Behance is a social media platform, owned by Adobe, that allows artists, photographers, designers, and other content creators to display and showcase their work. It has been used by institutions, companies like the Maryland Institute College of Art, and LinkedIn.
Besides showcasing their own work and portfolios, users can use Behance to discover creative content posted by others. Essentially, it is a networking site for creative content creators.
However, Behance is not for everyone. Some people find the Behance platform too slow and buggy, while others simply don’t like the site design and layout.
Or, you might be searching for a site that lets you sell your art, not just showcase it.
Today, I will be going over 14 sites like Behance that you can use to showcase your work and get more exposure.
The 14 Best Sites Like Behance
1. DeviantArt
DeviantArt is a great alternative to Behance. In fact, it was founded five years before Behance – DeviantArt was founded in 2000, and Behance was founded in 2005.
Content on DeviantArt is organized by topic. Some topics that stand out on the home page are:
- Digital Art
- Photo Manipulation
- Fan Art
- Drawings and Paintings
To see a full list of topics, go to the Topics Page. There, you can explore topics like:
- 3D animation
- Anime and Manga
- Cosplay
- Emoji
- Kinky
- Literature
- Science Fiction
- Street Photography
- Traditional Art
- And a lot more
Overall, I found DeviantArt a bit easier to navigate than Behance. It was easier to find art in topics I was interested in – for example, if you are interested in anime, it would be easy to find anime content.
As opposed to Behance’s Teams feature, which allows several team members from the same company to collaborate on their portfolio, DeviantArt’s Groups feature allows people interested in the same things to come together and share their work.
For example, the Pot of Gold group, which has over 10,000 watchers, lets anyone join and share their artwork, regardless of genre. The DA Pinoys group is for Filipinos who want to come together, share their art, share tips, and promote their work.
There are new groups being created every day. You can search for groups by interest or by region, allowing you to find people who share your passion or who are from the same part of the world as you are.
Another reason to choose DeviantArt is that not only can you showcase your work, but you can sell it in the Prints section. While you can link to your store on Behance, you can not sell your work as easily as you can on DeviantArt.
DeviantArt gets millions of visitors each day. It’s one of the top online platforms for sharing artwork and one of the best Behance alternatives.
Explore this article on the best DeviantArt like sites.
2. ArtStation
ArtStation came a bit later to the game – it was founded in 2014. However, it offers a number of ways to showcase your work.
You can showcase your entire portfolio on ArtStation, complete with images, 3D images, videos, and more. Not only can you showcase work you have already completed, but you can also post blogs giving your readers updates on what’s going on in your life and in your work.
Also, you will be able to see who is checking out your portfolio using the Analytics section.
Not only can you showcase your portfolio, but you can build an entire website using the ArtStation website builder! This website will be hosted by ArtStation, and whenever you upload new art, it will automatically be updated on your website.
You can get a custom domain name, secured with a free SSL certificate. Using the website builder is a great way to not only show off your work but also sell your physical prints and digital art.
Also, you can choose from a variety of presets when setting up your website, which will make your work look better.
However, you are not limited to selling on your website. You can also showcase and sell your work on the ArtStation marketplace, giving you a built-in audience of art enthusiasts and buyers.
Art enthusiasts can follow you on the marketplace, and they will get notifications in real time as you upload new products.
There is no fee to list your work on the marketplace. ArtStation will take a small commission, but you can earn up to 95 percent of each sale on digital products.
Use the handy earnings calculator to figure out how much you will earn.
Some built-in tools you will get as a seller on ArtStation include:
- Send automated cart reminders to buyers who abandoned their carts
- Offer coupons and discounts to promote sales
- Give out gifts and samples
- Take part in ArtStation’s global sales events and promotions
- Collect positive reviews on your store
- Take part in the ArtStation affiliate program so others can get paid for promoting your work
- Your fans can give you extra tips when they purchase your work
If you are an artist who wants to improve their work, you might be interested in ArtStation Learning. It costs just $6.99/month, and it comes with unlimited access to all the premium video courses, taught by expert instructors on all kinds of topics.
What are some other cool features you can find on ArtStation? Here are some things you might be interested in:
- Magazines: Read articles written on art-related topics.
- Guides: ArtStation Guides are created with information provided by professional artists, as well as information based on hard statistics culled by ArtStation. Download these guides to help you succeed on the ArtStation platform and improve your skills.
- Podcasts: Learn from the experts by listening to podcasts.
- Contests: Enter art competitions, just for fun, and as a way to challenge yourself.
- Jobs: Find gigs and people looking for artists like you.
While Behance is cool, it doesn’t let you sell your work, and it doesn’t have the wealth of learning information and resources that ArtStation does. Being able to create your own website on your own custom domain is another plus.
