Bynder is a large and well-known company providing DAM software. It’s a good marketing DAM, and particularly well suited to PIM integration. We have had a number of clients migrate to Mediagraph from Bynder, and we hear similar stories from each. We also consistently hear that Mediagraph does a much better job of providing a multi-department experience through our comprehensive group capabilities. Of course, a quick look at our price list shows that Bynder clients can also save a lot of money on the DAM itself, particularly when AI and multiple administrators are factored in.
Difficult to find content at scale
The most common complaint we hear about Bynder is difficulty finding the right content. These clients have libraries with hundreds of thousands of files. The tools in Bynder have not been able to keep up with this volume. While AI may be able to find photos by generic description - e.g., smiling girl on blue background - it does not do a great job with the classification and retrieval of specific images.
The problem with Folderless Apps
Bynder is part of a trend in DAM applications to do away with folders as a navigational tool.
Folders, as they function on desktop computers, can be too structurally rigid. A file lives in one and only one place. But the best of your content may belong in multiple places. This could include “approved photos for public release” as well as “facility photos” as well as “photos from 2025.”
But folders do serve a purpose, especially in large collections. When they are well-thought out, a folder hierarchy helps the user discover content. When you have many hundreds of subjects to choose between, listed without hierarchy, it becomes impossible for most people to parse. Organizational hierarchy helps people to navigate large content libraries and discover subject matter more easily.
Most folderless apps, like Bynder, do away with the folders, but also do away with the content hierarchy. This can be quite a shock to the users of a collection who may be comfortable finding material based on folder location. It can be even worse for new users who don’t know what’s in the collection. They don’t get to browse the hierarchy to learn the content.
Broken Promises
The promise of a folderless DAM is that the limitations of a folder structure will be removed and replaced with the flexibility of metadata-based organization. In the case of most folderless apps, this is a broken promise.
In order to replace folders for content organization, the folder information needs to be transferred to the metadata. This might include the event, shoot, or project name. And this metadata should retain the hierarchy so it can be easily discovered. Most folderless apps don’t do this thoroughly, and thus the structure and discoverability is lost. We hear from our clients coming from Bynder that the destruction of their folder-based organization led to big problems with content discovery.
A hybrid approach
Mediagraph takes a holistic approach to content discovery. We preserve your folder structure for when users wish to browse by navigating the hierarchy. And we improve it by allowing for multiple folder-like hierarchies for the same content.
We also allow you to create a metadata hierarchy that users can navigate much like a folder hierarchy. Our tag tree supports admin-customizable metadata hierarchy. This allows for easy navigation even when you have tens of thousands of metadata terms.
Let us show you the difference
If your stakeholders are struggling to find the right content, or if you are having trouble justifying the cost of Bynder, we’d love to show you our alternative. We will let you upload as much content as you like into a trial account. You’ll see how our combination of hierarchical collections and fantastic metadata search, coupled with great AI tagging makes your content more discoverable than ever. Click here to get an appointment.