Format.com Review

Lynn Cadet

By: Lynn Cadet

Lynn Cadet

Lynn is a Staff Writer at HostingAdvice with a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida. Lynn has years of experience in technical writing and blogging for sites, including Wooboard Technologies and The Lifestyle Collective. She loves to follow emerging trends in the tech sector and aims to keep her audience informed of the latest developments in software, hosting, and IT infrastructure. Lynn is adept at relaying key insights from leaders in the industry and making technologically complex topics accessible to her readers.

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Editor: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian brings more than 30 years of editing and journalism experience to our team. She has written and edited for major news organizations, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the New York Times, and she previously served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Florida. Today, she edits HostingAdvice content for clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement.

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OVERALL RATING 4.7 / 5.0
★★★★★
Features4.7 / 5.0
Ease of Use5.0 / 5.0
Pricing4.5 / 5.0
Reliability & Support4.5 / 5.0
Discount for Our Users See Deals

Format is a fantastic choice for creative professionals looking to build a presentable web presence without the complex hosting administration. I found creating a website with the design editor extremely simple, and the finished product was polished and professional in both mobile and desktop views.

Category Ratings

We had one of our resident hosting experts, Lynn Cadet, sign up for a Format.com account and take it for a spin. Below are Lynn’s ratings of the Format.com experience, broken down by the types of hosting Format.com offers.

If you decide to go with Format.com, you may get a discount by using our link to sign up. While we often make commissions on purchases made through our links, this had no bearing on Lynn’s review.

Here’s what Lynn found in reviewing Format.com:

Disclosure: When you sign up through links on our site, we often earn referral fees from partners. For more information, see our ad disclosure and review policy.

Format.com's Overall Rating (4.7 / 5.0)

Best Overall Rating

4.7
★★★★★

Price:

Setup Time:

Lynn Cadet

Lynn Cadet (HostingAdvice.com):

“If you’re looking for a website builder tailored to professional creative needs, Format is the answer. The portfolio-based website platform equips you with the right tools to build an online presence worthy of your client base. Better yet, it is completely customizable and easy to use. Getting started takes no time at all. After signing up, you only need to select your profession, and you’re on your way to web-building simplicity. Although the company’s target audience seems geared chiefly toward photographers, any professional in need of a portfolio can use its services to make a name for themselves. 

And the features don’t stop at website creation. Format is also committed to providing assistance on the business side of things. Within its platform, you can leverage the Workflow tab to manage and streamline tasks associated with client-related services. Format allows you to create and keep track of business contracts, send file transfers, and simplify collaborations, among other duties. The Workflow tab highlights how Format can help boost organization and streamline your business to save time and drive value for optimized business growth. 

Basic plan users gain access to essential resources, including 24/7 support, SSL security, social integration, and 100 high-resolution images. Although the number of themes is more limited on the basic plan, Format still provides a variety of designs to fit almost any style. You won’t have to worry about getting what you paid for with Format. 

Format is an effective tool for beginners and makes website management easier for professionals. The business focus and client tools are just the cherries on top.”

  • Quick and FREE sign-up
  • Simple web design interface
  • Easy-to-navigate dashboard
  • A valuable mix of client and marketing tools 
  • Integrated marketplace with PayPal option
  • Get started on Format now.
Money Back Guarantee
14-day FREE trial
Disk Space
100 GB SSD - 1 TB SSD
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
Setup Time
3 minutes
Format.com's Cheap Hosting (4.5 / 5.0)

Cheap Rating

4.5
★★★★★

Price:

Setup Time:

“Format provides users with the affordable hosting services they need to jump-start their business. Its additional workflow-tailored attributes only help strengthen the way it serves the needs of its professional audience. 

Format has purposefully placed high-speed servers across the globe to ensure uptime quality and availability for an international audience. So no need to worry about slow speeds. Format focuses on providing a hosting experience that fits its target audience. Image optimization is a staple of its capabilities because it’s an imperative need for photographers. All of the images are high-resolution and load pretty quickly. You can upload and store images through the storage section of the dashboard. Copyright protection also prevents end users from illegally distributing your photos. 

Depending on the tiered plan, you can access hours of video hosting for your website. Format allows you to upload videos directly to your website without the need for YouTube or Vimeo integrations. But those social integrations are also at your disposal if desired. 

