Cutsio Blog

The Best Cloud Dailies Platform for Film Production in 2026

Compare the top cloud dailies platforms for film production in 2026 — including Cutsio, PIX, Frame.io, Hedge Postlab, and Silverstack Cloud — across native raw support, visual search, pricing, and workflow fit.

What is the best cloud dailies platform for film production in 2026?

The best cloud dailies platform for film production in 2026 is Cutsio — because it is the only platform that combines native raw camera file ingestion (ARRIRAW, RED R3D, Blackmagic RAW), Visual Intelligence search across every frame, per-minute pricing with no per-seat fees, and no practical upload limits. PIX requires H.264 transcoding before upload, has no visual search, charges per user, and imposes a 40GB upload limit. Frame.io similarly requires pre-transcoding, has transcript-only search, and uses per-seat pricing. Learn how it stacks up against other alternatives in the best PIX alternatives comparison and the PIX vs Frame.io vs Cutsio three-way comparison.

Cloud dailies have become the standard for film production. The DIT uploads footage from set, the director and DP review from anywhere, and the editorial team accesses selects for the offline edit. The right platform determines whether that pipeline is smooth or bogged down by manual steps.

This guide compares the top cloud dailies platforms across the factors that matter most for film production: raw format support, search capability, pricing, upload limits, and workflow integration.

What should a cloud dailies platform support for film production?

A cloud dailies platform for film production must handle the specific requirements of cinema workflows that consumer or corporate video platforms do not address.

Native raw support. Film productions shoot in ARRIRAW, RED R3D, or Blackmagic RAW. The platform should accept these formats directly rather than requiring a manual pre-transcode step. Every hour saved on transcoding is an hour the DIT can spend on set support.

Color-accurate review. The review stream must display footage with the correct color transform — LogC to Rec.709 for ARRI, REDWideGamutRGB to Rec.709 for RED, with any embedded look metadata applied.

Visual search. Film productions generate thousands of clips across multiple shoot days. Searching by filename is insufficient. The platform should index footage by visual content — objects, scenes, actions — so any frame is findable by description.

No per-seat pricing. A film review team includes the director, DP, producers, editor, assistant editors, VFX supervisor, colorist, and post supervisor. Per-seat pricing penalizes productions for including the full team.

No restrictive upload limits. Individual ARRIRAW and R3D clips routinely exceed 40GB. The platform should accept files at their original size without requiring splitting or compression.

Original file retention. The platform must retain the original camera files for download and conform. The review stream is a viewing proxy. The original files are the source of truth for finishing.

How do the top cloud dailies platforms compare for film production?

| Feature | Cutsio | PIX | Frame.io | Hedge Postlab | Silverstack Cloud |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Native raw ingest | Enterprise add-on (ARRIRAW, R3D, BRAW) | Not supported — H.264 only | Not supported — H.264/ProRes only | Native | Native |

| Visual search | Yes — objects, scenes, actions | No — filename only | No — transcript only | No | No |

| MOS footage search | Yes — visual index | No | No | No | No |

| Pricing model | Per-minute | Per-seat enterprise | Per-seat | Per-seat | Per-seat |

| Per-user cost | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

| Upload limit | No practical limit (enterprise) | 40GB per file | 100GB (varies) | No limit | No limit |

| Color-accurate review | Yes — LogC, REDWideGamut transforms applied | Yes — H.264 with correct LUT | Yes — with correct LUT | Limited | Limited |

| Original file retention | Yes — attached for download | No — separate system | No — separate system | Yes | Yes |

| Free tier | 60 minutes free | No | 2GB free | No | No |

| Avid integration | Via enterprise add-on | Legacy | No | Limited | Yes |

| Adobe integration | XML/EDL export | No | Native Premiere + AE | No | No |

Cutsio: Best overall for film dailies

Cutsio is designed for the specific needs of film production dailies. The enterprise raw ingestion add-on accepts native ARRIRAW (.ari, .mxf, .arx), RED R3D (.r3d), and Blackmagic RAW (.braw) files directly from the DIT's offload drive. No manual pre-transcode is required.

The review stream is generated with the correct color transform applied — LogC4 to Rec.709 for Alexa 35 footage, REDWideGamutRGB to Rec.709 for RED footage, with any embedded ALF4 or .rlm look metadata preserved. The director sees the footage with the intended look.

Visual Intelligence indexes every frame by visual content. Searching for "find the wide shot of the car from Day 3" returns frame-exact results. MOS footage — action sequences, B-roll, VFX plates — is fully searchable because the index is visual, not transcript-based. Learn more in our deep dive on visual search for film libraries.

Pricing is per minute of footage with no per-user fees. A 15-person review team pays the same as a 5-person team. There is no 40GB upload limit — native camera files of any length are accepted at their original size. Read how this compares to PIX and Frame.io's pricing models.

