Frontify alternatives: where to move your brand guidelines and assets
Eight destinations, one per reason for leaving, plus an eight-step plan to export your guidelines, metadata and files.
Short answer: go with Bynder if your asset library is huge and you need an enterprise DAM, Brandfolder if you want another enterprise vendor (it's part of Smartsheet), Lingo if you want a public price and a 30-day trial, Brandkit if you need to give access to lots of people (no per-seat fees), Pics.io if your files should stay in your own storage, Zeroheight if your "brand guidelines" are really a design system in Figma, and Corebook or Brandy if you just need clean online guidelines for a few dozen dollars a month. One thing to sort out before you sign anything: Frontify lets you export guidelines as PDF and library metadata as CSV, but getting every file out in bulk is something to agree on with your Frontify contact before the contract ends. We compared all eight and rechecked their pricing pages in 2026.
Our ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Why teams leave Frontify, and why some stay
Frontify isn't a bad product. User reviews are mostly positive, and brand teams love the block-based guidelines (40+ content blocks), audience-specific portals and locked templates. The friction is elsewhere: price, scale and the effort it takes to keep it alive. Here are six reasons, each drawn from Frontify's own pages or from user reviews.
No price until you book a demo
Frontify's pricing page shows no numbers at all. Its stated reason: it prefers to talk to each customer directly. If you need three quotes for a budget meeting, that's an extra sales cycle, and no comparison site can give you a reliable figure. The monthly prices you'll see floating around online don't come from Frontify.
You pay for monthly active users
Billing is based on monthly active users: anyone who logs in at least once in a month, averaged over six months, with your tier reviewed every year. People who only view your space without logging in don't count. The catch: every agency or distributor you invite with a login pushes your tier up.
Expensive once you run several brands
Reviewers who manage multiple brands in separate accounts call it way too expensive, with no discount for that setup. For a team of fewer than ten people, the platform is often oversized: you pay for a tool built for an entire communications department.
Search slows down as the library grows
On the asset side, this is the most common complaint: the bigger the library, the longer it takes to find a specific file, and filters and metadata need tuning. Some users describe the interface as clunky and slow at times. For very large libraries, Bynder, which is built around the library, is the alternative to look at.
No version history for guideline pages
Users report having to unpublish a guideline page to update it, which breaks shared links while you edit. Image cropping, block sizing and library sharing also come up as limited. Not a deal-breaker, but annoying for a brand that changes often.
Setup takes weeks, not an afternoon
Filling out your guidelines is a real project, and the admin side has a learning curve that some admins find unintuitive. Without someone who owns it, the space stays half-built and the team drifts back to a shared folder. That's paying enterprise prices for partial use.
You're leaving because… go to…
Usually one row fits. Each card jumps to the full review below.
Enterprise DAM, quote-based, built for high volumes.
You want a price before the demoLingoStarter at $80/month plus $16 per editor, 30-day trial.
You need to give access to lots of peopleBrandkitNo per-seat fees: Team from $99/month, unlimited users.
You want to keep your own storagePics.ioBring your own storage, from the Micro plan up.
Your guidelines are mostly a design systemZeroheightFree plan, Starter at $49 per editor per month billed yearly.
You just need clean online guidelinesBrandy or CorebookBrandy from $5/month, Corebook Studio at $69/month.
The best Frontify alternatives, tool by tool
For each tool: why switch to it, who it's for, its main limit, how to move your Frontify content over, and what it costs. Prices are what each vendor lists in 2026, in USD, before tax. When a vendor doesn't publish a price, we say so: quote-based.
Our two-line verdict. For a like-for-like enterprise replacement, Bynder or Brandfolder. For a small team that wants a clear price, Lingo or Brandkit. For online guidelines only, Corebook or Brandy. For a design system, Zeroheight.
Other lists also mention Air, Canto, Papirfly, Acquia DAM or Baseline. We left them out because we couldn't verify their plans on their official pages. If you're weighing Canva's brand kit instead, our switch from Canva guide covers what it does well and where it stops.
Bynder: the obvious pick for very large asset libraries
High volumeWhy switch to Bynder. Bynder is an enterprise DAM (digital asset management: one central library for images, video and documents, with usage rights and metadata). Frontify starts from brand guidelines and adds a library. Bynder starts from the library. It's the alternative most often named as Frontify's closest competitor, and the most logical fit for very large libraries.
