ImageKit
Real-time image and video optimisation with a CDN and digital asset manager.
why this verdict
Downgrade — pay for the workflow, not the AI
Cloudinary and Uploadthing cover the headline feature free, so the $49/mo is now paying for the workflow around it.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- Framework-native image optimisation making a third-party media CDN optional. OpenAI, June 3, 2025 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers headline only editorial call
- The headline feature, but not the workflow, data or integrations around it.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 2 of 3 listed replacements have a usable free tier: Cloudinary and Uploadthing.
- What the call is worth $588/yr
- $49/mo at the entry paid tier — $588 a year per seat.
- Threatened by
- OpenAI
- Since
- June 3, 2025
- List price
- $49/mo
- Per year
- $588
The backstory
ImageKit does what Cloudinary does at a friendlier price, with real-time resizing, format negotiation and asset management for teams that outgrow a folder of files. The category's difficulty is that image optimisation became table stakes inside frameworks and hosting platforms, so the buyer has to actively want a separate vendor. ImageKit's answer is the asset management layer and its video pipeline, which frameworks do not cover, plus pricing that survives comparison with bundled options.
Escape hatches
switching could free up $588/yr
Deeper transformation features and enterprise DAM
cloudinary.com open_in_newCheaper delivery with optimisation included
bunny.net open_in_newSimple file uploads for TypeScript apps
uploadthing.com open_in_new2 of 3 replacements have a usable free tier.
