Both Capturely and ShootProof help photographers get finished images into clients' hands. But they grew up solving different problems, and the right choice depends less on a feature checklist and more on how you actually run your business. If you sell prints and manage a busy book of clients, that pulls you one way. If you mainly need beautiful, private delivery without the overhead, that pulls you another.
This is an honest, side-by-side look at where each tool shines and who each one suits. Capturely's details below are exact. For ShootProof, we stick to its well-known positioning and ask you to confirm current pricing and features on its own site, since those change over time.
The short version
ShootProof is generally known as a galleries-plus-commerce platform: client galleries paired with print sales and tools aimed at running a studio. It's typically positioned for studios whose revenue depends on print and product sales and who want sales tooling close at hand. Confirm exactly which client-management features are included on the current plans on ShootProof's own site.
Capturely is a focused client-gallery delivery platform. You upload a shoot and get a clean, shareable link. Clients view, favorite, and download with no account required. It leans into cinematic presentation, privacy, and lean storage, plus a few things print-first tools rarely emphasize.
What ShootProof is great at
If your workflow revolves around selling, ShootProof's reputation is earned. The things it's generally known for:
- Print and product sales through integrated print labs, so clients can order directly from a gallery.
- Client management features that often include invoicing, contracts, and a studio-style dashboard.
- A mature, established platform with a long track record among portrait, school, sports, and event photographers who sell physical products.
- Plan and storage tiers oriented around studios that sell; confirm the current structure and limits on their site.
What Capturely is great at
Capturely is built around delivery and experience rather than commerce. Here's exactly what it does:
- Cinematic delivery: full-screen covers that open on the client's names, a justified-grid viewer, and an elegant lightbox. Photos keep their original shot orientation.
- Frictionless client access: clients view, favorite, and download with no account. The first action just asks their name; email or phone is optional.
- Downloads done right: full-resolution single photos or a whole-gallery zip, with per-photo download counts. Downloads can be switched off for view-only galleries, with an optional watermark.
- Favorites and picks: clients heart photos to build a selection for retouch or print, with an optional pick limit and optional per-photo comments.
- Self-deleting galleries: auto-delete after a window you choose, from 7 days to a year, a custom date, or keep forever. When it ends, the gallery and originals are permanently removed, and the client gets an email reminder a few days before.
- Privacy by default: galleries aren't indexed by search engines; password-protected and expired galleries are never indexable. A password makes a gallery private.
Beyond that, Capturely supports RAW on every plan and video on Pro and Studio, reviews and photo comments, built-in privacy-friendly analytics with no cookies or third parties, webhooks and integrations (Zapier, Make, n8n, signed HMAC-SHA256), notifications with a daily email digest, twelve built-in gallery languages (plus AI translation into others on paid plans), a referral program, Stripe billing, and device and session management.
The honest dividing line: ShootProof is a sales-and-management hub that includes galleries. Capturely is a gallery delivery experience that respects privacy and keeps storage lean.
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | Capturely | ShootProof |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Client-gallery delivery and presentation | Galleries plus print/product sales and client management |
| Client access | No account needed; first action asks name (email/phone optional) | Account-based gallery access (verify current details) |
| Print/product sales | Not a built-in store; clients favorite picks for retouch/print | Known for integrated print-lab sales (verify current details) |
| Presentation | Cinematic covers on client names, justified grid, lightbox; original orientation kept | Customizable galleries (verify current details) |
| Downloads | Full-res single or whole-gallery zip; per-photo counts; view-only + watermark option | Available; specifics vary by plan (verify current details) |
| Privacy/expiry | Self-deleting galleries (7 days to 1 year, custom, or forever); not indexed by default; password = private | Galleries with expiry options (verify current details) |
| Languages | 12 built-in gallery languages, plus AI translation on paid plans | Verify current availability on their site |
| Branding/domain | Remove branding on paid; free yourstudio.capturely.me subdomain; public studio page | Branding/domain options (verify current details) |
| Pricing | Free (1 gallery, 15 GB, 14-day expiry); Pro €10/mo or €70/yr; Studio €25/mo or €180/yr; 14-day trial | Tiered around sales/usage (verify current pricing) |
How to choose
Rather than scoring features, match the tool to the way money and time move through your studio.
Choose ShootProof if...
- A meaningful share of your revenue comes from selling prints, albums, and products directly from galleries.
- You want client management, invoicing, and contracts living alongside your galleries.
- You shoot high-volume school, sports, or event work where an integrated storefront pays for itself.
Choose Capturely if...
- Delivery and first impression matter most: you want clients to open a cinematic gallery on their own names and just enjoy it.
- You'd rather not make clients create accounts to view or download their photos.
- Privacy and lean storage are priorities: self-deleting galleries keep originals from lingering and keep your storage bill down.
- You shoot weddings or events and want the whole guest list browsing one link.
- You work across languages, or want clean analytics without cookies and third-party trackers.
Can they coexist?
They can. Some photographers run a sales-focused platform for the projects where print revenue is the point, and use Capturely for everything else: fast, private, beautiful delivery of digital files where the goal is a great client experience rather than a storefront. Because every new Capturely account starts with 14 days of Pro and no card, it's low-risk to test on a real shoot before you commit.
A practical way to decide: take your next finished gallery and deliver it both ways. Watch how clients react to the cover opening on their names, how quickly they favorite their picks, and whether the no-account flow reduces your back-and-forth. The workflow that disappears into the background is usually the right one.
Want to feel the delivery experience yourself? Spin up a gallery with 14 days of Pro, no card required, and see how your clients respond.
Try Capturely freeThere's no universal winner here, just a better fit for your business. If you live and die by print sales and integrated client management, ShootProof's positioning makes sense. If your edge is the delivery itself, the presentation, the privacy, and the friction-free client experience, that's exactly what Capturely is built for.