The original camera files are retained as attachments for download and conform. The online editor downloads the complete .mxf or .r3d files directly, with all metadata and look information intact.

Read the full comparison at PIX vs Cutsio: Feature-by-Feature and learn how to stop transcoding before upload.

PIX: The legacy standard under transition

PIX has been the default dailies platform in film production for over two decades. Its Oscar-winning DRM system remains the industry standard for studio security. Its Avid Media Composer integration has made it the editorial backbone of countless features.

However, PIX requires all footage to be transcoded to H.264 before upload. A 10-hour Alexa 35 shoot day adds approximately 3.5 hours of transcoding time before the first frame can be reviewed. PIX has no visual search — footage is organized by filename only. Per-seat enterprise pricing makes it expensive for large review teams. The 40GB upload limit forces workarounds for longer takes. And the Autodesk acquisition creates uncertainty about the platform's long-term roadmap.

PIX remains the right choice for productions with mandatory studio DRM requirements. For productions that do not require PIX-level security, alternatives offer better workflows at lower cost.

Learn more about the PIX to Flow Capture transition and read our PIX review.

Frame.io: Best for Adobe-centric post teams

Frame.io is widely used in post production for its Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects integration. Editors can send timelines and receive feedback without leaving the NLE. The player is good, and the client review experience is polished.

For film dailies specifically, Frame.io has significant gaps. It does not support native raw ingestion — all ARRIRAW and R3D files must be transcoded to ProRes or H.264 before upload. Search is transcript-only, making MOS footage invisible. Pricing is per-seat, scaling with team size rather than footage volume. The 100GB upload limit on some plans accommodates most individual clips but may split longer takes.

Frame.io is a strong choice for commercial and television workflows using ProRes mezzanine files. For film production shooting native raw formats, Cutsio provides a better fit.

Hedge Postlab: Best for DIT offload and backup

Hedge Postlab extends Hedge's popular offload software into a cloud platform that combines backup with basic review capabilities. It accepts native camera files, verifies checksums during upload, and stores originals in the cloud alongside review assets.

For film dailies, Postlab is strongest for DITs who want a single tool for offload, verification, and backup. Its review capabilities are more limited than Cutsio or PIX — there is no visual search, no frame-accurate commenting, and no collaborative review workflow. Pricing is per-seat.

Postlab works best as a DIT tool that happens to include review, rather than as a dedicated dailies review platform for the full creative team.

Silverstack Cloud: Best for metadata-driven DIT workflows

Silverstack Cloud extends the on-set DIT software Silverstack into the cloud, preserving deep metadata — camera settings, look files, scene data — alongside dailies review. It accepts native raw files and integrates with Silverstack's on-set tools.

For productions that already use Silverstack on set, the cloud extension is a natural fit. For teams that need a standalone dailies review platform without Silverstack's on-set ecosystem, Cutsio or PIX provide more complete review and collaboration features. Silverstack Cloud's review capabilities are DIT-focused rather than director- or editor-focused.

Silverstack Cloud uses per-seat pricing and does not offer a free tier.

FAQ

What is the most important feature in a cloud dailies platform for film?

Native raw ingestion has the largest impact on daily workflow. Platforms that require H.264 pre-transcoding add 2-4 hours of render time per shoot day, delay the first review, and create a separate proxy management workflow. Platforms that accept native ARRIRAW, R3D, or BRAW files eliminate this step entirely.

Can I use Frame.io for film dailies if I transcode to ProRes first?

Yes. Frame.io works well with ProRes mezzanine files. The trade-off is the time and workflow overhead of rendering ProRes proxies before upload. For teams that already create ProRes proxies for offline editing, Frame.io may fit. For teams that want to eliminate the pre-transcode step, Cutsio's native raw ingestion is the better option.

Is PIX still viable for film dailies in 2026?

PIX is still viable for productions that require its Oscar-winning DRM. For productions without that requirement, alternatives offer better workflows — native raw support, visual search, per-minute pricing, and no restrictive upload limits. The Autodesk acquisition adds uncertainty to PIX's long-term roadmap.

Which platform has the best search for dailies?

Cutsio's Visual Intelligence is the only platform offering content-level search by objects, scenes, and actions across every frame. PIX offers filename and folder search only. Frame.io offers transcript search for audio content only. For film dailies where 30-50% of footage may be MOS with no audio, visual search is essential.

How much does a cloud dailies platform cost for a feature film?

Cost varies significantly by platform and production scale. Cutsio's per-minute pricing means the cost scales with footage volume. PIX and Frame.io use per-seat pricing that scales with team size. For a 30-day feature with 15 reviewers, compare per-minute costs against per-seat monthly fees to determine the more cost-effective option for your specific production.