Who it's for. Marketing teams at large companies with tens of thousands of assets, rights to track and several countries to serve.
Who it's not for. Teams leaving Frontify because it's too expensive or too heavy. Bynder is also quote-based and built for large accounts.
The catch. No public pricing. You swap vendors without gaining any price transparency, and you should plan for a proper implementation project.
How to migrate. Start from your Frontify metadata export (a CSV) and map every field to a Bynder field before importing anything. Ask Bynder to include asset migration in the quote, and ask which import method it offers from Frontify. Your guidelines won't transfer as-is: keep the PDF as reference.
- Price
- quote-based
- Trial
- on request, via demo
- Best for
- very large libraries
- Limit
- as opaque on price as Frontify
Brandfolder: the other enterprise DAM, backed by Smartsheet
EnterpriseWhy switch to Brandfolder. Brandfolder is owned by Smartsheet and sells two plans, Premium and Enterprise, pitched as a more scalable, intelligent DAM platform. If your company already runs projects in Smartsheet, keeping brand assets with the same vendor simplifies procurement and access.
Who it's for. Mid-size to large marketing teams who care more about the asset library and distribution than written guidelines.
Who it's not for. A small team that wants to see a price. Both plans are quote-based.
The catch. You'll only get a number after a sales conversation. And block-based guidelines, Frontify's strong suit, aren't Brandfolder's core: check in the demo how you'd publish logo and color rules.
How to migrate. Same approach as Bynder: export metadata to CSV, map fields, import files in batches. Ask what Brandfolder's importer accepts (folders, tags, custom fields) before you lock your structure. Worth knowing: Frontify can automatically pull assets from a Brandfolder account, so the two systems clearly talk through their APIs.
- Price
- Premium and Enterprise, quote-based
- Owner
- Smartsheet
- Best for
- teams already on Smartsheet
- Limit
- no public pricing
Lingo: a brand library with public pricing and a 30-day trial
Public pricingWhy switch to Lingo. Lingo is the anti-demo option. Starter is $80/month plus $16 per editor per month (billed yearly), with 100 GB of storage and 50 consumers a month. Business is $160/month plus $24 per editor, with 200 GB and 100 consumers. You can trial Business for 30 days with unlimited editors during the trial.
Who it's for. Brand teams of 3 to 15 people who want a tidy library shared with agencies and sales, without negotiating a contract.
Who it's not for. A company with hundreds of partners logging in every month. Consumer caps will push you to Enterprise, which is quote-based.
The catch. Pricing mixes a base fee, a per-editor fee and a consumer cap. Do the math: 5 editors on Starter comes to $160/month billed yearly ($80 + 5 × $16). Past 100 GB, you move up a plan.
How to migrate. Use the trial to import a real sample: one complete folder with its tags, from your Frontify export. If search works on that sample, move the rest in batches. Rebuild your guideline pages in Lingo from the Frontify PDF.
- Price
- Starter $80/mo + $16/editor
- Trial
- 30 days on Business
- Storage
- 100 GB on Starter
- Limit
- monthly consumer cap
Brandkit: a brand portal that never charges per user
No per-seat feesWhy switch to Brandkit. If your Frontify bill climbs with every active user, Brandkit kills the problem: no per-seat fees, ever. Team starts at $99/month with unlimited users, Pro from $6,000/year, Enterprise from $12,000/year. There's a 30-day trial, arranged through sales, and a 30-day refund window that excludes setup fees. Pro includes a custom setup.
Who it's for. Brands that hand assets to lots of people: franchisees, distributors, agencies, sales teams.
Who it's not for. Anyone who wants to start without upfront costs. Brandkit lists setup fees from $500 to $5,000+ depending on the project.
The catch. Storage overages cost $1 per GB. With a heavy video library, that line can outgrow the subscription. Measure your library before you sign.
How to migrate. The setup fee usually covers onboarding, so ask exactly what's included: asset migration, metadata, portal setup. Send your Frontify CSV export in the first call to get an accurate quote.
