The short answer: three open-source DAMs meet all four of our criteria today: ResourceSpace, Phrasea and Artbucket (ours). Pimcore is maintained and capable, but its license is now source-available with a revenue cap. Razuna's open-source code and Daminik are no longer maintained, and Phraseanet is being replaced by Phrasea, though all three still appear on lists.
How we made this: on 6 October 2026 we read each project's own repository (through the GitHub API), license file, docs and pricing page, and link them below. We did not install them for this post. Stars and release dates are from that day. Artbucket is our product; it is held to the same criteria and listed with its gaps.
Our criteria, before the list
- Open source. An OSI-approved license on the code you would run. Source-available licenses are listed, and said so.
- Maintained. Commits on the default branch in the last three months, and a release this year.
- A DAM for an organization. Files with metadata, permissions, sharing and some form of review or rights. Photo galleries for personal libraries (Immich, PhotoPrism, Piwigo) are good software, but not this.
- Installable from its docs. A documented install, ideally a Docker image or Compose file.
At a glance
| Project | License | Latest release | Maintained | Video renditions | SSO in the free edition | Rights and expiry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ResourceSpace | BSD-style | 11.0, June 2026 | Yes | Yes (FFmpeg) | Yes (SAML, LDAP plugins) | Yes, with expiry alerts |
| Phrasea | MIT | 4.5.0, October 2026 | Yes | Yes (FFmpeg) | Yes (Keycloak) | Access rules; expiry not found |
| Artbucket (ours) | AGPL-3.0 | 1.11.0, October 2026 | Yes | No: one-frame thumbnails | Yes (OpenID Connect; no SAML) | Yes, checked at delivery |
| Pimcore | Source-available (POCL) | 2026.3.1, October 2026 | Yes | Yes (FFmpeg) | Not found in the open core | Not found |
| AtroCore | GPL-3.0 core, paid modules | 2.4.7, October 2026 | Yes | Not found | No: a paid module | Not found |
| Islandora | GPL-2.0 | 2.19.0, September 2026 | Lightly | Yes | Not found | Not found |
| Phraseanet | GPL-3.0 | 4.1.23, September 2026 | Maintenance only | Listed | Listed | Rights listed |
| Razuna (open-source code) | AGPL-3.0 | 1.9.6, 2018 | No | |||
| Daminik | MIT | 1.0.4, July 2024 | No | No (images only) | Not found | No |
Open source and maintained
ResourceSpace
The most complete open-source DAM, and the most mature: a PHP application with MySQL or MariaDB, with an official Docker setup. Version 11.0 shipped in June 2026. It has the things organizations ask for in the free edition: SAML and LDAP sign-in as plugins, license and consent records with expiry alerts and auto-archiving, video through FFmpeg, and since 10.5 a brand guidelines plugin. It suits non-profits, museums and in-house teams that want a proven, self-hosted library. One thing to know: its primary source is in Subversion, and the GitHub mirror's commit messages are dates, so following changes takes a little more work. Cloud plans exist, without published prices.
Releases · Repository · Brand guidelines plugin
Phrasea
The MIT-licensed rewrite of Phraseanet by Alchemy, built API-first, with renditions through FFmpeg, publications ("Expose") behind a password or sign-in, and SSO through Keycloak. It suits organizations that run Kubernetes or want to buy the same software as SaaS. The cost is the stack: Postgres, Redis, Elasticsearch, MinIO and Keycloak, and its docs say the Docker Compose setup scales only vertically. It is young, with about 24 stars on GitHub.
Artbucket (ours)
A DAM, brand guidelines stored as data, and brand portals, in one Next.js process with Postgres and any S3-compatible bucket. What sets it apart is the agent side: an MCP server with read, suggest and write access, and a use check that refuses an expired, embargoed or replaced asset for a given channel and country, and names what to use instead. SSO is OpenID Connect in every install. Where it falls short of the two above: video gets a single-frame thumbnail, not renditions; there is no SAML or SCIM; there are no importers from other DAMs yet; and it is a young project with one maintainer and few stars. It suits brand and product teams who want their guidelines, files and agents to agree.
Repository · What self-hosting it takes
Maintained, but read the terms
Pimcore
A large, active platform where DAM sits next to PIM, MDM and CMS, with broad previews (images, PSD, EPS, Office, PDF) and video through FFmpeg. Its license changed: since 2025 the code is under the Pimcore Open Core License, which is source-available, not OSI open source, and free in production for organizations up to EUR 5 million in revenue or non-profits. The asset portals and the MCP endpoint are in parts whose source isn't public. Paid editions start at $9,900 a year. It suits companies that need DAM tied to product data, and can work within the license.
AtroCore
A GPL-3.0 data platform that absorbed the former AtroDAM. Files are one capability among many. SSO, LDAP and S3 storage are paid modules. It suits data-model-heavy projects that also need files, more than teams looking for a DAM first.
Specialized
Islandora (GPL-2.0) is a Drupal and Fedora repository framework for libraries, archives and museums: the right tool for collections, not for a brand team. UnoPim DAM (MIT) is an add-on to the UnoPim product information manager, for e-commerce catalogs.
Still on lists, no longer maintained
- Razuna: the open-source repository was renamed
razuna-legacyand is marked as no longer maintained. Today's Razuna is a proprietary hosted product. (Repository) - Daminik: no release since July 2024, and its site says the hosted version is disabled. (Repository)
- Phraseanet: still gets maintenance releases, but its maker says Phrasea replaces it in 2026. Start with Phrasea instead. (Repository)
How to choose
- You need a proven library with SAML, video and rights today: ResourceSpace.
- You run Kubernetes and want an API-first DAM under MIT: Phrasea.
- Your brand rules, files and AI agents need to give the same answer: Artbucket.
- Your DAM has to live next to product data: Pimcore, within its license, or AtroCore.
Questions
Is there an open-source alternative to Bynder or Brandfolder?
For a full library with rights and SSO, ResourceSpace is the closest. For brand guidelines and portals next to the library, Artbucket. Neither has an importer from Bynder or Brandfolder yet; you move files through their APIs.
Do any of them have an MCP server for AI agents?
Artbucket's is part of the open-source core. Pimcore has an experimental one in a module whose source isn't public. ResourceSpace has community-built plugins. See our MCP list.
Why not Immich or PhotoPrism?
They are excellent for personal photo libraries, and say so. They don't have rights, expiry, approval or brand delivery, which is what organizations buy a DAM for.