Is Format worth it?
Format is a portfolio website builder for creatives such as photographers, artists, designers and filmmakers. This Format review is based on the company's own pages.
BASIC is listed at $10/mo billed annually. PRO is $9.35/mo in its first year with 60% off, and PRO PLUS is $14.30/mo in its first year with 60% off. Each PRO plan lists a higher normal price afterward.
A 14 day free trial is offered with no credit card required, so the builder can be checked before paying. Whether it is worth it depends on whether you need client galleries, a store or only a showcase.
What is Format?
Format is a portfolio and business tool for creatives, run by Ideaform, Inc., according to its legal pages.
What Format offers
Format describes itself as a team of experts at the intersection of the tech and creative spaces, aiming to help photographers succeed and thrive. Its homepage lists portfolio sites for photographers, filmmakers, illustrators, artists, designers, editorial creators, architects, models, graphic designers and fashion creatives.
Format's tools for creative work
The homepage says Format has the tools needed to support a creative business. Format Moodboards sit inside Workflow, where creators build a creative direction and bring clients into the conversation. Its store is commission free, so users can sell products, services and digital downloads.
Flex Block lets users drag images, text, dividers and buttons onto a snap grid, then scale, overlay and overlap them into a custom layout.
Is Format legit and safe to use?
Format's legal pages name the company behind the service, where it is based, and how trials and refunds work.
Who runs Format
Ideaform, Inc. owns and operates the Format website and services, according to the terms of service. The privacy policy says Ideaform is headquartered in Canada.
On November 11, 2021, Format announced that it was joining forces with Zenfolio, according to its about page.
Trial and refunds
Format offers a 14 day free trial with no credit card required. Its terms say that if Format removes content or denies access for a policy violation, it has no obligation to refund amounts already paid. The terms of service also say Format requires a paid monthly or annual subscription to create a portfolio website.
How we evaluated Format
This review is based on Format's own published pages: the homepage, pricing, about, privacy policy and terms of service.
WPBenchly did not sign up for or test Format. We read the plan tables, feature lists, the about page, the privacy policy and the terms of service, and matched each price and number to a fact with its source address.
Member showcases and magazine pages on Format's site are the company's own material, so this review does not use them as evidence of quality.
Format output quality and limits
Format lists security and feature claims on its pricing page and describes its privacy duties in its legal pages.
Features that affect output
The pricing page lists SSL Security, Copyright Protection, Powerful SEO Tools, Mobile-Optimized Website and Award-Winning Templates as features.
The homepage says Pro users can add code embeds, plugins, or their own CSS and HTML through the advanced code editor.
Privacy and data rules
The privacy policy says Format and its partners use cookies and tracking technologies within the site to monitor and record activities. The terms say users must comply with data protection laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation, when collecting personal information through their portfolios.
Format key features
Format's plans bundle a portfolio builder with client galleries, a commission-free store and layout tools.
Flex Block and Moodboards
Flex Block lets users drag and drop images, text, dividers and buttons on a snap grid, then scale, overlay and overlap them. Format Moodboards sit inside Workflow, where creators build a creative direction before the finished work goes live.
Plan features and client galleries
BASIC includes 10 website pages, 70 high-resolution images, 100GB of image storage, 15 hosted video minutes and an online store with 15 products. PRO and PRO PLUS list unlimited website pages.
Client galleries are 3 on BASIC, 50 on PRO and 250 on PRO PLUS.
Format pricing and plans
Format lists three portfolio plans on its pricing page: BASIC, PRO and PRO PLUS. Prices are billed annually, and the PRO plans show a 60% off first-year offer.
BASIC is listed at $10/mo billed annually, or $14/monthly. PRO shows $9.35/mo billed annually for the first year with 60% off, at $112.20 for the first year and normally $24/mo. PRO PLUS shows $14.30/mo billed annually, $171.60 for the first year and normally $36/mo.
The page also lists an Enthusiast plan with a select number of themes and features for beginners. Format requires a paid monthly or annual subscription to create a portfolio website.
Support, refunds and cancellation
Format's support comes from a Customer Experience team, and the pricing page describes its help as real-time support and education.
Who answers support
Format's Customer Experience team is made up of professionals with backgrounds in photography, art and design. The homepage says they bring real-world expertise to every support request, and some of them are photographers themselves.
The team is positioned as creatives supporting creatives, which is the company's own description of its support approach.
Real-time help for photographers
The pricing page describes real-time support and education for professional photographers, which sits alongside the plan tiers rather than as a separate paid add-on in the text.
Who should use Format
Format suits creatives who want a portfolio site, client galleries and a simple store in one place.
BASIC is the lowest listed price at $10/mo billed annually, with 3 client galleries and 15 products in the store. Photographers who need more pages may prefer PRO or PRO PLUS, which list unlimited website pages.
Creatives who only want to sell digital downloads can use the store on BASIC, though its product count is capped at 15. Anyone who wants a basic showcase might consider the Enthusiast plan, which the pricing page describes as having a select number of themes and features for beginners.
Final verdict on Format
Format is a straightforward portfolio builder with client galleries, a commission-free store and flexible layouts. The main price point to weigh is the first-year discount on PRO and PRO PLUS.
The 14 day free trial lets you try the builder before paying. The 60% off on PRO and PRO PLUS covers the first year only, after which the normal monthly prices of $24/mo and $36/mo apply.
BASIC's limits of 10 website pages and 15 products suit a smaller portfolio, while PRO and PRO PLUS list unlimited website pages.