Frame.io vs Hightail Comparison 2026
Frame.io keeps comments pinned to the exact timecode and stacks versions so v4 does not lose what a client liked in v3, free for 2 GB before Pro reaches $15 a month. Hightail sends files further past email limits and attaches feedback to them too, with the same 2 GB of free storage but a 100MB cap per upload, useless for video, before Pro at $12 a month billed annually removes that ceiling. Both pin notes to the file; Hightail's free tier just cannot hold a video to test it on.
Where a client gives notes on the timecode
Send big files and collect notes on them
At a glance
- Hightail starts cheaper, at $12.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Frame.io | Hightail | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $15 | From $12 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Not stated |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Yes |
Frame.io
Where a client gives notes on the timecode
Frame.io keeps the video and the notes on it together, so a comment lands at 01:12 instead of in an email saying somewhere around the middle. Versions stack, which means a client can see v4 without losing the thing they liked in v3. Two gigabytes free is one project, and storage is what you end up paying for.
Our note
The notes pay for themselves the first time a client says the middle bit rather than 01:12. Storage is the real cost, so archive finished work somewhere cheaper instead of buying the next tier.
Only on this side
- Covers video editing
Hightail
Send big files and collect notes on them
Hightail sends files far past what email allows and then keeps the feedback attached to the thing being reviewed, so comments on a cut land on the frame rather than in a thread somewhere. The free tier caps uploads at a hundred megabytes, which is a document rather than a video. Paying takes that to twenty-five gigabytes with storage uncapped. Teams are priced per user, so a solo editor sending to clients pays once rather than per seat.
Why people weigh these two
- Hightail instead of Frame.io
- Hightail pairs big file delivery with collecting notes on the work, with a free tier and a lower $12 entry price.
- Frame.io instead of Hightail
- Frame.io is the stronger pick for the review half, with client notes landing on the timecode, free to start and from $15 a month paid.
Which one should you pick
Pick Frame.io when the free tier itself needs to handle an actual video, since its 2 GB has no separate per-upload cap the way Hightail's does. Pro is $15 a month, and storage is what separates every tier above that, so archive finished work elsewhere rather than buying the next one.
Choose Hightail if a solo freelancer sending occasional large files to clients is the whole use case, since one paid seat covers that completely. Pro is $12 a month billed annually for 25GB uploads and unlimited storage, cheaper than Frame.io's Pro, but test with an actual video file first, because the free Lite plan's 100MB cap will reject one immediately.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper?
- Hightail's Pro is $12 a month billed annually, cheaper than Frame.io's Pro at $15 a month. Hightail's paid tiers also include unlimited storage rather than metering it further.
- Can I actually test either free tier with a real video?
- Frame.io's free 2 GB has no stated per-upload cap, so a short video fits. Hightail's free Lite plan caps each upload at 100MB, which its own brief calls a document rather than a video, so testing needs the paid Pro tier.
- How is team pricing structured on each?
- Hightail prices Teams per user, $24 a month each, so a solo editor pays once rather than per seat. Frame.io's Team tier is $25 a month, with the listing not specifying whether that is a flat or per-seat rate.
- Which one is built specifically around video versions stacking?
- Frame.io is: v4 sits on top of v3 with the comments kept, so nothing is lost between uploads. Hightail's listing describes feedback attached to a file rather than versions stacking on top of each other.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.