Awwwards
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Worth paying for only if you are a designer or agency whose clients recognize Awwwards badges; browsing the gallery is free.
New check
Comparison
Awwwards vs Behance
Awwwards and Behance both land on Depends.
Behance
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Use Behance free as your public design portfolio . it's polished, Adobe-backed, and huge.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Design agencies chasing credibility badges | Designers & illustrators building public portfolios |
| Who it's not for | SaaS or e-commerce teams needing conversion-focused, usable sites | Freelancers expecting Pro to deliver client leads |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.14 | Mixed: listed CVEs target a third-party WordPress plugin, not core; one unverified breach report; no public security page. |
| Support quality | 2.3/5 Trustpilot; email-only help on paid plans | No evidence found |
| Public sentiment | The design community respects Awwwards craft but is split, with many designers criticizing awarded sites as heavy, style-over-usability work.³ | Users are split: longtime members praise the polished showcase, but recent Reddit threads slam declining quality and the Pro upsell.15 |
| Biggest gotcha | Submission fees (~€75) recur; agencies entering many sites pay repeatedly² | Behance charges platform fees on commissions and services . read the FAQ before selling through it. |
Pick Awwwards when
- Design agencies chasing credibility badges
- Freelance designers building portfolio prestige
- Designers hunting cutting-edge visual inspiration
When Awwwards is not a fit
- SaaS or e-commerce teams needing conversion-focused, usable sites
- Startups expecting an award to equal business credibility . it's a design-niche badge
- Small businesses that just need a working website
- Anyone expecting guaranteed ROI from submission fees
Pick Behance when
- Designers & illustrators building public portfolios
- Art directors sourcing creative talent
- Freelancers open to commissions
- Browsing design inspiration
When Behance is not a fit
- Freelancers expecting Pro to deliver client leads
- Non-visual professionals (devs, writers) . wrong showcase medium
- Privacy-sensitive orgs . no public security page, breach reports exist
Sources
- Trustpilot reviews of awwwards.comtrustpilot.comreview
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- Starting with Awwwards is a mistake . Hacker Newsnews.ycombinator.comreview
review
- Awwwards Review: Criteria, Pricing, and Categorieswebdesignawards.ioreview
- Best Directory Websites . Awwwards as curated showcasedirectory-launch.comnews
- 16 Best Web Design Inspiration Sites . colorlibcolorlib.comnews
- Awwwards . Crunchbase financialscrunchbase.comnews
- Awwwards . Wikipediaen.wikipedia.orgnews
- Awwwards User Plansawwwards.comofficial
- Submit your websiteawwwards.comofficial
- Evaluation Systemawwwards.comofficial
- awwwards.com/security pageawwwards.comsecurity
review