So, this morning, I woke up to a shocking email. SmugMug was increasing its pro accounts by $100 USD for my next renewal. The reason is storage cost. Many are complaining as I type this. I am not happy myself. I was actually attempting to take my photography beyond the hobby phase. I had been building my business model around SmugMug and its pricing. Many photographers find this price increase too drastic and shocking. Hundreds of complaints have flooded in and Smugmug has handled it well so far. For SmugMug they run the risk of alienating a lot of newer photographers due to the fact that there are lower cost options available.
What do you think of the cost increase?
The basic details are as follows (To read more take a look at their site here )
*Pros who sell at a markup use far more storage and features than pros who don’t, so we split our pro account into two types: Portfolio and Business.
*After October 14- Portfolio is $150/year or ($20/mo) and still provides access to our pro labs for both you and your visitors, plus pro-features like watermarking.
*After October 14- Business will be $300/year (or $35/mo) for new customers, but existing subscribers who set prices will be asked to renew at $250/year (or $30/month) .
What will I be charged when/if I renew?
If your anniversary date is before October 15, no worries, you’ll renew at our existing rates.
- After October 14, we’ll guess you’d like to renew at the Portfolio rate if you aren’t setting prices.
- Also after October 14, we’ll guess you’d choose to renew at the Business rate of $250/year (or $30/month) if you do set prices.
SmugMug’s Pro Pricing Change: What, Why and How.
This increase in price gave me a lot to think about. I am now considering alternatives such as Zenfolio or Pictage. I would like to maintain a low bottom line until I can increase my photography income. If I do stay with SmugMug I will lower my account to portfolio. Many people are making this same decision today. SmugMug is a great service, but this sudden increase hurts.
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