A free custom domain comes with most plans. You can easily manage your domain names in the settings tabs with options to register, transfer, and connect a custom domain name. Users can also access Format’s 24/7 customer support and educational videos to solve pain points and discover new ideas for their businesses. 

Although Format’s pricing may not be the most affordable, users receive great perks from its plans. Its business-focused features are not easy to find and give you an edge in your business processes. Format also optimizes its layouts and templates for mobile-friendly viewership, making it accessible to a wide audience.”

  • No setup fees
  • Cheap, easy-to-use website builder for creative professionals
  • Image loading optimization
  • FREE templates and themes
  • FREE 24/7 support
  • Get started on Format now.
Money Back Guarantee
14-day FREE trial
Disk Space
100 GB SSD - 1 TB SSD
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
Setup Time
3 minutes
Format.com's Dedicated Hosting (not yet rated)

"We haven't evaluated Format.com for this type of hosting service — yet. Either the company didn't offer this option at the time this review was written or this section of the review hasn't made it to the top of our editorial queue just yet. Either way, check back later, as we're always working to keep our reviews up to date and as comprehensive as possible!"

Lynn Cadet

Lynn Cadet, Tech Expert

Want Lynn to review your hosting service? Request a review.

Format.com's VPS Hosting (not yet rated)

"We haven't evaluated Format.com for this type of hosting service — yet. Either the company didn't offer this option at the time this review was written or this section of the review hasn't made it to the top of our editorial queue just yet. Either way, check back later, as we're always working to keep our reviews up to date and as comprehensive as possible!"

Lynn Cadet

Lynn Cadet, Tech Expert

Want Lynn to review your hosting service? Request a review.

Format.com's WordPress Hosting (not yet rated)

"We haven't evaluated Format.com for this type of hosting service — yet. Either the company didn't offer this option at the time this review was written or this section of the review hasn't made it to the top of our editorial queue just yet. Either way, check back later, as we're always working to keep our reviews up to date and as comprehensive as possible!"

Lynn Cadet

Lynn Cadet, Tech Expert

Want Lynn to review your hosting service? Request a review.

Format.com's Website Builder (4.8 / 5.0)

Website Builder Rating

4.8
★★★★★

Price:

Setup Time:

“Format makes navigating website building simple. The sign-up process is short and sweet, and then you advance to a page filled with tons of templates for your choosing. You don’t need any experience managing its website builder as it is designed with simplicity at its core, making it ideal for professionals who may have less time to figure out web design. 

Once you choose a template, Format asks for your niche profession so it can populate design suggestions for your website. The process is pretty easy to follow as you can use a development checklist to mark off required steps. You can import images by dragging and dropping them or uploading them with the browse button. And everything is easily viewable in mobile and desktop versions through the preview button and design editor.

The design editor arranges all the website building pieces in one viewpoint. The display features and web pages are completely customizable to allow you to experiment with design. You can explore themes, customize your logo, select fonts and colors, and link social network sharing options through its easy-to-use dashboard. For users who are more comfortable with code, you can also take advantage of its code editor to modify and debug CSS and HTML.

If you want to add an eCommerce store to your site, Format first gives you the option to connect your PayPal for purchases, then directs you to product listings. The interface for creating your product listing is user friendly and doesn’t require any code. You can personalize shipping messages and order confirmations from the store settings using a text box configuration. 

After you finish designing your website, Format allows you to streamline your promotion efforts through its platform. You can leverage Format’s easy-to-use integrations to follow your site’s success through its Google Analytics, register your business on Google, and create well-placed pop-up ads on your website. Format also has SEO tools built in for better site traffic.”

  • A varied selection of templates
  • Customizable web pages with no coding required
  • Copyright protection
  • Blog platform built-in
  • Mobile-first layouts
  • Get started on Format now.
Money Back Guarantee
14-day FREE trial
Disk Space
100 GB SSD - 1 TB SSD
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
Setup Time
3 minutes

Features

(4.7 / 5.0)

Industry-Leading Reputation and Support

  • Format serves a community of more than 50,000 photographers. Many professionals trust Format to deliver a hosting experience that boosts client management and their portfolio display. 
  • Access a live chat and 24/7 support to receive the assistance you need throughout your web-building journey. You can also read Format Magazine and watch its video tutorials for tips on business and web success.
  • Its business-focused hosting platform helps users build professionally designed websites and achieve operational goals through a single dashboard.

