Pricing models 2026
The monthly fee is rarely the biggest item. What matters is whether a provider also keeps a percentage of your margin — and what they calculate it on.
Entry-level base fees in this market run from €0 to around €17 a month, with top tiers reaching about €100. That number on its own tells you very little. Many providers also take between 4.9 % and 17.5 % of what you sell. On €1,000 of margin a month, 12 % is €120 — more than any base fee in the market. So compare both items together, and find out what the percentage is charged on.
The three billing models
A low base fee or none at all, and a percentage on every order. Rates of 4.9 % to 17.5 % are common, usually falling as you move up a tier.
A set amount per month or year, no matter how much you sell. Payments usually run through your own payment provider account.
A small amount per order, often combined with 0 % on physical products and a percentage on digital files.
Break-even
The maths is simpler than it looks. A fixed-fee model is cheaper exactly when the commission you would otherwise pay exceeds the monthly fee. You need one number for this: your average monthly margin.
Monthly fee ÷ commission rate = the margin at which the fixed fee becomes cheaper
What goes to the provider out of your margin at a €9.99 monthly fee with 0 % commission, against three commission rates common in this market:
| Margin per month | Fixed fee | 7% | 10% | 13% | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| €100 | €9.99 | €7.00 | €10.00 | €13.00 | 7% |
| €250 | €9.99 | €17.50 | €25.00 | €32.50 | Fixed fee |
| €500 | €9.99 | €35.00 | €50.00 | €65.00 | Fixed fee |
| €1,000 | €9.99 | €70.00 | €100.00 | €130.00 | Fixed fee |
| €2,000 | €9.99 | €140.00 | €200.00 | €260.00 | Fixed fee |
| €5,000 | €9.99 | €350.00 | €500.00 | €650.00 | Fixed fee |
The commission columns assume the rate is charged on margin and that no base fee is added. If it is charged on revenue, or a base fee applies, the break-even point moves further down. Payment fees are not included in any column.
What the quote leaves out
12 % of revenue and 12 % of margin are entirely different sums. Sell a print for €15 with €5 of lab cost and the margin is €10: 12 % is either €1.80 or €1.20. Some providers state the basis plainly, others do not — ask.
Some providers absorb card and PayPal costs; others bill them on top. A line like "plus 2.25 % payment fee" moves the comparison noticeably.
Almost every provider in this market quotes prices excluding VAT. Comparing a net figure against a gross one puts you out by up to 19 %. All Pixalo domains bill in euros.
A single photo day runs into double-digit gigabytes of raw files. Check how much storage the tier includes and what each extra gigabyte costs.
School photography is seasonal. A tier with a twelve-month minimum also charges you in the months you are not shooting.
With some providers, trading under your own name is included; with others it is a monthly surcharge or only available from a higher tier.
Published terms
Entry-level tiers as they appeared on each provider's own pricing page on the date checked. No ranking, no recommendation — only the published figures, with source and date.
| Provider | Base fee (entry tier) | Variable fee | Storage on entry tier | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pixalo | €9.99 | 0 % | 10 GB | Pixalo pricing |
| fotograf.de / GotPhoto | 9,90 €* | 11,75 % + 2,25 % | 10 GB | fotograf.de/preise |
| Pictrs | 11,90 €* | 13 % / 15,5 % | 100 GB | pictrs.com/preise |
| Portraitbox | 16,90 €* | 0 % | 1 GB | portraitbox.com/preise |
| Portrait-Service | 0 € | 10 % | ∞ | portrait-service.com/tarife |
| scrappbook | 14,50 €* | 4,9 % / 0 % + 1 € | ∞ | scrappbook.de/preise |
* Provider figures, checked on 18/09/2026. Where a provider quotes prices excluding VAT, the column says so. Prices and fees can change at any time; the provider's own pricing page always governs.
Suppose you photograph a school of 400 children, 60 % of families order, the average order is €28 and your margin is half of that. That is 240 orders, €6,720 of revenue and €3,360 of margin. A commission model at 10 % of margin takes €336. A fixed-fee model at €9.99 a month takes €9.99 that month. A €1 per-order fee takes €240. These figures are an assumption, not a market average — put your own in; the relationship holds.
Checklist
Answers to the most important questions about our software.
Entry-tier base fees in the German-speaking market run from €0 to around €17 a month, with top tiers at about €100. What matters is the total of base fee and variable fee: paying 12 % commission on €1,000 of margin a month means giving up €120 — more than any base fee in the market.
It depends entirely on your margin. Divide the monthly fee by the commission rate: the result is the margin at which the fixed fee becomes cheaper. At a €10 monthly fee and 10 % commission, that point is €100 of margin a month — below it the commission model wins, above it the fixed fee does.
Both occur in this market, and the difference is substantial. Pictrs states on its own pricing page that there is no fee on revenue, only on your margin; Portrait-Service calls its fee a processing charge on net profit. Where a provider does not state the basis, ask before you sign.
It varies by provider. Pictrs states that it absorbs payment provider costs; fotograf.de lists an additional 2.25 % payment fee on its pricing page. Where parents pay straight into your own Stripe or PayPal account, the payment provider bills you directly — there is no additional platform fee, but the payment provider's own fee still applies.
Almost every provider in the German-speaking market quotes prices explicitly excluding VAT. When comparing, take care not to set a net figure against a gross one.
Pixalo starts at €9.99 per month and keeps 0 % commission on your sales. Parents pay through your own Stripe or PayPal account. Current tiers are listed on the pricing page.
* Standard transaction fees from payment providers (Stripe/PayPal) may apply.