Sprout Studio Reviews

Pros

There are a few decent features in it especially the booking proposals which do look really polished and attractive but that's about it.

Cons

Don't even know where to start. Firstly almost everything takes an absurd amount of time to load. I recently waited a full two minutes just for an email drip campaign to open. Active shoot dates can take around 30 seconds to appear and searching for a specific client takes about 20 seconds. It's genuinely shocking that a web based platform in 2024 performs this poorly. We have 1 gig fiber internet and this still happens on every computer in every location for all of our staff. Secondly there are constant bugs. The number one thing a CRM should provide is confidence that the system is stable and this one absolutely does not. A shoot date disappearing hasn't happened to us yet but with how often other issues come up we wouldn't be surprised. The latest disaster was that they sent a marketing email to every email address that has ever contacted us (past wedding clients, couples whose weddings are still coming up, even people who never booked with us). It caused confusion and upset a lot of people. Thirdly none of the workflow items are dynamic or updated across the system in real time. For example if you have 100 upcoming shoots and a questionnaire scheduled to go out six weeks before each wedding then you add a new question to that questionnaire template the update will not apply to those existing weddings. It only affects brand new bookings made after the change. So if you need to make an important change to questionnaires or email templates set up basically ends up being a year behind. Lastly support is another major problem. Chat responses often take hours and when they finally reply the answers usually are not helpful. They come across like they really do not care about their clients. Feature requests don't seem to go anywhere and instead they keep focusing on unnecessary additions. Unlike other CRMs there is no voting system for feature requests so they just build whatever they want instead of what paying customers are actually asking for. After the major email mistake mentioned above I even suggested a simple way they could provide the affected email addresses using ChatGPT and they told me they were not allowed to use ChatGPT to assist. I could keep going. Save yourself the trouble and stay far away from this company. It may seem appealing when you are comparing options at first but I strongly believe you will regret choosing it later and switching CRMs after you are fully set up is a massive headache.

Pros

Having gallery delivery built in is my favorite part. My clients only need to use one portal for everything from signing the contract to making payments and receiving their gallery which keeps the whole process much more convenient.

Cons

Something I really wish it had is an automatic payment option. I'm not a fan of clients having to go in and manually submit each payment one by one.

Pros

There's definitely a lot of potential here and the core idea behind the platform is solid. The client management tools, automation and drip campaign features are all appealing and are what made the software promising in the first place.

Cons

Still the platform has been extremely unreliable and the integrations feel outdated. Bugs are frequent and customer support is frustratingly slow. When they finally reply the answers are often generic or they restrict you to 15 minute chats that get used up just troubleshooting the connection only for you to have to start over again afterward. One major issue was that SPF records were never created until it was already too late which meant my emails weren't reaching clients for the first two months and cost me thousands of dollars. For six weeks I kept being told it was a hosting or domain issue and then that it was somehow Google's problem and I should contact them which was basically impossible. In the end I hired my own tech team and they traced the issue back to them never having set up the SPF records at all. After I reported it the response was essentially just a thank you for finding the problem. The Facebook community was also confused and asking for answers but the issue was never publicly addressed. Around that same time comments were locked down. At the same timeI had spent about six weeks building my storefront and right after I finished I noticed the thumbnails were completely broken. When I contacted them they said it was an unfixable bug and told me to upload every image again. Just like with the SPF issue they already knew about it but users were left to discover it themselves. I wasn't willing to pay engineers again so now with 7 storefronts and around 60 to 100 items in each one I'm already a week into redoing everything and I'm still not even halfway done. Over the past three months I've been opening 1 to 3 support tickets every week. At this point I'm just looking forward to getting enough time back to finally move on from it.

