• ViewBug

ViewBug

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Overview

ViewBug has a rating of 3.1 stars from 242 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally satisfied with their purchases. Reviewers satisfied with ViewBug most frequently mention photo contests, amateur photographer, and amazing photos. ViewBug ranks 3rd among Photo Sharing sites.

  • Service
    43
  • Value
    44
  • Quality
    41
Positive reviews (last 12 months): 40%
Positive
2
Neutral
1
Negative
2
74
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How would you rate ViewBug?
Top Positive Review

“Great platform”

William H.
3/26/24

I love this platform so far. It brings the community of artist together. It also has some cool challenges

Top Critical Review

“Not a chance to win”

Caryn W.
2/21/24

I have been entering my photos in view Bug Contest for the last couple of years. I'm no louse when it comes to landscape photography. Some of my pictures are very very good. I have lost contests such as simple ones like image of the month two pictures that are no way near as good as mine. I I'm not trying to be conceited. There are many other photos that are just as good as mine that haven't won either. Unless you're a professional photographer or pay for a yearly subscription You're not going to win It's frustrating and disheartening I have a ton of awards But they're all made up ones or pure Awards which are important Because being liked by a photographer is Probably the most important thing. It makes me not want you even try anymore as far as photo contests are concerned. I read review after review of people who are really good but, not professional or maybe don't subscribe to there yearly membership who agree 100% as far as there silly coins they are basically coupons. They had one good item it's supposedly been sold out for 2 years.

Reviews (242)

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

photos (80) contests (70) peer awards (11) people (63) work (57) time (62) members (52) facebook page (5) customer service (5) photography contests (4) amateur photographer (6) 3 years (6)
Thumbnail of user philh118
Wyoming
1 review
33 helpful votes
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January 11th, 2019

Watch your credit card charges. I upgraded my ViewBug subscription in late November to "Pro+" for $79. On January 1 an unauthorized charge from ViewBug for $79 showed up on another card that I had used once a year or two ago.

I contacted their Customer Support. They claimed they did not make the charge and consequently would NOT reverse the charges. I had to file a dispute with my CC company.

I have since deleted ALL my pictures, website and profile on ViewBug. I do no tolerate unethical companies and ViewBug is one!

Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hi Phil,

Thanks for your post. Our Member Support Team can definitely review all upgrade/renewal matters. For any billing or account matters, we definitely encourage members to reach out immediately to our member support team at members@viewbug.com.

The ViewBug Team

Thumbnail of user rosel221
California
2 reviews
8 helpful votes
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December 17th, 2019

Awesome photography, fun contests and many challenges created by other photographers.
I bought the membership to get unlimited uploads and access to videos to improve my photography, and I have to say I did get a lot more than only these two benefits. Received discounts for other products, I unlocked more contests and get more points which I'm still not sure how to use or redeem but will find out. Before buying the membership I had a question and reached out to support and within 1 day, they replied and resolved my inquiry. Overall, super happy, no complains and do recommend it!

Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hi Rose!

We are thrilled to hear that you're enjoying the ViewBug community. Thank you for your participation and support!

The ViewBug Team

Thumbnail of user gwynj
GB
1 review
3 helpful votes
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July 29th, 2013

Nice to get comments on my photos and it is good to see photos of such a high standard, gives me something to aim at. My pics are as taken. I understand why people use photoshop and if it enhances a photo then that is all well and good technology is marvellous and well done Viewbug

Thumbnail of user markw215
Tennessee
1 review
3 helpful votes
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May 11th, 2016

Viewbug is an awesome site for anyone seeking validation and recognition for their photography. There multiple levels of participation to match your specific level and abilities. The Viewbug staff and judges are great and the competition is fierce. There are tutorials and some of the most amazing photographers featured from around the world, which fuels ones progress as a photographer. Great site for all levels of photographer.

Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hello Mark,

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. We are glad to hear that you enjoy being a part of the community and your skill as a photographer has improved since you joined ViewBug.

We value your membership and are honored to have you as a member of the ViewBug family.:)

Have an lovely day!
Your friends at ViewBug

Thumbnail of user chrissiec1
GB
1 review
3 helpful votes
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December 13th, 2016

Just joined, really like it so far but can't seem to edit my entry to a contest. I submitted the wrong image by mistake, when I go to the edit entries page nothing works. Having said that, the interface is really user friendly, the whole process of uploading, exploring, entering contestes etc is really fast and simple and there is a wealth of ideas and inspiration available.

Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hello Chrissie,

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We are sorry to hear that you are unable to edit your contest entry. We've provided a direct link to our FAQ page below and you may also contact our member support team at members@viewbug.com for any questions or concerns you may have. They'll be more than happy to assist you.:-)

How can I edit a photo contest/challenge entry?:
Help. Viewbug. Com/customer/portal/articles/1594980-how-can-i-edit-a-photo-contest-challenge-entry-

We appreciate your contributions to our community and are honored to have you as a member of the ViewBug family.

Have a nice day!
Your friends at ViewBug

Thumbnail of user suec20
Minnesota
2 reviews
14 helpful votes
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August 20th, 2017

I have been a stock photographer for over 30 years. I am a member of ViewBug and enjoy it. I both enter and create challenges and enter the bigger contests. If you look at it as a way to learn and update your skills it is a great site. It can be fun for beginners and pros alike. The bulk of the 'winners' don't get more than a pat on the head type award so you aren't going to get famous.

Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hi Sue,

Thank you for your honest input and for sharing your experience with ViewBug.

We are definitely very community-oriented, so we're so glad to know you enjoy the photo challenges and photo contests. We are always exploring ways we can enhance the overall ViewBug experience and we are truly grateful that you've taken the time to offer your insights.

Thank you!

The ViewBug Team

Thumbnail of user leer48
GB
1 review
8 helpful votes
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December 6th, 2016

I have now left viewbug.com as a member after being on the site for over one year. One of the reasons I have left was because when one of my images was stolen viewbug did nothing about it. Altho viewbug it's self was not very supportive the members that I met on the site were very supportive of each other. There were also some very strange things happening on the site like some new members going straight to ambassador the highest achievable level on the site. It normally takes one to two year to get to that level. When I deleted my account they didn' t ask me
Why even tho I had almost seven thousand followers and over six thousand awards. There are times that I think this site is run by one or two people. This site has a lot of work to make it a positive force for its members. But until it changes a lot I won't be a member.

Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hello Lee,

We greatly appreciate your positive feedback and are glad to hear that you enjoy being a part of the community.

We value your membership and are honored to have you as a member of the ViewBug family.:)

Have a lovely day!
Your friends at ViewBug

Thumbnail of user brandonr23
Oklahoma
1 review
25 helpful votes
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September 30th, 2015

Not trying to boast about my photography but I know I don't suck, I have put out some amazing shots amazing photoshop edits and I get like 5 views?! I don't get it I stopped using view bug because it doesn't make sense, I see people with bad photography example bad lighting bad exposure bad bad bad composition but yet it would have hundreds if not thousands of views and people boasting about it? I feel i`ve entered the photography twilight zone

Thumbnail of user bethg29
Argentina
1 review
18 helpful votes
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July 9th, 2016

Viewbug reels you in with their awesome and too-good-to-be-true contests and prizes. What they won't tell you is that unless you pay you'll never be able to win anything, and you might as well save your money and go buy the items listed as prizes in the site by yourself.
Please stop wasting your money on this site that priorizes its own income over the actual quality of the pictures they set up first on the voting.
Really, it's $#*!.
Save your money and buy awesome equipment, or travel. Forget about this site.

Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hello Beth,

Thank you for your feedback.

We have many Free members who win contests and become finalists. You are welcome to visit our blog's winners section: http://www.viewbug.com/blog/winners

For example, here is the People's Choice winner in The Battle Of Amateurs Photo Contest who is a Free member: http://www.viewbug.com/contests/the-battle-of-amateurs-photo-contest/2971259

This image was also Runner Up in another contests and Finalist in 2 other contests. If you have a moment to visit the winners section in our blog, you’ll see many other Free members who won different contests.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact our member support team at members@viewbug.com

Have a nice day!
The ViewBug Team

Thumbnail of user sophiam5
California
1 review
6 helpful votes
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March 6th, 2014

I joined after a friend shared his photo for me to vote on in the nature photo contest and I immediately got hooked. I am addicted to choosing which photos to award and to the voting. Still trying to win a contest but still learning how to become a better photographer so not looking great. I do recommend it if you are a serious photographer or even if you just enjoy photography.

Thumbnail of user monicam198
Italy
1 review
16 helpful votes
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September 14th, 2018

I have been using the website for 3 years, it's funny but of really no much use to improve with photography. I decided to not renew the premium membership and unticked automatic renewal box on my account. I didn't realize it had to be deactivated also from Paypal (why?) so today I got an unwanted payment. I'm trying since hours to talk about the issue to get my money (which I badly need!) back, I have a Case open but have no idea if and when someone will answer. It's ridiculous they have nothing like a real time chat for urgent matters at least.

Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hi Monica,

Thanks for your post. Our Member Support Team can definitely review all upgrade/renewal matters. For any billing or account matters, we definitely encourage members to reach out immediately to our member support team at members@viewbug.com. Our live agents reply within 24 hours, typically much less.

The ViewBug Team

Thumbnail of user jw857
Czechia
1 review
4 helpful votes
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May 12th, 2021

I joined the ViewBug some time ago. Right after I joined, I received personal messages which I'm receiving even today.
Messages like: "Hi, I saw your account and no photos? Are they coming?" or "Hi, I want to meet other photographers. Care to hang out?" and these messages keep coming weekly. Where on Earth is such a super über ultra-sweet a super welcoming community, I thought to myself. It felt just wrong! Then I went research and saw reviews of others.

It is a scam, pyramid-like fake bull*hit webpage sucking up money from less fortunate, who does not smell the scam all over.

Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hi JW,

Please note that ViewBug is nothing like pyramid payments, en ViewBug each member upgrades for their own membership. We are sorry to hear that you thought it was a SCAM due to our members and curators being friendly, they work very hard to make our members feel welcome.

Warmest regards,
The ViewBug team.

Thumbnail of user alicea21
Canada
1 review
28 helpful votes
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July 31st, 2015

Basically I think it's a scam. It's set up to make you feel good that you are getting awards etc. but the awards are meaningless because people get rewarded for liking photos and giving awards. The set up is all geared toward paying a monthly fee and ultimately the only one that benefits are the people that are getting that money. I'd like to see if they actually give out the prizes and who they go to. I posted photos and they don't show up in the new photos section so not sure how long it takes to propagate but there is something not quite right. I haven't paid yet. I did get a lot of "awards" but I'm not sure where they saw the photos because I don't see them in the general photo section.

Thumbnail of user unhappyv8
Missouri
1 review
15 helpful votes
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October 29th, 2020

Went pro about a year ago not worth it... it's hard to navigate and no one interacts with each other, too many highly edited stacked photoshopped photos to compete with, not to mention all the trashy photos of half-dressed women even after turning OFF the adult option... the directory isn't working so I couldn't find the cancel subscription option or the delete account option and once you download your photos to this site you cant delete them... view bug puts their watermark on your photos so beware... big mistake! Also constant emails

Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hi V,

Thank you for your post. Rest assured that our intention was never to cause any discomfort with the use of our service. Regarding your comments, please note that although enhanced photos are allowed, we also have a section for amateur photographers, so that everyone can enjoy our platform and contests. Additionally, the option to delete photos is always available, and the option to remove the watermark, if you need further assistance, you can contact our member support team at http://bit.ly/EmailViewBug.

Thumbnail of user toml329
Ohio
2 reviews
2 helpful votes
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June 16th, 2019

IF you're just starting in photography its a great way to get to see what other's do and and then compare your work with others and get tips from them. IF you don't win contests no big deal, you can still show your work to the world.

Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hi Tom,

Thanks for your feedback! We definitely welcome photographers with varying styles and experience levels. Thank you for participating within our community.

The ViewBug Team

Thumbnail of user seano141
GB
1 review
0 helpful votes
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December 18th, 2020

Love ViewBug. Never been awarded for my photos till now & feel honoured to be here. Enter competitions, challenges, or just post a shot. The Human eye is 576mpx so try to get near with my photos, edited or not in PSX

Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hi Sean,

Thanks for your feedback!

We welcome photographers with varying experience levels. Thank you for participating within our community.:)

Regards, The ViewBug Team.

Thumbnail of user theb15
Texas
1 review
36 helpful votes
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August 4th, 2015

Thankfully I have cancelled my subscription to the site. From the three years I have been on their the viewing figures are poor. I am not a pro photographer but do believe that I have no chance of winning any contests on there. You are misled into believing you are almost there in at least being in the running. In fact nowhere near. When you pay for a subscription what exactly do you recieve... more contests to enter. So lots more chances of not winning. Hmmm if you want to get noticed as a photographer then plenty of other sites out there.

