5 Websites Every Artist Can Use To Manage The Business Side Of Art
What happens after you finish the artwork?
For many artists, that is when a completely different kind of work begins. Suddenly, there are emails to answer, artwork details to organise, prices to keep track of, applications to submit, commissions to manage, collectors to follow up with and invoices to send.
Making the work may be the heart of an art practice, but running that practice comes with its own little world of admin. The good news? You do not have to build every system from scratch. A growing number of online platforms can help artists organise their work, present themselves professionally, find opportunities and even get paid, without needing a huge team or complicated business setup.
Some are completely free to start, while others have paid plans that become useful as your practice grows. Here are five worth knowing about.
1. Artwork Archive
If you have ever had to look through folders trying to remember when you made a painting, where it is currently stored, what you originally priced it at or whether it has already been sold, Artwork Archive is the kind of website that can make life considerably easier.
It is essentially a digital studio manager for artists. You can use it to create an inventory of your artworks, recording details such as titles, mediums, dimensions, locations, prices and sales. You can also keep track of where works are being shown and manage information about collectors and contacts.
For an artist who is beginning to sell regularly, this can become especially useful. Instead of having one spreadsheet for artwork, another for sales and several folders of photographs and documents, Artwork Archive brings much of that information together.
Its artist plans currently start with a 14-day free trial rather than a permanent free plan. The Apprentice plan is $9 per month when billed annually, or $10 month-to-month, and allows artists to manage up to 100 artworks and 10 locations. It also includes CRM tools, sales tracking, online invoicing, edition and print tracking, QR codes, reporting, daily backups and a public profile website.
Artists who need more room can move to Professional, currently $18 per month when billed annually, with space for 500 artworks and 50 locations, plus income and expense tracking, a sales pipeline, private rooms, document storage, website integrations and payment processing. The Master plan goes up to unlimited artwork data and is designed for more established practices.
Best for: Artists with enough work, sales or exhibitions that keeping track of everything is becoming a job in itself.
2. ArtCloud
Want something that combines your artwork inventory with a professional online presence? ArtCloud is another interesting option, particularly for artists who want to manage their work and build a website around it.
The free artist plan is surprisingly useful for someone starting out. It allows up to 50 artworks, giving artists a place to catalogue their work without immediately paying for software. The free version does not include CRM, invoices or payment tools, but it can still be useful as a basic starting point for organizing a digital inventory.
The paid Basic plan is currently listed at $29 per month, or $26 per month when billed annually. It increases the capacity to 1,000 artworks and 1,000 contacts and adds up to 10 invoices per month, integrated email and a customisable website.
For artists with a larger business, the Pro plan increases the limits to 5,000 artworks and 10,000 contacts, allows up to 100 invoices per month and adds stronger sales tools. The Pro Plus plan is designed for established artists and adds unlimited data, email campaigns, advanced sales tracking, email templates and more advanced website options.
One particularly useful feature is that ArtCloud is not only thinking about your artwork as a portfolio. It treats it as inventory that can actually move through your business, from being created and catalogued to being shown, marketed and sold.
Best for: Artists who want their portfolio, artwork records, contacts and sales activity to live closer together.
3. Ko-fi
You might associate Ko-fi with the little “buy me a coffee” button, but it has grown into something much more useful for independent artists.
An artist can use Ko-fi to accept tips, sell physical or digital products, offer commissions, create memberships and share exclusive content. That makes it particularly handy for artists who have multiple small income streams rather than relying only on selling original paintings.
For example, you could use your page to accept support from people who enjoy your work, sell prints or digital downloads, open a limited number of commission slots and offer a monthly membership with studio updates or behind-the-scenes content. And you can start without paying a monthly subscription.
Ko-fi’s current model is a little different from the old “free versus Gold” system many artists may remember. Its free option charges 0% on one-time tips, while shop sales, memberships, monthly tips and commissions carry a 5% service fee. The Standard option also has no monthly subscription and applies a 5% service fee, while unlocking extras such as supporter-only content, scheduled posts, custom branding and additional shop storage.
