--- title: "Brandfolder vs Shade: Brand DAM vs Media Library" description: "Compare Brandfolder and Shade on libraries, approvals, integrations and security, plus how Recharm handles videos and images." url: https://www.recharm.com/compare/brandfolder-vs-shade --- # BRANDFOLDER VS SHADE: Don't Reshoot It. _Resurface It._ How Brandfolder and Shade compare for videos and images, and where Recharm fits. [Start 14 days free trial](https://www.recharm.com/get-started) ## Brandfolder vs Shade at a Glance Both are asset libraries with approvals and portals. Brandfolder centers on brand portals and guidelines. Shade centers on a cloud drive that mounts like a local one. - **Brandfolder** adds Video AI on its Premium tier, with auto-tags and speech-to-text transcription. - **Shade** mounts its cloud drive in your file explorer with ShadeFS, streaming only the parts of a file you need. - **Recharm** is $299 a month with unlimited users, and cuts videos into clips you can tag and search with AI. Search and clips are in preview. ## Brandfolder vs Shade Comparison Table | Criterion | Brandfolder | Shade | Recharm | | --------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Core File and Video Management** | | | | | Purpose-built for ad creative organization | Not offered | Not offered | Offered | | Store and manage video files | Offered | Offered | Offered | | Create modular video clips | Not published | Not published | Offered, preview feature | | Categorize videos by scene | Not published | Not published | Offered, preview feature | | Categorize images by theme | Offered | Offered | Offered, preview feature on a higher-tier plan or paid add-on | | Auto-sync with Google Drive, Dropbox and Frame.io | Not published | Not published | Offered | | **Search and Discovery** | | | | | Keyword and metadata search | Offered | Offered | Offered | | Transcript search (find by spoken words) | Offered on a higher-tier plan only | Offered | Offered | | AI visual search in images | Offered | Offered | Offered, preview feature on a higher-tier plan or paid add-on | | AI visual search in video (find by appearance, objects, scenes) | Not published | Offered | Offered, preview feature | | Search at the clip level inside a video | Not published | Not published | Offered, preview feature | | **Organization and Collaboration** | | | | | Tags, metadata and duplicate detection | Offered | Offered | Offered | | Collections and boards for grouping assets | Offered | Offered | Offered | | Deep links to specific clips or moments | Not published | Not published | Offered | | Usage rights tracking | Not published | Not published | Offered on the Managed plan | | Commenting and feedback on assets | Offered | Offered | Coming soon | | Review and approval workflows | Offered | Offered | Not offered | | Shareable links for assets | Offered | Offered | Offered | | Branded portals for teams and partners | Offered | Offered | Not offered | | Brand guidelines hub | Offered | Not published | Not offered | | Integrations with creative tools and CMS | Offered | Offered | Offered | | **Creative Analytics** | | | | | Ad performance metrics next to the creative | Not published | Not published | Offered | | Asset usage and engagement reporting | Offered on a higher-tier plan only | Not published | Not published | | **Built for Ads and Claude** | | | | | Ad-specific tags (angle, persona, problem, emotion) | Not published | Not published | Offered | | Creative briefs | Not published | Not published | Offered | | Connects to Claude (plugin or MCP server) | Not published | Offered | Offered | | Claude builds creative briefs from your library | Not published | Not published | Offered | | Claude makes ads and videos from your library | Not published | Not published | Offered | | **Managed Services** | | | | | Done-for-you tagging by creator and product | Not published | Not published | Offered | | Custom A-roll and B-roll splicing | Not published | Not published | Offered | | Re-organization as needs evolve | Not published | Not published | Offered | | **Governance and Security** | | | | | Role-based access and permissions | Offered | Offered | Offered | | Single sign-on | Offered on a higher-tier plan only | Offered on a higher-tier plan only | Not published | | Published security certifications | Not published | Offered | Not published | | **Pricing and Setup** | | | | | Published pricing | Not offered | Offered | Offered | | No per-seat pricing | Not published | Not offered | Offered | | Free trial | Not published | Offered | Offered | - Offered - Not offered - Not published on the vendor's site - Preview feature - Managed plan - Higher-tier plan or paid add-on only - Coming soon ## Videos and Images Deserve a DAM of Their Own. _Meet Recharm._ Recharm is a video-first asset library built to find the right clip fast. - **AI tagging** Tag videos automatically, and sort images with the AI image add-on (preview) - **AI visual search** Find footage by what's in the frame (preview) - **Clip cutting** Cut videos into clips to find the exact moment (preview) - **Claude plugin** Turn your library into creative briefs and videos with Claude ## Frequently Asked Questions ### #### What are Brandfolder and Shade each built for? Brandfolder focuses on brand portals and guidelines, and Shade on a cloud drive that mounts like a local one. Recharm puts video first, with AI tags and clips that point to the exact moment (search and clips in preview). ### #### How do Brandfolder and Shade handle video? Both store and share video. Brandfolder's Premium tier brings Video AI, with auto-tags and transcription, and Shade offers timestamped comments and AI search across transcripts and faces. Recharm cuts videos into clips so you can find the exact moment (in preview). ### #### Do Brandfolder and Shade offer approval workflows? Yes, both do. Brandfolder supports asset approvals, with comments and annotations. Shade tracks approval status in metadata alongside timestamped review. Recharm does not, so teams record approvals outside the library. ### #### Do Brandfolder and Shade connect to Claude and AI tools? Brandfolder shows no Claude or MCP connection. Shade shows an MCP server. Recharm's Claude plugin builds creative briefs and videos from your library. ### #### Do Brandfolder, Shade and Recharm offer a free trial? Brandfolder lists no free trial and routes buyers to a demo. Shade has a free trial on Growth. Recharm offers a 14-day free trial. ## Start with _Your Own Footage_ Import a folder of raw footage and see the difference clip-level search makes. or explore Recharm’s [features](https://www.recharm.com/features) and [pricing](https://www.recharm.com/pricing)