Though it may seem like a blast from the past, Flickr is still going strong, especially since its acquisition by pro photo storage service SmugMug. It’s the best service for people who want to be part of a photography community.
Flickr is loaded with features that let you organize and share your photo collection. You don’t have to make your photos public when uploading to Flickr, however. As with most services here, it can automatically upload any photos you take on your smartphone or add them from a folder on your computer. Unlike Instagram, Flickr is all about photos—not memes, selfies, or political ads. It does, however, let you scroll a feed of photographers, groups, and topics that you follow. Also, unlike Instagram, Flickr lets you view full-size images and, if the photographer allows it, even download them.
You can join interest groups, such as bird photography, where you can submit your photos for more views. People can like or comment on your pictures and even send you direct messages. A longtime favorite feature in Flickr is Explore, where you might have your photo highlighted as one of the top-liked images on the site.
You get 1,000 photo uploads for free, but you need a Pro account to store most collections. Pro gives you unlimited online photo storage at full resolution, no banner ads, the ability to upload NSFW images, more account traffic stats, priority support, and photo sales links. You also get discounts on Adobe software, book printing, SmugMug, photography courses, and other photo services. The Pro tier costs $10.44 per month or $72.99 per year; you can get two years for $132.99, which works out to $5.54 per month.
