--- title: "Pics.io vs Shade: DAM on Your Storage vs Media Library" description: "Compare Pics.io and Shade on libraries, approvals, integrations and security, plus how Recharm handles videos and images." url: https://www.recharm.com/compare/pics-io-vs-shade --- # PICS.IO VS SHADE: The Right Clip Takes Seconds. _Finding It Shouldn't Take Hours._ How Pics.io and Shade compare for videos and images, and where Recharm fits. [Start 14 days free trial](https://www.recharm.com/get-started) ## Pics.io vs Shade at a Glance Both are asset libraries with portals and sharing. Pics.io centers on commenting, version control and sharing portals. Shade centers on a cloud drive that mounts like a local one. - **Pics.io** lists a bring-your-own-storage option alongside its built-in storage. - **Shade** mounts its cloud drive in your file explorer with ShadeFS, streaming only the parts of a file you need. - **Recharm** is a video-first library at $299 a month with unlimited users, with AI tagging and clip cutting that help you find the exact moment. Search and clips are in preview. ## Pics.io vs Shade Comparison Table | Criterion | Pics.io | 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 | Offered on a higher-tier plan only | Not published | Offered, preview feature | | Categorize images by theme | Offered on a higher-tier plan only | 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 on a higher-tier plan only | Offered | Offered, preview feature on a higher-tier plan or paid add-on | | AI visual search in video (find by appearance, objects, scenes) | Offered on a higher-tier plan only | Offered | Offered, preview feature | | Search at the clip level inside a video | Offered on a higher-tier plan only | 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 | Offered on a higher-tier plan only | 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 | Not published | Offered | Not offered | | Shareable links for assets | Offered | Offered | Offered | | Branded portals for teams and partners | Offered | Offered | Not offered | | Brand guidelines hub | Not published | 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 | 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) | Offered | 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 | Offered on a higher-tier plan only | Not published | | Published security certifications | Not published | Offered | Not published | | **Pricing and Setup** | | | | | Published pricing | Offered | Offered | Offered | | No per-seat pricing | Not offered | Not offered | Offered | | Free trial | Offered | 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 Pics.io and Shade each built for? Pics.io focuses on commenting, version control and sharing portals, and Shade on a cloud drive that mounts like a local one. Recharm is built around video, so you can tag clips and find the exact moment (search and clips in preview). ### #### How do Pics.io and Shade handle video? Both store and share video. Pics.io's AI video search add-on jumps to timestamped moments, 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 Pics.io and Shade offer approval workflows? Pics.io has commenting and version control, but lists no approval workflows. Shade tracks approval status in metadata alongside timestamped review. Recharm does not offer approvals, so teams record them outside the library. ### #### Do Pics.io and Shade connect to Claude and AI tools? Both do. Pics.io shows an MCP server in its plan comparison. Shade shows an MCP server. Recharm's Claude plugin builds creative briefs and videos from your library. ### #### Do Pics.io, Shade and Recharm offer a free trial? Pics.io has a 7-day free trial. 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)