# Frontify — Design

Frontify by Frontify AG holds a panel rating of 2.5/5 from 6 AI judges (category median 2/5), as of 2026-10-15. Provenance: UK / wider Europe; sovereignty: not determined.

- Vendor: Frontify AG (https://www.frontify.com)
- Category: [Design](https://whats-best.ai/software/design.md)
- Provenance (editorial classification): UK / wider Europe
- Canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/design/frontify
- Alternatives: https://whats-best.ai/software/design/frontify/alternatives ([markdown](https://whats-best.ai/software/design/frontify/alternatives.md))
- Data as of: 2026-10-20 · evaluated 2026-10-15 · oldest source captured 2026-10-01

**AI-generated.** Every score, rationale and verdict here is written by a panel of AI judges from public evidence — an analysis, not a hands-on test. Every fact quotes the vendor page it was read from. No score can be bought. How scores are made: https://whats-best.ai/methodology

## At a glance

- Vendor: Frontify AG
- Headquarters: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
- Data hosting: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
- Free plan: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026

## The panel's verdict

Frontify AG of St. Gallen, Switzerland, is a brand management platform the judges score as a brand home rather than a design studio. Brand asset governance is the strongest ground, with scores at 6-7: central libraries with mandatory custom metadata, cross-library search and per-region Targets are documented in depth. Outside pricing transparency, design and prototyping is the lowest-scored criterion, ranging 2-4 — the low end found no public information on prototyping or vector tools, while the high end credited templates, themes and the Figma variables flow into the guidelines. Collaboration and handoff runs 5-7: granular viewer, reviewer and editor roles with folder-level permissions are documented, though inspect mode works on Sketch files and requires an Enterprise account. File ownership scores sit at 4. AI and content rights earns 5-6 — identifiable customer data trains nothing without explicit consent and providers are named — while sovereignty scores 3-4: hosting is stated as AWS in Europe or the USA at customer preference, with no public information on subprocessors or AI processing locations. Pricing transparency sits at 1; the vendor publishes no prices.

**Speaks for it:**
- central libraries with mandatory custom metadata, tagging and cross-library search, where assets missing required metadata stay hidden from library pages
- Targets serve content to specific stakeholders in specific regions, alongside folder-level view, review and edit permissions and admin-approved invitations
- whole-project export including all assets, one-click PDF and print of entire guidelines, and asset downloads in vector formats with no selection cap
- a written AI addendum: identifiable customer data trains nothing without explicit consent, access can be disabled at any time, and outputs are retained by the customer
- named AI providers — AWS, Microsoft Azure AI, and OpenAI through a marketplace app — with EU AI Act risk classification maintained per feature

**Held against it:**
- no public information on prototyping, vector or layout tools, with the captured pages documenting systems authored in Figma and Sketch
- inspect mode documented only for Sketch files and only on an Enterprise account
- no public information on a subprocessor list, the contracting entity's jurisdiction or where AI features process files
- no public information on the project export format or on file access after a cancelled contract or removed seat

**Best for:**
- You need one central brand library with mandatory metadata, tagging and cross-library search, publishing guidelines as the single source of truth
- You serve brand content to different stakeholders and regions and need Targets, folder-level permissions and admin-approved invitations to control it
- Your design system lives in Figma and Sketch and you need it documented — variables, code components and copyable token values — inside published guidelines
- You want AI features under written terms, with the ability to disable access at any time

**Avoid if:**
- You need to author designs or build prototypes in the platform itself — the documented workflow brings variables and components in from Figma and Sketch rather than making them here
- Your developers need inspect data from files other than Sketch or on a plan below Enterprise — inspect mode is documented for Sketch files on an Enterprise account only
- You rely on licence expiries being enforced automatically — an expiry-date field is documented, but we found no public information on warnings or automatic withdrawal when it passes
- You must verify the full processing chain before signing — the pages state AWS hosting in Europe or the USA at customer preference, and we found no public information on subprocessors or AI processing locations

## Scores by judge and criterion

Scores out of 5, each judge scoring independently against the published rubric (v1). "n/r" = not rated: the vendor publishes no price.

| Criterion | The Product Designer | The Frontend Engineer | The Brand Marketer | The Agency Owner | The Data Protection Officer | The Skeptic |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Design, prototyping & design systems | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 | 1/5 |
| Collaboration, review & developer handoff | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3.5/5 | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 2.5/5 |
| Brand assets & governance | 3/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 |
| Files, formats & portability | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| AI features & rights to the work | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| European sovereignty | 2/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 1.5/5 |
| Pricing transparency | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r |
| **Weighted verdict** | **2.5/5** | **2.5/5** | **2.5/5** | **2/5** | **2.5/5** | **2.5/5** |

