The Shade Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Shade in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Shade
The Insider’s Guide
Cloud storage and review for video teams, with AI search
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among file storage and sync services, read from Shade’s own pages.
Made by Shade Inc. · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Shade’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Shade’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 13 of the 91 other file storage and sync services we grade
Shade is a cloud file system for creative and video teams. Drives mount on a computer like a local disk, and the service adds AI search, transcription, facial recognition, time-stamped review comments and client delivery links on the same files. It is sold per seat, with a Growth plan and a sales-quoted Enterprise plan.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Shade, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No store rating on record, and workspaces and drives have to be set up.
- 1
Best for video and creative teams sharing large files
Shade mounts drives like a local disk for creative and video teams and adds AI search, transcription, review comments and client delivery links.
- 2
Paid plans start at $29.75 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $29.75 per seat / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly).
- 3
You can try it first
Free trial on the Growth plan; its length is not stated on the pricing page
- 4
It runs on 4 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
- 5
Mountable drives
The homepage describes drives that mount on a computer like a local disk; the pricing page lists unlimited drives, with multi-mount on Enterprise.
- 6
AI search and indexing
Search by sentence, facial recognition and transcripts, with unlimited AI indexing on both plans.
- 7
Review and approval
Time-stamped comments, annotation and markup, and a Slack integration appear in the plan comparison.
- 8
A 2.0 GPA, above 13 of 91
That is against the other file storage and sync services we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Shade you would be making files kept in step across devices without losing one. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Shade at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $29.75 per seat / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- Free trial on the Growth plan; its length is not stated on the pricing page
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux
- Made by
- Shade Inc.
- Category
- File Storage & Sync
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for video and creative teams sharing large files
Shade mounts drives like a local disk for creative and video teams and adds AI search, transcription, review comments and client delivery links. It is $29.75 a seat a month, far above what file storage typically charges, Growth stops at 15 seats and the trial length is not stated.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | $29.75 a seat a month billed annually ($35 monthly), against $7 in the middle for file storage, though it is a different kind of product from plain storage. |
| Free plan and trial | D | A free trial on Growth with no length stated on the pricing page, and no free plan. |
| Features | B | Mounted drives, AI search, transcription, face recognition, time-stamped review comments and client delivery on the same files. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record, and workspaces and drives have to be set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, Mac, Windows and Linux with Slack. No phone app is listed. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Shade is for
- Fits if you edit video and want review comments on the files themselves
- Works for creative teams that deliver files to clients
Who it is not for
- Pricey if you just want storage, at $29.75 a seat a month
- Not for you if you have over 15 seats or 150 guests, as that needs Enterprise at no published price
- Watch out: SSO, SCIM and audit logging are Enterprise only
- Watch out: the comparison claims against LucidLink, Frame.io and Dropbox are the vendor's own
Good to know
Good for
- Video and creative teams that want storage, review and delivery in one product
- Small production teams of up to 15 seats on Growth
Worth knowing
- Growth is capped at 15 seats, 150 guests and 1 workspace; larger teams need Enterprise, which has no published price.
- Storage is 500 GB of active storage per seat on Growth, and the page says storage add-ons are available.
- SSO/SAML, SCIM and audit logging are limited to Enterprise.
- The site markets Shade as a replacement for LucidLink, Frame.io and Dropbox; these claims are the vendor's own.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$29.75
A month to start, for each person
Shade is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $29.75 per seat / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly).
A free trial on Growth with no length stated on the pricing page, and no free plan.
Growth
$29.75
per seat / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)
1 workspace, unlimited drives and AI indexing, up to 15 seats and 150 guests, and 500 GB of active storage per seat.
Enterprise
Custom
Unlimited workspaces and seats, up to 250 guests, 1 TB of active storage per seat, SSO/SAML, SCIM, audit logging and a dedicated account manager. Sold through sales.
Trying it first
Free trial on the Growth plan; its length is not stated on the pricing page
Read from shade.inc on Nov 13, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Annual billing: $29.75 against $35 monthly
The pricing page shows $29.75 per seat a month on annual billing against $35 per seat a month billed monthly for Growth.
Stated on shade.inc
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
4
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows and Linux
Cloud storage and review for video teams, with AI search. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, transcription, file sync, file sharing.
Mounted drives, AI search, transcription, face recognition, time-stamped review comments and client delivery on the same files.
