Bynder is one of the most well-known digital asset management (DAM) systems. Launched in 2013 as Bynder Webdam (it’s now just Bynder), it has a huge list of features and is used by global companies like Puma and Five Guys.
But if you work for a growing brand or a small business, you could be overwhelmed by Bynder’s complexity, extensive list of features (not all of which you’ll use) and expensive price tag.
If that rings true, you’ve come to the right place. We regularly talk to customers who’re in the process of comparing Bynder to Dash (our DAM system) and other competitors, so we’ve got some pointers for you.
Keep scrolling if you’re considering Bynder for your growing brand but want to brush up on alternative options before taking the plunge.
Bynder pros
Bynder has a lot of things going for it. If you have the budget, it could be a good option for your business. Here’s some of the main benefits customers talk about in Bynder reviews.
Lots of features
At last count, Bynder talks about 9 main feature modules on their website, all of which cover a range of different use-cases - from creative workflow management to brand templates for printing materials. It’s one of the most extensive feature lists provided by a DAM system (ourselves included).
Great fit for large brands
From the client logos they feature on their site, it’s clear Bynder’s target market is big brands. It's a reputable enterprise DAM tool is designed to help global businesses solve the complex problems involved in organising and deploying their brand visuals, across many different teams and locations. And it’s darn good at it. So if you’re a large company, Bynder’s probably right up your alley.
Bynder cons
But like with any software decision, there’s drawbacks to weigh up before deciding on which to go with. Here’s what we hear from Dash prospects (who are mostly SMEs / SMBs) when they’ve been looking into Bynder.
Expensive pricing
Let’s start with a big one - Bynder pricing. From what we’re able to tell, Bynder’s pricing starts at $450 a month for its basic package. The costs grow as you add more users and features to your subscription. This means it's not necessarily the right fit for small businesses with tighter budgets.
Complexity
Remember all those features we mentioned? That’s great if you’re going to use all of them. But if you’re a growing brand with less complicated requirements, features you don’t need can get in the way and make the product difficult to use. And that’s especially true if not all of your team are tech-savvy.
Difficulty setting up
The more complicated a product, the harder it is to get it embedded in your business and the trickier time you’ll have training your colleagues and partners. If you’re a larger brand with complex requirements, spending that time will be well worth it. But if you’re a smaller business, it could slow you down and get in the way of the work you’re trying to do.
The best Bynder alternatives
With all that being said, here’s a handful of Bynder competitors you could look into when comparing DAM vendors:
Dash - for SMBs and growing brands
Dash is a better fit for SMEs and growing brands. It’s ideal if you’re after an easy-to-use DAM to organise and share your images, videos and marketing content. Bynder would be a better fit if you have a bigger budget and are looking for a DAM which goes beyond the usual requirements - like supporting creative project management.
Brandfolder - for middle market to enterprise companies
Brandfolder most likely has the largest overlap with Bynder in terms of the companies that use their system. They’re both designed for large companies starting to scratch the ceiling of becoming an enterprise. However, if review site ITQlick is correct, it looks like it’s more expensive to start with Brandfolder which costs about $1,600 per feature.
Canto - for middle market companies
Canto is a solid option if you don’t want to go with Bynder and you don’t have the budget for Brandfolder. Although, starting at $600 a month (or $7,200 a year), it’s still pricey and customer reviews cite a few issues with the platform, like it’s UX and ease-of-use. Check out our Canto comparison article if you want to find out more.
Widen - for enterprise content management
The majority of Widen’s customers work for companies with a thousand or more employees. That’s according to their G2 profile at least. From what we’re able to tell, their pricing matches their enterprise audience too, starting at an eye-watering $29,000 a year. But hey, enterprise brands have enterprise budgets right?
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Resource
The digital asset management comparison worksheet
Whittle down your choices and pick the right digital asset management tool for your brand
How Bynder compares to Dash for your small business
Growing your brand and trying to decide whether to go with Bynder or Dash? We’ve got you covered. Here’s how the two DAM tools stack up for small businesses.
Bynder vs. Dash - features
Bynder is one of the most fully-featured DAM vendors out there. Going off their GetApp review profile, they list 96 features available for you to use. This includes the core DAM features as well as others, like marketing calendars, location control and multi-language support to name a few.
Straight up: Dash has about half the features Bynder does. Our thinking is that adding extra features only a few customers would use detracts from the overall product experience for everybody.
Instead, we focus on the core needs a small business has when creating the single source of truth for their digital files and marketing assets. You can organise and search for your content, share it with your team, and get it ready for your marketing campaigns. Dash offers more advanced features important to growing brands too, like permission controls and content upload approvals.
