SmugMug Reviewer's Comments

Unlimited photos, unlimited storage, no ads, no spam, easy uploads and easy sharing—these are just a few of the Smugmug trademarks. This photo sharing service merits a spot as one of the world’s best.

If you want to post your photos to share with others, you’ll have to purchase a membership. This site doesn’t offer a free account. Nevertheless, you can browse the site and photographs before you purchase a membership.

Feature Set:  

Smugmug offers four different options for uploading your photos: Windows Drag & Drop, batch uploading for Internet Explorer on Windows and Macintosh, batch uploading for OS 9 & OS X and batch uploading for other systems including Linux, Netscape, etc. Besides photos, this site will also support MPEG–1 video clips and play them in your galleries. The maximum size for any one video clip is 8MB.

Smugmug prohibits uploading and displaying photographs or other media portraying explicit nudity that would be unacceptable in a public museum.

This online photo album offers two account types and a 7–day free trial version, so you can try the service before purchasing an account. The Power Users account for $59.95/year allows you to replace Smugmug’s header and navigation with your own. You can control colors, add JavaScript, add a footer and more. (Knowledge of HTML is very helpful.) There is also a Standard account for $39.95, which gives you unlimited photo storage and traffic and minimal customization with pre-made template themes. The Professional account available is where you can actually sell your photos; this account is $149.95/year

Through Smugmug, you can order film–quality prints and gifts mailed directly to your home. You can even access your original photos for printing on your home printer. The service provides links to your friends and family on your own smugmug home page and your friends and family won’t be required to enter an email address or create an account to view your photos.

Ease of Use of the Service:  

Smugmug is fairly easy to use and navigate; however, there are some drawbacks concerning the free account—it only lasts 7 days and you have to provide your credit card information to use the free account.

Help/Support:  

Smugmug offers several options to get answers to questions you may have concerning the service. There is a FAQs page, tutorials, user forum and an email address to contact customer service. We were very impressed with Smugmug’s quick response to our email—less than 20 minutes.

Although Smugmug offers a good photo sharing service, the cost is quite higher than some of the other websites starting at $59.95.