Format
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
Format firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Format
- Legal name
- Ideaform, Inc.
- Website
- https://format.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Format industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Portfolio Website Builder Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- White-Label/Hosted Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Software/SaaS Subscriptions (Consumer & Prosumer) (CRAFAIAB), Content Asset Libraries & Template Marketplaces (stock, characters, themes) (EDAFAHAI)
Keywords
Where Format is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Format business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Plans: Tiered subscription model with Pro and Pro Plus plans offering annual billing discounts up to 50%. Plans include portfolio website hosting, proofing, client management, and e-commerce features. Annual plans offer significant savings with PROINTRO and PROPLUSINTRO discount codes for first year.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Pro Plan - Core portfolio features |
| Subscription | Annual | Pro Plus Plan - Advanced features |
| Freemium | Monthly | 14-Day Free Trial |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Format product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Format is a SaaS portfolio website builder that lets photographers, filmmakers, illustrators, artists, designers, architects, models, and other creative professionals create professional online portfolios using 90+ curated themes and the Flex Block drag-and-drop layout tool without coding. The platform bundles hosted video up to 120 minutes, branded client galleries, proofing, file transfers, secure contracts, a commission-free e-commerce store, built-in SEO tools, and WeGlot-powered multilingual translation, sold through tiered annual Pro and Pro Plus subscriptions with a 14-day free trial.
Product overview
Format is a portfolio builder platform for photographers, filmmakers, illustrators, artists, designers, architects, models, and graphic designers. The core offering is the Online Portfolio Website Builder, complemented by the Workflow module for proofing and client management, Format Store for commission-free e-commerce, Flex Block for custom drag-and-drop layouts, and WeGlot Site Translation for multilingual support. All plans include automatic hosting. The platform targets creative professionals and offers 90+ professionally designed themes, hosted video support up to 120 minutes, SEO tools, and mobile-optimized designs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Online Portfolio Website Builder SaaS portfolio website builder enabling photographers, filmmakers, illustrators, artists, designers, architects, models, and graphic designers to create professional online portfolios with 90+ curated themes, thousands of design variables, and no coding required.
- Format Workflow End-to-end creative workflow management product for photographers and studios including branded client galleries, proofing, file transfers, and secure contracts, sold as part of the Format subscription.
- Format Store Commission-free e-commerce store for Format members to sell products, services, and digital downloads worldwide with self-fulfillment, offered as part of the Format subscription.
- Format Experts Website Building Service Done-for-you website building and consultation service in which experienced Format team members design, build, and review Format portfolio sites, covering curation, themes, design, SEO, galleries, and store setup.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 50% savings with annual billing plans
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Format
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Format technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
AI capability2 records
Feature8 records
Format partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- WeGlotcoreWeGlot integration enables instant site translation allowing Format users to create fully multilingual portfolio websites in minutes without complex coding or subdomains. This partnership expands Format's international reach capabilities.
- PartnerStackcorePartnerStack powers Format's affiliate program, enabling partners to earn up to 50% commission on first-year recurring payments. Partners receive unique tracking links with 90-day cookie windows and pre-made promotional materials.
- StripecoreStripe processes payment card transactions for Format. Ideaform does not store or have access to customers' full credit card information, with payment processing governed by Stripe's privacy terms.
- PayPalcorePayPal processes payment card transactions for Format as an alternative payment option. Payment processing is governed by PayPal's privacy terms.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Format competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Behance: Behance is Adobe-owned creator portfolio and discovery platform widely used by photographers, illustrators, and designers. It is a partial competitor for Format — focused on showcase/discovery rather than full commerce or workflow — but with strong incumbency in the same persona.
Direct peers
- Cargo: Cargo is a portfolio-first website builder for designers, illustrators, photographers, and other creatives with curated templates and custom layouts. It targets the same creative-professional niche as Format with a similar template-and-editor approach.
- SmugMug: SmugMug is a portfolio and gallery platform purpose-built for photographers, offering customizable sites, client proofing, and print sales. It overlaps directly with Format's Workflow module and photographer-segment positioning.
- Pixpa: Pixpa is an all-in-one portfolio, client galleries, and e-commerce platform built for photographers, designers, and creators. Its bundled galleries-plus-commerce model is structurally similar to Format's Workflow + Store offering.
- Adobe Portfolio: Adobe Portfolio is bundled free with Creative Cloud subscriptions and targets the exact same photographer/designer/illustrator persona as Format. Its inclusion in a dominant creative-suite bundle is a major competitive threat to Format's value proposition.
- Squarespace: Squarespace is the leading all-in-one website builder for creatives and SMBs, with comparable portfolio, templates, commerce, and scheduling offerings. It is the primary direct competitor to Format in the no-code portfolio category.
- Zenfolio: Zenfolio provides portfolio websites, client proofing, and print fulfillment tailored to professional photographers. It competes head-on with Format in the photographer workflow and commerce segment.
- Wix: Wix is a major no-code website builder targeting SMBs and individuals, offering drag-and-drop editing, templates, and e-commerce. It competes directly with Format for creative-professional and small-business subscribers.
Broad incumbents
- Webflow: Webflow is a professional no-code website builder with a strong designer following and growing CMS/commerce capabilities. It competes with Format for design-savvy creative professionals but targets a broader web-design audience.
- WordPress.com: WordPress.com is a broad managed website platform with thousands of themes and plugins used by many creatives for portfolios. It is a wider incumbent with overlapping capability rather than a specialist in creative portfolios.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Format social profiles
Digital presenceFormat financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Format leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Format funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Format M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Format
What does Format do?
Format is a SaaS portfolio website builder that lets photographers, filmmakers, illustrators, artists, designers, architects, models, and other creative professionals create professional online portfolios using 90+ curated themes and the Flex Block drag-and-drop layout tool without coding. The platform bundles hosted video up to 120 minutes, branded client galleries, proofing, file transfers, secure contracts, a commission-free e-commerce store, built-in SEO tools, and WeGlot-powered multilingual translation, sold through tiered annual Pro and Pro Plus subscriptions with a 14-day free trial.
Is Format a public or private company?
Format is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Format founded?
Format was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Format based?
Format is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Format make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription Plans.
Who are Format's main competitors?
Behance is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Cargo, SmugMug, Pixpa, Adobe Portfolio, Squarespace, Zenfolio and Wix. Broad incumbents are Webflow and WordPress.com.
Does Format have an API?
No public API is recorded for Format.
What industry is Format in?
Format's product category is Portfolio Website Builder Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAIAJ, White-Label/Hosted Publishing Platforms, with a secondary code of CRAFAIAB, Software/SaaS Subscriptions (Consumer & Prosumer). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.