Choosing a website builder can feel like a chore. Many platforms are powerful, but they can bury you in complex settings and endless app stores. If you're a photographer who just wants to showcase your work beautifully—with zero fuss—how do you pick the right one?
This guide focuses on what matters for photographers: speed, automation, and image quality. Here’s how Nature Websites compares to the usual suspects when your goal is a stunning, full-quality portfolio without the busy-work.
| Feature | Nature Websites | Wix | Squarespace | SmugMug | Flickr | Instagram / FB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trial | 100 MB, never expires ✔︎ | 7‑day trial ✘ | 14‑day trial ✘ | 14‑day trial ✘ | Free tier (ads) | — |
| Cheapest paid tier (monthly) |
5 GB / £6.50 | 2 GB / £9* | Basic / £16* | Direct / £24* | Unlimited / £8.79* | (ad/data‑funded) |
| Next tier up | 25 GB / £10 | 50 GB / £16* | Core / £24* | Portfolio / £29* | — | (ad/data‑funded) |
| Image compression | None | Moderate | Moderate | None | None (Pro) / Moderate (Free) | Brutal |
| Auto metadata import | ✔︎ Full | ✘ None | ✘ None | Partial | ✔︎ Full | ✘ None |
| AI subject recognition | ✔︎ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | Partial | ✘ |
| Customisability (domain & branding) |
Full | Full (paid) | Full (paid) | Full (Pro) | Limited (Flickr branding) | None |
| Own domain support | Included (nameservers or redirect) | Paid plans only | Paid plans only | Paid plans only | ✘ | ✘ |
| Community | ✔︎ Forum & POTD | ✘ | ✘ | Limited / Niche | ✔︎ Groups & Explore | ✔︎ Groups / Feeds |
*Pricing captured July 2025 (GBP equivalents rounded). “Unlimited” plans not listed here start at £25–£119 on Wix, £89 on Squarespace, £43 on SmugMug and £8.79 on Flickr Pro.
Why Nature Websites Wins for Pure Photography
- Zero compression: what you export is exactly what visitors see.
- Automation: titles, location and even species tagging fill in automatically.
- Permanent sandbox: the 100 MB tier never reverts to “read-only” or expires.
- Cheapest realistic tier: 5 GB at £6.50 undercuts every mainstream option.
- Built by a photographer: features exist because I personally needed them.
- Community: Share your work in our active Forum and get featured in the Photo of the Day.
When the Others Might Still Make Sense
- Wix / Squarespace: need heavy blogging, marketing plug‑ins or complex e‑commerce? Their app stores are hard to beat.
- SmugMug: integrated print sales and client proofing; great if prints are your main income.
- Flickr: huge community and truly unlimited Pro storage; perfect for discovery and discussion if you can live with the branding.
- Social Media: quickest way to get eyeballs – but awful for quality, SEO and long‑term archiving.
Ready to test it? Spin up a forever‑free 100 MB site — no card needed. Upgrade to 5 GB for the cost of two coffees when you’re happy.