SmugMug vs develop.
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SmugMug
Securely store, organize, and share your photos in full resolution. Protect your memories with advanced privacy tools and access them offline from any device. Automatic uploads ensure your pictures are always safe.
- Unlimited full-resolution storage
- Secure photo protection and privacy controls
- Automatic photo uploads
- Easy sharing via SMS, email, and apps
- Offline photo viewing
- Organize photos into folders and galleries
- Bookmark favorite photos and accounts
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Your photos tell stories worth keeping, and keeping safe. SmugMug is where your memories stay secure, organized, and yours alone to share. From baby's first year to grandkids' graduations, SmugMug’s Keep plan is built for the moments you never want to lose. Store them at full quality, control exactly who sees them, and find any photo in seconds, all from your phone. • UNLIMITED STORAGE, FOREVER — Big family? No problem. Shutterbugs galore? Bring ‘em on. SmugMug has truly unlimited storage, and always at full resolution. • YOUR PHOTOS, YOUR RULES — Decide exactly who gets to see your photos, from just you to the whole gang. Private galleries stay private, and you can change visibility and access to any photo, at any time. • SET IT AND FORGET IT — Turn on Auto Upload and every new photo backs up to your SmugMug the moment you're on WiFi. • SHARING, SIMPLIFIED— Photo and gallery links are direct and controlled. No feed competition, no strangers, no algorithm deciding who sees what, and no app required. • BEAUTIFUL PRINTS AND GIFTS — Built into every gallery – easy for you, your friends, or your clients. ------- • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal https://www.smugmug.com/about/privacy https://www.smugmug.com/about/terms
develop.
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develop. is a quiet daily record of how you actually felt. take one photo a day. tag the mood. it develops overnight and reveals the next morning at 7am, the way a roll of film used to come back from the lab. no feed to scroll, no likes to chase. just an honest picture of your days. how it works · one photo, once a day. · choose from eight emotion families, then the exact word for it. · add a private note if you want to say more. it is yours alone. · the photo develops overnight and reveals at 7am. look back · your month and your year, drawn as maps of colour. one shade per mood. · tap any day to reopen that photo and its note. · your whole history, free. · save any of it as a clean image to keep or share. see your patterns · mood insights show what you have mostly felt, how often you showed up, and your most-used word, by month or by year. a gentler community, if you want it · post a photo anonymously to a global feed, or keep everything private. · it is off unless you choose it, every single time. · no names, no profiles, no follower counts, no comments and likes. develop+ · remove ads. · unlock your full mood insights, month and year. · $1.99 / month. develop. is for anyone who wants to notice their life a little more honestly, one photo at a time. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://cbtincpt.com/develop-privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: SmugMug at every 8 days against develop.'s every 2 weeks. develop.'s advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. SmugMug sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $11.49 per month and develop. sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
SmugMug ships an update every 8 days, develop. every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SmugMug | develop. |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (48K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 56.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 48K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 145 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | SmugMug | Emily Willis |
Bugs and requests
SmugMug
Reported bugs
4 issues- Uploads frequently fail or get stuck
- App crashes on launch for some users
- Issues with photo/video playback and syncing
- Inconsistent performance across iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Allow setting folder/gallery cover images in app
- Add ability to edit gallery settings from app
- Improve video support and playback
- Integrate with Apple Photos for easier uploads
- Add multi-account support
develop.
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SmugMug
- Basic Monthly14 Days trial$11.491 Month
- Keep Monthly14 Days trial$13.991 Month
- Power Monthly14 Days trial$17.491 Month
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- Direct Monthly14 Days trial$29.001 Month
- Portfolio Monthly14 Days trial$35.491 Month
- Pro Monthly14 Days trial$52.001 Month
- Basic Annual14 Days trial$96.001 Year
- Keep Annual14 Days trial$119.001 Year
- Power Annual14 Days trial$137.991 Year
- Direct Annual14 Days trial$239.991 Year
- Portfolio Annual14 Days trial$284.991 Year
- Pro Annual14 Days trial$444.991 Year
develop.
- develop+$1.991 Month









