Acquia DAM vs Canto: Which Digital Asset Management is Better in 2025?

Which Digital Asset Management is right for you — Acquia DAM or Canto? In this Acquia DAM vs Canto comparison we’ll go through their pricing, features and alternatives so you can make the right decision.

Acquia DAM

Acquia DAM (formerly Widen Collective) is an enterprise digital asset management solution that helps brands organize and distribute content across teams, tools, and channels. Aimed at large marketing and product-centric organizations, it offers an easy-to-use yet highly configurable platform for managing a company’s entire content library in one place. Acquia DAM is known for its flexible metadata schema, powerful search, AI auto-tagging, and tight integrations with other systems, making it a go-to for enterprises seeking brand consistency and efficiency in content operations.

Best Acquia DAM Alternative

Canto

Canto is a long-standing leader in digital asset management, offering an AI-powered platform for brands to centralize, organize, and share their digital assets seamlessly. It’s particularly popular among mid-sized companies for its balance of powerful features and an intuitive interface. Canto empowers marketing teams to find files instantly, streamline collaboration, and automate content distribution, ensuring brand consistency and faster campaign execution.

Best Canto Alternative

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Features

Essentials

Email Notifications

Watermarking

Feature Requests

Sharing & Security

Private Galleries

Custom Domain

Watermarking

Track Activity

Password Protection

Website Embed

Collaborators

Team Members

Proofing & Workflow

Track Activity

Version Control

Favorites

Comments

Annotations

Approval Status

Approval Limits

Color Labels

Custom Labels

Review Filter

Pricing Comparison

Acquia DAM Pricing

Acquia DAM uses a custom pricing model tailored to each client’s needs. There are no public price lists. Instead, Acquia will assess factors such as the number of users, storage volume, and modules (e.g., you might license the DAM core, with add-ons for PIM, Templates, or additional integrations) to provide a quote. In general, it’s considered a premium enterprise solution, so pricing will reflect that. There is no free tier, but Acquia may offer a sandbox or trial period for evaluation if you work with their sales team. According to third-party data, Acquia DAM plans often start in the five-figure annual range, scaling up based on usage. If transparency or self-serve pricing is important, you won’t find that on their website, and you’ll need to contact Acquia for a custom proposal.

Canto Pricing

Pricing details and plans of Canto (canto.com)

Canto offers a few package tiers but does not list prices publicly – it typically provides a tailored quote based on user needs and storage requirements. Historically, Canto’s pricing has been mid-range in the DAM market, often appealing to mid-sized businesses as a more accessible option than some competitors that cater exclusively to enterprises. They typically offer packages such as Professional and Enterprise, which differ in terms of the number of user seats, advanced features, and support levels.

Generally, you can expect Canto pricing to start around several thousand dollars per year for a smaller implementation. Some third-party data suggests starting prices in the low five figures annually. Canto does not offer a free plan, but they do provide trials upon request. They also offer a monthly subscription option in some cases, but most businesses opt for annual licenses for better rates.

One highlight is that Canto’s pricing is typically all-inclusive in terms of features, rather than numerous add-ons. However, for very advanced needs, such as additional PIM functionality, you need to pay extra. When it comes to users, Canto often allows unlimited “consumer” users and charges for “power” users (those uploading and managing), which can make it cost-effective for wide distribution.