Frame.io (now part of Adobe) is the industry standard for video review, approval workflows, and team collaboration. FrameQuery is a local-first AI search tool that indexes your entire footage library for visual search, face recognition, and object detection. Only lightweight proxies are uploaded for processing and deleted immediately after—your originals stay untouched and your search index is local. Frame.io recently added AI search in beta; FrameQuery was built for search from day one.
| Feature | FrameQuery | Frame.io |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Video search & analysis | Review & collaboration |
| AI search | Core product | Beta (Media Intelligence) |
| Search type | Visual + transcript + face + object | Visual + transcript (beta) |
| Deployment | Local-first | Cloud-only (Adobe) |
| Upload required | Proxy only (deleted after) | |
| Offline capable | ||
| Format support | 50+ formats natively | Common formats |
| Pricing | Free tier, from $9/mo | Free (2 users), Pro $15/user/mo |
| Per-seat pricing | ||
| Face recognition | ||
| Object detection | Beta | |
| Timecoded comments | ||
| Approval workflows | ||
| NLE export | FCPXML, EDL, LosslessCut | Premiere/Resolve panels |
| Library-wide search | Project-scoped |
Frame.io's Media Intelligence Search, currently in beta, brings AI-powered visual search to their review platform. It can identify scenes and objects within uploaded projects—a promising addition to an already strong product.
FrameQuery was purpose-built for search. It combines four search dimensions—visual content, transcripts, face recognition, and object detection—and runs across your entire indexed library, not just individual projects. Once indexed, search is instant and local—no internet needed.
Frame.io offers a free plan for up to 2 team members, Pro at $15/member/month, and Team at $25/member/month. It is also included with Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions, which may reduce the incremental cost for existing Adobe users.
FrameQuery offers a free tier with paid plans starting at $9/month, based on usage rather than seats. There are no per-seat charges or ongoing cloud storage fees—proxies are deleted after processing and your search index lives locally.
Frame.io requires uploading all media to their cloud servers. For review workflows this is expected, but it means your raw footage lives on Adobe's infrastructure. This can be a concern for sensitive projects, NDA-protected content, or organisations with strict data residency requirements.
FrameQuery uploads only lightweight proxy files for AI processing—your original footage is never uploaded. Proxies are deleted immediately after processing, and your search index lives locally on your machine. Once indexed, search works entirely offline. This makes it suitable for sensitive projects and workflows where data sovereignty matters.
Frame.io integrates deeply with Premiere Pro and After Effects through native panels, and offers a Resolve integration as well. Its strength is connecting editors, producers, and clients around review and approval.
FrameQuery exports search results as FCPXML, EDL, or LosslessCut markers, letting you take found clips directly into any NLE. Where Frame.io shines at the review stage, FrameQuery excels at the discovery stage—finding the right footage before editing begins.
Frame.io supports common delivery formats and handles proxy generation for review. FrameQuery supports 50+ formats natively, including professional camera originals like RED R3D, Blackmagic BRAW, ProRes, and CinemaDNG. No transcoding or proxy creation is needed—FrameQuery indexes the original files directly.
Frame.io's Media Intelligence Search, announced in beta, adds AI-powered search to their review platform. FrameQuery was built from the ground up for search, offering mature visual search, face recognition, and object detection across your entire library. Frame.io requires uploading full footage to the cloud and keeps it there; FrameQuery uploads only lightweight proxies for processing (deleted immediately after), and your search index lives locally for offline search.
Yes. Many professionals use FrameQuery to search and find footage locally during pre-production and editing, then use Frame.io for client review and approval workflows. The two tools complement different stages of production.
Your original footage is never uploaded. FrameQuery sends only lightweight proxy files for cloud AI processing, and those proxies are deleted immediately after. The search index lives on your machine, and once indexed, search is entirely local and offline. Frame.io, by contrast, requires all media to be uploaded to their cloud and stores it permanently on their servers.
FrameQuery uses usage-based pricing starting at $9/month with a free tier, regardless of team size. Frame.io charges per seat: the Pro plan is $15/user/month and the Team plan is $25/user/month. For a team of five, Frame.io Team would cost $125/month compared to FrameQuery's flat usage-based rate.