Pick a replacement by how your team finds and shares files, not by how many AI features the homepage lists. Small teams usually want a simple shared library, brand-led companies want guidelines and assets kept together, and big content operations need a platform that feeds files into many other tools.
Somebody asks for the latest logo, and three people send back three different files. That's the moment most marketing teams start looking at digital asset management, and it's often the moment they start looking past Pics.io too. Below are eight alternatives, in no particular order, for storing, finding and sharing brand files. The comparison table comes first, then what to test and how the tools differ.
Eight asset libraries side by side
| Tool | Category | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Air | AI creative library | Letting AI sort and tag a growing library |
| Bynder | Enterprise asset management | Large content teams publishing across many channels |
| Canto | Asset library | Organising, finding and sharing files across an organisation |
| Extensis | Fonts and asset management | Tracking font licences alongside other creative files |
| Filecamp | Cloud asset library | Small teams wanting a simple shared media library |
| Frontify | Brand system | Keeping brand guidelines and assets in one place |
| PhotoShelter | Media library and distribution | Photo-heavy teams organising and sending out images |
| Razuna | Asset library with AI search | AI search with access for the whole team |
Tagging, search and sharing decide it
The tool you're leaving describes itself as an AI-powered place to centralise, manage and distribute digital content. Nearly every vendor here says something close to that, so the description alone won't separate them. What does separate them is everyday use: how files get tagged, how quickly someone outside the design team can find the right one, and how shared links behave once a file is updated.
That last point matters more than it sounds. If a partner downloads your logo today and you refresh it later on, will the old link still serve the old file? Brand assets only stay current if the library makes the latest version the easy one to grab. So upload a real folder of your own files to each shortlisted tool, tag them, search for them as a colleague would, and share a link outside the company.
Libraries, brand hubs and creative helpers
Straightforward shared libraries
Filecamp, Canto and Razuna focus on the core job of organising, finding and sharing files. They're the obvious place to start for small and mid-size teams who want order without a long rollout.
Brand hubs and large content operations
Frontify keeps brand guidelines next to the assets themselves, which helps when lots of people outside marketing need to use the brand correctly. Bynder is pitched at teams producing content at scale and connecting it to many other tools.
Specialist creative needs
Air leans on AI to organise the library and help with creative tasks. PhotoShelter suits photo-heavy teams that distribute images often, and Extensis is the one to look at if font licences are a worry in your creative work.
The full list, alphabetically
Alphabetical and in no particular order. Each description reflects what the vendor says about its own tool.
Air
Best for: Creative teams wanting AI to organise the library and help with creative tasks while, per the vendor, people stay involved at the points that matter.
Bynder
Best for: Content teams creating and distributing material at scale; the vendor describes its platform as heavily connected to the other tools in a content supply chain.
Canto
Best for: Organisations that mainly need to organise, find and share files; the vendor's line is asset management without the heavy managing.
Extensis
Best for: Design operations teams watching font licences, since the vendor manages fonts and assets and reports on font use; its product line is moving to the Monotype name.
Filecamp
Best for: Smaller teams that want a straightforward cloud library to organise, share and control media, which the vendor contrasts with enterprise complexity.
Frontify
Best for: Brand teams keeping guidelines, assets and brand knowledge in one structured home; the vendor says it's built to be read by people and by AI.
PhotoShelter
Best for: Photo and media teams that organise creative files and send them out securely, with content distribution a big part of the vendor's pitch.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Razuna
Best for: Teams who want AI-powered search, secure sharing and access for everyone; the vendor names a free plan and says the number of users isn't capped.
Advice for marketing teams moving their files
Don't let the number of features drive the decision. A library full of clever extras is no use if your sales team still can't find the right product photo in under a minute. Judge every tool on the people who'll search it most, not the people who'll set it up, and get a couple of those colleagues to try the shortlist with you.
It also helps to sort out the files before you move them. Archive old versions, agree on a naming habit and decide on a handful of tags everyone will use. For a wider look at the tools that keep a team's work moving, see my guide to using digital tools for a smoother workflow, and if your brand files feed your website and social channels, my guide to growing your digital presence is a useful next read.
Planning the move in three stages
Before you move anything
Export a full list of what you've got, including folders, tags and any custom fields. Delete duplicates and outdated versions now, because every file you move is a file someone might find by mistake later. Decide who owns the new library and who can upload to it.
While the files move
Start with one team's files, check that tags and folders came across the way you expected, and only then move the rest. Keep the old library read-only for a short while so nobody uploads to the wrong place.
After the move
Replace any shared links that partners, agencies or your website still point to. Then ask a few people outside the design team to find five common files. If they can, the move worked.
Do you make digital asset management software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
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Frequently asked questions
What is digital asset management software?
It's a central library for brand and creative files, such as logos, photos, videos and documents, with tagging, search and sharing built in so people can find the right version quickly.
Is a DAM different from cloud storage?
Yes. Cloud storage holds files in folders. A DAM adds tags, search, version control, permissions and controlled sharing, which matter once lots of people use the same brand files.
Can I move my tags and folders to a new DAM?
Usually, but the details vary. Export your tags and metadata alongside the files, then check a sample after the import before you move everything.
Do small teams need a DAM?
Not always. If a handful of people share a few hundred files, a tidy shared drive may do. Once people outside the design team keep asking for files, a DAM starts to earn its place.
How do I keep shared brand files up to date?
Choose a tool where shared links can point to the latest version, keep one owner for each core asset, and archive old versions rather than leaving them in search.
