Sprout
Pick Air if your team lives in campaign creative, client review, and AI resize work. Pick Sprout if the daily mess is product photos that should sit on each SKU, not on another visual board.
Both help teams leave Drive and Dropbox. They solve different jobs.
Verdict first
| You should lean… | If… |
|---|---|
| Air | You need a creative ops workspace: version stacks, client review, showcases, and AI Canvas on a credit pool with unlimited users |
| Sprout | You run products or ecommerce and need pack shots, crops, lifestyle, and video on the product, with a human check before files join the library |
| Neither alone | You need enterprise brand rights, multi-brand portals, and a sales-led rollout (look at heavier DAMs later) |
What Air does well (really)
Air (air.inc) is a visual creative workspace that grew into a full DAM plus AI editing layer. From Air's own product and help pages (checked Sep 2026):
- Unlimited users on Free, Starter, and Business. Contractors and clients do not add seat fees.
- Credit-based capacity. Credits cover enriched storage and AI generation. Free includes 120 credits per month. Starter is $25/mo or $250/year with 600 credits. Business is $1,100/mo or $10,800/year with 30,000 credits. Enterprise is custom from 60,000 credits. Confirm live numbers on Air's pricing and help article.
- Creative ops depth. Version stacking, commenting and annotation, collection forms, share-link controls, and Canvas for resize, background removal, and variants without leaving the library.
- Easy Drive/Dropbox exit story for agencies and in-house creative teams that hunt assets across folders.
If your pain is “find the latest campaign cut, get feedback, make ten sizes,” Air is a strong buy. We will not pretend Sprout is that product.
What Sprout does well
Sprout is a product media library built around each SKU for ecommerce and catalog teams:
- The product page is the home for that item’s photos and video, not a board named by campaign.
- Drop in a shoot, Luna suggests matches, you confirm, and then it joins the library.
- Library filters (including saved filters in plain words) run on assets already tied to SKUs.
- It is built for lots of product photos across the catalog, not general creative production.
Side-by-side (buyer jobs)
| Job | Air | Sprout |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited users without seat fees | Wins (all current plans) | Not competing on seat math |
| Campaign creative review + AI variants | Wins (Canvas, version stacks) | Not the core pitch |
| Client showcases and gated share links | Strong | Not the core pitch |
| Product photos on the right SKU | Boards, fields, and tags; you enforce structure | Wins. The SKU is the structure |
| Approve before it becomes “official” | Workflows and roles | Approve before it joins the library |
| Predictable bill as storage grows | Credits; Starter-to-Business jump is steep | Different product; try at usesprout.app |
| Replace Google Drive for all company files | No | No |
| Enterprise brand DAM | Closer on Enterprise | No |
When Air is the better choice
- Agencies and creative pods with rotating freelancers and client reviewers.
- Social and performance teams that need version history and AI resize in one place.
- You already like boards and visual search more than a product catalog UI.
- Your budget fits Free or Starter, or you can justify Business credits for a large creative library.
When Sprout is the better choice
- DTC, retail, or wholesale teams with a real SKU list.
- New shoots create chaos matching files to products.
- PDPs and channels need the latest pack shot in one known place.
- You want a human gate so bad matches do not land in the library.
Pricing context (dated, public where we have it)
- Air: Free ($0, 120 credits/mo); Starter ($25/mo or $250/year, 600 credits); Business ($1,100/mo or $10,800/year, 30,000 credits); Enterprise custom. Unlimited users on current self-serve plans. Credits reset monthly and do not roll over. Recurring credit packs are published on Air’s help center (checked Sep 2026). Confirm on their site before you buy.
- Sprout: try it at usesprout.app.
Nearby peers in the same shopping trip: Sprout vs Filecamp, Sprout vs Dash, Sprout vs Stockpress, and DAM vs Dropbox for small business.
FAQ
Can I use both?
Yes. Some teams keep Air for campaign creative and review, and use Sprout for catalog product media. Do not force one tool to do the other’s job.
Is Sprout an Air alternative?
For “creative ops DAM with AI Canvas and unlimited seats,” Air alternatives look more like Dash, Stockpress, or Frame.io depending on the job. Sprout is an alternative when the buying reason is product and SKU media, not creative production.
Who should not buy either?
Teams that only need Google Drive discipline, or enterprises that need Bynder- or Canto-level brand rules across many regions.
Next step
Need creative review, showcases, and AI variants on a credit pool? Trial Air. Need product photos tied to SKUs, with approval before a file joins the library? Try Sprout at usesprout.app.