Services · Prices checked 3 November 2026
Virtual staging services: what a company does that a tool does not
A staging service sells judgment and a finished frame; a tool sells throughput. The two produce the same kind of JPEG, which is why the price gap of roughly seventy times needs an explanation before either is worth buying.
Two models, one output
Human service
An editor looks at the photograph, chooses furniture, places it and returns a finished frame. BoxBrownie publishes US$24 per staged photo; roOomy publishes $49–$69 depending on whether rework is included. Turnaround is usually quoted in hours, not seconds, and revisions are a negotiation.
Software
The photo is generated from a style and a room type. Virtual Stage Now costs $0.75 down to $0.33 per image depending on plan; Virtual Staging AI publishes $0.65–$2.67; Pedra $0.49. The editor is you, and so is the review.
The cost per listing, worked out
Eight photographs per listing is a normal brief for an empty two-bedroom flat.
| Model | Price per image | Eight images | Who reviews the frame |
|---|---|---|---|
| BoxBrownie (human) | $24.00 | $192 | Their editor, then you |
| VirtuallyStage | $4.38 → $3.11 | $35 – $25 | You |
| Virtual Stage Now (20-image top-up) | $0.75 | $15 (one top-up covers it) | You |
| Virtual Stage Now (plan) | $0.75 → $0.33 | $6 – $2.64 | You |
Prices from each vendor’s published page, checked 2026-11-03 (BoxBrownie) and 2026-11-01 (the rest). Top-up maths uses one 20-image top-up for eight images.
Six questions to ask a staging company
- Who stages the photo? A named editor with a portfolio, or an account manager who forwards the file.
- How many revisions are included, and what counts as one? A change of sofa is a revision; a change of room is a new order.
- Do they return the original frame? California requires a link to the unaltered image; CRMLS requires it in the listing.
- Do they label the image for your MLS? The label goes in a text field at CRMLS, into the pixels at ARMLS, and into three places at Stellar.
- What licence comes with the file? Listing use is not the same as portfolio use or resale.
- What is the turnaround, in writing? A listing that goes live on Friday needs the file on Thursday night.
The disclosure mechanics are on the board pages; the wording is in the template library.
When a company is the right call
- The room is occupied and the furniture has to leave the photograph.
- The property is a heritage interior, a luxury listing or a space where the scheme is part of the price.
- The photograph needs repair before anything is added: straightening, exposure, a reflection to remove.
- The order also includes floor plans, 360 images or day-to-dusk, which most tools do not do.
When none of those apply, a tool at $0.33–$3.00 an image does the same job, and the review checklist replaces the editor.
Questions
Is a staging company the same as a stager?
No. A physical stager rents furniture and dresses the property; a virtual staging company edits photographs. Some do both, and the invoice looks similar.
Can I mix a service and a tool?
Yes, and most photographers do: the tool for the six empty rooms, the human for the one photograph that needs judgment.
What does a brokerage buy?
Volume and consistency. A plan at $0.33–$0.49 an image with one style per listing keeps a hundred listings looking like one brand.