Private by default
Grant read and write access to any user, a specific user, a team, or a team role.
AppwritevsCloudinary
Media lives with your app stack_
Cloudinary is a separate media service priced in shared credits. Appwrite Storage keeps files next to your auth and database, transforms images on the fly, and bills per origin image, not per variant.
Appwrite Videos is coming soon, with video transcoding and processing.
OriginalAppwrite bills
1 origin image
Cloudinary counts
5 transformations
Playground_
One clean URL for every transformation_
Resize, crop with smart gravity, round the corners, and switch formats. The preview URL is the whole API, and the Cloudinary equivalent shows how deep transformation syntax gets into every link you ship.
640px
640px
24px
80
Gravity
Output
gravity=auto runs AutoGravity: face detection first, then saliency, so the subject stays in frame at any size. Every variant of this file still counts as one origin image.
Appwrite preview URL
/v1/storage/buckets/photos/files/retriever/preview?width=640&height=640&gravity=auto&quality=80&borderRadius=24&output=avif
Cloudinary equivalent
/image/upload/c_fill,g_auto,w_640,h_640,q_80,r_24/f_avif/retriever.jpg
Pricing_
Allowances, not a credit puzzle_
Cloudinary pools storage, bandwidth, and transformations into one credit balance. Appwrite gives each resource its own allowance, so a busy month for images does not eat your storage.
Cloudinary Plus
$89/mo
Billed yearly, $99 month to month
- 225 credits a month, shared by everything
- 1 credit = 1GB storage, 1GB bandwidth, or 1,000 transformations
- Images up to 20MB
- Custom domain and token auth start on Advanced
Appwrite Pro
$25/mo
Starting price, pay as you go above it
- 150GB storage and 2TB bandwidth, separately
- 100 origin images transformed, then $5 per 1,000
- Files up to 5GB
- Permissions, file tokens, and the whole backend included
Storage_
More than a media CDN_
Appwrite Storage handles private files, signed sharing, encryption, and huge uploads, with the same permission model as the rest of your app.
File tokens
Share a single file without a session using a token with an optional expiry.
Encryption and compression
Encrypt files at rest and compress them with gzip or zstd, per bucket.
Large, resumable uploads
Chunked uploads up to 5GB per file on Pro, resumed after a dropped connection.
S3-compatible endpoint
Use the AWS CLI, rclone, or any S3 client with SigV4 signing.
Same rules everywhere
One permission model across the REST API, Realtime, and every SDK.
Better together_
Files that know who your users are_
Cloudinary sits outside your backend, so users, permissions, and events live somewhere else. Appwrite Storage shares them with every other product in your project.
- AuthRead and write access per user, team, or role, with no extra sync.
- FunctionsRun moderation, tagging, or AI on every upload event.
- RealtimeShow new uploads in every open client the moment they land.
Appwrite Storage
- DatabasesStore file IDs and metadata in rows that follow the same rules.
- SitesServe transformed images straight into your hosted pages.
- VideosComing soonVideo transcoding and processing, next to your images.
One platform_
Cloudinary handles media. Appwrite runs the whole app._
Swap a media vendor for a platform. Appwrite Storage comes with auth, databases, functions, realtime, messaging, and hosting in the same project, with Appwrite Videos on the way.
- 10
- Appwrite products in one project
- 9
- Not offered by Cloudinary
Open source_
Your media pipeline, on any cloud_
Cloudinary is a proprietary cloud service. Appwrite is open source, so the same storage and image transformations run on Appwrite Cloud or your own servers.
- GitHub stars
- 57.6K
- Contributors
- 800+
Self-host in one command
$docker run -it --rm … --entrypoint="install" appwrite/appwrite:2.3.0
No lock-in
Move between Appwrite Cloud and your own servers by changing one endpoint.
Run it anywhere
Self-host on any cloud or on premises for data residency and compliance.
Nothing hidden
Read the code that handles your users and data, and audit how it works.
Fix it, extend it
Patch, extend, or contribute back instead of waiting on a vendor roadmap.