Take it from Theo, graphic designer for CBD brand Goodrays. In his words:
“Dash is so much more functional than any shared drive for image assets I’ve experienced in the past. If we didn’t have Dash, it’d slow me down and increase the repetitive tasks I have to do.”
Dash doesn’t lock features behind expensive tiers, either. All our features, and unlimited users, are available from day one.
So if you’re deciding which product to go with based purely on the number of features, Bynder wins out. We’ll just leave you with this - think about what you actually want your DAM to do, and be wary of paying extra for features that sound fancy but which you’ll never use.
Bynder vs. Dash - UX and usability
Bynder’s UX and usability is pretty good! You can take a look around their site and watch their product tour videos to get a sense of it. It feels similar to a shared drive in how it presents your digital assets.
It’s been rated as G2’s 11th easiest-to-use DAM (as of January 2023). Admirable, considering there’s currently 260 DAM vendors active on the software comparison site.
But… you know which DAM tool won first place in the same report? It’s us. 😉 Dash is officially the number 1 easiest-to-use DAM according to G2.
Almost every Dash user is a creative person. They’re designing, using and sending creative assets every day. They really care about their creatives. So why keep them in a tool that doesn’t do their visuals justice? We want Dash users to be inspired by their visual assets, so we’ve made sure our UX does their content justice. Here’s what it looks like:
Bynder vs. Dash - integrations
Dash and Bynder offer some of the same integrations with a few notable differences.
Bynder beats Dash on the number of integrations overall. They work with tools found in the tech stacks of bigger brands, like Getty Images, HubSpot and Mobius Labs.
For Dash, we focus on the tools most likely found in the tech stack of growing brands. Like Bynder, we integrate with Canva, Hootsuite and Adobe Creative Suite, as well as a few Bynder doesn’t - such as Shopify and Figma.
Bynder vs. Dash - customer service
Both DAM vendors rank well in terms of the customer service they offer. According to G2’s comparison report, reviewers ranked the quality of Dash’s customer support score as 96 out of 100, while Bynder’s was only slightly behind at 91.
That being said, Bynder will be more geared toward providing support for big companies working across multiple locations who require lengthy onboarding processes.
Dash, however, is designed for SMB businesses. It’s really easy to get in touch with us - you can just start a chat with us within the app and talk to an actual person. We’ll also migrate your digital content to Dash from Drive, Dropbox, or wherever they’re kept, for free. And we’ll set up onboarding calls with you to make sure you’re getting the most out of your Dash.
Our onboarding team is also one of the key reasons 85% of customers are up and running with their account in less than a month, according to a G2 comparison report. Only 11% of Bynder customers said the same.
Bynder vs. Dash - pricing
Okay, let’s talk cold hard cash.
Most DAM vendors (cough - not us - cough 😇) are secretive about their pricing. It’s like they got in a room one day and were like “hey, let’s make people jump through loads of hoops before they can even figure out whether they can afford us or not”.
That makes things trickier for you, dear reader, when deciding which tool to go for.
So we’ve done a bit of research. From what we can tell, Bynder’s basic package sets you back $450 a month or $5,400 a year. They have a traditional pricing model, where you’ll be charged by user numbers and the types of features you decide to bolt-on to your subscription.
Dash does things a little differently. From $59 a month it’s cheaper to get started. But that’s not all - we don’t charge you for extra features or users. That means you get unlimited users and access to every feature as soon as you sign up.
Instead, our pricing is based on the number of assets in your account and how many monthly downloads you want to do. Check out our pricing page for more detail.
Paying only for what you’re using means it’s going to be much easier, and faster, to earn back your DAM ROI, too.
Take it from Nathan, COO of furniture brand RJ Living:
“We’re a growing business but we’re small, too. If we went with one of [Dash’s] competitors, it would be a case of us paying an astronomical price for functionality that wasn’t relevant to our needs.”
How to decide which DAM is best for you
There’s a lot to mull over here, so let’s summarise. Here’s what to consider when deciding which DAM tool to go for:
- The requirements you and your stakeholders have. Talk to your marketing team, design team - everyone who will use your DAM. Agree which features are deal breakers, which are ‘nice to have’, and which you can live without.
- The budget you have to work with.
- How much time and effort you’re willing to invest in making your DAM a success.
- The quality of your interactions with the support and sales team. These are the people who you’ll need to get in touch with if you need help.
- To help you out, download our editable DAM comparison spreadsheet to whittle down your favourites.
If, after reading this, you’re leaning more toward Dash, feel free to book a demo with one of our team - they’d be happy to chat! Or if you’d rather trial Dash yourself, you can create a free, no-strings trial account.
