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Best way for photographers to deliver photos to clients (2026)

Sunny 7 min read

#photos#comparison#best#way#photographers

Gallery platform or one link?

headshots.zip Live
lisview.com/b/smith-headshots

For most paid shoots, the best way to deliver photos is a gallery platform built for photographers, such as Pixieset or Pic-Time, because clients can pick favorites, order prints and download from a gallery that carries your brand. For a small, quick delivery (a set of headshots, product shots, a sneak peek) a Link in Seconds album is simpler: one link, opens in any browser, saves as one ZIP. WeTransfer, Google Drive and Dropbox work, but none of them was made for handing a client their photos.

At a glance

Full client galleries
Pixieset or Pic-Time
Proofing and print sales
Pixieset or Pic-Time, clearly
Quick small set, one link
Link in Seconds album
Huge one-off hand-over
WeTransfer, link lasts up to 3 days on Free
Already in your workflow
Google Drive or Dropbox, with care

How do the options compare?

Pixieset

Client galleries for pros

Built for
Photographers: galleries, favorites, store
Free plan
3 GB storage, unlimited collections, 15% store commission
Client experience
Branded gallery, favorite lists, download PIN
Main catch
A platform to set up and pay for as you grow

Pic-Time

Galleries plus sales

Built for
Photographers: galleries, album proofing, print sales
Free plan
Free plan, photo storage drops to 3 GB after an intro period
Client experience
Favorites, selection, shop inside the gallery
Main catch
Free storage shrinks; check the terms

WeTransfer

File transfer

Built for
Sending big files once
Free plan
10 transfers or 3 GB per rolling 30 days
Client experience
A download page, no gallery
Main catch
Link expires in up to 3 days on Free

Google Drive

Cloud storage

Built for
Storing and syncing files
Free plan
15 GB, shared with Gmail and Photos
Client experience
A file list; sharing settings to get right
Main catch
Clients hit request-access screens

Dropbox

Cloud storage

Built for
Storing and syncing files
Free plan
Dropbox Basic: 2 GB
Client experience
A file list, preview, download
Main catch
Small free storage

Link in Seconds album

One link for a set of files

Built for
Sharing a set of files as one link
Free plan
50 live links, 500 MB total, 250 MB per file
Client experience
Gallery page, Download all as one ZIP, no account to view
Main catch
500 MB per album; every photo counts as a link
Photo delivery options, free plans, checked October 2026 on each vendor's own site.

Checked October 2026 on pixieset.com, pic-time.com, wetransfer.com, support.google.com and dropbox.com. Pic-Time's own pages disagree on when the free storage drops, so we left that timing out.

Where Pixieset and Pic-Time are clearly better

If photography is your business, use one of these for client work. They do things a link can't:

  • Proofing. Pixieset lets clients build favorite lists, leave notes for edits and send their selections back, and you can cap how many photos go on each list. Pic-Time has favorites, photo selection and album proofing.
  • Print and product sales. Both have a store inside the gallery, with orders fulfilled by professional labs. Pic-Time also has sales tools such as coupons and reminders.
  • Galleries built for pros. Branded, designed galleries, download controls like Pixieset's download PIN, and storage plans sized for full wedding galleries.

We go into the trade-offs in detail on our Pixieset alternative page, which is honest about when you should stay with Pixieset.

When an album link is the better fit

Plenty of deliveries don't need a gallery platform: ten headshots for a LinkedIn profile, twenty product photos for a shop, a sneak peek the day after a wedding, a quick set for a friend. For those, a Link in Seconds album is the fastest route.

How it works

  • Drop several photos on the upload card at once, give the set a name, and they become one album link on lisview.com/b/.
  • The client opens it in any browser with no account and sees every photo as a tile, can open any of them, and can save the lot with Download all, one ZIP in one click.
  • Password, expiry date and an album-wide downloads switch are in the album's settings, free on every plan. Turn downloads off and the album becomes view-only.
  • Each photo also keeps its own link, with comments if you turn them on, so a client can say "retouch number 14" on the photo itself.
The honest limits. One album holds up to 500 MB, and every photo is a link of its own that counts toward your plan. On Free that is 50 live links and 500 MB in total, so it suits small sets, not a 600-photo wedding. Pro removes the link limit and raises storage to 15 GB, but there is still no favorites tool, no print store, and the watermark feature covers PDF previews only, not JPEGs. View-only is a deterrent, not protection: screenshots still work.

For proof sets specifically, see client photo proofs, and for the wedding case, our guide to sharing wedding photos as an album link.

What about WeTransfer, Google Drive and Dropbox?

WeTransfer

Good for one big hand-over the client downloads straight away. On Free the link lasts up to 3 days, and the plan allows up to 10 transfers, or 3 GB in total, in any rolling 30-day window. A client who opens the email a week later finds nothing. See what to do when a WeTransfer link has expired.

Google Drive and Dropbox

Fine if your files already live there, but the client gets a folder of filenames rather than a gallery. Get the sharing setting wrong and they hit a request-access page. Free space is tight for photo work: Google's 15 GB is shared with Gmail and Photos, and Dropbox Basic gives you 2 GB.

Which should you pick?

Weddings and full paid sessions

Pixieset or Pic-Time

Favorites, proofing, print sales and storage sized for big galleries.

Selling prints and albums

Pixieset or Pic-Time

Built-in stores with lab fulfillment. A link can't do this.

A small set, delivered today

Link in Seconds album Recommended

One link, opens anywhere with no account to view, Download all as one ZIP.

Several GB the client grabs once

WeTransfer

Handles big one-off sends, as long as they download within 3 days.

Quick answers

What is the best way to deliver photos to clients?

For paid client work where you want favorites, proofing and print sales, a gallery platform built for photographers such as Pixieset or Pic-Time. For a quick, small delivery like headshots, product shots or a sneak peek, an album link that opens in any browser and saves as one ZIP is simpler. WeTransfer suits a one-off hand-over of very large files the client will download the same day.

Is Pixieset free for photographers?

Pixieset's Client Gallery has a Free plan with 3 GB of storage and unlimited collections. Store sales on the Free plan carry a 15% commission, and paid plans add more storage (checked October 2026 on pixieset.com).

Is Pic-Time free?

Pic-Time has a Free plan. Its own pages say Free photo storage is reduced to 3 GB after an introductory period, and galleries over the limit can be deleted, oldest first, so check the current terms on pic-time.com before relying on it for archives.

Should I deliver client photos with Google Drive or Dropbox?

You can, but they are storage tools, not galleries. The client sees a file list, sharing settings are easy to get wrong, and the free storage is small: Google's 15 GB is shared with Gmail and Photos, and Dropbox Basic has 2 GB.

Can clients download all photos at once from a Link in Seconds album?

Yes. The album page has a Download all button that saves every file as one ZIP. Files that are turned off, expired or locked with their own password are left out. One album holds up to 500 MB, and you can make as many albums as you like.

Does a client need an account to see the photos?

Not on a Link in Seconds album: it opens in any browser, on a phone or a laptop, with no account. You, the photographer, sign in with a free account to upload.

Go deeper

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