Verdict
An open-source PHP/Symfony platform unifying PIM, DAM, CMS and MDM on one codebase, for teams with in-house developers or an integrator partner rather than a marketing team wanting to self-serve.
A team file library billed as a flat monthly fee with unlimited users, aimed at organisations where most people only need to download an approved file a few times a month.
An open-source, community-governed digital repository platform on Drupal, for libraries, archives, and museums to manage digital collections.
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.
Price published
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Billed on
Annual licence per edition, not per user
Flat price per account — users are not a billing unit
No published price on islandora.ca — the core software is free open source ("free to use and always will be"). Paid options are hosting/installation/migration/support/training contracts sold by independent third-party service providers listed on islandora.ca/service-providers (e.g. Born-Digital, discoverygarden); islandora.ca itself does not publish their rates or billing units.
No licence fee; implementation and support services may be paid
Deployment
On-premise, Cloud
Cloud
On-premise, Cloud
On-premise
Free plan
Yes
No
No
Yes
Free trial
No
Yes
No
No
Transparency index
100%
70%
Not checked
90%
Most common complaint
It is a broader platform than a DAM — some capability has to be built rather than switched on
Storage ceilings are modest next to enterprise platforms, so large video libraries outgrow the tiers quickly
Not checked
The product is mid-generation: Phrasea is announced to replace Phraseanet in 2026