StageHQ vs VirtuallyStage: the cheapest per photo against the one built by an agent
StageHQ is the cheapest pay-once option on the market: $19 for 20 photos, $39 for 100, $69 for 250 — $0.95 down to $0.28 a photo — in prepaid packs that never expire, removal on the same credits, staged in 15–30 seconds. VirtuallyStage is $35 for 8 ($4.38), also pay-once, also never expiring, about 15 seconds, with furniture removal on a separate purpose-built engine and up to 20 versions of each photo. On price alone StageHQ wins; the question is the photo.
StageHQ prices read from its own site on September 11, 2026. Comparison is informational — verify current prices on each site.
StageHQ vs VirtuallyStage at a glance
The short version for anyone deciding between the two.
| StageHQ | VirtuallyStage | |
|---|---|---|
| Who stages it | AI | AI |
| Pricing model | Prepaid packs, no subscription | Pay per photo, no subscription |
| Price | $19 / 20 photos ($0.95) · $39 / 100 ($0.39) · $69 / 250 ($0.28) | $35 / 8 photos ($4.38) · $99 / 30 ($3.30) · $249 / 80 ($3.11) · $999 / 400 ($2.50) |
| Unused photos | Never expire | Never expire |
| Turnaround | 15–30 seconds | About 15 seconds |
| Furniture removal | Included, same credits | Separate purpose-built engine · Included (1 credit) · $9 for 15 removal-only |
| Versions per photo | Not stated | Up to 20, across 8 styles |
| Free trial | 3 watermarked previews | 1 furniture removal free, no card |
| Disclosure help | Not stated | Rules for every province and US state, verified from primary sources |
StageHQ figures from stagehq.ai/pricing. VirtuallyStage prices from its pricing page. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it costs at three volumes
The same maths for three kinds of agent, using the prices above.
| Agent | Photos / year | StageHQ | VirtuallyStage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lists 3–4 homes a year | ~30 | $39 (100 photos) | $99 (30 photos) |
| Lists 1–2 homes a month | ~120 | $39 + $19 = $58 | 4 × $99 = $396 |
| Team, 60+ photos a month | ~720 | 3 × $69 = $207 | 2 × $999 = $1,998 (800 photos) |
When StageHQ is the right call
- Price. At every volume StageHQ is a fraction of the cost per photo, and its packs never expire either.
- Volume teams staging hundreds of photos a month where the per-photo price is the whole decision.
When VirtuallyStage is the right call
- Furniture removal on its own purpose-built engine, so the floor and wall behind the object come back clean.
- Up to 20 versions of each photo across 8 styles to show the seller.
- Built by a licensed agent around what holds up at a showing, with the disclosure rules for your board on the same site.
- The same room through both tools is below once the photos are in — that is the comparison that matters at this price gap.
Price is half the comparison. The photo is the other half.
A staged listing photo has one job: a buyer scrolling past has to believe the room. That decision takes about two seconds, and it turns on things a price list never shows — whether the light on the sofa matches the light from the window, whether the furniture sits on the floor with a real contact shadow or floats above it, whether the rug meets the floorboards or melts into them, whether the walls, window and flooring are still the ones in the photo. VirtuallyStage is built for that test: it furnishes the room in your photo and leaves the room itself untouched. Open StageHQ's own gallery, open ours, and judge both the way a buyer will. Cheaper per photo is only a saving if the buyer believes the photo.
Questions people ask about StageHQ
Is StageHQ cheaper than VirtuallyStage?
Yes, clearly — $0.28–$0.95 a photo against $2.50–$4.38. Both are pay-once and neither expires. If the price per photo is the only question, StageHQ wins it.
Then why pay more?
For the photo. A staged listing photo has one job: a buyer scrolling past has to believe the room. Judge that on the side-by-side rather than the price list — and on removal, VirtuallyStage runs a separate engine built only for that.
Do StageHQ credits expire?
No — its pricing page says they never expire. VirtuallyStage credits do not either.
Which is faster?
Both are seconds: StageHQ states 15–30, VirtuallyStage about 15.
Try it on your own photo
$35 for 8 photos, no subscription, credits never expire. About 15 seconds a photo, up to 20 versions of each, furniture removal on its own engine. Your first furniture removal is free — no card.
Sources
Checked September 11, 2026. Written by Ali Annabi, a RECO-licensed real estate agent in Toronto who built VirtuallyStage for his own listings.