LucidLink vs. Frame.io: Shared Editing, Client Review, or Both?

LucidLink gives editors a shared filespace they can open as a drive in their creative applications. Frame.io combines client review, sharing, Camera to Cloud, and media organization with desktop access through Drive, which uses Suite Studios streaming technology embedded in the app. You can use LucidLink for production files and Frame.io for client review, or keep both the editing media and review cuts in Frame.io. What you'll pay depends on how much footage needs mounted access, how many people manage it, and which review features your team uses. The worked budget below compares those two arrangements for a five-person production team.

How each product handles shared files and review

The LucidLink platform streams requested data into a locally mounted filespace and caches it for repeated access. Editors can open the same source files in different applications without first downloading the entire project. The platform also includes browser guest access, previews, file pinning, and optional facility caching.

One shared mounted source feeds two editing workstations while repeated file pieces sit nearby as local cache.

Frame.io Drive is a free desktop app for macOS and Windows. Its Mounted Storage uses streaming technology from Suite Studios embedded in Drive. Editors can open, edit, and save files through the mounted project. The storage assigned to that project counts against a separate mounted allowance.

Requirement	LucidLink	Frame.io
Open shared media in desktop applications	A mounted filespace streams requested file data.	Drive mounts projects assigned to Mounted Storage.
Give external people access	Guest links provide browser access to shared files and folders.	Share links support client viewing and comments without a paid reviewer seat.
Run detailed creative review	Use a connected review application for frame comments and revision review.	Frame comments, annotations, version stacks, and comparison tools are included.
Work across several existing cloud stores	Enterprise LucidLink Connect can expose multiple sources in a filespace.	Drive accesses projects held in Frame.io.

When to use each product

Use LucidLink with an existing review system

If your client review system already works, LucidLink can provide the shared drive for camera originals, graphics, and sound libraries. Set project permissions for freelancers, agree on the directory structure, and configure caching or pinning for the files each editor needs. A guest link is enough for a collaborator who needs to inspect or retrieve a folder. For a client who needs to annotate a frame or compare several cuts, send a link from the video review system. Give each link a clear purpose so the client knows where to leave feedback.

Use Frame.io for editing access and review in the same account

If your camera uploads, producer selections, and client comments already live in Frame.io, Drive gives your editors access to that media on the desktop. Its Premiere Pro guidance describes importing mounted media and rendering exports back into the mounted project. It also explains the separate option of exporting through the Frame.io panel to keep comments connected to a sequence. Check mounted capacity before moving the working library. Frame.io separates standard storage from Mounted Storage. Its Drive setup guide measures mounted usage by the total size of projects enabled for desktop access across the account. That usage isn't multiplied by the number of editors, but it also isn't limited to the few clips an editor has cached. Only projects can be mounted, so a large project containing mostly unused footage can still matter to the quota.

The large mounted project fills the capacity container while the cached subset remains much smaller.

Frame.io's setup guide says Mounted Storage requires an internet connection and isn't designed for offline use. Pre-caching reduces repeated network reads, but editors still need a connection. Include travel and unreliable connections in a trial if those conditions are part of your weekly work.

When LucidLink and Frame.io work well together

Suppose your agency keeps camera originals, graphics, and audio in LucidLink, and your clients already use Frame.io review links. Editors can work from the production filespace and upload the cuts selected for review. You can keep the originals in LucidLink and upload just the review exports to Frame.io.

Original media stays in the production library while one finished export moves to the review stack.

Connect each review round to the correct production output:

Give the sequence and export a stable identifier, such as Campaign_Main_30s_v03. Record the corresponding Frame.io asset or version link alongside the production handoff.
Keep comments on that review version and name the person responsible for deciding whether the cut is accepted. A request being addressed and the whole cut being approved are different decisions.
When the next export is uploaded, verify the intended version relationship. Before delivery, match the accepted review revision to the actual master file and its technical specifications.

For larger environments, LucidLink Connect for Frame.io workflows describes another approach. It exposes Frame.io material alongside assets in other cloud systems while the source files remain in those systems. A production drawing on several existing libraries can use that connection to reach the files without relocating those libraries. Connect is an Enterprise add-on. Ask LucidLink which sources, read and write operations, permissions, and charges the proposed connection covers. A conventional setup that uploads review exports is different from a Connect setup that exposes files held in another system.

Compare the same workload and storage type

Count the people who need access and the amount of footage they need to open, then compare the monthly subscriptions on that basis. A paid editor or producer who manages projects is different from an external reviewer using a share link. Likewise, storage that holds review files is different from capacity that can be mounted for editing.

Plan	Price in USD	What determines the bill
LucidLink Business	$32/member/month with monthly billing, or $27/member/month with annual billing.	Each member adds 400 GB to the shared allowance. Additional storage is billed after that pooled capacity is used.
Frame.io Team	$25/member/month with monthly billing, or $22/member/month paid as $264/member/year.	Standard storage grows with paid membership. The separate Mounted Storage allowance is 500 GB, with additional capacity priced separately.
Aspect Pro	Starts at $30/seat/month with monthly billing. Or $25.50/seat/month with annual billing.	Includes 500 GB per seat. Lower storage rates are available for larger team requirements.

Compare the cost per included TB

The table below divides one paid seat's monthly price by the mounted storage included with that plan, using 1 TB = 1,000 GB. This gives you the same unit for each service; it doesn't mean each vendor sells a standalone 1 TB plan at that price.

