With today’s brands vying to deliver exceptional content experiences that stand out from the crowd and keep consumers coming back for more, digital asset management solutions are increasingly seen as must-have investments to create, manage, and distribute content at scale. In fact, Bynder’s 2023 State of Content Report revealed that 85% of marketers intend to position DAM at the heart of their digital ecosystem.
For companies looking to invest in DAM, it can be tricky to know which solution is right for them. Digital asset management platforms come in all shapes and sizes, typically tailored to the unique needs and goals of any given company. To help you make the right decision, this article will provide an overview of typical media asset management features and functionalities, along with Brandfolder alternatives, including Bynder.
- 1. Brandfolder vs. Bynder
- What are the top Brandfolder alternatives?
- Brandfolder alternatives FAQs
- Wrapping up: Brandfolder alternatives in 2024
1. Brandfolder vs. Bynder
G2 is one of the world’s biggest software review sites, providing product ratings by users, for users. In their 2023 Grid® Report, Bynder received the honor of being rated as the top-ranked digital asset management provider based on high customer satisfaction and industry-leading product features.
Here are some of the customer satisfaction scores as rated by G2 users:
- Quality of support - 92%
- Ease of use - 91%
- Ease of doing business with - 93%
Over 4000 organizations worldwide selected Bynder as their DAM of choice. Here are just a few reasons why G2 and others see Bynder as a best-of-breed solution for your digital asset management needs.
Brandfolder vs. Bynder: Multi-tenancy
Among Brandfolder competitors, Bynder is the only SaaS-based DAM that is multi-tenant, offering a single source of truth for all your brand, campaign, and product-related assets. Its robust functionality, intuitive UI, and wide range of integrations help global teams store, manage, find, and deliver assets more efficiently for a world-class customer content experience.
Brandfolder vs. Bynder: Onboarding
Unlike other DAM vendors – including Brandfolder – Bynder provides you with three teams of customer advocates offering personalized, long-term support – compared to self-guided onboarding (i.e. pre-recorded training videos) like other DAM providers. By applying industry best practices that have been refined over time, Bynder ensures the solution is properly adopted within your organization, tailored to your unique business goals.
Brandfolder vs. Bynder: Communication during the creative process
Asset Workflow enables teams to easily collaborate and communicate with both internal departments and external agencies during the creative process – including faster content requests, reviews, and approvals – so you can go to market faster.
Built entirely in-house instead of leaning on third-party providers, Bynder’s key strength in creative project management capabilities is its ability to handle both small and global enterprise use cases, with millions of users and assets. Bynder can also work with InDesign files, along with Photoshop and/or Illustrator compatibilities.
Brandfolder vs. Bynder: Scalability of editorial content production
Content Workflow is an add-on module enabling organizations to create any type of editorial content at scale using structured text and their approved assets directly from the Bynder DAM—breaking down silos between creative and marketing teams and reducing production time.
Brandfolder vs. Bynder: Automation of digital content creation
Studio empowers your teams to create on-brand content in the form of images, videos, and GIFs in minutes directly within the Bynder DAM platform. The creative automation capabilities allow your content designers to build templates that can be personalized and adapted quickly by other stakeholders—no design skills needed.
When it comes to Bynder vs Brandfolder, Bynder Studio allows you to create both image and video assets from scratch in the platform, including in bulk, to meet the demands of high-volume output. Bynder also supports more file formats during import, including PSD, Adobe XML, and Sketch.
Brandfolder vs. Bynder: Dynamic Asset Transformation
Developed entirely in-house, Bynder’s Dynamic Asset Transformation (DAT) connects to the DAM content engine to fully automate the asset optimization process for better SEO performance and visitor experiences. Features include automatically minimizing file sizes, resizing images, enhancing imagery focal points with intelligent AI, and reducing load times. DAT’s on-the-fly asset transformation capabilities eliminate the need to manually resize images for every channel, saving time and ensuring a consistent brand experience across websites, emails, mobile, and more.
Brandfolder’s corresponding image optimizer is instead a separate product powered by a partner, Fastly, which means they have less autonomy over product development and how it can be tailored to specific customer needs.
Brandfolder vs. Bynder: Security and compliance
Bynder's globally accessible solutions are upheld by strict policies that govern how all data is handled, ensuring your data is always in a safe pair of hands. Bynder is ISO 27001:2013, ISO 27018:2019, and ISO 22301:2019 certified and GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA compliant, pledging to protect your privacy at all times while ensuring you don't end up a statistic of security error.
Compared to Bynder, Brandfolder misses out on certain certifications such as ISO, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS compliance, which might be an issue for organizations with customers that require a high standard of security and data privacy, such as legal or healthcare companies.
What are the top Brandfolder alternatives?
