Compare / Semirare vs SmugMug
The SmugMug alternative made for artists.
SmugMug is great for storing and selling photos, but it's costly and reads as an archive. Semirare is for showing your best work, for $6 a month.
Semirare
Free
then $72 a year for unlimited works
SmugMug
Paid
from about $282 a year
Semirare wins on
4 of 8
things artists ask for most
Semirare vs SmugMug
| Semirare | SmugMug | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan you can publish on | ✓ | ✕ |
| Unlimited works for under $10 a month | ✓ | ✕ |
| Your own domain, free on every plan | ✓ | ✕ |
| Your own website, not a profile in a feed | ✓ | ✓ |
| No other subscription or hosting needed | ✓ | ✓ |
| No ads on your site | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ready in minutes, no design skills needed | ✓ | ✓ |
| Made for artists, not businesses | ✓ | ✕ |
| Price | $0, or $6 / month | About $23.50 / month billed yearly for selling |
Why artists switch from SmugMug
- ✓ A curated portfolio, not an archive.
- ✓ A fraction of the price: $6 a month.
What holds SmugMug back
- ✕ Expensive, and feels more like a photo archive than a curated site.
Switching takes an afternoon
- Step 1
Sign up free and pick one of 40 themes.
- Step 2
Upload your works and put them in series. Keep your SmugMug site running meanwhile.
- Step 3
Point your domain at Semirare, free on every plan. HTTPS is set up for you.
A few Semirare themes
Salon for painting, fine art
Works hung together on a coloured gallery wall.
Folio for graphic design, editorial
An index of projects with a preview that follows the cursor.
Aperture for photography
One photograph at a time, full screen, with a frame counter.
Two plans. That’s all.
No add-ons, no bandwidth bills, no price that doubles after the first year.
Free
For getting started, and for small bodies of work.
$0
- Up to 12 works
- Every theme
- yourname.semirare.com
- Your own domain, with HTTPS
- Contact form and inbox
- PDFs of your work to send, with a share link
Pro
For working artists with a growing archive.
$6 / month, billed yearly
- Unlimited works
- Password-protected pages
- $8 month to month
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SmugMug details as published on their website, checked 28 September 2026. Prices marked “about” are from third-party pricing sites. They may have changed since.