ImageShack vrs PhotoBucket
I recently took some time to review the two top free image hosting sites.
First I went over to ImageShack -
At first glance the site seemed to be user friendly but after a few moments I was of a different opinion.
Registration was simple, just enter your email address and they send you a special link. That was all well and fine but I was expecting at some point to get a user name and password for any return visits. To my dismay that never happened. It is my understanding that in order to return to your files you must again visit the link provided. This method is neither user friendly or secure.
I attempted to use the multiple uploads feature; they allow you to upload a zip of all your photos (within the set size limit) - After 5 attempts at this I finally gave up hope. Also I must mention you only get 20 credits when you register; for every zip upload you loose a credit. Once you have used all credits you are asked to buy more via Paypal or complete surveys to earn more credits. Either way seems to contradict the whole meaning of FREE image hosting don't you think?
I then directed myself over to PhotoBucket -
At first glance I was most pleased at the simplicity of the site.
Registration was a breeze, I had my user name and password sent to my email in seconds.
Once logged in I attempted my first single image upload, upload time was fast and smooth. Not only did PhotoBucket upload my image, but it also created for me a thumbnail and all possibly needed codes.
Seeing as that went so well It was time for the big test, multiple images upload!
I selected 20 images to upload at once, waited just a few moments and BAM there they all were! Uploaded, re-sized, thumbnails ... I was definitely impressed. To push it just a bit further I wanted to see if I could get a code for all my images at the same time. I scrolled down the page and clicked on "View All", I then selected all my images and hit the "Get Code" button. Not even 30 seconds later I had the code to copy and paste right into my page so I would have a display of all of my images in thumbnails linked to the full sized images. Wow!
I have to say that PhotoBucket knocks ImageShack right out of the water.
Two thumbs up to PhotoBucket for creating a fast, efficient, user friendly and professional quality site and service.
