Where to Buy Picture Frames Online
Buying frames online fails in predictable ways: the wrong opening, the wrong glazing, glass broken in transit. All three are readable on the listing before you order.
By Janet H. · Published
If your print is a standard size, buy a marketplace frame line and spend the saving on a better mat. If it is not a standard size, go straight to a made-to-size framer — every workaround costs more than the custom frame does.
That one decision — standard size or not — settles most of this page. The rest is reading the listing properly, because almost every bad online frame purchase comes from a field that was there and went unread.
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Quick picks
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Americanflat Picture Frame The widest standard size ladder of the marketplace lines, with shatter-resistant plexiglass on most sizes and a removable mat included. If you do not want to think about the purchase, this is the one that is stocked in the size you need. | Best default online buy | $9.99 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded · Price as of November 1, 2026 |
| 2 |  upsimples Picture Frame Sold in matched packs, which is the correct way to buy a wall online. Every frame in the pack comes from one run, so the finish genuinely matches, and the wall hardware is in the box. | Best for buying several at once | |
| 3 |  Craig Frames Picture Frame The made-to-size route without a framer's counter: order the exact dimension you need, in a wide choice of moldings, with a lightweight acrylic front. This is the answer when the near-size workaround runs out. | Best for a size nobody stocks | $24.99 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded · Price as of November 1, 2026 |
| 4 |  Golden State Art Picture Frame Arrives with a cut mat as standard rather than as an upsell, which is the single cheapest way to make an online frame purchase look finished. The size ladder covers the common matted pairings. | Best matted value | $22.99 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded · Price as of November 1, 2026 |
The four routes, and what each is actually good at
There are four ways to buy a frame on the internet. They are not competing on price so much as on what they can do at all.
| Route | Sizes | Strongest at | Weakest at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketplace frame lines (Amazon and similar) | Every standard size, in singles and packs | Price, speed, multi-packs that genuinely match | Finish accuracy in photos; inconsistent glazing between sizes of one line |
| Big-box retail online | Standard sizes, narrower range | Returning in person, seeing the finish before committing | Stock gaps in the less common sizes; thinner size ladder |
| Direct from the frame maker | The maker's full ladder, including sizes marketplaces skip | Buying a second frame that matches the first years later | Shipping cost on a single frame; slower |
| Made-to-size online framers | Any dimension, to the eighth of an inch | Odd sizes, deep mats, conservation glazing, oversize | Cost and lead time; no returns on a custom cut |
Most readers of this site are in the first row, and that is the right place to be: a standard-size print in a standard-size frame is the cheapest good outcome available. The case for the fourth row is narrower than framers suggest — the custom versus standard comparison lays out the four situations where it genuinely pays.
Match the route to the print, not to the price
Work from what you are framing. The route follows from it, and the budget follows from the route rather than the other way around.
| What you are framing | Route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A standard-size photo or print | Marketplace frame line | The size exists, cheaply, in several finishes |
| A poster at 18x24 or 24x36 | Marketplace poster line, plexiglass glazed | Glass at poster size is heavy, fragile in transit and hard to hang |
| Six to ten frames for one wall | A single multi-pack or gallery set, one order | Finish varies between production runs, so one order is how they match |
| An odd-dimension print or textile | Made-to-size framer | Matting around an odd size costs more than the custom frame |
| Original art or anything irreplaceable | Made-to-size framer, conservation glazing | The glazing and the acid-free package are the point |
| A frame to match one you already own | Direct from that maker | Only the maker still has the exact molding and finish |
The five fields that decide whether the frame fits
Every online frame listing has these five. Four of them are routinely skimmed, and each one is a distinct way to receive the wrong frame.
| Field | What it means | The mistake it causes |
|---|---|---|
| Frame size vs mat opening | An 11x14 frame matted to 8x10 holds an 8x10 image | Ordering 11x14 for an 11x14 print and finding the mat covers two inches of it |
| Glazing material | Real glass, tempered glass, acrylic, plexiglass or PVC film | A frame too heavy for the hanging method you planned |
| Outer dimensions | The actual footprint including the molding width | A grid that no longer fits the wall once four moldings are added |
| Hanging hardware | Sawtooth, D-rings, wire, or nothing at all | A slim frame on a single sawtooth that will not stay level |
| Pack quantity | Whether the price is for one frame or a set | One frame arriving when the wall needed six |
The glazing field is the one that matters most to anyone who cannot drill, because it is where almost all the weight is on anything 11x14 and up. The glazing comparison runs the weight difference, and the adhesive weight limits turn it into a yes or no for a given frame.
