What is the best Art Gallery Software? | A Comparison of Top Brands

Compare leading art gallery software providers. The features and pricing listed below assumes the following:
1 retail location license | 3 user licenses | Full-feature capabilities of each vendor | Automated website (if available)

Features

Masterpiece
Question mark
GallerySoft
Question mark
Artsystems
Question mark
Managed Artwork
Question mark
ArtLogic
Question mark
Artbase
Question mark
Setup*
 $1000 $300 $3500 $2180 $4392 $5000
Monthly Software Fees
 $150 $155 $325 $195 $158 $300
Dynamic Website Fees
 $59 $175 $250 $375 Yes No
Compatible with Mac!
 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Inventory Management
 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Contact Management
 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Mass Email
 Yes No No No No No
Point Of Sale
 Yes No Yes No Yes No
Use Your Own Website
 Yes No No No Yes No
Free Website Templates
 Yes No No No No No
Hundreds of Premium Website Templates
 Yes No No No No No
CLOUD-based
 Yes Yes No Yes No No
Unlimited Support
 Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Quickbooks Integration
 Yes No Yes No No No
Online Marketplace
 Yes No No No No No
Online Auction Module
 Yes No No No No No
Total Startup Cost $1000 $300 $3500 $2180 $4392 $5000
Monthly | Software Only $150 $155 $325 $195 $158 $300
Monthly | Software + Website $209 $330 $575 $570 No No
Year 1 | Software + Website $3508 $3960 $10,400 $9,020 No No
       
* All pricing reflects monthly fees except for "Setup". Setup includes software and website.
All information provided has been gathered by Masterpiece Solutions, Inc. Our goal is to provide an accurate and simple comparison. If you find anything in error, please send your feedback to info@masterpiecesolutions.com. All feedback will be reviewed and updates to the site will be made to reflect the most current and correct information.

Art Gallery Software - Leading Providers

Masterpiece Solutions | Masterpiece Manager Version10

Company Website
Founded in 1996, Masterpiece Solutions is based in Parker, Colorado. Masterpiece Solutions is recognized as the pioneer of the Art Gallery Software market. It was the first retail automation software product to deliver fully automated websites to its clients. Masterpiece is releasing its 10th version of the software and website suite of product. This version includes several significant NEW capabilities never before available to the art business. Some of these are Email Marketing, Online Auctions, Quickbooks Integration and Online/Off-line business continuity. The company offers telephone and email support that is included in the monthly subscription fee. In addition to its position as an innovator in the industry, Masterpiece also receives very strong reviews for its customer support.


Masterpiece Solutions offers two options for art gallery software: Desktop software that is downloaded (marketed by the name Arete), and an new Cloud-based software and web site suite called Version10. This page is a review of the Version10 software suite.

Pros:

  • 15+ years delivering exclusively to the art business
  • No term commitments required
  • Offers desktop and web-based art gallery software option
  • Global presence with gallery clients on every continent
  • Cloud-based solutions hosted with Amazon Elastic Cloud Computing
  • Works with Macs and Pcs - and any combination of computing environments
  • Fully automated websites - also works with 3rd part websites
  • Huge portfolio of website customers - 400+
  • Complete POS module - including payment processing
  • Full Email Marketing Module - replaces iContact or ConstantContact
  • Online Auctions - proprietary or public
  • Integrated with Quickbook
  • Unlimited support
  • No long-term contracts
  • Inexpensive

Cons:

  • Slow to deliver Mac compatible version
  • Not located in major art market like NYC, London or Santa Fe

ArtSystems | Gallery Pro 2011

Founded in 1989. Artsystems has requested that detailed company information not be shared on this page.

