Photohawk Studio
Web uploader vs FTP for event photos: which is faster, and when FTP still makes sense
By Photohawk team · · 4 min read
For years, FTP was how event photos got from a laptop to a gallery. It's reliable, it's everywhere and every photographer knows how to set up FileZilla. But FTP was designed long before galleries of 50,000 photos, and it shows. This article compares a modern web uploader with FTP for event work: how each one sends files, what that means for speed, and when FTP is still the right choice.
How FTP sends photos
An FTP app opens a connection to a server and sends files over it. Most apps send a few files in parallel: FileZilla (2 at a time by default, and no more than 10). Each file goes up whole, from first byte to last, before its slot takes the next one.
That model has two weaknesses for event photos:
- It leaves bandwidth unused. A handful of transfers rarely fills a fast connection, and on a connection that varies (a venue, a hotel, a phone hotspot), there's nothing adjusting to make the most of it.
- Nothing is live until the originals arrive. The gallery waits for the full files. On a big event that can mean hours.
FTP is also easy to get wrong. Passive mode, encryption settings and folder paths all have to match, and a dropped connection can leave half-uploaded files to sort out.
How the Photohawk web uploader sends photos
The web uploader runs in your browser and was rebuilt for big events:
- Many photos at once. It sends far more files in parallel than an FTP app, and keeps adjusting as it uploads to make full use of your connection.
- Previews first. On every plan, light previews can go up first, so the gallery is live in minutes while the originals follow. A 10,000-photo gallery can be live in about 8 minutes on a 20 Mbps upload. See how preview-first uploads work.
- Sold photos first. If someone buys or downloads a photo before its original arrives, that original jumps the queue.
- It resumes by itself. If the connection drops, it carries on when it's back. Add the folder again and only what's missing is sent.
- Built for scale. It comfortably handles uploads of more than 100,000 photos.
- It shows you what's happening. Status in plain words, how many originals are left, and how many people are viewing the gallery right now.
Side by side
| FTP app | Photohawk web uploader | |
|---|---|---|
| Files in parallel | FileZilla: 2 at a time by default, and no more than 10 | Many at once, adjusted to your connection |
| Gallery live | When originals arrive | On previews, while originals follow |
| Dropped connection | Depends on the app; often a manual retry | Resumes by itself |
| Bought photos | Wait their turn | Jump the queue |
| Set-up | Host, port, mode, encryption, folders | Sign in and add a folder |
| Plans | On-demand FTP on every plan | Every plan |
When FTP still makes sense
There are good reasons some people still need FTP. Your workflow may send files from software or equipment that only speaks FTP, or an editor may deliver into an FTP folder at the end of a long day. For that, Photohawk has on-demand FTP: everyone in your workspace can start their own FTP server from the web uploader, on every plan. It's ready in about 30 seconds, has a personal address that never changes, and switches itself off after 1 hour without activity.
Photohawk's always-on shared FTP servers close on 1 November 2026. If you use them today, start your own server and change the host in your FTP app; your username, password and folders stay the same. Our article on on-demand FTP walks through it.
Mixing the two
You don't have to choose one for everything. A common pattern on big events:
- Upload the finish first with the web uploader, previews first, so the gallery goes live quickly.
- Let FTP handle the trickle from anywhere in your workflow that only speaks FTP.
- Use the web uploader to fill gaps. Add a folder again and only the missing photos are sent.
Note that photos sent by FTP or from Photohawk Studio upload as originals in one go; previews first is part of the web uploader.
What about the Studio app?
Photohawk Studio works in your web browser on every plan today. The Photohawk Studio app for Mac, iPhone and iPad launches in November 2026, and Windows comes later.
Which should you use?
For everyday event uploads, the web uploader is faster, simpler and safer: it fills your connection, goes live on previews and recovers from drops on its own. Keep FTP for the parts of your workflow that genuinely need it, using your own on-demand server. If you're planning a big event with several shooters, read workflows for multi-photographer teams next.
Ready to try it? Create a free Studio account, or compare plans on the pricing page.
Questions people ask
Is the web uploader faster than FTP?
For big galleries, yes. It sends many photos at once and keeps adjusting to make full use of your connection, where an FTP app like FileZilla sends 2 at a time by default, and no more than 10. It can also put light previews up first, so the gallery goes live sooner.
Can I still use FTP with Photohawk?
Yes, if FTP is essential. Photohawk's always-on shared FTP servers close on 1 November 2026, and everyone in a workspace can start their own on-demand FTP server from the web uploader, on every plan.
Does the web uploader need anything installed?
No. It runs in your web browser. The Photohawk Studio app for Mac, iPhone and iPad launches in November 2026.
What happens if my connection drops mid-upload?
The web uploader resumes by itself. If you close it, add the same folder again later and only what's missing is sent.