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3. 500px
500px was founded in 2009, so it has been around for over a decade. It is best for amateur and professional photographers who want to be seen and get noticed by other professionals.
Also, 500px allows you to make money from your photography, which I will explain shortly.
500px uses a complex algorithm, and it helps new photographers be seen quickly. Also, the best photos are featured on the homepage, in the Editor’s Choice section.
I think 500px is a better choice than Behance if you are looking to get hired. You can showcase your articles and presets and create professional Galleries.
You will even see how you are ranking in comparison with other photographers on the platform and how much engagement your photos are getting.
Like ArtStation, 500px has resources to help photographers advance in their skills, though ArtStation still wins by a large margin in terms of how many resources they give you.
In the 500px Resource Hub, you can find ebooks, workshops, articles, videos, and presets. Most are free, though some workshops and ebooks cost money.
Photographers can also sell their pictures on 500px, but you will only get up to 60 percent royalties. Nevertheless, it is something that Behance just does not offer.
You have to meet the submission requirement if you want to sell photos, and all submitted photos go through an approval and feedback process.
Although 500px is mostly free, they do have premium versions. Premium features include:
- Create resources
- Unlimited uploads
- Data insights
- Priority listings to help you get hired
Premium plans start at just $2.99/month, but always check the pricing page for updated information.
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4. Dribbble
Dribbble (with three B’s), is a great alternative to Behance that has a simple layout with a lot of white space that is easy to navigate.
I find it somewhat similar to Behance in the layout, with some differences. For example, under each post on the search page, you can see how many comments + likes a post got as opposed to likes + views.
Like Behance, Dribbble has a job board where you can find freelancers and photographers or find work as a creator. It also has a separate Freelance Board, where people looking for freelancers post projects.
If you want to improve your skills, you can sign up for live Dribbble workshops, though it seems that they are expensive.
Overall, Dribbble is a decent alternative to Behance, and I found that it made it a bit easier to find art in the categories I like.
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5. Creary
Creary is a decentralized, blockchain-based alternative to Behance. The site is simple and easy to navigate.
Creary is a good alternative to Behance if you are interested in cryptocurrencies. It’s part of the Crea project, which includes the CREA crypto coin.
As part of the project’s visions, users on Creary upvote other people’s work to help boost them and let them get more visibility. When your work is upvoted by enough members, you will earn CREA – The Creary crypto coin.
These coins are created by the CREA blockchain. With the CREA coin, you can also buy artwork – or you can sell artwork in exchange for a CREA coin.
The fact that all users vote and have a say in what gets pushed to the top is part of the goal of Creary – decentralization, as opposed to the centralized way Behance and other social networks work.
As for the CREA coin, you can also buy it with a credit card and exchange/trade it with other cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin (BTC).
If you would like to learn more about the CREA coin, head over to creaproject.io.
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6. Ello
Ello was originally created in 2014 as an alternative to Facebook – the creators wanted to create a social networking site that was free of ads. However, as the site grew, it turned more into a Pinterest-like site, where users could share photos and other creative work.
Ello has around a million users. Its slogan is “The Creators’ Network” – it’s focused more on creators than the average Facebook user. As such, it is a great alternative to Behance.
Ello is rather simple to use. The Discover page makes it easy to find what you are looking for, and Ello has some good things going for it, like the Ello Art Giveaway Program.
Users create contents in which other users can win free art. These contests help boost engagement on the platform and can help you get more exposure.
Ello also lets you post adult content, but you will have to mark it appropriately, so people can choose to have those kinds of posts hidden from their discovery results.
7. Pinterest
It would be impossible to create a list of Behance alternatives without mentioning Pinterest. Pinterest is a well-known social media platform.
It might not be as “professional” as Behance – indeed, it is more casual. However, it is a great way to display your creative work.
Many online creative content creators use Pinterest to show off their art, digital designs, cooking, photograph, and much more! Unlike Facebook, it is more popular among photographers and people who are enthusiastic about art and design, due to the visual nature of the platform.
Although Instagram is also very visual, Pinterest is even more visual. Users can create boards and pin photos and artwork to boards.
Boards are a great way to organize your artwork, and they also allow others to discover posts they like. You can “repin” the works of others as well.
Pinterest is entirely free to use. It has a very large user base, and it is easy to use and get started.
You can use hashtags on Pinterest to get seen, and you can follow other users to build your network. Also, many online tools integrate with Pinterest – for example, Hootsuite integrates with Pinterest, so you can schedule posts in advance.
Why use Pinterest? Here are some reasons to set up a profile on Pinterest, even if you are using other social networks too:
- It is free: Pinterest will always be free. You don’t have to sign up for premium versions to get access to all the versions.
