Air.inc alternative for white-label file sharing for businesses

Air.inc is a creative operations DAM, Sharebrand is built for branded client file sharing

Air.inc is a New York-based digital asset management platform founded in 2017 and backed by $63M in funding. It serves creative and marketing teams at agencies, e-commerce brands, and enterprise organisations with a visual workspace for storing, organising, searching, approving, and sharing creative assets. Key capabilities include Kanban-style approval workflows, version stacking, visual previews for images, video, PDFs, and design files, content collection forms, facial recognition on the Business plan, and deletion recovery. Clients include Smalls, Hydrow, Jones Road Beauty, and The Infatuation. The platform targets teams that live in creative files daily and need a system of record for the full asset lifecycle.

Air surfaces in searches for file sharing alternatives primarily because it includes external share links and content delivery features alongside its DAM capabilities. Share links allow external users to view, comment, and download without creating accounts. Permissions are configurable. The product is a credible choice for teams that need both internal asset management and client-facing sharing in one platform.

The gaps that bring agencies to Sharebrand are cost and delivery structure. Air's Pro plan — the entry point for teams of up to 10 — is $600 per month. The Business plan for AI features and up to 15 users is $1,100 per month. Sharing links sit on air.inc rather than a domain you own. And there is no file payment gate on any plan. For agencies where delivering files to clients at their own domain is the core workflow rather than a secondary feature, Sharebrand does that job at $29 per month.

What Air.inc does well

Air's workspace is its core strength for creative operations teams. Assets are presented in scrubbable, visual boards rather than folder trees, making it natural to browse and compare images and videos at scale. Kanban boards give creative teams a structured workflow for moving assets from first draft through review to approved status, with clear ownership and approval state tracking at every stage. Version stacking keeps every iteration in one place without folder clutter. Deletion recovery at 30 to 180 days depending on plan gives teams a safety net when assets are removed accidentally.

AI capabilities increase significantly on the Business plan. Smart tags, AI summaries, video chapter detection, audio and video transcription, and facial recognition are all included. Share links support password protection, expiry dates, and configurable download and comment permissions without requiring external users to create accounts. Content collection forms let teams request files from clients directly into their Air workspace. For agencies managing large creative libraries with review cycles, approval workflows, and client intake, Air provides a coherent system at the cost of significant monthly spend.

Where Air.inc falls short for branded client file sharing

Air.inc is designed for internal creative operations with external collaboration built on top. Each limitation below reflects that design priority.

Pro plan pricing is $600 per month for 10 users

Air.inc's pricing has increased significantly over time. The Pro plan at $600 per month covers 10 users with 3 TB of storage, share link permissions, and basic editing. AI features — smart tags, facial recognition, transcription, AI editing — are only on the Business plan at $1,100 per month for 15 users. The Creator plan at $20 per month is single-user only with no share link permissions. For a small agency of five to ten people whose primary need is delivering files to clients rather than running full creative operations, $600 to $1,100 per month for that delivery layer represents a substantial cost. Sharebrand Starter at $29 per month covers five team seats with a custom domain and a file payment gate.

Share links sit on air.inc, not a domain you own

Air's share links and delivery pages are hosted on air.inc. When a client receives a file or accesses a shared board, the URL is an air.inc address. There is no option to route delivery through a custom domain you own or to remove Air's branding from the recipient experience. For agencies that present every client interaction as part of their brand, Air does not provide a mechanism to change the delivery URL. Sharebrand delivers every link at a fully owned custom domain on every plan from $29 per month.

No file payment gate

Air.inc has no feature for charging clients before they download files. For studios selling digital work, photographers licensing images, or any agency that monetises deliverables at point of handoff, this capability is absent on all plans. Sharebrand includes a built-in file payment gate on every plan.

Who actually needs an Air.inc alternative

Air.inc is the right tool for creative and marketing teams that need a full digital asset management system — organising large libraries, running approval workflows, tracking versions, and managing creative operations at scale. The teams that need something different are those for whom branded client delivery is the core service, not the back end of a creative ops platform.

Design and video agencies where the client receives a file at your domain as part of the deliverable. Photography studios collecting payment before releasing finished work. Small to mid-size creative teams that cannot justify $600 per month for a platform where file delivery is the primary use case. Any business that wants to be live with a branded custom domain in minutes at a flat monthly price, without buying into creative operations infrastructure they do not need.

Air.inc pricing vs Sharebrand pricing

Air.inc offers four tiers. The free plan includes 10 GB. Creator at $20 per month ($10 on annual) covers one user with 1 TB and basic features but no share link permissions. Pro at $600 per month ($500 annual) covers 10 users with 3 TB and full sharing features. Business at $1,100 per month ($900 annual) covers 15 users with 5 TB and all AI capabilities. Enterprise is custom. Air.inc is known for raising prices over time — Pro was available below $250 per month in earlier years.

Sharebrand Starter is $29 per month for up to five team members with 3 TB of pooled storage, a fully owned custom domain, a brand portal, a file payment gate, and no file expiry. Pro is $59 per month for up to ten members and 6 TB. Annual billing saves two months.

At the entry team level, Air.inc Pro at $600 per month versus Sharebrand Starter at $29 per month is a 20x difference in cost. For agencies where file delivery to clients is the primary use case, Sharebrand delivers that workflow at a fraction of the cost. Air.inc's price reflects a much broader product — the gap is justified if your team genuinely needs creative operations infrastructure. If your team needs branded delivery, the cost comparison is straightforward.