### The judges

- **The Product Designer** (v1.0): Owns the design system of a B2B software product. Wants components with variants, tokens with modes, prototypes that test a real flow, and library releases that are versioned and reviewable — a design system is a product, not a page of nicely arranged buttons.
- **The Frontend Engineer** (v1.0): Turns the designs into code and gets the ticket when they disagree. Wants an inspect mode without a paid seat, tokens exported in a documented format, components mapped to the code ones, and an API that reads the whole file rather than a screenshot of it.
- **The Brand Marketer** (v1.0): Keeps the brand consistent across twelve sales offices that make their own flyers. Wants locked templates non-designers can use, guidelines inside the tool, licence and expiry dates on every stock image, and a clear answer on whether a generated image may go on a trade-fair stand.
- **The Agency Owner** (v1.0): Runs a design agency of fifteen and hands every project over to the client at the end. Wants files that export with layers and components intact, guests who are not billed as editors, and terms that say the client owns the work — and what happens to it after a cancellation.
- **The Data Protection Officer** (v1.0): Reviews every tool where unreleased products, customer screenshots and employee photos end up. Wants the contracting entity and hosting region named, the AI providers on the subprocessor list, and training on customer files excluded for the whole organisation in the terms — not behind a toggle each user has to find.
- **The Skeptic** (v1.0): Has read "free for viewers", "commercially safe AI" and "export anytime" on every page in this category. Reads instead for the click that turns a reviewer into a billed editor, the plan the IP indemnity actually covers, and whether the export keeps a single component.

## European sovereignty — proven facts

Built only from facts on the vendor's own pages; a dimension we could not prove is left open, never scored as zero. Headline: not determined.

| Dimension | Finding | Points | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Not determined | — | — |
| Ownership | Not determined | — | — |
| Data residency | Not determined | — | — |
| Subprocessors | Not determined | — | — |

## Key facts

Each fact is the vendor's own statement, cited to the source page it was read from ([S*n*] → Sources).

**Compliance**
- AI literacy art4: yes [S15]
- AI model licensing: yes [S14]
- AI no llm training: no · no [S3]
- AI output labels no removal: yes [S15]
- AI risk assessments: yes · yes [S15]
- CCPA: yes [S3]
- Commercially licensed models: yes [S15]
- Cookie consent: yes · yes [S3]
- EU AI act: EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) [S14]
- EU AI act alignment: EU 2024/1689 [S15]
- GDPR rights: access · rectification · deletion · restriction · portability · objection · no automated decision-making [S3]
- International transfers: yes · yes · yes [S3]
- Min age: 16 [S3]
- No customer data training: no [S15]
- No high risk AI: no [S14]
- No high risk AI: no [S15]
- No special categories: no [S3]
- Processor role: GTC · DPA · Processor [S3]

**Data**
- Call recording retention: 3 years [S3]
- Candidate retention: 90 [S3]
- Customer hub hosting: EU · 90 [S3]
- No training without consent: explicit consent required · no [S14]
- Project export: yes · entire project export including assets [S13]
- Project export scope: export includes all project assets [S13]
- Retention policy: purpose-based retention with defined deletion time frames [S3]
- Session replay retention: 30 [S3]
- Video surveillance retention: AWS Dublin, Ireland · 30 [S3]

**Hosting**
- Storage regions: Europe · USA · AWS · European customers in Europe, non-European in USA [S3]

**Integrations**
- Adobe fonts: Adobe Fonts integration [S10]
- Codesandbox block: CodeSandbox block [S10]
- Embed block: Embed block for external content [S10]
- Essentials API: Essentials API exposing colors and fonts [S10]
- Essentials API colors fonts: Essentials API: Colors and fonts [S10]
- Figma block: Figma content block for design system documentation [S10]
- Figma variables block: Figma variables block exporting Figma variables into Frontify [S10]
- Marketplace: yes · yes · yes [S2]
- Microsoft copilot: Microsoft Copilot Studio integration via Frontify API, developed and maintained by Frontify [S10]
- Microsoft copilot: Frontify × Microsoft Copilot Studio · Frontify [S10]
- Sketch plugin: Sketch plugin uploads artboards to Frontify Projects and opens them directly in Frontify [S8]
- Storybook block: Storybook content block displaying code components [S10]
- Typeform block: Typeform embed block [S10]

**Legal**
- Address: Unterstrasse 4, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland · Frontify AG [S4]
- AI addendum amendments: yes [S15]
- AI addendum party: Frontify AG · Juni 2026 [S15]
- AI addendum precedence: yes [S15]
- AI limited license inputs outputs: non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, revocable, contract_term · service_provision_only [S15]
- AI outputs remain with customer: yes [S15]
- Amendments: as necessary for legal compliance [S14]
- Customer owns inputs and data: yes [S15]
- Entity: Frontify AG [S2]
- Entity: St. Gallen, Switzerland · Frontify AG · Frankfurt (Germany) · New York (USA) · London (UK) · Paris (France) [S3]
- Entity and version: Frontify AG · June 2026 [S14]
- Governing law: Switzerland [S5]
- Governing law: as agreed in the Agreement [S14]
- Input output license: Subscription Term · non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, revocable, service-provision only [S14]
- Ip rights: Frontify or the respective copyright holder [S5]
- Legal entity: Frontify AG [S5]
- Registry number: CHE-253.260.210 [S4]
- Registry office: St. Gallen, Switzerland [S4]
- Severability: yes [S5]
- VAT id: CHE-253.260.210 [S4]

