Own the all-in-one stack
CRM and galleries on your domain and database, instead of another studio cloud account.
Sprout Studio vs Mankai
Sprout Studio is a hosted all-in-one - CRM, booking, galleries, and more. Mankai is the same kind of stack on WordPress you control, with no Mankai payment cut.
Mankai
The short version
Neither product is junk. The fit depends on hosting tolerance, galleries, and how you want to get paid.
What Sprout Studio does well
- True all-in-one scope: CRM, scheduling, contracts, invoices, galleries, album proofing, and email marketing in one hosted product.
- Built specifically for photographers, with shoot-based workflows and gallery delivery in the same system.
Where Mankai takes a different approach
- Mankai is WordPress-native and self-hosted, so client records and galleries live in your database.
- Flat annual licensing aimed at photography studios, without Lite/Basic active-shoot caps from Mankai.
Stay with Sprout Studio if…
- You want one hosted vendor for CRM, galleries, and email marketing, and you do not want WordPress hosting.
- Sprout’s album proofing, lab fulfillment, or email marketing tools are central to how you sell.
Consider Mankai if…
- You want galleries and the CRM on your own domain and server, not Sprout’s cloud.
- You are bumping into active-shoot or storage tiers and want flat annual licensing instead.
At a glance
Simple side-by-side facts as of July 24, 2026. Their plans change, so double-check before you decide.
| Topic | Sprout Studio | Mankai Self-hosted |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | Sprout Studio hosts it for you | On your WordPress site |
| Built for WordPress | No | Yes, as a plugin |
| Studio CRM | Yes, photography-first all-in-one | Yes: clients, sessions, portal |
| Booking and scheduling | Yes | Yes, included |
| Contracts and invoices | Yes | Yes: quotes, contracts, invoices |
| Invoices and payments | Built-in payments; commission-free on their marketing | Your Stripe or PayPal |
| Extra fee on payments | They market commission-free; processor fees still apply | No Mankai cut; processor rates only |
| Client galleries | Yes, with storage and active-gallery tiers | Yes: proofing and a print shop |
| Email marketing | Yes, included in the suite | Transactional studio email; not a full ESP clone |
| Where client data sits | Sprout Studio’s servers | Your WordPress database |
| Starting price | From $228/yr (Lite at $19/mo) | $149.99/yr for the CRM; hosting is separate |
| How you pay for it | Lite, Basic, Pro, or Unlimited; storage tiers | Flat monthly or yearly license |
| Active work limits | 10 active shoots + galleries on Lite | Unlimited clients from Mankai’s side |
| Moving over | Import tools and paid concierge migration available | Optional Setup & Migration help; no auto-import |
What this page does not claim
- Which exact email marketing send limits apply on each Sprout plan over time.
- Feature matrix cells that are checkmarks without public plan-by-plan footnotes.
- Dollar savings versus any specific Sprout Lite/Pro/Unlimited configuration.
Switch or stay
Honest cases in both directions. Sprout Studio may still be the better fit. Switching for the wrong reasons wastes a season.
Why someone might switch
Reasons not to switch
What migration involves
Sprout will not pour itself into WordPress. You export what you can, rebuild shoots and templates, and cut over when you are ready.
-
Export contacts and open shoots
Pull people and note which galleries still need client action before you change URLs.
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Archive contracts and money records
PDF active contracts and invoices, and keep payment history with your processor.
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Rebuild booking and delivery
Packages, contracts, questionnaires, and gallery settings get recreated once in Mankai.
-
Point new work at your site
Update public links so new leads and galleries land on your WordPress install.
Active galleries, favorites, and Sprout email marketing history do not magically follow you. Finish mid-stream jobs where they are when that is safer.
Setup & Migration is optional help after you buy. We agree on scope first. Magic imports are not part of it.
Questions people ask before leaving Sprout Studio
No. Overlap is large (CRM + galleries), but Sprout is a hosted all-in-one with email marketing and album tools. Mankai is a self-hosted WordPress photography CRM. Different ownership model.
For many studios, yes: proofing, delivery, watermarks, and a print shop. It will not clone every Sprout gallery theme, lab path, or album proofing feature. Compare the workflows you actually use.
Lite starts at 10 active shoots and galleries with 50GB storage. Higher plans raise or remove those caps. Mankai does not sell active-shoot tiers; your host sets storage reality.
Their pricing page markets “commission-free.” Processor fees still apply. Mankai also takes no platform cut on your Stripe or PayPal payments.
Stay on Sprout. Or hire Setup & Migration and solid WordPress hosting so you are not the sysadmin. Self-hosting is a real tradeoff.
This is a comparison, not a pitch. Neither product is the right fit for every studio. Read their current docs, skim Mankai’s features if the WordPress path interests you, and pick the stack that matches how you want to work.
Sprout Studio site (opens in a new tab) Mankai features Mankai pricing
Reviewed 2026-07-24.
See the full feature set
This page is about the switch. Features and a clickable demo live elsewhere.