Commercial hosting requires Business ($29/month or $290/year). Free, Pro, and Developer prices below apply to personal and non-commercial use. See our commercial-use terms.
Cloudinary: Image and video APIs, transformations and digital asset management. swiftimg combines image uploads, browser editing, sharing links and an image API. Choose based on the workflow and allowances you need.
swiftimg vs Cloudinary at a glance
| Feature | swiftimg | Cloudinary |
|---|---|---|
| Primary workflow | Upload, edit, host and share your images | Image and video APIs, transformations and digital asset management. |
| Evaluate before switching | Browser editor; public hosting on Free; private hosting and Studio on paid plans | Video pipelines, media management and transformations beyond the swiftimg feature set. |
| Migration work | New image IDs and delivery URLs; API and access rules must be configured | Inventory transformation URLs and SDK calls; rewrite them using swiftimg API responses and supported signed transforms. |
Editorial review: . Read the official Cloudinary documentation and pricing for current details. These are workflow comparisons, not speed benchmarks.
When Cloudinary is the better choice
Video pipelines, media management and transformations beyond the swiftimg feature set.
Cloudinary pricing vs swiftimg
| Cloudinary | swiftimg |
|---|---|
| Plus: $99/month, or $89/month with annual billing; 225 monthly credits. | Pro: $3/month for personal use. Developer: $9/month for personal API projects. Business: $29/month for commercial use. Storage overages and upload allowances apply. |
These are different products and allowances, not equivalent plans. Prices in USD before taxes. Review monthly versus annual billing and estimate your own usage before switching.
Try a migration with one image
Inventory transformation URLs and SDK calls; rewrite them using swiftimg API responses and supported signed transforms.
- Keep your original and existing link while testing.
- Upload an image you own; choose its visibility deliberately.
- Copy the returned direct URL into a test embed. Use the viewer URL when sharing a page.
- Verify rendering, access and required transforms before changing the remaining URLs.
swiftimg vs Cloudinary — FAQ
Can I keep my existing Cloudinary URLs?
Uploading an image to swiftimg creates a new URL. Keep a mapping of old and new URLs and update embeds you control. Third-party hostnames cannot be redirected by swiftimg.
How should I compare the cost?
Estimate uploads, stored bytes, delivery, transformations and required features for the same workload. swiftimg commercial hosting requires Business; include applicable storage overages. Check the linked provider page for current terms and prices.
Switching from Cloudinary?
Image hosting for Email newsletters
Host newsletter images on swiftimg. Stable URLs, global delivery, automatic WebP, and no per-send overage — embed the same image across every send.
Image hosting for LinkedIn
Host images on swiftimg and embed them in LinkedIn articles via Markdown or as a link with an OG card. Permanent URL, globally cached, no expiry.
Choosing an image CDN in 2026: what actually matters
Egress fees, on-the-fly transforms, modern formats, signed URLs, and pricing models — a no-nonsense checklist for picking an image CDN.
What is an image CDN, and when do you actually need one?
Plain-language explanation of an image CDN: what it does, why it's different from a regular CDN, when it's worth the cost, and how to spot a bad one.
Weigh it up before you migrate: swiftimg pricing and plan limits next to Cloudinary, and the image hosting API documentation covering uploads, transforms and signed URLs.
Ready to switch from Cloudinary?
Browser uploads and API access are available free. Paid plans add higher limits; Developer and Business include signed transforms and custom domains. Commercial use requires Business.