When exploring Brandfolder alternatives for digital asset management, there are many effective options depending on your organization’s unique needs. Each of these Brandfolder competitors offers unique features tailored to diverse business needs. Here are the top Brandfolder alternatives to consider for your organization:
2. Acquia DAM
Previously known as Widen Collective, Acquia is one of the longest-running DAM vendors out there, offering a cloud-based, full-service digital asset management suite that particularly appeals to mid-to-large-sized businesses. In their own words, Acquia “helps marketing, sales, and e-commerce teams find what they need, coordinate workflows, and publish content.”
Acquia’s ‘Portals’ capabilities are a strong USP compared to other vendors, with the ability to easily create multiple DAM environments within one solution – a big plus for organizations managing a portfolio of sub-brands and/or use cases. However, as Acquia is not SaaS-native, the UI and UX aren’t always the most intuitive for customers.
3. Canto
With over 30 years of experience in the digital asset management industry, Canto is another strong player offering “one location for all of your digital assets.”. SaaS and cloud-based, Canto boasts a rich offering of integrations with other technologies and tools – including YouTube, Twitter, Slack, Mailchimp, and plenty more high-profile names. Its pricing is also competitive and may appeal particularly to smaller-sized businesses.
However, Canto’s features and functionalities may be a little on the lighter side for those organizations looking for a more comprehensive solution with complex use cases. Nonetheless, creative teams and marketers often choose Canto due to its versatility.
4. Aprimo
Aprimo is a best-of-suite solution enabling organizations to “manage content planning, creation, and distribution all in one place to get on-brand, personalized customer experiences to market faster.” Aprimo describes itself as an “AI-powered content operations platform” and therefore has a strong focus on automation. Among Brandfolder competitors, Aprimo positions itself as an end-to-end solution ideal for large enterprises and marketing teams.
While highly customizable, the custom add-ons can take a lot of time to implement, with additional costs quickly adding up. Aprimo is also light on features compared to many other vendors in the DAM space, making it less than ideal for larger businesses.
5. Adobe Experience Manager
Another best-of-suite solution, Adobe Experience Manager “combines digital asset management with the power of a content management system.” AEM boasts a comprehensive suite of products tailored to marketers and creatives, built entirely in-house. This Brandfolder alternative is best known for its powerful features, integration with Adobe Creative Cloud, and ability to manage complex content workflows across multiple channels.
This makes it an attractive choice for larger-sized enterprises, especially if they complement the DAM solution with adjacent Adobe products. However, this focus on native development makes integrating with tools outside its own ecosystem difficult, and its infrastructure can be costly and complex to maintain.
6. Nuxeo
As a Brandfolder alternative, Nuxeo stands out for its flexibility and extensibility. Nuxeo is an open-source DAM platform providing powerful tools for managing digital assets, documents, and other content types. This solution is quite scalable, making it adaptable to vast amounts of content. It also uses AI to deliver content insights, metadata enrichment, and automated tagging.
When compared to Brandfolder, Nuxeo focuses on providing extensive customization, scalability, and advanced AI-powered capabilities as opposed to simplicity and intuitive use. While it’s a great option for organizations requiring high levels of flexibility and control, it may not be as suited for beginners
7. Filecamp
Another user-friendly DAM platform is Filecamp. Designed for small to mid-sized businesses, Filecamp offers useful features like file sharing, collaboration tools, branding control, and user permissions. Filecamp stands out as a great choice for teams looking for straightforward asset management.
Filecamp offers similar features to Brandfolder, prioritizing user-friendliness and simplicity. While both are catered to meet the needs of smaller organizations, Filecamp offers fewer advanced functionalities and customization options. Despite this, Filecamp’s ease of use and cost-effectiveness make it an attractive option for teams seeking a straightforward and simple DAM solution.
Brandfolder alternatives FAQs
What are the main differences between Brandfolder vs. Bynder?
When it comes to choosing between Brandfolder vs. Bynder, both are cloud DAM solutions designed to help organizations manage, store, and distribute digital assets more efficiently. While they serve the same core function, there are several key distinctions between each DAM system in terms of features, focus, user experience, and target audience. Here are the core differences and what makes Bynder the ideal Brandfolder alternative:
-
User interface and experience
- Bynder: Offering a comprehensive DAM solution, Bynder offers an extensive feature set and intuitive interface that makes it easy to use this solution as a central hub for your entire ecosystem.
- Brandfolder: Known for its ease of use and intuitive interface, Brandfolder is a good entry-level option. The platform is accessible to users with varying levels of expertise due to its simplicity.
-
Target audience and focus
- Bynder: Bynder’s platform caters to a broad audience that consists of SMBs and small agencies to larger enterprises and global companies with complex needs, thanks to a wide range of functionalities. Organizations choose Bynder for advanced workflow management, brand guidelines enforcement, and multilingual capabilities.
- Brandfolder: This system is geared more toward small to mid-sized businesses with a focus on providing a user-friendly DAM solution. Marketing teams, creative agencies, and SMBs, in particular, tend to choose Brandfolder due to its simplicity.
-
Customization and brand control
- Bynder: Bynder offers more extensive branding and customization options, allowing users to improve consistency across channels and assets.
