As a creative, you know you do great work. (Duh.) 

The question is: What’s the best way for you to show off your work online, so potential clients can find you (and get a sense of what you do)?

We live in an amazing time for creatives with lots of options when it comes to choosing the best platform for portfolios. 

So how do you pick the right one?

You know — one that’s easy to use, searchable, and professional… and will showcase your stuff in the most impressive way possible.

Today, we’re comparing Showit vs. Behance, two top options for showcasing your portfolio.

Each comes with its own set of pros and cons, depending on your needs.

Overview of Creative Portfolio Platforms

Let’s start by going over what Showit and Behance are.

Even though they’re both options for showing off your portfolio, we’re not exactly comparing apples to apples here. 

Let the creative portfolio website comparison begin!

Showit

Showit is a typical website builder (well, actually, it’s anything but typical — you can do much more with it than you can with other builders). 

Showit is a platform that lets you design a website with full drag-and-drop creative control. That means you’re able to put together a portfolio page on your site using tools that let you customize it exactly how you want it to look. 

If we may say so, Showit is perfect if you value artistic freedom and want a unique online presence.

Behance

Behance isn’t exactly a website builder, though it does give you a chance to show off your creative work. 

Think of Behance as more of a social network.

You can show off your projects using structured templates — no need to create a full-fledged website.

It's all about simplifying the process of sharing your work, especially because the platform (which is owned by Adobe) comes with a built-in community of creatives who love to check out each other’s work.

Design Flexibility

Because you’re creative (or so we’re assuming if you’re reading this), you probably want some level of control over the way your portfolio is designed. 

How much flexibility do you have with these two creative portfolio platforms?

Showit

Seriously. Showit’s drag-and-drop feature lets you customize your site to look exactly how you want, without any coding required (though if you’re advanced enough, you can add custom CSS). 

Because the design control is responsive, you can even adjust the mobile and desktop versions separately.

Behance

Behance is geared toward presenting individual projects in a structured format. That might appeal to you if you prefer a simple approach to portfolio presentation. 

That said, Behance is a template-based platform, so your layout customization is much more limited. 

Showit vs. Behance: Ease of Use

You’re busy. You’re interested in focusing on your creative projects… not struggling to figure out how to use a new platform so you can publish a portfolio. (Right?)

So, it pays to figure out how easy these creative portfolio websites are to use.

Showit

Remember how we mentioned that drag-and-drop editor? It provides intuitive control over your website's design, so many designers find it very easy to use.

That said, mastering Showit’s full capabilities might involve a learning curve, especially when setting up hosting and domain for a standalone site.

Behance

Behance is where simplicity reigns. Uploading projects is straightforward, with very minimal effort beyond creating your account. 

There's no need to worry about hosting or domain setup, making Behance incredibly user-friendly from the get-go.

Showit vs. Behance: Hosting and Domain

Once you’ve set up your portfolio, you’ll want to know if others on the internet will be able to find it. 

That’s why it’s important to consider hosting and domain options with these two portfolio platforms. Here’s what you’re looking at with each.

Showit

A big benefit of Showit is that you have self-hosting capabilities with seamless domain integration. 

That’s sort of a fancy way of saying you get a branded online presence — including a custom domain (though we should note that website hosting requires a subscription).

Behance

Again, here’s where Behance is all about simplicity. 

Your portfolio is hosted on Adobe’s platform, so there’s no need for (or even option of) domain customization. You just get a Behance URL (i.e., behance.net/username) instead of a custom domain.

Audience & Discoverability

While we’re talking about making your portfolio available on the internet for people to see, let’s talk about your audience and how easy it is for them to find you. 

If your portfolio is just floating out there in cyberspace, with the occasional visit from somebody who has your direct link, you might not get the business you want. 

Here’s what these platforms have to offer in the discoverability regard.

Showit

Showit offers robust SEO capabilities and supports integration with social media. So although driving traffic requires you to do some proactive personal marketing efforts, that work can pay off in a big way.

Showit is ideal if you’re aiming to build a distinct online presence. In order for that presence to be known, you need to be doing a little bit of work yourself. Start researching SEO, building a social media platform, and pushing your links out to as many people as possible. 

When used to your advantage, the built-in SEO capabilities with Showit have the power to make your portfolio far more visible than if you were on a separately hosted platform.

Behance

Since it’s part of Adobe's creative network, Behance offers built-in exposure opportunities within its community. 

Projects can gain visibility organically through features and collaborations, making it a go-to for networking and showcasing your work to a broad audience. It’s simple, but bear in mind that you’re limited to the network that’s already on Behance.

Showit vs. Behance: Integration with Other Tools

Your portfolio is only one small piece of your online presence. You’ll want to think about how it will integrate with other tools and platforms you use, such as your blog or your online shop.

Here’s how Showit vs. Behance stack up when it comes to integration with other tools.

Showit

Showit emphasizes seamlessness when it comes to external tools. 

In other words, you can add a WordPress blog or a Shopify e-commerce site to your Showit website without any way of telling that it’s from another source. That’s how smoothly these integrations fit into your website design.

Behance

If you’re creating your projects using Adobe software, you’re covered. Behance integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud apps, allowing seamless sharing of those projects within your portfolio. 

However, Behance lacks extensive integration with external tools beyond media embedding. So if you’re hoping to integrate your Behance portfolio with other tools, you may be out of luck.

Showit vs. Behance: Pricing

Of course, it might not matter as much how great a portfolio platform is if it’s out of your budget. Affordability is a big consideration for creatives.

Here’s a high-level overview of the pricing plan options offered by Showit vs. Behance.

Showit

Showit has plans starting at just $16 per month, though you can move up to one of three higher plans, such as the Plus plan or Advanced plan, depending on your needs and your budget. 

The Advanced plan, starting at $99 per month, gives you the capability of doing everything from selling digital content subscriptions to seeing detailed sales funnel analytics. It costs more, but it gives you a lot of power to push your business forward.

Behance

Behance is free to use, making it accessible for all users, though you can upgrade to Behance Pro for $9.99 per month. The Pro option gives you access to features like customized profile layouts, advanced analytics, and exclusive freelance opportunities.

Showit vs. Behance: Who’s the Best Fit For This?

Clearly, there are pluses and minuses to Showit vs. Behance, depending on your needs. 

So when you consider all of this info, you probably have to wonder: Which of these platforms is the best fit specifically for you and what you do?

Showit

We always say Showit is the ideal fit for creatives because it gives you the complete creative control you want when designing a branded website. 

You’ll be able to create a standalone portfolio site that’s visually unique and fits with your online presence.

Behance

If you’re not looking to deal with the stress of an entire website design, Behance lets you have that vibrant creative community you seek and show them your projects without the trouble of anything you don’t want. 

You’ll gain exposure through an established network, though it’s harder to expand beyond that network if you want or need to.

 Try It Yourself

Intrigued by what Showit has to offer? We don’t blame you. 

See for yourself how our platform gives you endless options for creative freedom. We think once you start creating, you’re going to love it. (Not that we’re biased or anything…)

Why not try Showit out for yourself? You get a 14-day free trial with no strings attached.

Go give it a try!

And if you want to know how Showit compares to other tools, check out this article on Showit vs. Canva.