- Price
- Team from $99/mo
- Trial
- 30 days
- Users
- unlimited on every plan
- Limit
- $500 to $5,000+ setup fee
Pics.io: a DAM layer on top of your own storage
Your storageWhy switch to Pics.io. Pics.io lets you bring your own storage (from the Micro plan up) and adds search, tags, permissions and sharing on top. If you want to leave Frontify without moving every file, this is the shortest path.
Who it's for. Teams that already have their own storage and want a management layer without moving everything.
Who it's not for. Teams that want written, page-by-page brand guidelines. Pics.io is a library first.
The catch. Price scales fast with users: Solo is $100/month for one person, Micro $250/month ($225 billed yearly) for 10 users and 1 TB, Small $800/month ($680 yearly) for 50 users and 3 TB. The AI add-on costs extra, from $50/month.
How to migrate. The 7-day trial needs no credit card: enough to check that search finds your files. Then import your Frontify metadata with a field map. Pics.io also connects to Zapier, and our switch from Google Drive guide helps if you're rethinking storage too.
- Price
- Solo $100/mo
- Trial
- 7 days, no card
- Storage
- yours (from Micro) or theirs
- Limit
- cost scales with users
Zeroheight: when your brand guidelines are a design system
Design systemsWhy switch to Zeroheight. Plenty of product teams use Frontify to document UI components. Zeroheight is built for exactly that: it documents a design system and syncs with Figma, so you're not copying every update by hand. There's a free plan (1 editor, 1 styleguide), and Starter comes with a 14-day trial.
Who it's for. Design and product teams maintaining a component library and design tokens (colors, type and spacing defined once and reused everywhere).
Who it's not for. Marketing teams managing mostly photos, video and document templates. Zeroheight isn't an asset library.
The catch. Starter is $49 per editor per month billed yearly ($588/year), $59 monthly, and caps at 5 editors and 2 styleguides. Beyond that it's Enterprise, quote-based, which adds SSO and API access. Prices exclude sales tax.
How to migrate. Don't switch your documentation tool and your design tool at the same time: Zeroheight itself advises against it. Rebuild pages from Figma rather than the Frontify PDF. If Figma is also on the table, read switch from Figma first.
- Price
- Starter $49/editor/mo, yearly
- Free plan
- 1 editor, 1 styleguide
- Best for
- Figma design systems
- Limit
- 5 editors on Starter
Corebook: online brand guidelines, even with a lifetime deal
Online guidelinesWhy switch to Corebook. Corebook does one thing: publish good-looking online brand guidelines with downloadable logos, colors and fonts. Studio, aimed at agencies and freelancers, is $69/month or a one-time $1,100 for life. Brand Owner, for a company running its own brand, starts at $143/month or $1,428/year.
Who it's for. SMBs and agencies who mostly used Frontify's guidelines and barely touched the library.
Who it's not for. A brand with thousands of photos and videos to distribute. You'd need a real DAM alongside it.
The catch. The scope is narrow on purpose. It replaces Frontify's guidelines, not its asset manager. Studio and Brand Owner target different buyers, so pick carefully.
How to migrate. Work from your Frontify PDF page by page and rebuild each section. Pull original source files (vector logos, font files), not PDF previews.
- Price
- Studio $69/mo or $1,100 lifetime
- Brand plan
- Brand Owner from $143/mo
- Best for
- agency and SMB guidelines
- Limit
- not an asset library
Brandy: brand guidelines from $5 a month
CheapestWhy switch to Brandy. It's the lowest entry point on this list. The free plan gives you one brand space, 100 MB and 20 assets. Pro is $5/month with 50 GB, Business $35/month for 10 brands and 100 GB, Agency $50 for 25 brands. Every plan includes unlimited editors and viewers.
Who it's for. Freelancers, small brands and agencies managing guidelines for several clients.
Who it's not for. Companies that need approval workflows, granular regional permissions or locked templates like Frontify's.
The catch. The free plan is a showcase (20 assets). Premium at $100 and Unlimited at $500 a month exist, but at those prices compare with Lingo or Brandkit, which go further on the library side.
How to migrate. Create one space per brand, import logos, colors and fonts first, then your most-requested assets. For multi-brand agencies, this is where Brandy costs least per brand: $3.50 per brand per month on Business.
