HONEST COMPARISON

A Pixieset Studio Manager alternative for busy portrait studios

Pixieset is a great place to deliver galleries. It isn't built to run a front desk.

For portrait studios, Pixieset Studio Manager runs from a no-cost starter tier up to $18 a month billed yearly with an email inbox; Allio is $297 a month with calls, texts and a team inbox. Pixieset Studio Manager handles invoices, contracts, questionnaires and booking for photographers, from a no-cost starter tier up to $18 a month billed yearly, and it sits next to Pixieset’s well-loved galleries and website builder. Its inbox handles email, and we couldn’t find a phone line, texting or staff seats on its pricing or product pages. If one person runs the business, that may be all you need. If a team answers your studio phone, it isn’t.

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Allio is $297 per month. Card required. AI and phone usage is billed at cost, on top of the $297.

Two colleagues talking over coffee at work.

Who each one is built for

Pixieset Studio Manager

Solo photographers, especially those already delivering galleries on Pixieset, who want simple invoicing, contracts and online booking at a low monthly cost.

Allio

Any portrait photographer, from someone booking their first sessions to a studio with a full front desk, who wants calls, texts, email and social messages on one client record. The more people answer your phone, the more it pays off.

The facts, with sources

 Pixieset Studio ManagerAllioSource
PlansEntry tier at no cost (3 contracts, 3 quotes or questionnaires, 1 session type); Plus $12/month billed annually or $15 monthly; Pro $18/month billed annually or $24 monthlyOne plan, $297/monthpixieset.com/pricing-studio-manager, checked 2026-10-22
BundlePixieset Suite with galleries and website, from $28/monthNot applicablepixieset.com/pricing-studio-manager, checked 2026-10-22
InboxSend and receive email from Plus upwardCalls, texts, email, Facebook and Instagram messages and web enquiries in one inboxpixieset.com/pricing-studio-manager, checked 2026-10-22
Phone callsNot listedInbound and outbound calling, optional recording, logged to the client recordpixieset.com/studio-manager, checked 2026-10-22
Text messagesNot listed on the pricing or product pagesTwo-way texting from the studio numberpixieset.com/studio-manager, checked 2026-10-22
Team membersNo user or seat options listed on the pricing pageNo per seat feepixieset.com/pricing-studio-manager, checked 2026-10-22
RemindersPayment and document reminders on Plus; booking reminders on ProSet up appointment reminders by text and emailpixieset.com/pricing-studio-manager, checked 2026-10-22
In person paymentsTap to pay in the mobile appPayment links and invoices through your own payment account, plus the mobile app for iPhone and Androidpixieset.com/studio-manager, checked 2026-10-22
Allio's team inbox and personal inbox side by side, with Unread, All, Recent and Starred tabs, client names and messages blurred
Real Allio account: the team inbox and your own inbox, with client details blurred.

Why the inbox matters more once you have staff

Pixieset’s pricing page lists “send and receive emails” as part of Studio Manager. We couldn’t find texting, calling or team seats on its pricing page, product page or Android app listing. That’s a reasonable design for a solo photographer, but it means a studio’s phone calls, texts and Instagram messages live somewhere else, usually on someone’s personal mobile.

In Allio, every channel lands in one inbox, on the right client’s record. Your booker can see the email the owner sent yesterday, the text the client replied with this morning, and the recording of the call in between. Recording needs the notice and consent your clients’ locations require.

Real Allio inbox: the team inbox list, one client's thread with replies about a Facebook and Instagram giveaway, an AI drafted message, an opportunity created in the pipeline and a recorded call, and the contact details panel
Real Allio account: one client's thread with giveaway replies, an AI drafted message, a new pipeline opportunity and a recorded call.

The real monthly number, not the sticker price

Pixieset Studio Manager is one of the lowest cost options in the category, and we won’t pretend otherwise. A studio with staff using it still pays for a business phone service and a texting tool, and still has no shared view of who said what to which client.

Allio is $297 a month for the whole team, with AI and phone usage billed at cost on top, and email at wholesale rates. You can keep Pixieset for galleries and run the business side in Allio.

Where Pixieset genuinely wins

Price, simplicity and galleries. The entry tier costs nothing, Plus and Pro are a fraction of most CRMs, and Studio Manager connects directly to Pixieset’s client galleries, store and website builder. For a solo photographer who books online and delivers on Pixieset, that’s hard to beat.

Which one you should pick

Choose Pixieset Studio Manager if

you work alone, most enquiries come through your website and email, and you want invoicing and booking next to your Pixieset galleries for as little as possible.

Choose Allio if

your studio has staff, the phone and Instagram bring in bookings, and you want calls, texts, email and social messages in one team inbox. Keep Pixieset for galleries if you like it.

Pixieset Studio Manager questions

How much does Pixieset Studio Manager cost?

There’s an entry tier at no cost with 3 contracts, 3 quotes or questionnaires and 1 session type. Plus is $12 a month billed annually or $15 monthly, and Pro is $18 a month billed annually or $24 monthly. Source: pixieset.com/pricing-studio-manager, checked 2026-10-22.

Can Pixieset send text messages to clients?

We couldn’t find texting on Pixieset’s Studio Manager pricing page, product page or Android app listing as of October 2026. Its inbox handles email.

Can my team share a Pixieset Studio Manager account?

Pixieset’s pricing page doesn’t list team members or seats.

What is the best Pixieset alternative for a studio with staff?

If you need a phone system, texting and a shared team inbox, Allio is built for that, with no per seat fee. You can keep Pixieset for galleries and use Allio for the business side.

Pixieset vs HoneyBook: which is better?

Pixieset is cheaper and pairs with its own galleries. HoneyBook has a fuller CRM with automations, team members on higher plans, and since August 2026 a paid phone and text add-on for members in the US and Canada. See Allio vs HoneyBook for detail.

Keep reading

Sources

  1. Pixieset Studio Manager pricing: pixieset.com/pricing-studio-manager/ (tiers, prices, limits, “send and receive emails”, reminders, no seats listed)
  2. Pixieset Studio Manager product page: pixieset.com/studio-manager/ (tap to pay in the mobile app; no texting or calling listed)
  3. Pixieset help centre, Managing Client Communication with Inbox: help.pixieset.com/hc/en-us/articles/24756455905037 (Inbox is email based; checked 2026-10-22)
  4. HoneyBook Business Phone and SMS: help.honeybook.com/en/articles/15123809

Keep your galleries. Bring your conversations together.

The trial is seven days, card required, and you can be in within minutes.

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Want the story first? Read who built Allio and why, or see what a call about Allio covers.

$297 per month. Card required. AI and phone usage is billed at cost, on top of the $297.