Both tools do the same job: your client picks photos after the session and downloads the files. Pixieset is bigger and has more modules. Picvelo is smaller, simpler and cheaper to run day to day. Here is an honest comparison, including what we do not have.
There is no point pretending otherwise. Pixieset is a mature ecosystem built over years, and in a few places it simply offers more.
The basics of client proofing, at a lower price and with less to set up.
Pixieset Basic is 10 USD a month for 10 GB, Plus is 20 USD for 100 GB. Picvelo Pro is 7 EUR for 50 GB (October 2026).
Your client gets the gallery in their own language and does not have to guess what a button means.
Private previews, a watermark and downloads blocked until the client has paid.
You write and the person who built this answers you, usually the same day.
Pixieset is a platform for photographers that combines client galleries, a print store, a website and a CRM in one account, with prices in dollars and a sales commission on the free plan. Paid plans start at 10 USD a month for 10 GB. Picvelo has a narrower scope: client proofing and delivery, with 50 GB for 7 EUR a month.
Pixieset is a set of tools: galleries, a print store, a website builder and studio management, billed in dollars. Picvelo does one thing: the client picks photos in a protected gallery in their own language and you get a ready list for editing. If you need the whole ecosystem, Pixieset offers more. If you need photo selection and delivery without the extra modules, that is what Picvelo is for.
As of October 2026, Pixieset has a free plan with 3 GB of storage. Paid plans: Basic 10 USD a month (10 GB, 8 USD billed yearly), Plus 20 USD (100 GB), Pro 30 USD (1000 GB), Ultimate 50 USD (unlimited). Picvelo: a free plan (3 galleries, 10 clients, 2 GB), Pro at 7 EUR a month or 75 EUR a year with 50 GB, Studio at 15 EUR a month or 150 EUR a year with 200 GB. Every new account gets 30 days of Pro without a card. Check the competitor pricing at the source, it changes.
There is no automatic import and we are not going to pretend there is. In practice you move one session at a time: create an account, upload the photos from your next session and send the client a link. You finish the old galleries where they are. If a specific archive matters to you, write to us and we will help sort it out.
No. Picvelo is fully online: you sell digital files and your client orders prints wherever you want. That is a deliberate decision, not a missing feature, because we do not want to tie you to one lab. If your model runs on print margin, Pixieset or Pic-Time is the better choice and we would rather not waste your time.
We take 2% on online payments and nothing on direct settlements (transfer, cash), on every plan. With Pixieset, commission-free selling starts only on a paid plan, while the free plan gives up 15% of each sale.