Graindevue costs €29 per month, billed monthly, after a 30-day trial with no card required. Graindevue takes no commission on your bookings, charges your clients no fee and does not charge you for the enquiries you receive. Online payments go through Stripe, whose processing fees apply according to its pricing; the amount you receive is shown in your Stripe account.
This page sets out these three items, explains why a commission, a per-enquiry fee and a subscription are different costs, and gives you a worksheet to fill in with your own figures.
What you pay, line by line
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Graindevue subscription | €29 per month, billed monthly |
| Platform commission on your bookings | 0% |
| Service fee charged to your clients | none |
| Fee per enquiry or contact received | none |
| Online payment (card, bank transfer via Stripe) | Stripe processing fees, per its pricing |
| Direct payment (cash, cheque, transfer outside Stripe) | no Stripe fees |
There is a single subscription: no tiers, no paid option to be placed higher.
Stripe fees
Graindevue takes no commission on your bookings. Online payments go through Stripe, whose processing fees apply according to its pricing; the amount you receive is shown in your Stripe account.
Stripe's pricing varies, among other things, with the origin and type of card. Check it directly on Stripe's pricing page rather than relying on a rate copied elsewhere. How payments work (deposit, balance, direct payment declared by the client) is explained on the payment processing page.
Commission, per-enquiry fee, subscription: three different costs
Platforms do not all charge the same way. Before comparing amounts, identify the model:
- Transaction commission: a percentage of each paid booking. It grows with your revenue and your prices. It costs nothing in a month without bookings.
- Per-enquiry fee (lead fee): a price paid for each contact or quote request, whether or not the client books. It grows with the number of enquiries, not with your sales.
- Subscription: a fixed amount per period, whatever the number of bookings. You also pay it in quiet months.
One platform can combine several models (for example a subscription and a commission). Read its current pricing terms, note the date you read them, and check two points that are often missed: who bears the payment fees, and whether the client pays a service fee on top of your price.
Compare with your own figures
The worksheet below has ten lines. The "Fictional example" column only shows the arithmetic: the numbers are round and chosen for illustration. The 15% rate and the €20 per enquiry are assumptions, not market averages. Replace each line with your own figures and with the dated terms of the platform you are comparing.
| Line | What you enter | Calculation | Fictional example |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Bookings per year | your history or your target | 20 |
| B | Average booking price | your Packages | €1,000 |
| C | Revenue | A × B | €20,000 |
| D | Enquiries received per year | your history | 60 |
| E | Commission rate of the platform you compare | its pricing terms | 15% (assumption) |
| F | Price per enquiry of the platform you compare | its pricing terms | €20 (assumption) |
| G | Cost of a commission | C × E | €3,000 |
| H | Cost of per-enquiry fees | D × F | €1,200 |
| I | Cost of a €29/month subscription | €29 × 12 | €348 |
| J | Online payment fees, where applicable | your Stripe statement or Stripe's pricing | to fill in |
For each option, add the platform cost (G, H or I, or their sum if it combines several models) and line J if that option's online payments carry payment fees. Depending on the platform, these fees may be included in the commission or added on top: check its terms.
The point where a subscription costs as much as a commission
With a commission rate E, a €348 yearly subscription costs as much as the commission when the revenue made through the platform reaches €348 ÷ E. Fictional example: at 15%, that threshold is €2,320 per year. Below it, the commission costs less; above it, the subscription costs less.
What this calculation does not tell you
The calculation compares costs, not what each channel brings you. A commission platform may bring you clients you would not have found otherwise. To decide, measure for each channel the number of enquiries received and bookings signed, then compare that with its cost.
What the subscription includes
The subscription gives access to every Graindevue feature:
- a public profile on the Graindevue marketplace, with fixed-price or "On quote" Packages;
- contracts generated from the booking and signed online, described on the contract management page;
- deposit and balance, paid online through Stripe or as a direct payment declared by the client then confirmed by you, described on the payment processing page;
- delivery galleries, described on the gallery delivery page;
- your Site, created from Studio, with your own domain name and online booking, described on the photographer website page.
To compare software on features and not only on price, read our guide to choosing photography business software.
No paid option to be visible
The marketplace sells no featured placement. The order of results depends neither on a payment, nor on your subscription, nor on your prices. The display rule, and what happens if you cancel, are set out on the platform commitments page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Graindevue cost?
€29 per month, billed monthly, after a 30-day trial with no card required. Graindevue takes no commission on your bookings. Online payments go through Stripe, whose processing fees apply according to its pricing; the amount you receive is shown in your Stripe account.
Do I keep 100% of what I invoice?
Graindevue takes no platform commission. For an online payment, Stripe's processing fees apply according to its pricing, and the amount you receive is shown in your Stripe account. A direct payment (cash, cheque, transfer outside Stripe) does not go through Stripe and carries no Stripe fee.
Do my clients pay a service fee?
No. The client pays the price of your Package, with no service fee added by Graindevue.
Is a subscription worth it if I have few bookings?
It depends on your revenue and on the platform you compare. You pay a subscription in months without bookings too, whereas a commission costs nothing without a sale. Use the worksheet on this page: with a commission rate E, the threshold is €348 ÷ E per year (fictional example: €2,320 at 15%).
Can I cancel?
Yes, from Studio: "Settings", "Subscription" tab, "Cancel Subscription" button. You keep access until the end of your billing period. What happens next to your profile, your Site and your data is described on the platform commitments page.
To check the calculation against your own bookings, create a trial account: 30 days, no card required. If you would rather compare with your current tool first, talk to the founder.