Verdict
An API-first, developer-configurable content platform with DAM features, built for enterprise teams (100+ users) with in-house developers, not a low-code tool for non-technical editors.
A free, self-hosted GPLv3 DAM used by French public-sector, cultural and broadcast institutions with in-house technical staff, now being sunset by its vendor in favor of a paid successor, Phrasea.
A digital asset management platform for enterprises, agencies, museums, and nonprofits, paired with in-house consulting and data-migration services.
An enterprise DAM module within Adobe Experience Manager, for large organizations managing thousands to millions of brand assets across marketing channels.
Price published
No
Yes
No
No
Billed on
Quoted per customer
No licence fee; implementation and support services may be paid
Not disclosed publicly. Plans are differentiated by number of admin users, storage (TB), and number of portals (e.g. Essential: 5 admin users/1TB; Signature: 20 admin users/2TB/3 portals; Premium: 50 admin users/5TB/5 portals); exact per-unit or per-tier prices are not published, visitors must request a consult.
No public price list; sales quote required for both packages (Prime and Ultimate). Adobe's own on-premise product description sheet lists separate license metrics per component — AEM Assets itself is licensed 'Per Instance', 'Users' are licensed 'Per User', Brand Portal is licensed 'Per Brand Portal User', and Dynamic Media/Personalized Media are licensed by 'Page Views per month' — so billing is multi-metric and only available via custom quote, not a single flat per-user or per-GB rate.
Deployment
Cloud
On-premise
Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid
Cloud, On-premise
Free plan
No
Yes
No
No
Free trial
No
No
No
No
Transparency index
10%
90%
Not checked
Not checked
Most common complaint
No prices, and no explicit confirmation of on-premise on the product page
The product is mid-generation: Phrasea is announced to replace Phraseanet in 2026
Not checked
Not checked