Comparison

Awwwards vs Behance

Awwwards and Behance both land on Depends.

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.

Depends

Confidence: Medium

Use Behance free as your public design portfolio . it's polished, Adobe-backed, and huge.

Awwwards versus Behance
Compare	Awwwards	Behance
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 repeatedly^²	Behance charges platform fees on commissions and services . read the FAQ before selling through it.

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