Overview

Uploadcare’s API accepts direct, multipart, and URL uploads, then serves uploaded files through its CDN. That joined-up flow is a practical fit when a product needs both intake and media delivery, rather than only a general-purpose CDN. The company was founded in 2011.

File-size allowances vary substantially: Free tops out at 500 MB, Pro at 1 GB, and Business at 10 GB. The 5 TB maximum applies to Enterprise, so it should not be treated as a standard-plan capability.

Key features

Upload options and image handling

Upload sources include local files, webcam, URLs, Facebook, Google Drive, Google Photos, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Box. Developers can choose direct, multipart, or URL uploads to suit their intake flow. URL-based transformations, automatic optimization, responsive images, and automatic format selection make the service particularly relevant to sites and apps serving image-heavy content across devices.

Video, documents, and security

Paid plans add asynchronous video processing and document conversion, extending the service beyond image delivery. Uploadcare says it continually scans uploads for malicious files with ClamAV, and its security whitepaper describes TLS 1.2+ encryption in transit and Amazon S3 server-side AES-256 encryption at rest. HIPAA and SOC2 compliance are Enterprise features, which makes that tier the relevant option for organizations that require those commitments.

Integrations and mobile

Uploader support covers JavaScript, React, Angular, Vue, Webflow, Framer, and WordPress, with Zapier and Make for automation. Swift and Kotlin SDKs plus iOS and Android uploading widgets support native mobile projects. This breadth favors teams working across web and mobile; a project that only needs image optimization may not need the wider upload stack.

Pricing

Uploadcare uses a freemium model, with a 14-day trial and paid plans starting at 66.00 USD per month. The quotas, file ceilings, and seat allowances determine which tier is realistic:

Plan	Price	Included limits	Best fit
Free	0.00 USD per free	1,000 operations/month, 5 GB traffic/month, 1 GB storage, 500 MB max file size; personal use only	Personal projects and small evaluations that can stay within tight limits
Pro	66.00 USD per month	5,000 operations/month, 25 GB traffic/month, 10 GB storage, 1 GB max file size, 3 team members	Small teams whose files stay under 1 GB and whose monthly usage fits the included quotas
Business	166.00 USD per month	50,000 operations/month, 125 GB traffic/month, 50 GB storage, 10 GB max file size, 4 team members	Teams needing higher monthly allowances or files beyond Pro’s 1 GB ceiling
Enterprise	Custom pricing	Custom plan limits, files up to 5 TB, AWS S3 storage connection, project management API, enterprise security and support	Organizations needing custom scale or Enterprise security and support

Free has no team allowance stated and is restricted to personal use. Its limits are also consequential: reaching a Free usage cap temporarily suspends service until the next month. Pro raises the monthly quotas and supports three team members, but its 1 GB file ceiling and 25 GB traffic allocation may be restrictive for media-heavy services. Business expands those allowances and adds a fourth member, though it costs 166.00 USD per month. Enterprise is the route to the 5 TB file maximum and listed compliance features, but pricing is custom.

Platforms

Uploadcare supports Android, iOS, web, and API use. The mobile SDKs and widgets complement its web integrations, while API access suits teams building their own upload flow. The listed integrations span common front-end frameworks and site builders, plus two automation services.

Who it's for

Uploadcare is best suited to product and development teams that need a managed upload-to-delivery pipeline, especially when image transformations and mobile intake belong alongside storage. Pro fits a small team with moderate traffic and files under 1 GB; Business is more suitable when operations, storage, bandwidth, or file sizes exceed Pro’s allowances. It is a weaker fit for high-volume projects that cannot tolerate quota interruptions on Free or need larger files without Enterprise custom pricing.

Pros and cons

Pros: One API and CDN cover upload intake and delivery, reducing the need to separate those jobs.
Pros: Multiple upload sources, framework integrations, and native mobile SDKs suit products with varied user and device workflows.
Pros: Image optimization and responsive transformations address common media-delivery needs, with video and document processing on paid plans.
Cons: Free usage overruns suspend service until the next month, creating a meaningful risk for projects that approach its caps.
Cons: Pro allows files only up to 1 GB, while the 5 TB maximum requires Enterprise.
Cons: The self-serve tiers have limited team seats, topping out at four on Business.

Alternatives

For a wider set of CDN choices, browse CDN Software. Consider these alternatives when their pricing or emphasis better matches the job:

Azion Content Delivery is worth considering for personal projects and experimentation, with a free Hobby plan and stated 1 TB/month data transfer.
Fastly Image Optimizer is an option when the need centers on image requests, with a free allowance of 100,000 requests per month.
ImageKit is another freemium option for low-traffic sites, apps, side projects, or testing.
Amazon CloudFront may suit teams seeking a free distribution plan with 1M requests and 100GB data transfer.
CacheFly is an alternative for projects evaluating a free developer account or a paid plan with 10 TB/month.
Cloudinary is another freemium choice, with a free plan that includes three users and 25 monthly credits.
Gcore CDN offers a PAYG plan with 1 TB monthly traffic included and image optimization allowance.
QUIC.cloud CDN is an alternative CDN service.

Verdict

Choose Uploadcare when your product needs uploads, image handling, and delivery together, particularly across web and mobile. Its integration range and media pipeline make that breadth the central reason to pick it. Look elsewhere if standard-plan file ceilings, monthly quotas, or limited team seats do not match your expected scale; the largest file allowance and enterprise security features sit behind custom pricing.

	Google Media CDN	Uploadcare
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	No	Yes
Paid from	—	$66/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	api, Web	Android, api, iOS, Web
Free plan	No	Yes
Edge locations	59 locations	—
Origin shield	Yes	—
Paid from	—	66 /mo

Google Media CDN vs Uploadcare

Google Media CDN

Uploadcare