SmugMug was the answer when the question was 'where do I host these JPEGs.' The question changed. The platform didn't.
vs
SmugMug
SHA-256
Receipts chain
9:16
Reel auto-cut
365d
Anniversary email
1-of-1
Per-tenant brand
The argument
SmugMug shipped before HEIC, before zero-egress object storage, before TLS 1.3, before the social cycle that decides a photo's value in the first 18 hours. It's a storage locker that learned to render web pages. The pages render. The job has moved on.
Encore is built on a 2026 stack. Modern object storage with zero egress fees. Variants generated through Sharp on demand. SHA-256 hash-chained audit log. Postgres. TypeScript. Edge middleware. Real engineering, not a CGI script with a CSS refresh every five years.
SmugMug's unlimited JPEG storage is real, and we'll say so plainly - if hosting a bottomless archive is the whole job, it's the honest pick. Read their fine print, though: HEIC originals are converted to JPEG on upload and the original file is not kept, and RAW storage is a metered add-on at $10/mo plus $6 per additional TB, unlimited headline notwithstanding. Encore stores the original file you uploaded and serves variants from it.
SmugMug's shooter community is real, and twenty years of plugins is a genuine moat. But if the job is the night's gallery live before the encore ends, receipts on every download, and a client who never sees another company's footer on your work - that job needs a different platform.
Where they fall short
MODERN STACK · MODERN UX
HEIC, AVIF and TIFF accepted at upload, originals kept, variants re-encoded server-side via Sharp + mozjpeg. SmugMug's own accepted-file-types docs list a narrower set, and HEIC uploads are converted to JPEG without keeping the original.
ZERO DOWNLOAD FEES
Unlimited JPEG storage on SmugMug is real - we won't pretend otherwise. But their RAW storage is a paid add-on, metered per TB, and a converted HEIC's original is gone for good. 'Unlimited' has a shape; know it before you move your archive in.
PIT PASS LIVE MODE
Push frames to a public gallery during the event. Nothing in SmugMug's docs or apps ships an equivalent - upload there is a library operation, not a live one.
REAL WHITE-LABEL
Custom domain (CNAME, DNS-verified), custom fonts, custom vocabulary - on Encore's paid plans your clients see your studio, full stop. SmugMug's paid tiers can hide the header logo and shrink the footer, but their own docs list what never leaves: 'Powered by SmugMug', owner log-in, Report Content.
NATIVE iOS APP
Upload from the camera roll, send a gallery URL from the parking lot, flip Pit Pass on from the pit. SmugMug's iOS app is real - auto-upload, organizing, sharing - but the app inherits the platform: no live mode, no receipts, no same-night delivery workflow on any SmugMug surface.
Brutal honesty
We respect your time enough to name when SmugMug (or another platform) is genuinely the better call. Read this before you switch.
Migrating that volume is a real project. The Import flow handles it, but you'll be in there for hours. If your archive is the asset you're paying for storage on, the migration cost may exceed the value. Stay or migrate slowly, gallery by gallery.
SmugMug's storefront, bulk-pricing, print-fulfillment, and sales-tax handling are years of work we haven't done. If your business model is "photographer as e-commerce store," SmugMug's sell-side tooling is genuinely better.
SmugMug hosts RAW through their add-on. Encore doesn't host RAW at all - we accept JPEG, HEIC, AVIF, TIFF and video, because Encore is a delivery platform, not an archive. If the job is warehousing masters, SmugMug's unlimited-JPEG-plus-metered-RAW model is genuinely the right shape.
There's a 20-year ecosystem of LR plugins, Mac apps, mobile widgets that hit SmugMug's API. We have a clean modern API but no third-party integrations. Honest answer: if your workflow depends on a specific plugin, check the integration list before you switch.
Side by side
iOS app with upload + organize
Flip a gallery live from the phone (Pit Pass)
Tamper-evident audit log (SHA-256 chain)
HEIC/AVIF/TIFF input + mozjpeg variants
Originals kept after upload
Unlimited JPEG storage
RAW file hosting
One-tap 9:16 highlight reel
1-Year-Ago anniversary email
Custom domain
Client email from your own address
Full white-label (no rival footer ever)
Per-tenant vocabulary
Zip-based migration in
| Feature | Encore | SmugMug |
|---|---|---|
| iOS app with upload + organize | Yes | Yes |
| Flip a gallery live from the phone (Pit Pass) | Yes | No |
| Tamper-evident audit log (SHA-256 chain) | Yes | No |
| HEIC/AVIF/TIFF input + mozjpeg variants | Yes | Partial |
| Originals kept after upload | Yes | HEIC converted, original discarded |
| Unlimited JPEG storage | No - storage-based plans | Yes |
| RAW file hosting | No - delivery formats only | $10/mo add-on, metered per TB |
| One-tap 9:16 highlight reel | Yes | No |
| 1-Year-Ago anniversary email | Auto | No |
| Custom domain | Yes | Portfolio + Pro plans |
| Client email from your own address | Yes | Not documented |
| Full white-label (no rival footer ever) | Paid plans | No - footer links remain |
| Per-tenant vocabulary | Yes | No |
| Zip-based migration in | Yes | No zip upload |
Migration
Export a gallery from SmugMug as a zip. Drop it on the Import page. We unzip, run every frame through the variant pipeline, and assign Roll IDs starting from your studio's next number. Multi-GB shoots run server-side so you can close the tab - Roll IDs appear as photos finalize.
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