Head-to-head
Frontify vs Brandfolder (Smartsheet)
A fact-based comparison of Frontify and Brandfolder (Smartsheet) for European buyers: ownership, hosting, deployment, pricing model and verified capabilities.
In short
Frontify, a St. 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. Documented capability differences: templating.
Key facts compared
| Frontify | Brandfolder (Smartsheet) | |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | St. Gallen, Switzerland | Denver, United States |
| Founded | 2013 | 2012 |
| Ownership | Private, venture-backed (USD 50 million Series C led by Revaia in September 2021, with HighSage Ventures, EQT Ventures, Blossom Capital and Tenderloin Ventures) | Subsidiary of Smartsheet, which is owned by Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners since January 2025 |
| Status | Active | Acquired, brand continues |
| Segments | Enterprise, Mid-market | Enterprise, Mid-market |
| Deployment | SaaS | SaaS |
| EU data hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Certifications | ISO 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type II, TISAX, Cyber Essentials, Microsoft SSPA | SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001 |
| Pricing model | Custom subscription quoted by Frontify; no public price list for enterprise plans. | Quote-based annual subscription; no public price list. |
| Best for | European brand and marketing teams that want a single brand hub combining approved assets, interactive guidelines and templates for employees, agencies and partners. | 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. |
Capabilities compared
| Frontify | Brandfolder (Smartsheet) | |
|---|---|---|
| AI auto-tagging | Documented | Documented |
| Generative AI | Documented | Not verified |
| Brand portal | Documented | Documented |
| Brand guidelines | Documented | Documented |
| Video management | Documented | Not verified |
| Creative workflow | Partial | Partial |
| Templating | Documented | Partial |
| Rights management | Not verified | Not verified |
| Image CDN and resizing | Not verified | Documented |
| PIM capabilities | Not verified | Not verified |
| Adobe Creative Cloud plugin | Documented | Documented |
| Figma plugin | Documented | Documented |
| Microsoft 365 integration | Not verified | Documented |
| Headless API | Documented | Documented |
Highlighted rows show a documented difference. "Not verified" means public documentation did not confirm the capability.
Where Frontify is strong
- Brand guidelines, asset libraries and templates share one interface, which supports adoption by non-specialist employees and agencies.
- Enterprise data can be hosted in AWS Frankfurt, backed by ISO 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type II and TISAX.
- The AI brand assistant can be customised per guideline, giving users answers grounded in the brand's own rules.
- A growing connector set covers Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud, HubSpot, Sprinklr, Dropbox and Monotype Fonts.
Watch-outs
- Frankfurt hosting is documented for enterprise customers, so smaller contracts should confirm data location explicitly.
- Rights management, product content and print production features are less documented than brand features and need scripted demo testing.
- Pricing is quote-based, which makes early budget comparison harder than with vendors that publish entry plans.
- Deployment is SaaS only, with no on-premises option.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Frontify or Brandfolder (Smartsheet)?
The better choice depends on your requirements. Frontify fits best for: European brand and marketing teams that want a single brand hub combining approved assets, interactive guidelines and templates for employees, agencies and partners. 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. Score both against scripted demo scenarios based on your own assets and integrations.
Where are Frontify and Brandfolder (Smartsheet) headquartered?
Frontify is headquartered in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Brandfolder (Smartsheet) is headquartered in Denver, United States.
Do Frontify and Brandfolder (Smartsheet) offer EU data hosting?
Frontify: Yes, Frontify runs on AWS; enterprise customers can choose to host their data in Frankfurt (Germany) or North Virginia (US). 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. Confirm hosting regions and sub-processors in the contract.