Head-to-head
Brandfolder (Smartsheet) vs Bynder
A fact-based comparison of Brandfolder (Smartsheet) and Bynder for European buyers: ownership, hosting, deployment, pricing model and verified capabilities.
In short
Brandfolder, a Denver-founded cloud DAM launched in 2012 and now sold as Brandfolder by Smartsheet, targets marketing and brand teams that value fast adoption. Bynder, an Amsterdam-headquartered DAM vendor founded in 2013, is one of the largest SaaS DAM providers, serving more than 4,000 brands. Documented capability differences: creative workflow, templating.
Key facts compared
| Brandfolder (Smartsheet) | Bynder | |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Denver, United States | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Founded | 2012 | 2013 |
| Ownership | Subsidiary of Smartsheet, which is owned by Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners since January 2025 | Private equity-backed (Thomas H. Lee Partners, 58% majority stake agreed in December 2022) |
| Status | Acquired, brand continues | Active |
| Segments | Enterprise, Mid-market | Enterprise, Mid-market |
| Deployment | SaaS | SaaS |
| EU data hosting | Yes | Unknown |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001 | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022, ISO 27018:2019, ISO 22301:2019 |
| Pricing model | Quote-based annual subscription; no public price list. | Custom annual subscription based on modules, users and storage; no list prices published. |
| Best for | Marketing and brand teams, especially existing Smartsheet customers, that want a fast-to-adopt cloud DAM with analytics and web delivery for many occasional users. | Mid-market and enterprise brand and marketing teams that want a widely integrated SaaS DAM with workflow and templating, especially in Europe. |
Capabilities compared
| Brandfolder (Smartsheet) | Bynder | |
|---|---|---|
| AI auto-tagging | Documented | Documented |
| Generative AI | Not verified | Not verified |
| Brand portal | Documented | Documented |
| Brand guidelines | Documented | Not verified |
| Video management | Not verified | Documented |
| Creative workflow | Partial | Documented |
| Templating | Partial | Documented |
| Rights management | Not verified | Not verified |
| Image CDN and resizing | Documented | Documented |
| PIM capabilities | Not verified | Not offered |
| Adobe Creative Cloud plugin | Documented | Documented |
| Figma plugin | Documented | Documented |
| Microsoft 365 integration | Documented | Documented |
| Headless API | Documented | Documented |
Highlighted rows show a documented difference. "Not verified" means public documentation did not confirm the capability.
Where Brandfolder (Smartsheet) is strong
- Interface designed for quick adoption by marketers, sales teams and agencies with little training.
- Brand Intelligence adds AI tagging, duplicate detection, similar-asset discovery and asset scoring in the core product.
- Smart CDN links let teams embed approved assets on websites and keep them updated from the DAM.
- Native connection to Smartsheet work management links campaign planning with content delivery.
Watch-outs
- Region selection for European storage is not documented publicly, so EU data residency needs contractual confirmation.
- Roadmap decisions sit with Smartsheet and its private equity owners, which buyers should probe during due diligence.
- Creative workflow and templating rely partly on Smartsheet and partner integrations such as Storyteq and Templafy.
Where Bynder is strong
- Broad integration catalogue across creative, PIM, CMS, commerce, social and Microsoft 365 tools.
- Security certifications include SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022, ISO 27018:2019 and ISO 22301:2019.
- Modular add-ons (Content Workflow, Asset Workflow, Studio, Analytics, CX Omnichannel) let buyers start small and expand.
- European headquarters and offices give EU buyers local sales, support and contract entities.
Watch-outs
- Modular pricing means total cost depends heavily on which add-ons, users and storage tiers are licensed.
- Marketing spend and project portfolio management are thinner than in MRM-oriented platforms such as Aprimo.
- Bynder's public product pages do not state specific EU hosting regions, so confirm residency in the contract.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Brandfolder (Smartsheet) or Bynder?
The better choice depends on your requirements. Brandfolder (Smartsheet) fits best for: Marketing and brand teams, especially existing Smartsheet customers, that want a fast-to-adopt cloud DAM with analytics and web delivery for many occasional users. Bynder fits best for: Mid-market and enterprise brand and marketing teams that want a widely integrated SaaS DAM with workflow and templating, especially in Europe. Score both against scripted demo scenarios based on your own assets and integrations.
Where are Brandfolder (Smartsheet) and Bynder headquartered?
Brandfolder (Smartsheet) is headquartered in Denver, United States. Bynder is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Do Brandfolder (Smartsheet) and Bynder offer EU data hosting?
Brandfolder (Smartsheet): Yes, Assets are stored on Google Cloud Storage, and Brandfolder states global storage locations in the US and Europe. The selection process for the European location is not described publicly. Bynder: Unknown, Bynder hosts on AWS and states that hosting and storage are designed to meet EU data protection requirements; specific regions are documented in its trust portal, which DAM Atlas did not review. Confirm hosting regions and sub-processors in the contract.