Shipping damage is the real online risk
The failure that online frame buying has and in-store buying does not is glass arriving broken. It is common enough to plan around rather than hope against.
- Prefer plexiglass or acrylic at poster sizes. It cannot break in transit, it is far lighter to hang, and at 18x24 and up the optical penalty is irrelevant because you do not view a poster from six inches away.
- Open the box the day it arrives. Replacement windows are short, and a broken frame discovered three weeks later is your problem rather than the seller's.
- Order multi-packs over separate singles. A pack is packed as a unit with the frames protecting each other; six separately-shipped frames are six chances for a corner crush.
- Check the corners, not just the glass. On metal frames the corner keys loosen in transit and leave a hairline gap — fixable by tightening through the back panel, but easier to catch straight away.
If what you are framing is a rolled poster that arrived in a tube, flatten it before it goes anywhere near the frame: how to flatten a rolled poster and framing a poster without damaging it cover the order of operations.
Buying several frames online
The rule that saves the most grief: a wall of frames is one purchase, not several. Frame finishes are consistent within a production run and only approximately consistent between runs, so a reorder three months later can arrive visibly different in sheen or gold tone even from the same listing.
| Wall | Buy | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A grid of one size | A single-size multi-pack | Identical moldings and mats, one price, one box |
| Mixed sizes, one finish | A gallery set | The set is the only way four sizes share a finish |
| Deliberately mismatched | Singles, from anywhere | The mismatch is the design, so run consistency is irrelevant |
| Adding to an existing wall | Direct from the original maker | The marketplace listing may have changed supplier since |
For the arrangement itself, the gallery frame set roundup compares the sets, and the bulk frame roundup covers buying one size in quantity. If you are furnishing a wall on a tight budget, the budget frame picks are honest about what the money does and does not buy.
Two categories are worth checking before you default to a marketplace line: metal frames, where buying the whole wall in one order matters less because anodized finishes hold their color between runs, and vintage frames, where it matters far more.
IKEA is the one physical retailer worth planning around rather than browsing, because roughly half its range is sized in centimeters with the inches rounded off. IKEA picture frame sizes and alternatives lists the current lines and which of them are true US sizes.
The picks in full
Each entry states what it is for, the specification that decides it, and who should skip it.
1. Best default online buy
Americanflat Picture Frame
Americanflat
The widest standard size ladder of the marketplace lines, with shatter-resistant plexiglass on most sizes and a removable mat included. If you do not want to think about the purchase, this is the one that is stocked in the size you need.
- Sizes
- Wide standard range from 4x6 to 24x36
- Glazing
- Shatter-resistant polished plexiglass on most sizes
- Matting
- Most sizes ship with a removable mat
- Orientation
- Hangs vertical or horizontal; most sizes also stand
The spec that decides it: 4x6 to 24x36, plexiglass glazing on most sizes, mat included on many.
Skip it if: You want real glass on a small frame you will look at closely.
#ad How we’re funded · Price as of November 1, 2026
2. Best for buying several at once
upsimples Picture Frame
upsimples
Sold in matched packs, which is the correct way to buy a wall online. Every frame in the pack comes from one run, so the finish genuinely matches, and the wall hardware is in the box.
- Sizes
- Standard sizes, usually sold in multi-packs
- Glazing
- High-definition plexiglass
- Matting
- Mat included on most sizes
- Hardware
- Wall-mount hardware included in the box
The spec that decides it: Matched single-size multi-packs with high-definition plexiglass.