- Brandfolder: Brandfolder focuses primarily on essential branding control features but offers fewer advanced customization options.
-
Integration capabilities
- Bynder: Bynder offers a broader range of integrations and APIs, catering to the needs and demands of larger enterprises.
- Brandfolder: Like Bynder, Brandfolder offers integrations with popular software and tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, CMS platforms, and project management tools.
-
Scalability and features
- Bynder: Bynder offers a far more extensive feature set than Brandfolder, including advanced workflow automation, photo management software tools, localization features, video management, and analytics
- Brandfolder: While offering essential DAM functionalities, Brandfolder tends to have a smaller feature set with a focus on ease of use and agility.
What features should I look for in a digital asset management solution?
From simple file-storage solutions to robust, multi-modular platforms supporting the content lifecycle from creation to publication, digital asset management solutions don’t follow a one-size-fits-all approach. However, there are certain features and functionalities that are a must-have.
- Intuitive organization and search: Find the right files fast. DAM solutions should be equipped with a customizable taxonomy to describe files and content, so users can search with terms specific to the organization and its use case.
- Bulk uploading and downloading: Save time with the ability to upload or download assets en masse.
- File-sharing (including collections): Quickly and securely share digital assets directly from the DAM, both internally and externally – including collections of files for bulk-sharing.
- Control access and usage rights: Access and usage permissions enable organizations to restrict how digital assets are used by users. This protects confidentiality, prevents unapproved content from being published, and ensures there are clear rules regarding how any given asset is used.
- Asset versioning: Users only have access to correct, up-to-date versions of assets while having visibility into the different iterations uploaded to the DAM.
- Asset detail overview: A screen that centralizes and displays all the information and supporting metadata for any given asset.
- Integrations: Create a seamless, interconnected digital ecosystem by connecting DAM with other technologies via DAM integrations (i.e., your CMS, PIM, or creative tools). See common DAM integrations.
The best digital asset management platforms also have additional features and modules that complement the core DAM features and support the wider content lifecycle.
- Automated asset optimization: Automate the resizing, editing, and optimization of digital assets for better SEO performance and a smoother user experience. Learn more about how it works.
- Built-in brand guidelines: A digital home for your brand identity integrated within the DAM, so you can ensure everyone stays on-brand when using digital assets and communicating your brand’s story.
- Creative project management: Manage, track, and collaborate on creative projects from start to finish, ensuring better coordination, fewer bottlenecks, and faster time to market.
- Built-in content creation tools: Scale and automate the creation of digital assets, such as images and videos, while sticking to brand guidelines with editable brand templates. See how it works.
Read on: 5 DAM must-haves for 2023
How do you choose the best Brandfolder alternative?
When choosing an alternative to Brandfolder, consider several key factors to ensure the platform aligns with your specific requirements. Whether your main focus is on integrations, security measures, storage capabilities, or managing your image collection, choose an alternative that fits your needs. Here are some tips to help you choose the best Brandfolder alternative for your organization:
- Integrations: When choosing a platform, assess its compatibility with your existing tools and software to ensure seamless integration. Consider the software you use for design, marketing, or content management, and make sure they will integrate with the Brandfolder alternative.
- Security: Prioritize platforms that offer robust security features like encryption, access controls, and compliance certifications. These measures work to safeguard sensitive data and assets.
- Storage space: As your organization grows, you want to ensure the storage options are scalable. Choose a platform that can accommodate your current asset volume and has the capacity to grow.
- Ease of use: A user-friendly interface makes it easier for your team to adopt. Look for easy navigation and intuitive controls that increase your team’s productivity.
- Customization: Search for alternatives that allow for customization, helping you adapt the interface to reflect your brand identity. This improves consistency across assets, ensuring everything is aligned with your brand strategy.
- Collaboration tools: The best platform options feature collaboration tools and workflow management, providing version control and commenting functions to streamline teamwork.
- Analytics and reporting: Consider if you need analytics and reporting functionalities that deliver insights into asset usage, performance metrics, and user behavior.
Wrapping up: Brandfolder alternatives in 2024
Choosing an efficient and robust digital asset management platform can make all the difference in your team’s productivity and organization. DAM systems are designed to automate workflows, serving as a centralized hub for managing, organizing, storing, retrieving, and distributing digital assets. While Brandfolder is a popular choice, you need to consider multiple factors before selecting the right DAM solution for your company.
Many Brandfolder alternatives stand out in terms of usability, functionality, and customization abilities. Understanding the unique capabilities of each system is key in selecting the optimal software for your team. When comparing Brandfolder vs. Bynder, Bynder stands out as a valuable option for enterprises seeking more advanced features.
Over 4000 organizations worldwide use Bynder as their brand’s digital home for delivering exceptional content experiences. From centralized file storage and secure asset sharing to better brand consistency and project collaboration, we have a tailored solution to fit the needs of each and every customer. Why not see what Bynder can do for you with a free demo?