Pros

From day one this software has felt incredibly personal and supportive. After I signed up I even got a handwritten thank you note from the CEO which really set the tone. It takes some time to get used to but the videos explain everything so clearly that it becomes much more manageable. Anytime I've had a question the team has replied quickly and when I've called instead of messaging a real person has picked up by the third ring. The software itself is beautifully built and the client portal looks lovely. Once you work through the training videos (I absolutely recommend them) it becomes far easier to use than it first appears. I also appreciate that it keeps improving all the time. Just last month they made major upgrades to the client gallery customization features and I actually prefer it over PixieSet for delivering galleries. It's obvious the platform was created specifically for photographers and I really value that it's run by a small business made up of genuine, kind and helpful people. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Cons

The only thing I'd really love to see added is automatic payments so clients wouldn't need to submit each payment manually. Aside from that I have almost nothing negative to say.

Pros

The overall program works well and the features are good.

Cons

Though it would really benefit from an update to the AI system.

Pros

Visually it does look appealing in a lot of ways. If having a polished system that feels nice to open and work in every day is your top priority it definitely has that going for it. The rounded corners, clean boxes and subtle color palette make it attractive. It also presents itself as an all in one platform but that doesn't mean much when so many parts feel incomplete or don't work the way they should.

Cons

However there's a lot wrong here. Too many features are missing and there are too many bugs and errors to ignore. It's also way too complicated for the average user to realistically set up alone. Basic CRM features are missing like properly integrated email. Marketing emails don't even send from your own address they go out from noreply@sproutstudio.com which makes mass email campaigns feel disconnected and unprofessional. The calendar scheduling is unreliable too constantly disconnecting every few days or every week which can lead to clients double or triple booking your time. Workflows are another headache: once one is applied to a shoot editing it is a mess and adding steps isn't easy unless you go back into settings make a whole workflow there and reapply it. The so called add step option on a shoot or lead feels terribly set up. Contact management is very basic and underwhelming and even merging contacts feels absurdly bad. On top of that the platform gives stats on things that don't really matter and task management is just painful to deal with. Overall the system ranges from irritating to downright awful. If you run an extremely simple photography business with one brand and a lot of spare time to learn and configure everything maybe you can make it work but be prepared for a lot of frustration. Otherwise I'd strongly recommend picking almost any other CRM.

Pros

Really helps me present my business in a professional way while keeping everything organized in one place. The client portals are a standout and I'm also really happy with the newer public price lists and shop design. It includes pretty much all the tools a photographer needs to run their business.

Cons

Since it's a Canadian platform a few features aren't fully adapted for photographers and businesses in Europe especially around invoicing, payment options and taxes. I've managed to find workarounds for now but it would be much better if it became fully suited to our market in the future.

Pros

The client portal was the standout feature for me and honestly the main reason I decided to buy the software. A friend had recommended it after showing me how polished it looked when she sent it to her clients and I could see the appeal right away.

Cons

Getting everything set up was much harder than I expected. I've worked with two other CRMs before but for some reason this one just didn't feel acessible to me during the setup process.

Pros

There's a lot built into this software and it includes so many things I've been wanting to help keep my photography business organized.

Cons

The huge number of tools require some time to get used to. It needs a clearer step by step setup process because even the training feels pretty disorganized. I ended up making my own 1, 2, 3 checklist just to figure out where to begin. They do have an entire "school of training," but the music at the start of every video is unbelievably annoying when you have to hear it over and over. That said after about two weeks of learning the system I was able to appreciate how much the software actually offers.

Pros

Using this software feels like adding another team member without actually taking on the extra payroll cost. I can build out workflows that help me keep in contact with potential clients and customers so nothing slips through the cracks. The reporting is also excellent for keeping up with the business and overall it's been awesome.

Cons

They pay attention to client feedback and keep rolling out updates which only keeps making the software better so I don't have any complaints.

Pros

This has been a lifesaver. it has pretty much everything a photographer could want all in one place like contracts, invoicing, galleries, questionnaires and more. Having everything together really helps streamline my workflow and it also gives clients a much more polished and professional experience.

