vs.
Canto built the first DAM. We built the next one.
Canto has been at this for more than thirty years and more or less invented the category. Credit where it's due. But you would build a library differently today: AI search from the first plan, viewers that cost nothing, prices you can read without talking to anyone. Here is Canto next to Clipido in 2026, with a source behind every line.
Canto and Clipido, side by side. The long version, with every source, is at the bottom of this page.
| What you're comparing | Clipido Best value for money | Canto |
|---|---|---|
Transparent pricing | Yes, on the website | No, four plans and not one price1 |
Price per year | €7,500 for 1 TB, all in | Quote only; Canto's own AWS bundle with 2 TB and 5 power users starts at €21,9307 |
AI search | Included, Starter too | Only from the second plan up1 |
Viewers | Unlimited, free | Their own seat pool, capped per plan2 |
Live in | 2 weeks, with our own team | 2.8 months on average, by their own numbers3 |
Language and support | Our own team in Belgium, English or Dutch | Site and sales in English and German; the interface itself covers more5 |
Integrations | The tools marcom teams use daily | Over forty, from Adobe to Shopify6 |
| See the full comparison | ||
The 4 biggest differences between Canto and Clipido. For most marketing teams in 2026, Clipido is the obvious DAM choice.
Asset Intelligence (AI) is in every plan
At Canto it starts on the second plan.
Viewers cost nothing
At Canto, viewing roles use up seats too.
Prices are on the site
Canto shows four plans and not one price.
Live in two weeks
Canto's own average is 2.8 months.
When is Clipido the right call? For most marketing teams, Canto isn't the obvious DAM choice anymore.
You're coming from Google Drive, SharePoint or a local server.
The folder tree stopped working a while ago. You want tags people actually fill in, permissions per team or department, search that knows what's in a photo, and a share link that doesn't expire at the worst possible moment.
You're on a DAM that costs under $25,000 a year.
You're paying premium rates for the basics, and every extra piece is a module with a price tag of its own. Better software exists by now: more modern, usually simpler, just as strong at what a marcom team does every day.
This is what to expect from Canto. Four plans on the pricing page and not one price. Here is what is known about the three DAM plans.
Clipido €7,500 per year | Canto Core Essentials quote only | Canto DAM PLUS quote only | Canto DAM PRO quote only | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Plan | ||||
Price per year | €7,500 per year | Quote only; third parties estimate €5,265 to €10,5254estimate | Quote only; Canto's AWS bundle with AI starts at €21,9307estimate | Quote only, through sales1 |
Admins | 5 | Power users, seats set by plan2 | Power users, seats set by plan2 | Power users, seats set by plan2 |
Users | 250 | Power users, sharing the admin seats2 | Power users, sharing the admin seats2 | Power users, sharing the admin seats2 |
Viewers | Free | Consumers and guests, their own seat pool2 | Consumers and guests, their own seat pool2 | Consumers and guests, their own seat pool2 |
Storage | 1 TB | Custom, never published1 | Custom; the AWS bundle holds 2 TB7 | Extended, custom1 |
Modules | ||||
AI search | Included | Not on this plan1 | Included1 | Included1 |
Face recognition | €900 / year | Not includedestimate | Ask your account manager8 | Ask your account manager8 |
Review and proofing | Included | Not includedestimate | Included1 | Includedestimate |
Brand templates | No | Not includedestimate | Included1 | Includedestimate |
White-label and portals | Full branding | Not mentioned1 | Brand portals you can style1 | Brand portals you can styleestimate |
Watermarking | €600 / year | Inside Digital Rights Management, plan unstated8 | Inside Digital Rights Management, plan unstated8 | Inside Digital Rights Management, plan unstated8 |
SSO | €900 / year | Available, plan unstated9 | Available, plan unstated9 | Available, with extra security and compliance1 |
Integrations | The tools marcom teams use daily | Over forty6 | Over forty6 | Over forty, plus CRM and ERP1 |
Onboarding | Live in 2 weeks | 2.8 months to go live, on average3 | 2.8 months to go live, on average3 | Dedicated onboarding and training1 |
“No more wasting time searching for things, or sometimes having to ask for them again because you could not find them. That is where the real gain is.”
Trusted by teams that can't afford to lose a thing. Years of work deserve a place that is always there.
Every claim on this page has a source. Checked 19 August 2026. Prices are negotiable at both vendors.
- 1Canto, Plans & pricing
Four plans with feature lists and not a single price; every tier ends in “Get pricing” or “Talk to sales”. Core Essentials sticks to storage, search and security. “AI search and organize” only shows up on the second plan, DAM PLUS, alongside review and approval with proofing, dynamic brand templates and brand portals you can style. DAM PRO adds AI search and tagging, dedicated onboarding, extended storage, CRM and ERP integrations and extra security. DAM for Products is the PIM plan, which we leave out here.
- 2Canto Help Center, An introduction to user roles
Canto's own docs: “Administrators, Contributors and custom roles are considered power users and share their seat allocation, while Consumers and guests have a separate pool of seats.” How many seats each role gets depends on your plan, and extra ones go through your account manager.
- 3Canto, Canto vs Bynder
Canto reports going live in 2.8 months on average against Bynder's 3.9, citing the G2 Summer 2026 Enterprise Grid Report. The same page advertises “unlimited end users”, which is hard to square with the seat pools in their own docs, so we don't claim Canto bills per user.
- 4Masset, DAM pricing in 2026
Puts Canto's entry point at $6,000 to $12,000 a year (7 July 2026) and says outright that Canto confirms none of it. Neither Vendr nor SpendHound publishes contract data for Canto, so there is no measured median to quote.
- 5Canto, About us, Imprint and language settings
Canto calls itself “the original digital asset management platform” and has been in the category for over thirty years. The imprint lists Canto GmbH in Berlin and Canto, Inc. in the US. The website comes in English and German; the interface supports more, set per user (support.canto.com, Change Canto's language settings).
- 6Canto, Integrations
Over forty integrations, including Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft 365, WordPress, Canva, HubSpot and Shopify.
- 7AWS Marketplace, Canto Digital Asset Management (DAM)
Canto's own listing, sold by Canto, Inc.: “Canto DAM Package: AI powered DAM | 2 TB | 5 Power Users | Support”, $25,000 per twelve months, “Contact for custom pricing”. The only price Canto publishes anywhere. It is a channel price for one bundle rather than a price list, and Canto never says which plan the bundle belongs to.
- 8Canto Help Center, Apply Watermarks and Facial Recognition
Watermarking lives inside Digital Rights Management, which you switch on in the settings; face recognition “may need to be enabled for your account first. Contact your Canto Account Manager”. Which plan includes what, they do not say.
- 9Canto, Security features
SSO and MFA available; data on AWS in Ireland, Germany, the US, Canada and Australia; SOC 2, ISO 27001:2022 and GDPR. No breakdown by plan.
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