Xtrafolio vs. Portfolio: iPad portfolio faceoff
Last week, I reviewed Xtrafolio and Portfolio for iPad, both excellent portfolio software for the iPad. Today, I'll compare the two with having a generic slideshow on Photos and pick a favorite. Catch up with the Portfolio for iPad review and the Xtrafolio review if you haven't done so.
One thing to make clear is that by far these two aren't the only portfolio apps on the App Store. Our readers have been helpful in suggesting a few more of these apps, and we'll most likely look at some of these as future Daily iPad Apps.
The Results
UI: It's hard to choose between Portfolio and Xtrafolio. Both have a plethora of customization options so you can exactly how you want your portfolio to look every step of the way. Even the customization options have options. I'll give the edge to Xtrafolio though. Even though Portfolio has a few more options, Xtrafolio makes them a lot easier to access thanks to having them anchored to the side of the page, and the learning curve isn't so steep.
Creating a Portfolio: Portfolio for iPad takes this category for the fact that you can import from pretty much anywhere. Both apps have the ability to bring in material from the iPad, iTunes and Dropbox, but Portfolio goes the extra step in the ability to bring in media straight from a website URL, and that's useful. It also retains the original file name, however it can choke on large files.
Portfolios: This is a tie between Xtrafolio and Portfolio and is based on personal preference. If your portfolio is strongly tied to a single field, such as photography, then Xtrafolio is the best fit. If you have a portfolio that spans different genres, like I do with newspapers and comics, then Portfolio is a better fit with its galleries. Xtrafolio also does a better job in presenting a resume as part of the initial portfolio, but you do need to customize the captions to make them readable.
Backups: Both Portfolio and Xtrafolio have backup options. In Portfolio, you can back up your library and import it to another iPad. Xtrafolio also can do backups, but you can do these straight to iTunes or to Dropbox in its own folder. Xtrafolio gets the win here for a better backup option.
Passcodes: Both apps feature passcoding, but Xtrafolio only has it on one level while Portfolio lets you passcode all your galleries, then has a second passcode for individual galleries. The winner here is Portfolio.
Cost: Xtrafolio sells for $16.95 and Portfolio is $14.95.
iPhoto? No, if you want a serious portfolio, I do not suggest iPhoto at all. While it's good for a basic portfolio, these apps are heads above other ones.
Based on the criteria above, I'm actually going with Portfolio, but it's only because I want completely different portfolios for newspaper design and comic writing, but have them in the same app. If I was going with just newspapers or just comics, then I'd use Xtrafolio. I'll probably wind up doing a portfolio on each program and using whichever is called for at the time.
What are some other options? For wedding photographers, there's Pumtree Portfolios. Other suggested options include Folio Express, Stash Pro, iProofPro, myZenfolio, Pholio, Foliozo and more.
