $25. | Paid automatically the next month once unpaid profit reaches $500, or on request from $5 ($10 outside the US). Bank deposit in the US, PayPal elsewhere, with SmugMug paying the transfer fees. [source](https://www.smugmughelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/18212462590868-Get-paid-my-profits) |
| Social publishing | One post goes to your page and all ten platforms you connect, now or on a schedule. | You can publish your SmugMug photos to your social media channels and share buy links. [source](https://www.smugmughelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/18212716776340-Share-my-photos) |

## SmugMug or Creator Link Studio?

### Why Choose SmugMug
Photographers who sell prints and downloads from a portfolio site and want a lab to print and ship every order.

- Partner labs print and ship orders, so you never handle fulfilment.
- Galleries can be private, password-protected or limited to people you choose.
- Unlimited photo storage with delivery on every plan.

### Why Choose Creator Link Studio
You sell digital work to fans: memberships, single shots and sets, plus booked sessions, from one page.

- You want memberships with tiers and free trials for your regulars.
- You want pay-per-view posts and paid messages for single shots.
- You want booked sessions with a price on the same page.
- You want one post sent to your page and all ten platforms you connect.

## Which Other Comparisons Are Worth Reading?

Platforms of the same kind are compared in [Creator Link Studio vs Pixieset](https://www.creatorlinkstudio.com/compare/pixieset), [Creator Link Studio vs ShootProof](https://www.creatorlinkstudio.com/compare/shootproof), [Creator Link Studio vs Gumroad](https://www.creatorlinkstudio.com/compare/gumroad). What photographers sell here, and how, is set out in [Creator Link Studio for photographers](https://www.creatorlinkstudio.com/for/photographers).

Everything about Creator Link Studio itself lives on its own pages: [features](https://www.creatorlinkstudio.com/features), [pricing and limits](https://www.creatorlinkstudio.com/pricing) and [payouts](https://www.creatorlinkstudio.com/features/payouts).

Two rules sit outside every platform on this page. Creator income is self-employment income, and the [IRS self-employed individuals tax center](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employed-individuals-tax-center) explains the estimated payments; a sponsored post needs a disclosure, which the [FTC's Disclosures 101 for influencers](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/disclosures-101-social-media-influencers) sets out.

## Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I sell prints on Creator Link Studio?
A: No. Sales on Creator Link Studio are digital: images, video, sessions and memberships. If prints are a big part of your income, SmugMug is the better fit for that part: partner labs print and ship each order for you.

Q: How much does SmugMug keep from a sale?
A: SmugMug keeps 15% of your markup over its base price on each print and download sale, which covers card fees. Selling needs the Portfolio or Pro plan, from $23.50 a month billed yearly.

Q: When does SmugMug pay out?
A: Automatically the following month once your unpaid profit reaches $500, or on request from $5 ($10 outside the US). US photographers are paid by bank deposit and others by PayPal.

Q: What does Creator Link Studio charge photographers?
A: Creator Link Studio's platform fee is 10% of each sale on the Creator plan ($99/month) and 3% of each sale on the Studio plan ($199/month). Free accounts cannot publish or sell, so they pay no platform fee. Card processing fees are separate.

Q: Can I use Creator Link Studio and SmugMug at the same time?
A: Yes. Keep your SmugMug account as it is and set up your page here alongside it. Put your page link in your bio so fans can find your sets, memberships and sessions.

## Sell Your Next Set
Bundles, pay-per-view and sessions from one page.

Free accounts can browse and buy, but can't publish or sell. A 14-day trial on Creator or Studio unlocks selling.