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Frame.io and Artstash solve different problems. Frame.io (owned by Adobe) is a video review and collaboration platform: it excels at on-frame annotations, live Camera to Cloud capture from set, and Premiere Pro integration. Artstash is a digital asset manager for game and video teams: it syncs with the storage and version control you already use, previews 2D and 3D formats in the browser, offers frame-by-frame video review and commenting, autotags every asset with AI agents that understand your project, and runs automated QC against your guidelines. If your bottleneck is live-shoot workflows or markup-heavy review, Frame.io is excellent. If your bottleneck is finding, organizing, reviewing, and quality-checking thousands of assets, you need a DAM — and that's Artstash. Some teams use both.
The problem with calling both "creative collaboration tools"
Ask a producer what tool they use to manage assets and you'll often hear "Frame.io." Ask them where their approved key art, character models, source PSDs, and last quarter's winning ad variants live, and the answer changes: "Google Drive... mostly. Some in Perforce. Some in Slack, honestly."
That gap is the whole comparison. Frame.io is where video goes to be reviewed. It was never designed to be the system of record for a game studio's or ad team's full asset library.
Head-to-head
| Frame.io | Artstash | |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | Video review & approval | Digital asset management for 2D/3D teams |
| File types | Video-first, images, PDFs | FBX, OBJ, GLTF, PSD, PSB, AI, SVG, video, and more — previewed in-browser |
| 3D support | No meaningful 3D preview | Native 3D preview, no software installs |
| Storage model | Uploads to Frame.io cloud, tiered caps (2–3 TB on team plans) | Syncs with your existing storage: Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, Git, Perforce, Diversion — no migration, no cap |
| Search & tagging | Metadata + visual search (beta, higher tiers) | AI agents that learn your game/project and autotag raw and produced assets automatically |
| QC | Manual — humans leave comments | Auto-QC against your guidelines — resolution, naming, style and spec checks before a human ever looks |
| Version control integration | None (camera-to-cloud is ingest, not VCS) | Git, Perforce Helix Core, Diversion — artists' work visible without P4V or git clients |
| Review & comments | Frame-accurate comments plus on-frame drawing/annotations | Frame-by-frame video review and comments, plus asset-level feedback for stills and 3D (no draw-on annotations) |
| Live shoot workflows | Camera to Cloud (C2C) streams footage from set in near real time | Not supported — Artstash syncs once files land in your storage |
| Pricing | Per-seat, from ~$15/user/mo; free tier 2 GB | Free for up to 2 users; Team from $20/user/mo |
| Best for | Post-production, live shoots, and markup-heavy review | Game studios, UA/ad teams, and any team drowning in mixed 2D/3D assets |
Where Frame.io wins
Honesty builds trust, so let's be clear about where Frame.io leads. Two things stand out: on-frame annotations — reviewers can draw directly on a frame to mark up exactly what needs changing, which Artstash doesn't offer — and Camera to Cloud (C2C), which streams footage from a live shoot into review in near real time. If your production days depend on live-from-set dailies or markup-heavy review rounds, Frame.io earns its place. The rebuilt Premiere Pro panel and transcription are excellent too.
Worth knowing, though: Artstash does include frame-by-frame video review and commenting. The gap is narrower than "review tool vs storage tool" — it's specifically annotations and live capture, not video review itself.
Where Frame.io users hit the wall
The teams who come to us from Frame.io usually describe one of three walls:
1. "Half our assets can't even go in it." Game and 3D-heavy teams produce FBX models, PSD source files, texture sets, and engine-ready exports. Frame.io can store them but can't preview or make sense of them. Artstash previews advanced 2D and 3D formats directly in the browser, so your producer can inspect a rigged model without opening Maya.
2. "We're paying to duplicate storage we already have." Frame.io requires uploading into its cloud, with caps that high-volume teams blow through. Artstash connects to the storage and version control you already run — Drive, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, Git, Perforce, Diversion — and layers search, previews, tagging, review, and QC on top. Your files stay where they are.
3. "Review comments don't scale to thousands of assets." Frame.io's model is humans watching and commenting. When a studio outsources 3,000 assets or a UA team produces 200 ad variants a month, manual review becomes the bottleneck. Artstash's auto-QC checks incoming assets against your written guidelines — specs, naming, resolution, style rules — and flags violations automatically, so your leads review exceptions, not everything.
The part nobody else does: agents that understand your game
Tagging is where DAMs historically die — nobody maintains tags manually. Artstash ships AI agents that learn your specific project: your characters, environments, art style, and asset types. Every raw file and every produced asset, 2D or 3D, gets tagged automatically. That's what makes "find the winning Q2 ad variant with the werewolf character" a search query instead of an archaeology project.
Can you use both?
Yes, and teams with live shoots often should: Frame.io for Camera to Cloud capture and annotation-heavy review during production, Artstash as the system of record for everything — including the videos Frame.io helped you finish, the raw footage, the 3D sources, and the hundred variants that came out the other end. For teams without live-shoot workflows, Artstash's built-in frame-by-frame review and commenting may be all the video review you need.
Bottom line
Choose Frame.io if you need on-frame annotations or live Camera to Cloud capture from set. Choose Artstash if you need every asset — 2D, 3D, raw, produced — organized, searchable, previewable, reviewable frame by frame, and quality-checked without manual effort. Start free with up to 2 users, connected to the storage you already use, in minutes: get started or see pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Is Artstash a Frame.io alternative?
For asset management, yes — and Artstash includes frame-by-frame video review and commenting, so many teams can replace Frame.io outright. Frame.io remains stronger for on-frame drawing annotations and live Camera to Cloud capture from set, and the two work well together for teams that need those.
Does Frame.io support 3D files like FBX or GLTF?
Frame.io is built for video and image review and does not offer meaningful 3D previews. Artstash previews FBX, OBJ, 3DS, GLTF and other 3D formats in the browser.
Do I have to migrate my files into Artstash?
No. Artstash syncs with Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, Git, Perforce Helix Core, and Diversion. Files stay in your existing storage.
How much does Artstash cost?
Artstash is free for up to 2 users (Indie plan). Team plans are $20 per user/month and Professional $25 per user/month. See pricing.
