Free for athletes. Always.
Organizers host up to 500 photos per event free. Above that, one flat fee per event, paid once when you publish. No subscriptions, no per-athlete charges, no photographer fees.
One price per event, by photo count
The count is every photo in the event at the moment you publish. Photographers can keep uploading past 500; nothing is blocked until you decide to go live.
| Photos in the event | One-time price (USD) |
|---|---|
| Up to 500 | Free |
| 501 to 1,500 | $19 |
| 1,501 to 4,000 | $39 |
| 4,001 to 10,000 | $79 |
| 10,001+ | $79 + $0.008 per photo over 10,000 |
Prices in US dollars. Sales tax is added at checkout where it applies.
What you get
Free
Up to 500 photos
A real free tier, not a demo. Most small and mid-size races fit inside it.
- Public gallery with bib number search
- AI bib detection included
- Magic upload links for your photographers
- Free full-resolution downloads for athletes
- Hosted for 1 year
Paid
From $19, once
Everything in Free, for events over 500 photos. One payment when you publish.
- Every photo in the event, up to the tier ceiling
- Hosted for 3 years and 1 month
- Pay only the difference if the event grows into a higher tier
- Receipt by email, and in your Stripe records
- Athletes still download free
Athletes never pay. Organizers do.
Most race photo services charge the runner $20 to $60 for a handful of watermarked files. PacePics charges the organizer once and gives every athlete their full-resolution originals free, with no account and no watermark. That is the whole point, and it does not change on paid events.
All sales are final
Payment happens at publish, after photos are already uploaded and processed, so there are no refunds. Removing photos after paying does not lower the price. The price and this rule are shown again before you are sent to checkout, so nothing is a surprise.
Pricing questions
Why does PacePics charge organizers?
Storing and serving thousands of full-resolution photos costs money. Charging the organizer one flat fee per event keeps athletes' downloads free, keeps photographers uploading without a paywall, and keeps PacePics running without ads or per-photo sales.
What happens when an event passes 500 photos?
Nothing stops. Photographers keep uploading. When you go to publish, the Publish button shows the one-time price for the event's photo count (from $19), and the gallery goes live as soon as the payment clears. Events at or under 500 photos publish free.
Do athletes ever pay?
No. Athletes search by bib number, browse, and download full-resolution originals free, without an account. That never changes, on free or paid events.
Can a photographer pay for an event?
No. Only the organizer who created the event can publish it, and publishing is where payment happens. If you are a photographer on an event that is waiting to be published, ask the organizer.
What if my event grows after I pay?
Paying covers the top of your tier. If more photos arrive and push the event into a higher tier, you pay only the difference between the two tiers, never a second full fee.
What happens when hosting expires?
Free events stay up for 1 year; paid events for 3 years and 1 month. We email you before the gallery expires. After that the photos are removed from PacePics and the gallery page explains that it has expired. Photographers keep their own originals.
What happens to my photos if I don't pay?
They stay exactly where they are. An event over 500 photos simply is not public until it is published. You can still see, review, hide, and download everything in your manage hub, and publish whenever you are ready.
Can I get a refund?
No. All sales are final once photos have been uploaded, which is always the case by the time you publish. Deleting photos after paying does not lower the price. If something has gone wrong with a payment, contact us and we will sort it out.
What currency will I be charged in?
Prices are set in US dollars. At checkout, Stripe may present and charge the total in your local currency at its current exchange rate. Sales tax is added where it applies.
The legal version lives in our Terms of Service. Still unsure? Ask us.
Start with your next event
Create it in under a minute. No card needed until you publish an event over 500 photos.