Pros:

  • Lengthy history serving the art industry
  • Tech support included in subscription fees
  • Robust feature set
  • Located in New York City
  • New Mac compatible desktop software option
  • Integrated web site option

Cons:

  • Expensive
  • Minimum 2 year agreement
  • No web-based software option (must download software to computer)
  • Extra fees for additional user licenses
  • Extra fees for software maintenance
  • Clients can not use their own web sites
  • No mass email capability

GallerySoft

Company Website
Founded in 1998, GallerySoft is based in Ontario, Canada. Originally developed as an installed software program, GallerySoft has adopted a web-only solution. The online system is a web-enabled version of the old installed software platform. As such, the user experience is that same as it was in 1998 when first introduced. The company offers telephone and email support that is included in the monthly subscription fee.

Pros:

  • Online (only)
  • Works on any computer: Mac, PC, Linux.
  • Website integration (through a 3rd party provider)
  • Unlimited support
  • No long-term contracts (3 month minimum commitment)
  • Inexpensive

Cons:

  • No “off-line” mode. Does not work without Internet connection
  • No POS module (requires external POS terminal)
  • No Quickbooks integration
  • No Build Your Website capability
  • Does not offer Auctions
  • Does not offer complete email marketing solution
  • Offers no online marketplace for marketing your goods

Managed Artwork

Company Website
Founded in 2001, Managed Artwork is a relative late-comer to our industry. Founded as the first “online” solution, it offers a thinner solution than Artsystems. As the only web-based solution when introduced, Managed Artwork found a following of forward-thinking customers that did not want to be restricted to a certain type of computer platform or location.  This business model also allowed Managed Artwork to offer the first “subscription-based” pricing model. The company restricts the size and number of images its customers can post to the program. This may be the result of an aging platform that is not coping well with the bandwidth and capacity needs of modern imaging standards.

Pros:

  • Online
  • Works on any computer: Mac, PC, Linux.
  • Website integration (works with your own website)
  • Unlimited support
  • No long-term contracts

Cons:

  • No “off-line” mode. Does not work without Internet connection
  • No POS module (requires external POS terminal)
  • Cannot use your own website
  • No Build Your Website capability
  • No Quickbooks integration
  • Does not offer Auctions
  • Does not offer complete email marketing solution
  • Offers no online marketplace for marketing your goods
  • Expensive – menu pricing means that a full featured solution is $2000 for setup, and $600 per month

Artlogic

Company Website
'Artlogic Online' is a leading internet-based art gallery software / art gallery database system, used by galleries, artists, consultants, curators and collectors. It allows you to record, search, share, retrieve, relate and export detailed information, documents, images and media files. It features modules for inventory, contacts, invoices and accounts and includes an integrated HTML mailing system, a calendar, a documents archive, a client-friendly viewing screen for the inventory, a mechanism to publish private web pages containing art works, integrated marketing and events lists management and much more.

Pros:

  • Online
  • Clean and intuitive design
  • Works on any computer: Mac, PC, Linux.
  • Website integration (works with your own website) - pricing is case by case.
  • Unlimited support
  • No long-term contracts

Cons:

  • No “off-line” mode. Does not work without Internet connection
  • No POS module (requires external POS terminal)
  • No Build Your Website capability
  • No Quickbooks integration
  • Does not offer Auctions
  • Does not offer complete email marketing solution
  • Offers no online marketplace for marketing your goods

Artbase

Company Website
The first solution in the marketplace was introduced in 1991. Originally designed as an installed software solution, it is now an exclusively a server installed program that must run within your business location. It includes Inventory as well as Contact Management solutions. These capabilities are handled quite expertly. Large omissions are website integration, POS, and Email marketing.

Pros:

  • Works on any computer: Mac, PC, Linux
  • Unlimited support
  • No long-term contracts

Cons:

  • Not a web-based solution
  • Can not be accessed when away from business location
  • Requires additional FileMaker Pro software license
  • No integrated website solution
  • No Build Your Website capability
  • Requires computer configuration and network management expertise
  • No POS module (requires external POS terminal)
  • No Quickbooks integration
  • Does not offer Auctions
  • Does not offer complete email marketing solution
  • Offers no online marketplace for marketing your goods