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Photography · head to head

Pixieset vs RawTherapee

Pixieset logo

Pixieset

Photography

Client gallery, store and studio management platform priced by storage volume

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RawTherapee logo

RawTherapee

Photography

Open source raw developer with selectable demosaicing algorithms and floating point processing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Pixieset pricing is by storage, so cost tracks the size of your accumulated archive rather than current work, and a photographer five years in pays more than a new one shooting the same volume unless old galleries are archived off the platform.; RawTherapee there is no catalogue, only a folder browser, so any library management, keywording or search has to happen in a separate application.
  • They diverge on capability: Pixieset covers Client galleries, RawTherapee covers Selectable demosaicing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pixieset and RawTherapee actually diverge.

Attributes where Pixieset and RawTherapee differ
AttributePixiesetRawTherapee
Pricing modelPer month by storage volumeOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidLinux, Windows, macOS

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Photography).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Pixieset

  • Client galleries
  • Store
  • Studio Manager
  • Website
  • Download controls
  • Mobile app
  • Client proofing
  • Analytics

Only in RawTherapee

  • Selectable demosaicing
  • Floating point pipeline
  • Local adjustments
  • Wavelet levels
  • Processing profiles
  • Colour management

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Pixieset

  • Delivering a wedding gallery with a pin code, a print store attached and download limits set per collectionnot RawTherapee
  • Selling prints without holding stock, using an integrated lab that ships directly to the clientnot RawTherapee
  • Running contracts, invoices and booking enquiries alongside delivery instead of paying for a separate studio CRMnot RawTherapee
  • Giving a client a favourites list to choose album images without exchanging files by email or WeTransfernot RawTherapee

RawTherapee

  • Difficult raw files where the demosaicing algorithm visibly changes the result, such as fine fabric, foliage or architectural detailnot Pixieset
  • Archive and restoration work where a free tool with strict colour management is preferable to a subscriptionnot Pixieset
  • Photographers who want to understand and control each processing stage rather than accept a vendor renderingnot Pixieset
  • Producing a high quality sixteen bit TIFF to hand to GIMP or another editor for compositingnot Pixieset

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Pixieset

  • Pricing is by storage, so cost tracks the size of your accumulated archive rather than current work, and a photographer five years in pays more than a new one shooting the same volume unless old galleries are archived off the platform.
  • The free plan takes a percentage commission on store sales, which means the photographers most likely to start free, those selling prints, are the ones the commission costs most, and the effective rate should be compared against ShootProof and Pic-Time before committing.
  • Print fulfilment is restricted to the labs Pixieset has integrated, so a studio with an existing lab relationship or specific paper stock cannot use its own supplier through the store.
  • There is no customer-selectable hosting region, so photographers working under contracts that require client images to stay in a specific jurisdiction cannot satisfy that requirement on Pixieset.
  • The website builder is a portfolio tool rather than a site platform, with limited page structure, no blogging depth and no real SEO control, so most studios that grow move the public site elsewhere and keep Pixieset for delivery.
  • Consolidating galleries, store, invoicing and site with one vendor means a pricing change, an outage or a policy change hits every part of the business at once, and exporting client and sales history out is a manual process.

RawTherapee

  • There is no catalogue, only a folder browser, so any library management, keywording or search has to happen in a separate application.
  • The default rendering is deliberately neutral and looks flat next to the camera JPEG, which means every user has to build their own processing profiles before the tool is pleasant to use.
  • Support for new camera models and for Fujifilm X-Trans sensors arrives later than in commercial converters because it depends on volunteer work and upstream library updates.
  • The interface presents several hundred controls across many tabs with little guidance about which ones interact, and the learning curve is measured in weeks rather than hours.
  • Batch export is slow compared with commercial converters and there is no GPU acceleration, so processing a large wedding shoot ties up the machine for a long time.

Pricing, plan by plan

Pixieset

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 3 GB of storage
    • Client galleries with download pins
    • Commission charged on store sales
  • Basic$8/month
    • 10 GB of storage
    • No commission on store sales
    • Custom logo and gallery colours
  • Plus$16/month
    • 100 GB of storage
    • Custom domain
    • Client proofing and favourite lists
  • Ultimate$undefined/month
    • Highest storage tier for archives that outgrow Plus
    • All gallery, store and branding features
    • Billed annually

RawTherapee

Free
  • RawTherapeeFree
    • GPL licensed with no seat limit
    • All processing features included
    • Documentation and support through RawPedia and the community forum

Which should you pick?

Choose Pixieset if

  • You need client galleries.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want store.
Pixieset review

Choose RawTherapee if

  • You need selectable demosaicing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want floating point pipeline.
RawTherapee review

Questions people ask

Is Pixieset or RawTherapee better?
Neither clearly leads. Pixieset starts at Free and RawTherapee at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Pixieset or RawTherapee?
Pixieset starts at Free and RawTherapee at Free.
Does Pixieset or RawTherapee run on more platforms?
Pixieset runs on Web, iOS, Android. RawTherapee runs on Linux, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Pixieset for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Pixieset best used for?
Pixieset is most often used for delivering a wedding gallery with a pin code, a print store attached and download limits set per collection, selling prints without holding stock, using an integrated lab that ships directly to the client, running contracts, invoices and booking enquiries alongside delivery instead of paying for a separate studio crm, giving a client a favourites list to choose album images without exchanging files by email or wetransfer. Of those, delivering a wedding gallery with a pin code, a print store attached and download limits set per collection and selling prints without holding stock, using an integrated lab that ships directly to the client are not what RawTherapee is typically brought in for.
What can Pixieset do that RawTherapee cannot?
Pixieset covers Client galleries, Store, Studio Manager, Website. RawTherapee covers Selectable demosaicing, Floating point pipeline, Local adjustments, Wavelet levels.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Pixieset: Is the free plan actually usable for a working photographer?

For delivery, yes, at 3 GB. For sales, it is expensive, because the commission on every store order continues indefinitely while a paid plan removes it.

RawTherapee: Does RawTherapee support Fujifilm X-Trans files?

Yes, but support arrived later than in commercial converters and results on fine detail still trail Capture One and Adobe on some bodies.

Pixieset: What counts towards my storage?

Every file uploaded to a collection, including galleries delivered years ago. Archiving or deleting old collections is the only way to bring the number down.

RawTherapee: Can it replace Lightroom entirely?

It replaces the develop side. It does not replace the catalogue, so you will need digiKam, darktable or something similar alongside it.

Pixieset: Can clients download full resolution files?

Yes, if you enable it. Download size, pin protection and expiry are set per collection, so you can release web sizes immediately and full resolution after payment.

RawTherapee: Are my edits stored in the raw file?

No. Edits are written to sidecar profile files next to the raw, so originals are untouched and profiles can be copied between images.

Pixieset: Can I use my own print lab?

No. Store fulfilment goes through the labs Pixieset has integrated, and self-fulfilment means handling orders outside the platform.

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