A Simple-By-Design Builder

  • It’s super easy to start with the design builder. Sign up for free, and theme selection and website building are one click away. 
  • Choose from hundreds of templates and themes to build a website that showcases your creative branding. Customize web pages in the Design Editor to your liking and directly upload images from Adobe Lightroom or Capture One or build your webpage from scratch. 
  • Format prides itself on providing copyright protection and effective image optimization capabilities to display its customer talent in the right light. Publish high-quality images without the slow loading speeds and use social media integrations to drive home an incredible portfolio or online storefront.

Develop an Online Store in No Time

  • Use the Store tab to create product listings easily with a personalized touch. You can manage orders, add discounts, and write customized messages and contact forms for clients all in one place.
  • Every Format website is optimized for mobile-friendliness. Clients will have no problem viewing a high-quality version of your site, no matter the device.
  • Advanced eCommerce and client tools, such as contract management and client galleries, keep your data organized and at hand. Track project progress, transfer images, and create branded contracts in the Workflow tab.

Google-Friendly with SEO Features

  • You can find your website's Google Analytics tracking code through Format’s Marketing tab. You can also navigate to Google My Business to register your business location and share essential details with potential customers. 
  • Format makes creating pop-up ads simple. On one screen, you can choose the design, write the text, and select the popup style. With the Workflow Inbox feature, you can link your mailing list to garner subscriptions. Pop-up ads are a premium feature. 
  • In the settings, you can find the SEO tools to make your website more attractive. Optimize your page titles and adjust descriptions in no time with easy-to-follow instructions for the best SEO content.

Ease of Use

(5.0 / 5.0)
Intuitive Design Editor
Format.com Review
Hundreds of Creative Theme Options
Format.com Review
Easy-to-Use Store Manager
Format.com Review

Format’s user-friendly navigation is one of the platform’s best attributes. It won’t take long for users to acclimate themselves to its mechanics, and its step-by-step checklist makes the web design journey even more straightforward. It's easy to edit and view your finished product in mobile and desktop previews. You can import pictures quickly and get the foundation to build a presentable website or portfolio with multiple templates and themes at your fingertips.

Pricing

(4.5 / 5.0)

"Basic" Plan

"Pro" Plan

"Pro Plus" Plan

Format offers a great price point for professionals looking to boost their online presence without sacrificing quality. Users can leverage its resources to build and manage storefronts through the aid of award-winning templates, client tools, and 24/7 support. Its hosting capabilities also give you the power to showcase highly optimized image galleries. Its unique business model and focus on professional success make its pricing hard to beat within its niche.

Reliability & Support

(4.5 / 5.0)

Format proves its service reliability to a loyal customer base of more than 50,000 photographers. Many professionals look to the hosting platform to boost their website quality and client management. Format’s 24/7 customer support, site setup assistance, and tools tailored to client success help users simplify their business operations and offload complex tasks. You may not get an uptime guarantee, but it does offer a reliable live chat and its Format Magazine to use when problems arise.

Format.com Includes:

24/7 Customer Support; Educational Video Tutorials; Extensive Knowledge Base; Site Setup

Does Not Include

Uptime Guarantee; Automatic Backups

The Rundown

Lynn Cadet

Lynn Cadet

Hosting Expert:

To recap, here’s a rundown of what Format has to offer

Format is a credible web-building option for beginners and professionals alike. Format’s trusted reputation is proven by its code-free design editor, operations-boosting client tools, and optimized hosting functionality. Its focus on business gives professionals the tailored features they need to build successful online portfolios and stores with simplicity. You can easily customize your website with its design capabilities, marketing features, and templates to fit your brand. It’s no wonder thousands of photographers and career professionals flock to Format for hosting essentials. With Format, you can find the right tools to accomplish your professional goals, whether you’re a model, photographer, or interior designer.

Format.com review

Overall Rating

4.7 / 5.0
★★★★★

About The Author

Lynn Cadet is a Staff Writer at HostingAdvice with a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and years of experience in technical writing. She loves to follow emerging trends in the tech sector and aims to keep her audience informed of the latest developments in software, hosting, and IT infrastructure. Lynn is adept at relaying key insights from leaders in the industry and making technologically complex topics accessible to her readers.
Lynn Cadet
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