- Price
- Pro $5/mo
- Free plan
- 1 brand, 20 assets
- Users
- unlimited on every plan
- Limit
- light on approvals
All 8 alternatives side by side
Take a common setup: a brand team of 5 editors sharing assets with a few agencies. On Lingo Starter, that's $160/month billed yearly. On Brandkit Team, $99/month no matter how many users, plus setup. On Zeroheight Starter, $245/month billed yearly, but for a design system. On Corebook Brand Owner, $143/month for guidelines alone. Frontify, Bynder and Brandfolder all start with a quote. One row per tool below.
| Published starting price | Trial, free plan and limit | |
|---|---|---|
| FrontifyWhere you're leaving | Quote-based, billed on monthly active users | Demo, no free plan; guidelines to PDF, metadata to CSV |
| BynderHigh volume | Quote-based | Demo; built for large accounts |
| BrandfolderEnterprise | Premium and Enterprise, quote-based | Demo; lighter block-based guidelines |
| LingoPublic pricing | Starter $80/mo + $16/editor, yearly | 30-day trial on Business; 100 GB on Starter |
| BrandkitNo per-seat fees | Team from $99/mo | 30-day trial; $500 to $5,000+ setup |
| Pics.ioYour storage | Solo $100/mo; Micro $225/mo yearly | 7 days, no card; AI add-on extra |
| ZeroheightDesign systems | Starter $49/editor/mo, yearly | Free plan with 1 editor; Starter capped at 5 editors |
| CorebookOnline guidelines | Studio $69/mo or $1,100 lifetime | Not an asset library |
| BrandyCheapest | Pro $5/mo | Free plan with 20 assets; light on approvals |
Pre-tax USD prices listed by each vendor in 2026, subject to change. Always check the amount at checkout or in the quote.
How to leave Frontify in eight steps
Leaving Frontify means moving three things: your guidelines, your metadata and your files. The first two have documented export features. The third needs a conversation with your Frontify contact well before renewal.
Audit everything you have in Frontify
Week 1List it all: every guideline, every library (logos, photos, video, templates), every portal and who uses it, locked templates, and integrations (Adobe CC, Figma, Sketch, InDesign). Also note who logs in each month: agencies, distributors, regional teams.
That list does double duty. It tells you what the new tool must handle, and who to notify when the old portal goes dark.
- Time
- half a day
- Output
- a spreadsheet of what exists
Check the contract and ask about exports
Week 1Find your renewal date and notice period. Then email your Frontify contact one precise question: how do you get every file back, original versions with folder structure, before the contract ends? We found no public bulk-download procedure, so you want a written answer with a format and a timeline.
Also ask whether your plan's API lets you list and download assets. That's often what ends up doing the work.
- Get
- a written answer on exports
- When
- months before renewal
Export your guidelines to PDF
Week 2Printing and PDF downloads are turned off by default for every guideline. Turn the setting on guideline by guideline, print all documents, and enable background graphics so colors survive. Heads-up: cover pages and library pages aren't included, and the browser's Cmd/Ctrl+P only prints the visible page.
The PDF is an archive, not an import file. No tool takes Frontify blocks as-is. It's your blueprint for rebuilding.
- Missing from PDF
- covers and library pages
- Setting
- per guideline
Export metadata from every library
Week 2Frontify exports library metadata as a CSV (UTF-8, comma-separated) sent by email. For 250,000 assets or more, expect 15 to 20 minutes. Do it for each library.
This file holds your real work: tags, descriptions, usage rights. It's what you'll map to the new tool's fields.
- Format
- CSV by email
- Time
- 15-20 min for 250K assets
Get your files out
Week 3Follow whatever method came out of step 2: an export from Frontify, a script on the API, or a migration run by your new vendor. Manually, bulk selection no longer has a 2,000-asset cap (Frontify's help says it has been removed), but check that a large download actually completes.
Then compare the number of files you retrieved with the number of rows in your metadata CSV. Any gap is lost assets.
- Manual selection
- 2,000-asset cap removed
- Check
- files = CSV rows
Map fields and import
Week 3Before importing, build a field map: each Frontify field and its match in the new tool. Fields with no match become tags or get dropped, your call. Import one test folder, check search, then do the rest in batches.
