The short version
QComposite is GotPhoto's companion desktop application for building group composites. It costs $149/year, installs on your computer, and includes a full layer editor. Student names are pulled from filenames, so fixing a name or swapping a photo generally means renaming files and re-importing.
ClassPhoto is an independent tool that costs $89/year and runs entirely in your web browser on Mac, Windows, or Chromebook, with nothing to install. It imports the same GotPhoto zip export, and its focus is corrections without do-overs: edit student names directly on the layout, swap or remove photos, and the composite re-flows automatically.
(QComposite was called QuickComposite until 2024, so older guides and forum posts that mention QuickComposite mean the same paid tool.)
Price
$89/yr vs $149/yr
ClassPhoto is $60/year less, both with unlimited composites.
Platform
Browser vs desktop
ClassPhoto runs on any computer with a browser, including Chromebooks. QComposite is a desktop install.
Fixing mistakes
In place vs re-import
ClassPhoto edits names and photos directly on the layout. QComposite reads names from filenames.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | ClassPhoto $89/yr | QComposite $149/yr |
|---|---|---|
| Editing & corrections | ||
| Edit names directly in your layout | Yes | NoNames pulled from filenames |
| Remove or update students instantly | Yes | ManualRe-import required |
| Swap photos without re-importing | Yes | No |
| Fix teacher names anytime | Yes | ManualRename file & re-import |
| Built-in alerts for multi-part names | Yes | No |
| Output & delivery | ||
| Multi-page PDF of every class, in one click | YesOne download: the print-ready PDF plus a JPEG of every page | No |
| Export high-res print-ready JPEGs | Yes | Yes |
| Batch generation (all classes at once) | Yes | Yes |
| Setup & workflow | ||
| Import from GotPhoto zip | Yes | Yes |
| Custom & stock backgrounds | Yes | Custom only |
| Multiple print sizes | Yes | No |
| Full-school composite on one page | Yes16 x 20 or 11 x 14; the app suggests 16 x 20 for about 150 to 220 students | No |
| Web-based, no install needed | Yes | Desktop app |
| Layout creation | SmartAuto-arranges rows to fit the page | YesFull layer editor |
| Pricing | ||
| Annual price | $89 | $149 |
| Unlimited composites | Yes | Yes |
Where QComposite is a good fit
To be fair: QComposite's full layer editor gives you fine-grained manual control over every element, and as GotPhoto's own companion app it hands finished composites straight back into the GotPhoto shop flow. If you want to hand-design every layout layer by layer and never need to fix names after import, it's a capable tool.
Where ClassPhoto is a good fit
ClassPhoto is built for the reality of school photography: a misspelled name, a student who transferred out, a retake that arrives late. You fix all of that on the finished layout in seconds instead of renaming files and re-importing. Add stock backgrounds when a school hasn't sent artwork, multiple print sizes from the same layout, a full-school composite that puts every child on one 16 x 20, and one print-ready PDF holding every class for the office to check names against, for $60/year less. And because it's a class photo maker that runs in the browser, it works on whatever computer you have, including Chromebooks.
Common questions
Can I switch to ClassPhoto mid-season?
Yes. ClassPhoto imports the same GotPhoto zip export you're already producing, so there's no data migration. Drop in your next export and you're working.
Do I need GotPhoto to use ClassPhoto?
No. ClassPhoto reads your GotPhoto zip, and it reads the other shapes a school export arrives in: a PSPA or yearbook disc with an INDEX.TXT or MASTER.TXT, including the eight-column layouts Captura Workflow and Picaboo write, and indexes saved in Windows-1252 or UTF-16; PhotoDay's loose photos with their Index.csv; photos simply sorted into folders by class; and file names like Emma_Johnson.jpg when there is no index at all. Organized some other way? Send us a sample export and we'll confirm before you buy.
Are student photos uploaded anywhere?
ClassPhoto runs in your browser and your photos stay on your computer. See the FAQ on the main page for details.
One tool, or five
ClassPhoto is the composite tool, and three more read the same export: ServiceStix for service sticker sheets, ClassPhoto IDs for student and staff ID cards, and the Principal's Book for the bound school directory. The fifth, List Fixer, works before picture day: it turns the roster the school sent into a clean GotPhoto import. All five together are $199 a year as the ClassPhoto Suite.
Try the simpler class composite maker.
$89/year. Unlimited composites. Runs in your browser on Mac, Windows, or Chromebook.
Watch ClassPhoto build a school's composites in 3:28.
Get ClassPhoto, $89/year