- It is great for female artists: Pinterest is a social network that tends to be dominated by a female user base.
- You can advertise: If you wish, you can sign up for a Pinterest business account. A business account will allow you to set up ads and reach more people.
All in all, Pinterest is a great alternative to Behance if you are looking to reach a slightly more casual user base.
8. We Heart It
We Heart It is like a mix between Instagram, Behance, Blogger, and Stitcher. Users upload photographs or artwork, and other users “heart” – or like – them, just like on Instagram.
The most hearted photographs get pushed up in the Discover section, so other users can find them.
However, you’re not limited to photos. You can also create and find articles and podcasts (there are separate sections for each).
I like the simplicity of We Heart It compared to Behance. It’s purely for sharing and liking others’ work, they don’t charge you any money, and it is easy to use.
9. Fancy
Fancy is an alternative to Behance that goes beyond art and extends to furniture, home decor, clothing, and accessories. It’s more of a place to sell your high-quality art and accessories as opposed to simply displaying them, so it’s also a good alternative if you are interested in selling your work.
Fancy is a curated discovery network for people who are already selling artwork on Shopify stores. You can import your products from Shopify and have them displayed on the Fancy marketplace – you will also get detailed analytics to see how your products are performing.
Fancy does take a commission, but you won’t have to pay anything extra until you sell your products. As such, you have nothing to lose by signing up to Fancy.
With the Fancy app, you can take photos of your products, get notifications, and manage your store from your phone.
So, what kind of work can you feature on Fancy? Here are some of the categories I saw when I visited the homepage:
- Home decor
- Home office
- Backyard
- Kitchen
- Collectible art
- Wall art
- Shoe
- Clothing
Fancy is like Behance, but for people who want to sell their art instead of just displaying it.
10. One Page Spotlight
One Page Spotlight is kind of new, but it is also a good alternative to Behance if you want to sell your art. It’s meant to be a “virtual flea market,” and it is geared towards buyers and sellers in India.
There are 21 categories you can list stuff in on One Page Spotlight. You can list jewelry, handicrafts, hand-made products, and more.
There are also days-long live auctions and events on the website.
11. Dudepins
Dudepins is dedicated to “manly” topics – topics you might be interested in if you are a guy. For example, you might look for men’s fashion advice, cars, and sports.
That’s the main benefit of using Dudepins as opposed to Behance – if you create content such as men’s fashion advice, you can use Dudepins. The actual interface and layout is buggy and uninspiring, however.
12. Cargo
Cargo is a great alternative to Behance if you want to create your own site which showcases your own portfolio. To build your site, you won’t have to pay any money upfront – you just choose a plan when you are ready for your site to go public.
For an idea of the kind of site you can build with Cargo, take a look at this page.
In addition, Cargo features projects on their Selections page. If your work is good, it might be chosen to be displayed on that page.
For updated pricing information, go to the Cargo Rates page.
13. Adobe Portfolio
Behance is owned by Adobe, but Adobe also runs Adobe Portfolio.
Adobe Portfolio is a good alternative to Behance if you want more freedom and flexibility in how you display your work. It is easier to create a professional portfolio, as opposed to Behance, which is a bit more similar to a standard social media site compared to Adobe Portfolio.
Adobe Portfolio lets you create your own website. You can either create a full website or a single-page website.
A single-page website is better if you want to provide a quick way for people to see your work. A website with multiple pages is better if you want to create a more thorough site with separate contact pages and galleries.
There are free templates to choose from for both kinds of websites.
14. Portfoliobox
Portfoliobox is another great website for building an online portfolio. It is a website builder that allows you to set up online galleries, sell your art for a fee, and publish blog posts.
Portfoliobox will give you a free domain name, so your website will be truly unique. That’s what makes it a great alternative to Behance.
You can use the drag and drop editor to build your websites and take advantage of Portfolio Box’s free hosting. Templates that come with built-in eCommerce support are provided for you.
While Portfoliobox is not free, it is almost free. The basic plan costs just $0.90/month, and it allows you to create 10 pages and upload 100 images.
You won’t get a free domain on this plan, and your site will have Portfoliobox branding. You can upgrade to the $7.90/month plan (with a free trial) to get a lot more pages, a free domain, and a website with zero branding.
Always check the pricing page for updated information.
Wrapping It Up: What Is The Best Behance Alternative?
I think Deviantart is the best alternative for posting your art and getting exposure. You can also sell your work on Deviantart, which makes it better than Behance.
However, to get as much exposure as possible, I would recommend setting up a profile on several sites.
Benjamin Levin is a digital marketing professional with 4+ years of experience with inbound and outbound marketing. He helps small businesses reach their content creation, social media marketing, email marketing, and paid advertising goals. His hobbies include reading and traveling.