WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) out there and for good reason: Functionality can be quickly added using plugins, it’s free to use, and can be easily optimized for search engines.

But many people find it confusing and difficult to maintain and set-up, especially if they don’t have a technical background, which is why they turn to builders like ProPhoto for help.

ProPhoto is one of the original WordPress website builders for photographers. 

Showit also makes it easy to design a professional website, but we’ve taken a different approach to WordPress than ProPhoto. Instead of building natively on the WordPress platform, we integrated with WordPress so you get the best of the WordPress platform and it remains easy to build a website.

If you're curious about how Showit’s approach stacks up versus ProPhoto, then keep reading. We'll give you a comprehensive guide on these two website platforms, and share how Showit harnesses the best parts of WordPress while maintaining an intuitive user experience.

Showit vs. Prophoto

What You’ll Need to Launch a Showit Website

Here’s an idea of what you’ll need: 

1

Showit: After a 14-day free trial, you’ll sign-up for a Showit subscription. Showit not only provides the website builder but also will host your website for you. This way you don’t have to spend any time configuring a server and guessing at the best set-up for your Showit website.

2

Template: You can design your website from scratch using Showit’s Simple template, choose from Showit’s library of free templates designed by vetted Showit Design Partners, or purchase a template from your favorite Showit designer.

3

Domain: As we mentioned above, we recommend purchasing a domain at Google Domains. The Showit team will help you point your domain when you’re ready to launch your website.Template: You can design your website from scratch using Showit’s Simple template, choose from Showit’s library of free templates designed by vetted Showit Design Partners, or purchase a template from your favorite Showit designer.

Lisa

Lifestyle & Wedding Photographer

"The design process with Showit has been amazing. Now my site is live and everyone LOVES it, I couldn't be happier!"

On Showit, you’ll pay for your subscription, which will range from $24-39/month, and you’ll need to secure a domain name, which is usually $12/year.

At face value, using Showit looks like it’s going to be more expensive than using ProPhoto. But ProPhoto’s ‘one-time’ payment only gets you support for that version of ProPhoto you purchase (and remember, there’s been SIX versions of ProPhoto released). 

Every time ProPhoto updates their platform, you’ll need to pay to upgrade. And there’s no guarantee that the work you did on previous versions will transfer to the new platform.

Showit’s updates are more iterative and are included in your subscription. 

Plus, it'll be well worth it since Showit takes care of everything for you, including hosting, setup, support, and more. Despite being cheaper, any WordPress solution will usually require more work to get your website up and running.

DESIGN BY JOANNA MOSS

Pricing

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Erin

"If I need to make changes on my site, I can do so quickly within minutes or hours with no limitations, rather than stressful days or weeks dealing with design limitations in ProPhoto."

Website templates can save a lot of time, and something we always recommend people start with if they’re not a website designer.

On Showit, you'll find plenty of great templates, both free and paid. Not only that, but they're created by vetted Showit Design Partners. This means any website designs you find within the Showit platform or in the Showit Design Store meets our design standards and has been created by a professional.

Not only that, Showit’s templates are highly customizable. You can make as many changes as you’d like without using a single line of code! 

ProPhoto has far fewer free templates available to use and you'll likely need some coding knowledge to get your website looking exactly how you’d like. This can result in unexpected costs, as you might find yourself relying on developers or designers to do this for you.

Templates

FREE DESIGN BY Showit

Maternity, newborn, & Family photographer

Ease of Use

Showit shines in this area because you don't need to know the code at all. There's an easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder, which will make many creatives feel at home since it has a similar feel to the Adobe Suite.

Just take a look on the at how easy it is to design the mobile and desktop versions of your Showit website. 

ProPhoto makes WordPress significantly easier, but doesn’t give you as much creative control over your website as Showit or other WordPress builders.

Customer Support

When everything runs smoothly, you barely give customer support a second thought. But once there's a kink in your plans, then customer support can either be your best friend or your worst enemy.

Showit has a Help Center where you can access a wide variety of resources, such as video tutorials, help documents, and a helpful community on Facebook. You can even message them from within the Showit app by using the chat icon!

Not only that, but they also have a section for emergency support, where you'll get prompt help from a Showit employee, no matter what time of day it is. So you'll get both email and chat support when you need it.

ProPhoto only offers free email support or paid technical support.

JUST A FEW OF THE AWESOME FACES OF SUPPORT

If you're looking for the features that WordPress offers, but a simpler way to build your website, Showit is the platform for you. The best thing about using Showit is you still get to enjoy many of WordPress's features.

Showit utilizes the WordPress blogging platform. However, you still design your blog using Showit. In other words, you get the power of WordPress with the ease-of-use of Showit.

This also means you get to take advantage of WordPress plugins, which allow you to easily add functionality to your website.

Get the Best
of Both Worlds With Showit

Get the Best of Both Worlds With Showit

CUSTOM WEBSITE DESIGN BY Tonic Site shop

Should You Choose Showit or ProPhoto?

If you’re a technical person that doesn’t mind (or enjoys) troubleshooting website related issues and wants the flexibility that WordPress provides, ProPhoto might be for you.

But if you’re looking for something that’s built for creative professionals, easy-to-use, has great support, and an incredible community, look no further than Showit.

Are you interested in using Showit? Check out our demo now! Then, start your free 14-day trial—no credit card required.

 No Credit Card Required.