Artists can also still choose Ko-fi Gold at $12 per month, which removes the platform service fee. Payment processor fees from services such as PayPal or Stripe still apply. The nice thing about Ko-fi is that it does not require an artist to have a huge audience. A small, loyal group of people can still support a practice through several different types of purchases.
Best for: Artists selling commissions, prints, digital products or memberships, and anyone who wants a simple way for supporters to financially back their practice.
4. CuratorSpace
Finding opportunities is part of running an art career, but keeping up with open calls, exhibitions, residencies and submission deadlines can become exhausting.
CuratorSpace is worth bookmarking for exactly this reason. Its free artist membership lets you browse opportunities, make unlimited free applications, review your applications, communicate with organisers, bookmark opportunities and store up to 200MB of files and images.
That last part is particularly handy when you are repeatedly applying to exhibitions. Instead of digging through your computer every time you need an artwork image or application material, you can keep some of it ready on the platform.
The paid Artist membership costs £3 per month or £30 per year and adds a dedicated artist profile, the ability to apply for artist bursaries, invitations to relevant opportunities and up to 1GB of storage.
UK-based artists can also choose Artist Plus, currently £40 per year, which includes up to 2GB of storage and £5 million in public and product liability insurance. That particular plan is limited to artists normally resident in the UK, so international artists should stick with the other options. CuratorSpace is especially useful for artists who are actively building an exhibition history. The free membership alone can be enough to make it worthwhile.
Best for: Artists who want one place to discover and keep track of exhibition and art-world opportunities.
5. Contra
Not everything in an artist’s business is about selling artwork.
Illustration commissions, murals, design work, workshops, creative consulting, photography, writing and other freelance projects can all become part of an artist’s income. Contra is particularly useful for this side of a creative practice.
Artists can create a professional profile, showcase their work, find opportunities, send proposals, sign contracts, manage projects and send invoices. Importantly, you do not need your client to already be on Contra in order to invoice them.
The free plan gives independent creatives access to profiles, proposals, contracts, invoicing, payments and opportunities. Contra says its freelance payments are commission-free for creatives, although payment processing and certain platform fees can still apply depending on how a transaction is handled.
Its contract tools can also be useful when you are taking on commissions. Contra provides a standard service agreement template, while artists can also use their own contract templates. Clients do not have to join Contra just to sign a contract or pay an invoice.
For artists who want more presentation and discovery features, Contra Pro is currently $29 per month or $199 per year. It adds things such as stronger portfolio customisation, branding tools, advanced analytics and increased discoverability.
The platform can therefore work as more than a freelance marketplace. It can become the place where you take a project from “Yes, I’d love to work with you” to “Here is the contract, here is the invoice, and here is where we can keep track of the project.”
Best for: Artists who earn through commissions, freelance creative work or services alongside their studio practice.
When The Business Side Feels Simpler
No website can replace the artist’s actual work, and thankfully, none of them needs to. The point of using these platforms is simply to take some of the mental clutter out of running a practice.
When your artwork records are organised, your applications are easier to manage, your commissions have a proper process and your payments are not scattered across messages and spreadsheets, you get a little more space to focus on making things. You also do not need to sign up for all five.
Start with the problem that is currently bothering you most. If you keep losing track of artworks, try an inventory platform. If commissions are becoming messy, look at Ko-fi or Contra. If you are constantly searching for open calls, CuratorSpace might be the better place to begin.
The business side of art may never be the most exciting part of being an artist, but it does not have to feel like a completely separate career either. With the right systems in place, the admin can quietly do its job in the background, leaving you a little more time, energy and headspace for the reason you started your practice in the first place: making the work.
Editor’s Note:
Women In Arts Network is now accepting submissions for the first ever issue of our own magazine – Women In Arts Magazine. Submit your art to become part of the inaugural issue. The deadline is 31 October, 2026 and we can not wait to see your submissions come to life in our first magazine.
