At a glance
- Included
- Partial: plan-gated, add-on or limited
- Not offered
- Depends or not stated
| Feature | 9Pic AI | Pic-Time | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery | |||
| Selfie search Edge: Tie | Included: FaceFind on every plan | Partial: Selfie, people and keyword search on the Advanced plan[4] | What it means: Both match faces. On Pic-Time it needs the top plan and is switched on per gallery. |
| Bib number search Edge: 9Pic AI | Included: BibTrack on every plan | Not offered: No bib or number search[4][2] | What it means: Runners and riders in helmets are found by race number on 9Pic AI. |
| Search across an event Edge: 9Pic AI | Included: One event gallery, searchable by every participant | Partial: Search runs inside one gallery at a time[4] | What it means: For a race with many photographers, 9Pic AI keeps it one search. |
| Delivery | |||
| Gallery design Edge: Pic-Time | Partial: Branded event gallery; custom domain on Pro | Included: Pic-Time 2.0 galleries with cinematic covers and a mobile-first layout[9] | What it means: Pic-Time galleries are more designed for a single client. |
| Selling | |||
| Print store Edge: Pic-Time | Not offered: No print fulfilment | Included: Print store with partner labs on every plan, including Free[5] | What it means: If you sell prints and albums, Pic-Time handles it and 9Pic AI does not. |
| Commission on sales Edge: Tie | Partial: No 9Pic commission with Checkout on Business | Partial: Commission on your markup; none on Professional and Advanced when you collect payment yourself[5] | What it means: On the right plan, both let you keep your sales minus payment fees. |
| Video | |||
| Participant video Edge: 9Pic AI | Partial: Motion clips and Flow reels on Pro | Partial: Delivers and sells films, clips and slideshows you make; nothing personalised per guest[7][8] | What it means: Pic-Time sells your films. 9Pic AI makes a clip or reel for each participant. |
| Operations | |||
| Photographer workflow Edge: Pic-Time | Partial: 9Pic Uplink desktop uploader, plus Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive imports | Included: Lightroom plug-in on every plan; CRM through HoneyBook and Studio Ninja[2][10] | What it means: Pic-Time fits more neatly into a studio editing and client workflow. |
| Free plan Edge: Pic-Time | Partial: 200 free photo credits to try, then pay per photo | Included: Free plan with the print store, plus a trial of the Advanced plan[2][6] | What it means: Pic-Time is free to keep using at a small scale. |
| Face data and privacy Edge: Tie | Included: Selfie not stored; no training on photos or faces | Included: In-house model; selfies not stored[4] | What it means: Both are careful with selfies. |
| Pricing model | |||
| How you pay Edge: Depends | From $0.03 per photo processed, no subscription | Free plan, then monthly or annual plans, plus a commission on store sales[2][5] | What it means: A subscription suits a steady studio; paying per photo suits a few large events. |
Where they are the same
Both deliver photos in a branded online gallery that works on phones, both can match a guest to their photos with a selfie, and both can sell digital photos with payments going to your own account.
Key differences
-
One gallery vs a whole event
Pic-Time selfie search is an Advanced plan feature that the photographer turns on for a gallery, and it searches that one gallery. 9Pic AI indexes every photo from every photographer at an event, and adds bib number search, so each participant finds their photos in one place.
-
Print and album sales vs event delivery
Pic-Time is built to sell: a print store with partner labs, albums, and automated campaigns such as early bird and abandoned cart emails. 9Pic AI does no print fulfilment. On the Business plan, 9Pic Checkout sells digital photos with no 9Pic commission.
-
Photographer-made video vs a video for each participant
Pic-Time delivers and sells the films, clips and slideshows you make. On the Pro plan, 9Pic Motion cuts per-participant clips from course footage and 9Pic Flow builds a personal highlight reel for each finisher.
Where Pic-Time is the better choice
- You deliver weddings, family or portrait sessions and want a gallery that looks and feels premium.
- Print, album and wall art sales are a big part of your income and you want partner labs to fulfil them.
- You want automated sales campaigns, slideshows with licensed music and an AI album designer in one product.
- You work with wedding vendors and want to share curated galleries with them under usage terms.
