Booksui vs Pixieset
A Booksui alternative to Pixieset
Pixieset is gallery-first: beautiful delivery, a store, and a Studio Manager added alongside. Booksui starts from the other end — the inquiry, the contract and the job — and delivers through built-in galleries, so the client record runs from first email to final album without changing products.
Pixieset is known for client galleries and print sales for photographers, with a studio-management add-on for contracts and invoices. The table below sets Booksui’s own features next to that, in plain terms.
| Topic | Booksui | Pixieset |
|---|---|---|
| Starts from | The inquiry. Website form → inbox thread → contract → deposit → job → gallery, one record. | The gallery. Delivery and sales first; management pieces added around it. |
| Client galleries | Built in — proofing, favorites, downloads, print and album offers, and search by what is in the photo. Delivery is part of the same job record as the contract and the invoice. | Its core strength — polished galleries, downloads and a print store. |
| The inquiry | A shared inbox where a website inquiry, its email replies, texts and private team notes sit on one thread next to the event details, and replies to what you send come back to the same conversation. | Lead forms and client email through the studio-management side. |
| Job pipeline | Phase checklists written for the trade you pick — a photographer’s culling and album phases, a videographer’s edit and revision rounds, a DJ’s music planning, a coordinator’s day-of timeline. | Project management in the studio-management add-on. |
| Payments | Through your own Stripe account. Deposits, balances and print sales land in your Stripe, on Stripe’s terms, and Booksui never holds the money. | Store and invoice payments through their payment options. |
| AI | Optional drafts you read before anything sends: a first reply to an inquiry written from your calendar and price list, contract review notes, and gallery search. Nothing emails a client on its own. | Varies; check their current offering. |
| Price | Starter is free with no card (3 galleries, 1 booking page, 10 active inquiries). Pro $29/mo, Studio $59/mo, Agency $99/mo. 30-day refund on your first paid month. | Set by Pixieset and changed by Pixieset; their current pricing page is the only honest source, so this page does not quote it. |
Who switches, and why
- Photographers happy with Pixieset delivery who want the booking side — inquiry, contract, deposit, follow-up — to be as thought-through as the gallery.
- Studios paying for a gallery plan plus a management plan who want one bill and one client record.
- Anyone whose inquiries arrive by email and vanish into Gmail because the tool only sees the form.
What you keep
- Your existing galleries — every client imports with a link to their Pixieset collection.
- Your print pricing and product list, entered once into the Booksui price sheet.
- Your delivery habits: favorites, downloads and proofing work the way clients expect.
What changes
- New galleries are delivered from Booksui, inside the job, so the contract, invoice and gallery share one client page.
- Inquiry handling becomes a real inbox with context beside the thread.
- Print orders pay out to your own Stripe.
How the move happens
- 1Export your client list and collections from Pixieset.
- 2Import → Gallery platform → Pixieset. Every client exists in Booksui with their gallery link.
- 3Enter your print products and prices once.
- 4Deliver the next job from Booksui; leave old galleries where they are for as long as you like.
Importing
Galleries do not need to move on day one. The import wizard reads the client and collection exports from Pixieset, Pic-Time and ShootProof so every past client exists in Booksui with a link to their existing gallery; new deliveries are built in Booksui from then on.
When Pixieset is the better choice
If delivery and print sales are your whole business and you do not need contracts, a pipeline or an inbox — you shoot, you deliver, you sell prints — Pixieset’s gallery focus is exactly right and Booksui carries more than you need.
Questions
- Do I have to move my existing Pixieset galleries?
- No. The import brings each client across with a link to their existing gallery. New deliveries are built in Booksui; old ones can stay on Pixieset indefinitely.
- Does Booksui sell prints and albums?
- Yes. Galleries carry print and album offers priced from your price sheet, and orders are paid into your own Stripe account.
- What does the inbox do that a lead form does not?
- A website inquiry becomes a conversation: the client’s replies come back to the same thread, private team notes sit beside it, and the event date, venue, guest count and stated budget are shown next to the composer while you write.
- Can I import from Pixieset?
- Yes — Import → Gallery platform reads Pixieset’s client and collection exports. Pic-Time and ShootProof are supported the same way.
Pixieset’s pricing and feature set are set by Pixieset, change over time, and are worth checking on their own site — this page reflects Booksui’s own features accurately and describes Pixieset in general, well-known terms rather than a line-by-line audit of their current product.