Cons

A few design related glitches that pop up here and there in the page scripting but nothing serious enough to change how much I love this software.

Pros

Tutorials are helpful, getting started doesn't take much effort and at first the software seems pretty simple to work with.

Cons

Even with that it doesn't actually deliver on what it promises and the technical support being limited to banker's hours is a big frustration.

Pros

Switching over from another platform really highlighted how useful this is. Being able to let clients place orders straight from my website has been a huge upgrade since I didn't have that option before and it made things much less convenient. I also appreciate being able to send contracts and invoices directly to clients from the same system. Other than that clients can set up their own logins and go right to their session galleries which is an excellent feature.

Cons

Not really a downside but it takes some time to figue out to at the start. Even with that I've been very happy with it in the short time I've been using it.

Pros

Having everything in one place is a huge plus for photographers and videographers. It covers the entire workflow from creating offers to sending invoices and even handling post sale communication like extending licensing all within a single platform.

Cons

Pricing is above average and the different plans are a bit complicated to sort through.

Pros

It's really useful for photographers especially when it comes to staying organized and managing bookings.

Cons

Haven't run into any issues at all. Nothing to complain about and I'm very happy with it.

Pros

Helped streamline things and made the workflow much more organized for both me and the rest of the team.

Cons

The one thing I'd still love to see is a built in print fulfillment option.

Pros

Everything being in one place makes it a really strong all in one option for photographers. The workflow is well thought out and it helps manage the entire photography process from beginning to end (leads, shoots, proofs, orders and a lot more beyond that). The amount of time it saves is a huge reason it stands out since being able to handle all of this through one website makes everyday work much more efficient. The team also keeps looking for new ways to improve the platform for photographers and the guided walkthrough helps a lot when it comes to getting everything set up.

Cons

A bit more customization in certain parts of the site would definitely make it even better but honestly the advantages outweigh the downsides by quite a bit. The setup can take some time so that's worth knowing upfront and it's a good idea to use the help resources if you run into any issues.

Pros

Switching over was much more smoother than I expected. Bringing in orders and contracts from my old CRM and online bookings was incredibly effortless especially compared with how much trouble I had doing that in my previous system. The interface feels very thoughtfully designed. Everything is easy, quick to navigate and fast to use which makes a big difference day to day. The galleries and shop look fantastic. It was actually perfect timing that I got it set up and had a shoot ready to deliver to a client. After making a few test galleries I picked it up pretty fast and the client experience is clean and simple on their end too. The payment integrations are excellent and I really appreciate being able to offer clients the option to pay in person by cheque or cash plus the flexibility to create custom payment methods. Support matters a lot to me and this software has been excellent in that area. I worked with a rep who was genuinely eager to help and the response times were incredibly fast usually only 5 to 10 minutes between replies.

Cons

Since I'll probably be on one of the lower tier plans for at least another year I do wish a few more features from the premium plans were included. I understand why the pricing is structured that way and it makes sense for businesses that are gradually growing into the higher package but some reporting tools even basic income and profit reports would be useful and honestly feel close to essential for any business without really taking much away from the premium offering. The same goes for album proofing. Even allowing just one album proofing at a time on the lower plans would be a really helpful addition.

Pros

Getting started with it is incredibly simple and the support on hand to help you get the most out of the platform is excellent.

Cons

Some of the CRM features still feel fairly basic in certain areas and would benefit from more development.

Pros

Right from the start they walk you through the entire setup process. They've clearly considered almost every scenario a photographer runs into when managing a studio and built in solutions that save a lot of time. On top of that they provide training that helps you grow and improve your photography business. The analytics are also really useful giving you stats and insights that can help move your business forward. Add in customer support that truly delivers and it ends up being an outstanding company with excellent software.

Cons

This is a very effective platform so it does take a little while to learn everything. Once you get familiar with it though it's great. I honestly wouldn't want to use anything else to manage my photography business.