Plan	Cost per included TB per month	Calculation using monthly billing
Aspect Pro	$60/TB/month	$30 per seat divided by 0.5 TB included per seat. Larger team storage volumes have lower rates.
LucidLink Business	$80/TB/month	$32 per member divided by 0.4 TB included per member.
Frame.io Team	$50/TB/month for the included mounted allowance	One $25 member subscription divided by 0.5 TB of Mounted Storage per workspace.

Aspect and LucidLink add storage with each paid seat. Frame.io's mounted allowance is shared by the workspace, so additional members increase its cost per included TB. Frame.io quotes extra mounted capacity separately. LucidLink's additional storage also costs $80/TB/month, converted from $8 per 100 GB; that charge applies only after the pooled allowance is used.

Compare a five-person team with 4 TB

The worked comparison below uses monthly billing and excludes tax. Annual commitments reduce some seat prices, but they don't remove the need to budget for the storage your editors will mount. For example, take five paid production members, twelve external reviewers, and a 4 terabyte (TB) working library. That library includes the outputs retained by the production team. A 200 gigabyte (GB) subset of exports is also kept in Frame.io when using the two-product workflow. Assume the billed LucidLink usage stays at 4 TB throughout the month and that the team needs Frame.io Team features in either configuration. With monthly billing, the subscription costs are:

Cost component	LucidLink plus Frame.io	Frame.io for editing and review
Production access	Five LucidLink Business members at $32 each: $160 per month.	Five Frame.io Team members at $25 each: $125 per month.
Mounted working library	Business includes 400 GB per member, or 2 TB for five members. The additional 2 TB adds $160 per month.	Team includes 500 GB of Mounted Storage. A 4 TB working library requires a quote for at least 3.5 TB of additional mounted capacity.
Review workspace	Five Frame.io Team members add $125 per month. Their standard allowance accommodates the 200 GB of review exports.	Review uses the same Frame.io workspace and member subscription.
External review	Twelve people use share links without paid reviewer seats.	The same twelve people use share links without paid reviewer seats.
Subscription subtotal	$445 per month before tax and additional services.	$125 per month plus the required Mounted Storage expansion, before tax and additional services.

The LucidLink pricing page supplies the Business member allowance and overage rate and states that its packaged plans include storage and egress. This example uses the Business plan's monthly rate, rather than an annual commitment or a legacy Classic contract. LucidLink measures capacity using decimal units, with 1 TB equal to 1,000 GB. The Frame.io pricing page lists Team at $25 per member per month and separates its 500 GB mounted allocation from standard storage. Five Team members receive 11 TB of standard storage under the published seat-scaled model. That doesn't provide 11 TB of mounted access. The Team free trial has a smaller 250 GB mounted allowance, which also matters when planning an evaluation. To compare the totals, ask Frame.io for the price of the additional 3.5 TB of Mounted Storage. The $125 member subscription alone doesn't cover this 4 TB editing library. If Team features are unnecessary, recalculate both configurations with the appropriate review plan. For Enterprise Connect, obtain a separate quote covering the connector and source-system charges instead of reusing this Business-plan calculation. Add the same workstation storage, editing software, retention period, and support requirements to each option. Separately record time spent administering permissions, moving exports, and reconciling versions. Record the staff hours spent on those tasks during the trial and include them in the operating-cost comparison.

Use Aspect to keep file access, search, and review in one project

Aspect's file streaming, search, and review were built together as one product. Editors use mounted media access on macOS or Windows to open footage in their editing applications. Producers search the same library, organize selects, and send review links from the project where the editor saves the cuts. For example, you can search for a visual or spoken moment from an earlier shoot and send the matching file to your editor. Use Open in mount to reveal the original, import it into the edit, and save the revised cut back to the project. The review viewer keeps the new comments and version comparison alongside those files. Record the client's accepted revision in the asset's custom approval-status field. Approving an individual comment records the decision on that note; the asset field records the overall cut status. When several editors share the project, use the editing application's collaboration controls to manage their changes while Aspect supplies the media. Before working offline, pin the required files and folders in Aspect and wait until they've finished downloading. Include the sequence's referenced footage, audio, graphics, and project file so the edit opens with all its dependencies after you disconnect. At Aspect's $60/TB monthly storage equivalent, the same 4 TB library corresponds to $240/month before volume pricing. Book a demo with the Aspect team to discuss the rate for your storage requirements and walk through the five-person production workflow. Bring the size of the working library and the files you need to retain after delivery.

FAQ

Frame.io Drive mounts projects on macOS and Windows using Suite Studios streaming technology embedded in the app. Creative applications can open, edit, and save that cloud media, but the projects must fit within the account's Mounted Storage allocation. Check that quota separately from standard storage, along with application support and the need for an internet connection.

Use both when editors work from LucidLink and clients already review cuts in Frame.io, or when an Enterprise team uses LucidLink Connect to reach several cloud libraries. You don't need to upload every original twice; review exports can remain separate from the production footage. If the working media already lives in Frame.io, compare its Mounted Storage capacity and cost before adding LucidLink for desktop access.

LucidLink provides browser guest links, previews, and shared file access. A client who needs to annotate frames and compare revised cuts also needs a video review tool. Frame.io and Aspect both provide those review functions, including comments tied to specific versions.

No. A conventional workflow may keep originals in LucidLink and upload only review exports to Frame.io. LucidLink also documents an Enterprise Connect workflow that exposes Frame.io and other storage sources in a filespace while the originals remain in those systems. Confirm the connector's scope, permissions, and commercial terms instead of assuming either full duplication or a free connection.

Aspect brings file streaming, media search, and review together in one project. Editors mount the project on macOS or Windows, open the source footage in their editing applications, and save revised cuts back to the project. Producers can then share the cut for comments, compare versions, and record the accepted revision without moving the media into a separate review library.