Remember the rule Frontify itself states for its own migrations: data that isn't available through the API doesn't migrate. Ask your new vendor exactly what its importer accepts.
- Rule
- test folder first
- Risk
- fields with no match
Rebuild your guidelines and notify users
Week 4Rebuild your guideline pages in the new tool from the PDF and original source files: vector logos, fonts, color codes. For a design system, start from Figma. Then send the new link to everyone on your audit list.
If automations created or read Frontify assets, through Zapier or an assistant like Claude, point them at the new tool.
- Source
- PDF + original files
- Notify
- everyone on the audit list
Keep access until renewal, then cut
RenewalDon't shut Frontify off on switch day. Keep access until the contract ends so you can grab anything missed: a forgotten template, a video, an archive folder. Open about twenty random files in the new tool and compare them with the originals.
Once the contract ends, assume anything you didn't retrieve is gone.
- Check
- 20 random files
- Cut-off
- at renewal, not before
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
What makes a Frontify exit go wrong
Frontify exits rarely fail because of the new tool. They fail on timing, and on questions nobody asked.
Asking about exports too late
Find out a month before renewal that getting your files back needs a services engagement, and you're negotiating with no leverage. Ask the day you decide, and get the answer in writing.
Assuming guidelines will import
Frontify's block-based guidelines don't import anywhere as-is. The PDF is a blueprint; rebuilding takes time. Budget for it, especially with multiple brands.
Forgetting pages missing from the PDF
Cover pages and library pages don't print. Screenshot them separately or you lose their layout.
Losing metadata
Moving files without their tags leaves you with a library nobody can search. The CSV export is quick: run it for every library first.
Switching two tools at once
Leaving Frontify and moving from Sketch to Figma in the same quarter doubles what can break. One change at a time.
Picking too big or too small
Leaving Frontify for Bynder because it was too expensive, or for a $5 tool when you have 100,000 assets: mirror-image mistakes. Go back to your audit and size the tool to your real volume.
- Audit of guidelines, libraries, portals and audiences done
- Renewal date and notice period noted
- Written answer from Frontify on exporting all files
- Guidelines exported to PDF, covers screenshotted separately
- Metadata from every library exported to CSV
- Number of files retrieved matches CSV rows
- Field map validated on a test folder
- Guidelines rebuilt from original source files
- Agencies, distributors and automations reconnected
- Frontify access kept until renewal
Frontify alternatives: FAQ
How much does Frontify cost?
Frontify doesn't publish pricing. You go through a demo and a quote, and the bill depends on monthly active users (anyone who logs in at least once a month), averaged over six months. The monthly figures quoted on comparison sites don't come from Frontify.
Is there a free version of Frontify?
No. The pricing page lists no free plan. If you want online brand guidelines for free, Brandy has a free plan (one brand, 20 assets) and so does Zeroheight (one editor, one styleguide).
Is Frontify a DAM or a brand management platform?
Both, but it leads with brand: block-based guidelines, portals and templates, with an asset library attached. Bynder and Brandfolder lead with the library. Pick based on what matters more to you: living guidelines or sheer asset volume.
Can I export Frontify guidelines to PDF?
Yes, but it's off by default and has to be enabled per guideline. Cover and library pages aren't included. Turn on background graphics or your color blocks will print blank.
How do I get all my files out before canceling?
That's the question to put to your Frontify contact before the contract ends: we found no public procedure for downloading everything at once. Get the answer in writing, and check what your plan's API allows. In the interface, Frontify's help says the 2,000-asset selection cap has been removed.
Frontify vs Bynder: which one?
Frontify if your priority is living guidelines shared with different audiences. Bynder if your priority is a very large asset library with usage rights. Both are quote-based, so request both quotes for the same scope.
Can Google Drive or Dropbox replace Frontify?
For a team of two or three, often yes, with a PDF style guide alongside. Beyond that, search and permissions get painful. Pics.io adds that layer on top of your own storage. Our switch from Dropbox guide compares storage options too.
How long does it take to leave Frontify?
Plan on about a month for a team with a few libraries, following the eight steps above. File retrieval is the biggest variable. For reference, Frontify quotes 2 to 3 weeks for a services-led migration into its platform, and 1 to 2 months for complex cases.
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One tool to leave, one destination, one exit plan. Nothing else.
