What CloudSpot costs in 2026
As listed in August 2026: Free gives 5GB across 3 galleries and takes 15% of print sales. Entry is $3 a month for the first three months and $7 after, for 15GB and 15 galleries, still at 15% commission. Lite is $17 a month after the same intro, for 100GB, unlimited galleries and no commission. The full suite plans are Pro at $34 and Unlimited at $50, both commission free with a 2.5% processing fee. Verify on cloudspot.io, since plans change.
Two details deserve attention. The $3 price everyone quotes is an introductory rate for three months, not the plan price. And commission free starts at Lite, which is $17 a month: on Free and Entry, CloudSpot takes 15% of what you sell.
Where the two models differ
CloudSpot sells a suite. Galleries, culling, a store, invoicing and contracts, priced as a monthly platform. If you want all of it in one place, that bundle is the point and it is fairly priced against buying the parts separately.
Lensdrop sells one thing: getting photographs to the client. You pay once per gallery, sized to the shoot, at Small 5GB for $2.99, Standard 15GB for $6.99, Large 30GB for $12.99 and XL 50GB for $19.99. There is no store, so there is nothing to take a commission from, at any tier including the free one. One free gallery at 5GB comes with the account, and it carries the same 0% as the paid ones.
The gallery count is the other structural difference. CloudSpot's cheaper plans cap how many galleries you may have open at once, so an active season can push you up a tier for reasons that have nothing to do with how much you are storing. Lensdrop has no gallery limit: each one is bought and priced on its own.
Side by side
| CloudSpot | Lensdrop | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Monthly subscription, $7 to $50 after intro, as of August 2026 | One time per gallery, $2.99 to $19.99 by storage size |
| Commission on print sales | 15% on Free and Entry, 0% from Lite ($17/mo) up | 0% everywhere. No store, so nothing to take |
| Free tier | 5GB across 3 galleries, 15% commission | 1 gallery at 5GB, 0% commission |
| Gallery count | Capped below Lite (3 on Free, 15 on Entry) | No limit. Each gallery is bought on its own |
| Delivery status | Client activity notifications for opens, favorites, and downloads | Activity tab on every gallery: people (not page loads), downloads, a world map, and a first-open notification |
| Idle cost | Full subscription price | Zero. No gallery, no charge |
| Payments and invoicing | Available in the US only | Not offered. Lensdrop never touches client money |
When CloudSpot is still the right answer
If you want culling, delivery, a store, contracts and invoicing under one login and one bill, CloudSpot does that and Lensdrop does not. Lensdrop has AI culling and highlight reels, but it has no store, no contracts and no invoicing, and it will not grow into them: it is a delivery tool by design, and it never handles your clients' money.
The switch makes sense when the store is not how you earn, when 15% on the plan you are actually on is a real number, and when you would rather pay for the galleries you deliver than for the months in between.