HONEST COMPARISON
Sprout Studio puts your galleries in your CRM. Allio puts your phone there.
For portrait studios, Sprout Studio starts at $19 a month with galleries in the CRM; Allio is $297 a month with the phone and texts built in. Sprout Studio is an all in one built for photographers: CRM, booking, contracts, invoices, client galleries, album proofing, an online store, lab fulfilment and email marketing in one login, with plans listed from $19 a month. It doesn’t list a phone line or native text messaging. Allio is built the other way round: around the calls, texts and messages that turn an enquiry into a booked session, with ProSelect sync for your in-person sales.
Allio is $297 per month. Card required. AI and phone usage is billed at cost, on top of the $297.
Who each one is built for
Sprout Studio
Photographers who want one system for the business and the images: booking proposals, galleries, proofing, a print store and lab orders, with email marketing alongside. Its plans scale by active shoots, storage, users and brands.
Allio
Any portrait photographer or studio that books on the phone, sells in person, and needs every call, text, email and social message on one client record. Galleries stay in the gallery tool you already use, and ProSelect orders sync in.
The facts, with sources
| Sprout Studio | Allio | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Lite, Basic, Pro and Unlimited, listed at $19, $36, $51 and $69 a month | One plan, $297/month | getsproutstudio.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Users and brands | 3 users and 2 brands on Lite, Basic and Pro; unlimited on Unlimited | No per seat fee | getsproutstudio.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Galleries and storage | Built in, 50GB to unlimited storage by plan | Not included; use your existing gallery platform | getsproutstudio.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-22 |
| In-person sales | Virtual IPS, online store and lab integration | ProSelect order sync, set up during onboarding | getsproutstudio.com/features; allio.co, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Phone calls | No phone system listed | Inbound and outbound calling, optional recording, logged to the client record | getsproutstudio.com/features, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Text messages | No native texting listed; connects to other tools through Zapier | Two-way texting from the studio number | getsproutstudio.com/features, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Social messages | Not listed | Facebook and Instagram messages in the same inbox | getsproutstudio.com/features; allio.co, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Email marketing | Built in, with pre-written campaigns | Email campaigns and automated follow up | getsproutstudio.com/features, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Trial | 30 days on any plan, no card required | 7 days, card required | getsproutstudio.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-22 |
The front desk, not the gallery, is where bookings are won
Sprout Studio’s features page covers booking proposals, a scheduler, contracts, invoices, galleries, the store, lab orders, email marketing and reminders through Sprout Assistant. We couldn’t find a phone line or native text messaging on its pricing or features pages. Its Zapier integration can connect outside tools.
For studios where most sessions are booked on a call, that matters. In Allio, a call to your studio number rings your team, can be recorded, and lands on the client record. Recording needs the notice and consent your clients’ locations require. Switch on missed call text back and a missed call gets a text within moments. The texts, emails and Instagram messages that follow stay on the same timeline, so whoever picks up next knows exactly where the conversation is.
The real monthly number, not the sticker price
Sprout Studio is very good value for what it bundles: galleries and storage are often a separate bill on other CRMs. A studio running Sprout Pro still needs a phone service and a texting tool, and those calls and texts won’t appear on the client record by themselves.
Allio is $297 a month for the whole team, with the phone system and texting built in. AI and phone usage is billed at cost, on top of the $297, and email at wholesale rates. You’d keep your gallery platform alongside it. Do the sum with your own numbers: if the phone books most of your sessions, the phone should live in the same place as the client.
Where Sprout Studio genuinely wins
If you want galleries, proofing, a print store and lab orders under the same login as your contracts and invoices, Sprout Studio does that and Allio doesn’t. Its virtual IPS walks clients through choosing and ordering prints online. The 30 day trial with no card is generous, and support by phone, email and in-app chat is a real plus for a small studio.
Which one you should pick
Choose Sprout Studio if
you want one subscription to cover the business and the image delivery, most enquiries arrive online, and your team fits within three users.
Choose Allio if
your studio books on the phone, sells in person with ProSelect, and needs a team inbox for calls, texts, email and social messages with no per seat fee.
Sprout Studio questions
How much does Sprout Studio cost?
Sprout Studio’s pricing page lists four plans, Lite, Basic, Pro and Unlimited, listed at $19, $36, $51 and $69 a month. Its FAQ says plans start “as low as $19/month”. Source: getsproutstudio.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-22.
How many users does Sprout Studio include?
Lite, Basic and Pro include 3 users and 2 brands. The Unlimited plan includes unlimited users and brands.
Does Sprout Studio have texting or a phone system?
Neither appears on Sprout Studio’s pricing or features pages. It connects to other apps through Zapier, so texting would come from a separate service.
Is Allio a Sprout Studio alternative?
For the business side, yes: enquiries, booking, contracts, invoices and payments, plus a phone system, texting and a team inbox, which Sprout doesn’t list. Allio doesn’t host galleries, so studios keep their gallery platform and sync ProSelect orders into Allio.
Does Sprout Studio have a trial?
Yes. Every plan has a 30 day trial with no card required.
Sources
- Sprout Studio pricing: getsproutstudio.com/pricing/ (plan names and prices, users and brands per plan, storage, 30 day trial with no card, FAQ “starting as low as $19/month”, support by phone, email and in-app)
- Sprout Studio features: getsproutstudio.com/features/ (booking proposals, scheduler, contracts, invoices, galleries, virtual IPS, store, lab integration, email marketing, Sprout Assistant reminders, Zapier)
See the phone, the inbox and ProSelect sync together.
The trial is seven days, card required, and you can be in within minutes.
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.