Any Smugmug users switched to Zenfolio?

I've found a few threads comparing feature sets - and I know that on the whole, these two services are very comparable.

I was an Exposure Manager user who switched to SmugMug to get much more customization of my site (as a whole), and provide more options for my customers to purchase prints. I like (even love) some of the things SmugMug offers - no one can argue that their customer service is second to none, and their 100% guarantee has saved my butt more than once.

However, there are a few things that they just seem to be behind the ball on. I'm baffled at how they handle digital downloads (no proof delays, no packages available), and they had a really bad period of sporadic outages towards the end of 2011 that cost me more than a couple of print sales.

It's now 2012, and I'm trying to update my informational pages with new package info, new pricing info and I'm reminded just how time consuming editing anything on SM is - I'm not a web designer, HTML and CSS code is baffling to me, and I'm not prepared to drop $100's on a template for a part time business that barely makes me $100's in a year. I like that I *can* host pages through SmugMug, which I couldn't with Exposure Manager, but I wish it was considerably simpler.

So, is the grass greener? ZenFolio seems to be more "cookie cutter" with it's templates, which may actually suit me better. How is their handling of digital downloads? What is the general feeling about their reliability?

Just looking for some feedback from people who've made the switch already - why did you move, and how is it working out for you? (and did you go the other direction?)

I tested both Smugmug and Zenfolio, and opted to stay with Zenfolio. For someone like me, with no knowledge of coding or web design, it was much easier and less time-consuming to set up a site on Zenfolio that I liked, and it's considerably easier to include custom pages. Downloading is a breeze - quick and trouble-free - and since I got my site last fall, there have been no outages that I've noticed. I'm very happy with Zenfolio. Their service, too, is quick and on the ball.

With zen, can you sell and package and discount digital files in the same way you can with prints?

I've been with smugmug for the past few years.. I've been thinking about making a switch sometime in the near future... the outages did suck in 2011, too many of them!!

I just chose smugmug over zenfolio. Did both of the free trials. Liked everything better with smugmug. Customer service response to my email questions within an hour or two (even during Christmas). It's hard to argue with that.

I went from Smug to Zenfolio. Love the packages, proof delay even for digital downloads, and customer service - never had an issue.

Proof delay is an option with smugmug as well.

Joe Cyr wrote in post #13686448
Proof delay is an option with smugmug as well.

Not for digital downloads, part of my frustration. Seems so simple!

was with smugmug for 2 years and switched last week to zenfolio.
mainly for me was lack of uk print lab and they were just slow to make the changes that everyone was requested.

Happy so far with zen although there help forum is pretty poor and customizing your site could do with being a bit more advanced.

urbansickness wrote in post #13714945
was with smugmug for 2 years and switched last week to zenfolio.
mainly for me was lack of uk print lab and they were just slow to make the changes that everyone was requested.

Happy so far with zen although there help forum is pretty poor and customizing your site could do with being a bit more advanced.

What kind of custom stuff do you want to do that they don't have? If I can have standalone HTML pages, I could be sold

Zenfolio offer a few design templates which are actually very similar which dont have much scope for customization.
Wheres as id like to add code to these templates to tweak a few bits.

Im ok at writing in code but certainly no expert.

There is the option of adding pages written in code if you want to really customize your site.

urbansickness wrote in post #13718077
Zenfolio offer a few design templates which are actually very similar which dont have much scope for customization.
Wheres as id like to add code to these templates to tweak a few bits.

Im ok at writing in code but certainly no expert.

There is the option of adding pages written in code if you want to really customize your site.

Good to know - thank you! I renewed with SM mid year 2011, so I'm with them for a little bit now, but it's good to know my options come renewal time.

I was very close to leaving Exposure Manager because their templates and the overall way to admin my site are dated but they say v 2.0 is coming. I'll stay and give it a try but if it's not operational by the time of my renewal, I may leave.

Mike R wrote in post #13932655
I was very close to leaving Exposure Manager because their templates and the overall way to admin my site are dated but they say v 2.0 is coming. I'll stay and give it a try but if it's not operational by the time of my renewal, I may leave.

I believe it just went live (I keep up to date with them, even though I'm an ex-customer)

pcj wrote in post #13935992
I believe it just went live (I keep up to date with them, even though I'm an ex-customer)

Maybe they're starting to roll it out slowly, I don't have any option to change to it yet. At least it's coming.