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Studio Ninja vs Mankai

Studio Ninja is a hosted app for leads, quotes, contracts and booking; Mankai is a WordPress plugin with galleries built in.

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What is a Studio Ninja alternative with client galleries built in?

Mankai, a WordPress plugin for photographers, is a Studio Ninja alternative with galleries and proofing built in, alongside clients, booking, contracts and invoices. Studio Ninja is a hosted CRM from $160 a year that pairs with gallery tools like Pic-Time or ShootProof. Mankai is free to start, and Pro is $249.99 a year.

Elijah Lemanski, the photographer who makes Mankai

The short version

Both are good tools. Which one suits you comes down to hosting, galleries and how you like to get paid.

What Studio Ninja does well

  • Made for photographers, with a mobile app.
  • Free data migration and 1-on-1 training.

What Mankai does differently

  • Your clients live in your WordPress database.
  • Galleries built in, no separate gallery tool.

Stay with Studio Ninja if…

  • You rely on its mobile app day to day.

Try Mankai if…

  • You pay for Studio Ninja and a gallery tool.

At a glance

Last checked July 24, 2026. Their plans and prices can change, so check their site before you decide.

Mankai compared with Studio Ninja, last checked July 24, 2026
Mankai Studio Ninja
Running the studio
Studio CRM Yes: clients, sessions, pipeline Yes, it’s the main product
Booking Yes, included Online booking forms on Pro and Master
Quotes and contracts Contracts on Free; new quotes on Pro Yes, with e-sign
Client galleries Yes, built in None of its own; pair Pic-Time or ShootProof
Workflows Custom workflows on Pro Automation on Pro and Master
Money
Starting price Free, or Pro at $249.99/yr; hosting is separate From $160/yr (Starter, billed yearly)
Invoices and payments Your Stripe or PayPal Online payments, including Stripe
Extra fee on payments No Mankai cut; processor rates only Processor fees; check their current terms
How you pay for it Free download, or Pro yearly Starter, Pro, or Master; monthly or yearly
Job limits No per-client fee from Mankai 5 active jobs on Starter; unlimited on Pro+
Your site and your data
Where it lives On your WordPress site Studio Ninja hosts it for you
Built for WordPress Yes, as a plugin No
Where client data sits Your WordPress database Studio Ninja’s servers
Moving over Optional Setup & Migration help; no auto-import They advertise free data migration into Studio Ninja
What this page doesn’t claim
  • Prices in GBP and AUD, beyond the USD figures on their pricing page.
  • Whether every listed integration stays available on every plan over time.
  • Dollar “savings vs Studio Ninja plus a gallery” for any particular studio’s volume.

Switch or stay

Here are good reasons to move and good reasons to stay put. Studio Ninja may still be the better fit for you.

Why you might switch

Studio Ninja pairs with separate gallery tools. Mankai comes with galleries and proofing.

Galleries includedA reason to switch

Starter is limited to 5 active jobs. Mankai doesn’t cap active jobs on Free or Pro.

No active-job capA reason to switch

Your clients, sessions and invoices live in your WordPress database, on hosting you control.

Your own databaseA reason to switch

Online booking forms sit on Pro and Master. Mankai includes basic booking on Free and Pro.

Booking includedA reason to switch

Why you might stay

Studio Ninja offers free migration and 1-on-1 training with its plans. That help may be reason enough to stay.

Migration and trainingA reason to stay

If WordPress updates and backups are a hard no for you, a hosted CRM suits you better.

No hosting to runA reason to stay

Studio Ninja has iOS and Android apps. Mankai runs in the browser and installs like a web app, not from an app store.

Their mobile appA reason to stay

If Pic-Time or ShootProof with Studio Ninja already works for you, there’s no need to switch.

Galleries already sortedA reason to stay

What moving over involves

Studio Ninja can’t move itself into WordPress. You finish open jobs, rebuild your templates, and move new work over when you’re ready.

  1. List your clients and jobs

    Export or note names, emails, and which jobs still need delivering before you change client links.

  2. Save the paperwork that matters

    Save active contracts and invoices as PDFs, and note which workflows still run on live jobs.

  3. Rebuild packages and templates

    Set up your quotes, contracts, questionnaires and booking once in Mankai.

  4. Send new bookings to your site

    Update your public links so new leads and galleries land on your WordPress site.

Job history, email threads and your separate gallery platform don’t import automatically. Plan on rebuilding them.

Setup & Migration is $799.99, paid once, after you have Pro. It can cover the install, branding, booking, templates and hands-on help. We agree on the scope before any invoice.

Ask about Setup & Migration

A Zenit-E film camera beside three instant prints, laid out on an old map

Questions people ask before leaving Studio Ninja

Not of its own. Its pricing and integrations point you to partners like Pic-Time and ShootProof. Mankai includes galleries with the plugin.

Starter can look cheaper on paper at $160/yr, but you often end up adding a gallery tool and hitting the 5 active-job cap. Mankai Free is $0, and Pro is $249.99 a year. Compare everything you pay for, not one line.

Yes, you can keep any gallery tool you like. Mankai already includes galleries, though, so most people who switch drop the extra one. It’s up to you.

Mankai runs on WordPress. Many studios use their site on the phone and install it like a web app. It isn’t a copy of Studio Ninja’s App Store and Play apps.

Studio Ninja’s Master plan covers multiple brands. Mankai runs on one WordPress install, unless you run several sites. Compare that with how you actually brand.

Read their current help pages and pricing. If running your studio on WordPress appeals to you, look through Mankai’s features too. Then pick the setup that suits how you like to work. Neither one is right for every studio.

Studio Ninja site (opens in a new tab) Mankai features Mankai pricing

These pages, last checked July 24, 2026:

Related guides

Weighing up a different tool? These guides follow the same layout.

Mankai vs Pixieset Pixieset hosts your galleries and studio tools for you, while Mankai puts galleries, booking and contracts on your own WordPress site. Pixieset $336/yrMankai Pro $249.99/yr Mankai vs HoneyBook HoneyBook is a hosted CRM that also handles your payments, while Mankai runs on your own WordPress site with galleries built in. HoneyBook $348/yrMankai Pro $249.99/yr Mankai vs Dubsado Dubsado is a deep hosted CRM built around Flows; Mankai is a WordPress plugin with galleries on your own domain. Dubsado $335/yrMankai Pro $249.99/yr Mankai vs Session Session hosts the whole path from booking to gallery for you, while Mankai gives you the same studio jobs on WordPress you host. Session $228/yrMankai Pro $249.99/yr Mankai vs Sprout Studio Sprout Studio is a hosted all-in-one for photographers, while Mankai gives you the same kind of setup as a plugin on your own hosting. Sprout Studio $228/yrMankai Pro $249.99/yr All comparisons Every guide in one place, with prices side by side. See every guide

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