Fit by event type
| Event type | Better fit | Why | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wedding or family session | Pic-Time | Designed galleries, prints, albums and sales campaigns | Weddings |
| City marathon or half marathon | 9Pic AI | Thousands of runners find photos by bib or selfie | Marathons |
| Cycling or triathlon | 9Pic AI | Helmets hide faces; bib search still works | Triathlon |
| Conference or corporate event | Depends | Pic-Time selfie search on its top plan; 9Pic AI for many photographers and a whole event | Conferences |
| Graduation or school event | Depends | Pic-Time for portrait sales; 9Pic AI so families find candid photos by face | Graduations |
What it costs
Scenario: a 5,000-runner half marathon with 60,000 photos. Change the numbers to see your own 9Pic AI cost.
| 9Pic AI plan | Math | Total | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay as you go Lowest for your choices Does not include your choices | 60,000 × $0.03 | $1,800 | Selfie and bib search, watermarks, 1 year storage |
| Pro Lowest for your choices Does not include your choices | $200 + 60,000 × $0.02 | $1,400 | Adds Flow, Motion, Certify, Select, custom domain, 2 year storage |
| Business Lowest for your choices Does not include your choices | $350 + 60,000 × $0.02 | $1,550 | Adds 9Pic Checkout photo sales with no 9Pic commission |
How Pic-Time charges
Pic-Time has a free plan and three paid plans (Beginner, Professional and Advanced), billed monthly or more cheaply each year. Storage, branding, client AI search (Advanced only), slideshows and the sales commission change by plan. The commission is charged on your markup, falls on higher plans and is waived on Professional and Advanced when you collect payment yourself. Video storage and 4K slideshows are paid add-ons. See the current numbers on Pic-Time pricing[2][5][3]. Checked 26 Oct 2026.
Which costs less depends on how many photos you deliver a year, how much of your income comes from prints, and whether participants must find their own photos.
Running an event on 9Pic AI
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Upload finished JPGs with 9Pic Uplink on macOS or Windows, or import from Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive.
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Import your start list so bib numbers map to participants.
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Choose delivery: free downloads, or paid downloads with 9Pic Checkout on the Business plan.
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Share one gallery link by email, results page or QR code.
What does not move: Pic-Time favorites, print orders, albums and sales campaigns. You can keep Pic-Time for client sessions.
We set up your first event with you.
Case studies
Frequently asked questions
Fit
Is 9Pic AI a good Pic-Time alternative?
For events, yes. 9Pic AI suits races, conferences and school events where every participant needs to find their own photos. For weddings and portrait sessions with print sales and albums, Pic-Time is usually the better fit.
Does Pic-Time have selfie search?
Yes, on the Advanced plan, when the photographer turns it on for a gallery. Guests can search by selfie, by clicking a face or by keyword, inside that one gallery. Pic-Time has no bib number search.
Can 9Pic AI sell prints like Pic-Time?
No. 9Pic AI does no print fulfilment. On the Business plan, 9Pic Checkout sells digital photos with payments going to your own account and no 9Pic commission. If prints and albums matter most, Pic-Time is the better choice.
Cost
Does Pic-Time take a commission?
Pic-Time takes a commission on your markup for store sales. It is lower on Professional and Advanced, and none when you collect payment through your own provider on those plans. 9Pic AI takes no commission on Checkout sales on the Business plan.
Is 9Pic AI cheaper than Pic-Time?
They charge for different things. Pic-Time is a subscription with a free plan and a commission on store sales. 9Pic AI charges $0.03 per photo processed on Pay as you go, or $0.02 on Pro at $200 a year. For a few large events a year, paying per photo avoids a monthly plan.
Data and privacy
How does 9Pic AI handle selfies and face data?
9Pic AI does not store the selfie used to search, does not train models on photos or faces, and keeps face data only while the gallery is hosted. Organisers decide how long a gallery stays live.
How we compared
We reviewed Pic-Time's public product, feature and pricing pages, including AI search, print store, video, slideshows and partners. We did not use a paid Pic-Time account. We last checked on 26 Oct 2026. 9Pic AI facts come from our pricing and product pages. Spot something out of date? Tell us.
Sources
- [1] Pic-Time home pagehttps://www.pic-time.com/
- [2] Pic-Time pricinghttps://www.pic-time.com/pricing/client-delivery-suite
- [3] Pic-Time video storage pricinghttps://www.pic-time.com/pricing/video-storage
- [4] Pic-Time: AI-powered gallery searchhttps://www.pic-time.com/features/ai-powered-gallery-search
- [5] Pic-Time: Print storehttps://www.pic-time.com/features/print-store
- [6] Pic-Time: Sales automationhttps://www.pic-time.com/features/automation
- [7] Pic-Time: Video deliveryhttps://www.pic-time.com/features/video-delivery
- [8] Pic-Time: Slideshowshttps://www.pic-time.com/features/slideshows
- [9] Pic-Time 2.0https://www.pic-time.com/pic-time-2-0
- [10] Pic-Time partnershttps://www.pic-time.com/resources/partners
All accessed 26 Oct 2026.