- Mountable drives
- The homepage describes drives that mount on a computer like a local disk; the pricing page lists unlimited drives, with multi-mount on Enterprise.
- AI search and indexing
- Search by sentence, facial recognition and transcripts, with unlimited AI indexing on both plans.
- Review and approval
- Time-stamped comments, annotation and markup, and a Slack integration appear in the plan comparison.
- Client delivery
- Role-based access, download permissions and published links are listed for sharing work with clients.
- Video proxies and metadata
- Web playback and downloadable proxies, plus EXIF, IPTC, XMP and timecode metadata.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
What it works with
- Slack
Shade is made by Shade Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
13/91
Other file storage and sync services it is graded above
Shade's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 13 of the 91 other file storage and sync services we grade, and level with 20.
It stands best on features (B, above 70 of 91) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $29.75 a month for each person, against a middle price of $6.64 for the category: 55 of the 60 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 13 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 92 file storage and sync services we grade, cut by the letter each got. Shade’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 91
- DFree plan and trialAbove 9 of 91
- BFeaturesAbove 70 of 91
- CEase of useAbove 22 of 91
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 31 of 91
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 66 file storage and sync services. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Shade is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Shade you would be making files kept in step across devices without losing one. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 58 of the 91 other file storage and sync services grade higher. It costs $357 a year.
What you could not
- Files kept in step across devices without losing one.
- Storing and serving files for other people.
- Speech turned into text you can trust.
- Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Shade’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
LucidLink, Dropbox, Suite Studios, MASV and Box
The 5 tools Shade is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.0GPA
LucidLink
Free trial · from $7/mo
Cloud file system that streams large files to your desktop.
- Only Shade lists a web app.
- Only LucidLink lists iOS and Android apps.
- LucidLink is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- 2.8GPA
Dropbox
Free plan · from $9.99/mo
Cloud storage and file sync with transfer and signing tools.
- Dropbox has a free plan. Shade does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Dropbox lists iOS and Android apps.
- Shade also covers transcription.
- 1.8GPA
Suite Studios
Free trial · from $75/mo
Cloud storage that streams large media files like a local drive.
- Only Shade lists a web app.
- Shade also covers transcription.
- 2.0GPA
MASV
Free plan · from $58/mo
Pay-per-GB large file transfer for media and data teams.
- MASV has a free plan. Shade does not, though it has a free trial.
- Shade also covers transcription and file sync.
- MASV also covers workflow automation.
- 2.8GPA
Box
Free plan · from $5/mo
Business content storage with e-signatures, workflows and AI.
- Box has a free plan. Shade does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Shade lists a Linux app.
- Only Box lists iOS and Android apps.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Shade free?
No, Shade is a paid product, but you can try it first. Free trial on the Growth plan; its length is not stated on the pricing page.
How much does Shade cost?
Shade lists 2 plans. Growth: $29.75 per seat / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly).
What platforms does Shade work on?
Shade is available on Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
Does Shade offer any discounts?
Shade publicly lists the following: Annual billing: $29.75 against $35 monthly.
Does Shade have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Shade is listed for Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
Does Shade have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Shade is listed for Web, macOS, Windows and Linux.
Is Shade open source?
Shade is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
What does Shade integrate with?
Shade's listing names Slack. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Shade?
Shade is made by Shade Inc.
What are the alternatives to Shade?
The closest alternatives to Shade in our directory are LucidLink, Dropbox, Suite Studios, MASV and Box.
How does Shade compare with other file storage and sync services?
Shade's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 13 of the 91 other file storage and sync services we grade, and level with 20.
Is Shade good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Shade D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $29.75 a month for each person, against a middle price of $6.64 for the category: 55 of the 60 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Shade?
To replace Shade you would be making files kept in step across devices without losing one.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Shade’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Shade's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Shade Inc. Prices change, so check shade.inc before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Shade, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/shade
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Shade: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/shade
Know someone choosing between file storage and sync services?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/shade/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded file storage and sync services after Shade, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- File Storage & Sync Insider's GuideEvery one of the 92 file storage and sync services we grade, compared
- Google Drive Insider's GuideCloud storage tied to Google Docs, Gmail and Photos3.6 GPA
- Filen Insider's GuideEnd-to-end encrypted cloud storage from Germany with open source apps3.4 GPA
- Microsoft OneDrive Insider's GuideMicrosoft's cloud storage, bundled with Microsoft 365 plans3.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Shade’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Shade is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Shade Inc. Prices and plans change: check shade.inc before you buy.