Cloudinary · Proprietary
Closed source and cloud only.
Appwrite vs Cloudinary_
Every image feature you need, inside your backend_
Cloudinary is a dedicated media platform. Appwrite Storage is media handling built into your backend.
Checked against public pricing and documentation in October 2026.
Compared
Appwrite
Cloudinary
Pricing
First paid plan
From $25/mo
$89/mo
Plus, billed yearly ($99 monthly)
Billing unit
Allowance per resource
Storage, bandwidth, and images apart
Shared credits
Storage, bandwidth, and transformations draw from one pool
Image transformations
Per origin image
100 on Pro, then $5 per 1,000
Per derived asset
1 credit = 1,000 transformations
Storage and bandwidth
150GB and 2TB
Included on Pro
225 credits on Plus
1 credit = 1GB of either
Files
Max upload size
5GB
On Pro, 50MB on Free
20MB images
On Plus, 10MB Free, 40MB Advanced
Access control
User, team, and role permissions
Private by default
Partial
Token authentication from Advanced
S3-compatible API
Yes
No
Images
Resize, crop, quality, and format
Yes
Yes
Smart crop
gravity=auto
Face and subject aware
g_auto
AI-based
Output formats
JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, AVIF, HEIC
Yes
Video transcoding and processing
Coming soon
With Appwrite Videos
Yes
Platform
Auth, database, and functions in the same project
Yes
No
Open source and self-hostable
Yes
Transformations are free when self-hosted
No
Hosting, messaging, and realtime
Yes
No
Fair play_
When Cloudinary might still fit_
Cloudinary is a mature, dedicated media platform. If media is the whole product, it may be worth the premium.
- 01
You need adaptive video streaming with HLS and DASH and video analytics today, before Appwrite Videos launches.
- 02
Marketing and content teams need a digital asset management library with tagging and approvals.
- 03
You want generative AI edits like background removal and generative fill through URL parameters.
- 04
You need multi-CDN delivery under an enterprise contract.
Why developers choose Appwrite over Cloudinary_
For app media, yes. Appwrite Storage gives you uploads up to 5GB, private files with per-user and per-team permissions, and on-the-fly image transformations billed per origin image, inside an open-source backend that also includes auth, databases, functions, realtime, and hosting. Cloudinary is a separate, proprietary media service priced in shared credits.
Go deeper_
See why teams make the switch_
Guides, deep dives, and product pages from the Appwrite team.
BlogAppwrite vs Cloudinary: Storage and image handling comparedFit, not quality: when each one makes sense.BlogStorage previews vs SSR image optimization: when to use whichOne preview URL for web, React Native, and Flutter.BlogAutomatic image cropping in Appwrite with AutoGravityFace detection first, then saliency, with open models.BlogAnnouncing HEIC and AVIF supportUpload any format and convert at serve time.ProductAppwrite StorageUpload, transform, and deliver files on CDN.DocsImage transformationsEvery preview parameter and its range.
Compare_
See how Appwrite stacks up elsewhere_
Appwrite vsSupabasePostgres development platformHosting, messaging, and permissions without SQL policies.Appwrite vsFirebaseApp development platformOpen source, self-hostable, and a free migration path.Appwrite vsVercelFrontend cloudFrontend hosting with the backend in the same project.Appwrite vsNetlifyWeb hosting platformYour site and its backend, in one project.Appwrite vsNeonServerless PostgresPostgres plus the whole backend around it.Appwrite vsAuth0Identity platform3x the free monthly active users and no growth penalty.Appwrite vsConvexReactive TypeScript backendActually open source, in any language.Appwrite vsClerkUser management and authenticationUsers and data in one place, no webhooks to sync.Appwrite vsAWS AmplifyFull-stack framework on AWSOne project instead of a stack of AWS services.Appwrite vsPlanetScaleManaged MySQL and PostgresPostgres and MySQL, plus the backend around them.PricingOne plan for your whole backend and hosting.Compare plans
Upload, transform, and deliver from one backend_
Create a bucket, upload a file, and request any size or format with a single preview URL.