- Brand asset tools at a glance
- Ten tools to consider instead of Brandfolder
- The font licensing detail brands miss
- What to look for in a brand asset tool
- Setting up a brand library
- Brand asset mistakes to avoid
- Portal, DAM or both?
- Getting your team to use it
- My plain advice on Brandfolder alternatives
- Frequently asked questions
The right Brandfolder alternative keeps your logos, images, fonts and brand guidelines in one searchable place, so your team and partners always use the right version. Some tools are full digital asset management systems, while others are lighter brand portals. This page lists ten in no particular order, then explains a font licensing detail many brands miss.
Brand assets have a way of multiplying. The old logo turns up in a sales deck, someone uses a stretched image on social media, and a partner asks for files you're sure you sent a few weeks ago. A brand asset tool fixes that by giving everyone one place to look.
Below are ten brand asset and digital asset management tools in no particular order, sorted alphabetically, from open source software to brand portals. Each description comes from the tool's own website, re-checked today. If you're tightening your brand at the same time, my thoughts on how your brand name affects your bottom line are a good companion.
Smaller teams often only need a branded portal with guidelines and downloads. Larger teams usually need full search, permissions and approval workflows.
Brand asset tools at a glance
In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site describes a free plan or free open source version, Trial only means a time-limited trial, and No means neither is stated.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air | Creative asset platform | Creative teams sharing work | Trial only |
| Brandkit | Brand portal platform | Branded asset portals | Trial only |
| Daminion | Digital asset management | On-premise or cloud DAM | No |
| Dash | Digital asset management | Growing ecommerce brands | Trial only |
| Extensis Portfolio | Digital asset management | Print and creative workflows | No |
| Filecamp | Digital asset management | Unlimited users and branding | Trial only |
| Lingo | Brand guidelines and DAM | Digital brand guidelines | Trial only |
| Lytho | Brand and creative operations | Brand compliance and workflows | No |
| Pics.io | Digital asset management | Assets stored in your own cloud | Trial only |
| ResourceSpace | Open source DAM | Free, self-hosted asset library | Yes |
Ten tools to consider instead of Brandfolder
Air
Best for: Creative teams that want a visual workspace for assets with AI help on creative tasks.
Brandkit
Best for: Organisations and destinations that want a branded portal with guidelines and downloads.
Daminion
Best for: Teams that want a digital asset manager that can run on their own servers or in the cloud.
Dash
Best for: Growing brands that want simple asset storage, search and sharing for their creative.
Extensis Portfolio
Best for: Organisations with print and creative workflows that want a long-standing DAM.
Filecamp
Best for: Teams that want a DAM with unlimited users, custom branding and proofing.
Lingo
Best for: Growing brands that want digital brand guidelines linked to their asset library.
Lytho
Best for: Marketing teams that want asset management with creative workflow and brand checks.
Pics.io
Best for: Teams that want a DAM that works with storage they already use, with a short trial.
ResourceSpace
Best for: Organisations that want an open source digital asset management system they can host.
The font licensing detail brands miss
Fonts cause more licensing headaches than logos. The Google Fonts repository says the top-level folders show the licence for every font inside them, and most fonts in the collection use the SIL Open Font License, version 1.1, while some use the Apache 2 licence and the Ubuntu fonts use the Ubuntu Font License.
So store the licence file with every font in your asset library, whichever fonts you use. When a partner asks whether they can use your brand font, you'll have the answer in the same folder.
What to look for in a brand asset tool
- Search: find files by tag, colour or text.
- Versions: one approved version, with old ones archived.
- Permissions: control who can see and download what.
- Guidelines: brand rules next to the files.
- Sharing: links for agencies and partners.
Setting up a brand library
- Gather every logo, image and template you use.
- Delete duplicates and outdated versions.
- Tag files by type, campaign and usage.
- Write short usage notes for each key asset.
- Share one link with your team and partners.
Brand asset mistakes to avoid
- Several 'final' logos. Keep one approved set.
- No usage notes. People guess, badly.
- Open access to everything. Set sensible permissions.
- Missing font licences. Store them with the fonts.
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Portal, DAM or both?
A brand portal is the friendly front door: approved logos, colours, fonts and rules, ready to download. A digital asset manager is the warehouse behind it, holding every image, video and campaign file with search and permissions.
Small businesses can usually start with a portal and a well-organised shared drive. As the library grows and more people need access, moving to a dedicated asset manager saves a lot of time and mistakes.
Getting your team to use it
The hardest part of any asset tool isn't the setup, it's habit. People will keep saving files to their desktops unless the new library is quicker. Put the link everywhere your team works, such as your intranet, your shared drive and your email signature templates, and ask new starters to use it from day one.
It's also worth naming one person as the owner. They don't have to do all the uploading, but they'll keep folders tidy, archive old files and make sure guidelines stay current. Without an owner, even the best library slowly turns back into a messy drive.
Do you make brand asset tools? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on Brandfolder alternatives
Start smaller than you think. A clean library of the fifty files people use most is more useful than a perfect archive of everything you've ever made.
And make the right file the easiest file to find. If the approved logo is one click away, nobody will go hunting for an old one.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good alternative to Brandfolder?
It depends on your size. Small teams often need a brand portal, while larger ones need full digital asset management.
What is digital asset management?
It's software for storing, organising, searching and sharing files like images, videos and logos.
Can I use Google Fonts commercially?
Most are under the SIL Open Font License, but check the licence file for each font.
Is there a free brand asset tool?
Some open source DAM software is free to host yourself.
What is a brand portal?
It's a branded page where partners and staff can find approved assets and guidelines.
How do I stop people using old logos?
Archive old versions and make the approved one easy to find and download.
Should guidelines live with assets?
Yes. Keeping rules next to files makes them far more likely to be followed.
How do agencies access our files?
Most tools offer share links or guest access with set permissions.