Skip it if: You need one frame - a pack is money spent on frames you will not hang.
3. Best for a size nobody stocks
Craig Frames Picture Frame
Craig Frames
The made-to-size route without a framer's counter: order the exact dimension you need, in a wide choice of moldings, with a lightweight acrylic front. This is the answer when the near-size workaround runs out.
- Sizes
- Very wide size range, including oversize and non-standard
- Glazing
- Lightweight shatter-resistant acrylic front
- Profiles
- Contemporary through ornate; wide molding choice
- Origin
- Made in the USA
The spec that decides it: Made-to-size and oversize moldings with an acrylic front.
Skip it if: Your print is a standard size, because a stock frame costs considerably less.
#ad How we’re funded · Price as of November 1, 2026
4. Best matted value
Golden State Art Picture Frame
Golden State Art
Arrives with a cut mat as standard rather than as an upsell, which is the single cheapest way to make an online frame purchase look finished. The size ladder covers the common matted pairings.
- Sizes
- Standard sizes, strong matted-frame range
- Glazing
- Glass or acrylic depending on line
- Matting
- Acid-free mats on the archival lines
- Packs
- Frequently sold in multi-packs for gallery walls
The spec that decides it: Standard sizes shipped with a removable cut mat and real glass.
Skip it if: Weight is the constraint - the real glass makes these heavier than the plexiglass lines.
#ad How we’re funded · Price as of November 1, 2026
Common questions
Is it cheaper to buy picture frames online or in store?
Online, for standard sizes and especially for multi-packs, because the marketplace frame lines sell at volumes a store shelf cannot. In store wins when you need to see the finish before committing or want to return without a shipping label, and it wins on anything heavy and glass-fronted that you would rather not have shipped.
What does 'frame size' mean on a listing?
The opening - the image size the frame displays. It is not the outer dimension, which includes the molding width and is what has to fit your wall. A listing that says 11x14 matted to 8x10 holds an 8x10 image inside an 11x14 frame, with outer dimensions larger again.
Should I buy frames with glass or plexiglass online?
Plexiglass at 11x14 and above, especially for posters: it cannot break in transit, it weighs roughly a third of what glass does for the same area, and that is the difference between a frame that can hang on adhesive strips and one that cannot. Glass is worth it on small frames you will view closely and never move.
Where can I buy a picture frame in a non-standard size?
A made-to-size online framer, which cuts the molding to the dimension you give. Before you do, check whether the next standard size up with a pre-cut mat covers it - that workaround costs a fraction as much and is what a framer would do anyway unless the aspect ratio is extreme.
How do I make sure several frames bought online match?
Buy them in one order, ideally as a multi-pack or a gallery set. Frame finishes are consistent within a production run and only roughly consistent between runs, so a reorder months later can differ in sheen or gold tone even from the same listing page.
Sources for the figures on this page
Read next
- Best Picture Frames
Frame lines compared on glazing, mat quality, size range and depth — plus what genuinely changes with price.
- Custom Picture Frames vs Standard Sizes
What custom framing actually buys, the three standard-size workarounds that cover most of it, and the four cases where custom is genuinely the right call.
- Best Cheap Picture Frames
Budget frames compared on glazing clarity, molding depth and whether a mat is included — the three things that decide whether cheap reads as cheap.
- Best Metal Picture Frames
Silver and black aluminum frames compared on molding width, glazing weight and set consistency, plus the one specification that decides whether a metal frame can hang on adhesive strips.
- Best Vintage Picture Frames
Ornate and antique-finish frames compared on relief depth, weight and mat opening, plus why a vintage frame needs a wider mat than a plain one and how to hang a heavy molding without drilling.
- Acrylic vs Glass Glazing
Weight, scratch resistance, optical flatness and safety compared — and why the weight difference decides the hanging method.
- Picture Frame Sizes Chart
Every standard frame size with its unmatted and matted capacity — the table to check before you order anything.
- Best Picture Frames in Bulk
Bulk frame packs compared on per-frame cost, one-size versus mixed-size sets, and whether hanging hardware and templates are included.