Announcement: Free Stores to be Unpublished on July 27th

First published:
June 21, 2023
Updated:
February 13, 2024

Announcement: Free Stores to be Unpublished on July 27th

First published:
June 21, 2023
Updated:
February 13, 2024

On July 27th, Picfair will be discontinuing support for Stores on a free Lite plan. Lite users will need to upgrade to a Picfair Plus subscription in order to make their Stores publically viewable

The following message from Picfair’s Founder was sent to all Picfair users on a free Lite plan on June 26th 2023.

Dear Picfair Photographers,

In one month’s time, on July 27th, Picfair will be discontinuing support for Stores on a free Lite plan. Lite users will need to upgrade to a Picfair Plus subscription in order to make their Stores viewable by the public and their photos available to purchase.

The key information:

- Picfair Lite Stores will be unpublished on July 27th. Keeping your Store published beyond July 27th will require a Picfair Plus subscription

- You now have access to Picfair Plus features until July 27th

- 50% discount on all Picfair Plus plans now running: use the code UPGRADE50 to keep your Store published after July 27th

This is the hardest decision we’ve ever made. Picfair has grown into one of the biggest photography communities in the world with the support of hundreds of individual investors. But, like all companies, our aim is to reach a position where we can sustain ourselves, rather than rely on external investment.

Until now, Picfair’s Lite plan has included a wide range of functionality and features for free - a dedicated and secure URL, the ability to sell a range of digital downloads with ready-made licenses, international print production and shipping, image security, and lots more.

This functionality is expensive to build and maintain, and we’ve reached the very difficult decision that in order to grow sustainably and keep investing in our mission to create the home that your photography deserves, we can no longer give it away for free. 

What does this mean for me?

As a free user, from July 27th onwards you will still be able to access your dashboard and your images, but publishing your store (and making your images available to purchase) will require a Picfair Plus subscription. 

Can I try Picfair Plus features ahead of the July 27th deadline?

Yes. From today, you have access to Picfair Plus features, for free. This means you can try out all the customization options on your live, published store. If you want to keep your store published after July 27th, you'll be able to upgrade to Picfair Plus.

What features do I now have access to?

Until July 27th, all Picfair users on a free plan can use the following Picfair Plus features on a live, published Store:

- Choose from multiple Store layout colour scheme options

- Add or make a
logo for your store

- Create your own
custom watermarks

- Add a
splash intro image for your store

- Curate your
images into albums

Images on your Store are also now viewable in Slideshow Mode, image search has been enabled, and you’re now able to add a profile pic and bio to your Store too. Head over to your Store dashboard to see all of the features you now have access to - and we’ve also published a series of feature guides to show you exactly how to use them. 

How much does Picfair Plus cost?

Please see our Plans page for pricing options, and a full list of features included in Picfair Plus.

We're also offering you a 50% discount if you upgrade before July 27th. Use the code UPGRADE50 at checkout.

Support

For more information on how these changes will affect you, we’ve written an extensive Q&A on Focus.

We know this is a big change, and over the coming weeks we’ll do everything we can to explain the changes and help you adapt to them.

But it is a change that will empower us to do more for our photographers, and accelerate our mission to keep building the home your photography deserves.

We hope you’ll come with us.

Benji Lanyado
Founder & CEO