Thumbnail of user darlao
Minnesota
1 review
12 helpful votes
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October 17th, 2015

I entered an amateur contest. Gotta top 10 trifecta. But I noticed that all of the ones that won the contest are professional grade. So I emailed viewbug and ask them how this could be. They messaged me back and told me in order to get into an amateur contest you have to go into your account settings and deem yourself an amateur. So that means any professional photographer that does exceptional work can go into their account settings deem themselves an amateur and enter this contest and win them. It is a scam to get your money do not ever pay for a premium or Pro subscription. I did and I'm regretting it. Because there's no way in hell that I will ever be able to win until I am a pro

Thumbnail of user kennetht.o
Bangladesh
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 29th, 2023

Had a problem with a payment and the viewbug team took about 2 days to completely resolve my concern thank you! I'm happy with the freebies I received as a premium member I got a new domain and will publish my viewbug website soon

Thumbnail of user dawnc29
North Carolina
1 review
7 helpful votes
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January 5th, 2016

They will not stop sending you emails even when you ask them to! I was told to vote on friends photo for a contest and now they won't leave me alone! I have asked them to unsubscribe me so many times! They never do! I get two three emails a day I don't won't nothing to do with them! They won't stop! So please don't give them your email or you will regret it if you do! No phone number to call them! Just email which I have sent many maybe it will get through to them! Don't make the same mistake I did unless you want them to bug you!

Thumbnail of user bettyh62
Germany
1 review
1 helpful vote
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December 5th, 2017

I have not been a member very long. I really enjoy looking at other pictures. However I am surprised that I sometimes see members who have posted hardly any pictures (less than 100), which aren't very spectacular, sharp or otherwise outstanding and still they have thousands of followers and awards. So I really do wonder how to get more followers, I like, award, vote but still it remains a bit low. HoResPhotography

Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hi Betty,

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. ViewBug is a community comprised of members from around the world with varying photographic styles, experience level, and their approach to interacting. We have some members who invest time in engaging within the community, which allows them an opportunity to build a following, increase their exposure, and create their own "photography tribe" within the larger ViewBug community.

We encourage you to engage with other members, give peer awards and like their photos, leave comments and interact with others whose photos and approach are of interest to you. Participate in photo contests and join photo challenges, as both are great ways to get more opportunities for impressions on your images/profile. These can be effective ways to increase exposure to your work and build your network in the photography community.

If we can be of any assistance, please do reach out to our member support team directly, by going here: http://bit.ly/EmailVB

Warmest regards,
Your friends at ViewBug

Thumbnail of user carlb210
New York
1 review
19 helpful votes
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March 11th, 2019

Nothing. Not a single win, not a single mention, nothing. I've even suggested regional competitions, so that you wouldn't necessarily always feel that it you against the entire world, but the competitions the way they are now? C'mon. I'm not going to base my exposure on how much money I spend on the site. It's a waste of time. And o yes, of money.

Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hi Carl,

Thanks for your feedback. We do understand that when it comes to contests seeing some winners might be frustrating. The judges and many of the voters take their selection process very seriously. Art is in the eye of the beholder and the judges as well as voters each has a different interpretation of the techniques and creativity behind each photo submitted.

We see the contests as a great tool to explore our creativity and expertise behind specific themes. We also have photo challenges, which allows members to create their own photo competitions and attract similar photographers and photography styles of interest.

The ViewBug Team

Thumbnail of user johns8257
GB
1 review
8 helpful votes
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March 16th, 2021

Haven't used Viewbug in maybe four years, still doesn't stop them sending emails being like "AWARD winning PHOTO!" and other $#*!e nye on weekly. They just trick people into thinking their photos are amazing to lure them into buying premium etc.

Thumbnail of user hailees6
Pakistan
20 reviews
1 helpful vote
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January 2nd, 2021

I have an top notch tremendous and excellent involvement in you and i like your operating style and you are the most reliable, but i'm no longer content with you due to the helpless behavior of your consumer.

Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hi Hailee,

Thanks for your feedback, rest assured that we will take it under consideration! We are so happy to know that the community is providing a great tool to showcase your portfolio online.

Have a great day,
The ViewBug Team

Thumbnail of user trer11
Texas
1 review
8 helpful votes
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April 12th, 2018

A friend signed me up for Viewbug and all I get is spam... all BS like 'you've been chosen!' and 'your views are going up!'... when I've got nothing on the website.
I've unsubscribed and STILL get email spam from them. Very unprofessional.

Thumbnail of user producl
ViewBug T. – ViewBug Rep

Hello Tre,

Thanks for the post! We're very sorry to hear you're receiving unwanted emails. We definitely want to assist you with this. Please contact our Member Support Team at bit.ly/EmailVB and be sure to include the email address that is attached to your ViewBug account. Our team can help you resolve this as quickly as possible.

Thank you,

The ViewBug Team

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From the business

Welcome to ViewBug, a creative community with the world's best photo contests. Approved by millions of photographers, the best brands and awesome judges. Join over 100 photo contests per year and browse a huge selection of quality photos.

Company Representative

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ViewBug T.

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