**Pricing**
- Model: MAU-based pricing model [S2]

**Product**
- Academy: Frontify academy: courses and certification programs [S3]
- Account admin capabilities: invite Editors and Viewers · account overview · decide who can create guidelines, brands, and projects [S9]
- Account admin capabilities: invite editors and viewers · account overview · decide who can create guidelines, brands, and projects [S9]
- Account admin creation control: brands · guidelines · projects · libraries [S9]
- Account admin user management: User Management · Targets · Groups [S9]
- Addon roles: Account Admin · Brand Owner · yes [S9]
- Addon roles require main role: Account Admin · Brand Owner · yes [S9]
- Admin user management: User Management · Targets · Groups [S9]
- AI auto tagging: Auto Tagging [S3]
- AI brand assistant: Brand Assistant [S3]
- AI disclosure at first interaction: yes [S15]
- AI features: Enhanced Image Search [S3]
- AI features not third party: yes [S15]
- AI features optional: yes · yes [S14]
- AI features optional: yes · yes [S15]
- AI human oversight: yes · yes [S15]
- AI marketplace automations: Automations [S3]
- AI ocr search: Asset Content Search (OCR Search) [S3]
- AI providers: AWS · Microsoft Azure AI [S3]
- AI translation: AI Translation [S3]
- AI translation: AI translation available in guidelines [S10]
- AI translation: yes [S10]
- AI translation admin faq: yes [S10]
- AI transparency notice: yes [S14]
- Annotations: Annotations on images [S10]
- Approval rights: project · download assets · approve requests [S9]
- Approval rights: approval rights enable users to download assets and approve requests within a project [S9]
- Asset description hover: yes [S6]
- Asset download no cap: no [S6]
- Asset sharing: yes [S6]
- Asset submission block: Asset submission block allows uploading assets to Libraries and Projects without logging in [S10]
- Asset visibility controls: Targets, workflow status, asset lifecycle, required custom metadata, and document categories affect visibility of assets on library pages [S6]
- Brand intelligence: Brand intelligence platform where guidelines, assets, and brand knowledge live, structured for humans and readable by AI [S1]
- Brand owner capabilities: change brand logo [S9]
- Brand owner capability: change brand logo [S9]
- Brand story timeline: Brand story timeline block [S10]
- Browse features: collapsible sidebar · collections · variable groups · subgroups [S7]
- Cards grid block: yes [S10]
- Collection article counts: 35 · 11 · 11 · 26 · 105 · 7 [S10]
- Colors block palettes: Colors block with connected color palettes [S10]
- Commenting: Page commenting for collaboration [S10]
- Content blocks: Content blocks for color, typography, icons and more [S10]
- Content editor: Content editor [S10]
- Content restoration: Changelog tracks updates; deleted blocks and sections can be restored, some recovery requires contacting Support [S10]
- Copy values: yes [S7]
- Cross library search: Cross-library search can be toggled on/off, auto-trigger thresholds of 0, 5, 10, or 20 assets, manual option adds a 'Search other libraries' button [S6]
- Custom metadata: Single-select · Multi-select · Text · Longtext · Date · Number [S11]
- Custom metadata definition: column with name and type in brackets in first line [S11]
- Custom urls: Custom page URLs / domain path supported [S10]
- Customer hub: Customer Hub: onboarding guidance, training resources, account management [S3]
- Customer owns outputs: subject to applicable law and third-party provider terms · yes [S14]
- Customer responsibility review outputs: yes [S15]
- Customization: layout · styles [S7]
- Developer partner: Smartive · Brand SDK [S7]
- Editor capabilities: create and edit content · invite other Editors and Viewers · translate content · give feedback · everything a Viewer can do [S9]
- Editor capabilities: create and edit content · invite other editors and viewers · translate content · give feedback · yes [S9]
- Editor invite setting: account-level · Invite and change user permissions [S9]
- Essentials central assets: Essentials [S10]
- Expires at format: RFC3339_EXTENDED [S11]
- Export access via share menu: Share · Print and PDF tab · Print all documents / Print this document · Save as PDF or printer [S12]
- Export background graphics setting: Enable Background graphics to include colors and backgrounds [S12]
- Export full guideline: Export all documents within a guideline at once in one click [S12]
- Export single document: Can export entire guideline or single document [S12]
- Export theme support: Classic · Muse · Paper · Custom [S12]
- Export use cases: Compliance snapshots, version archiving, offline sharing, printing individual documents [S12]
- Export workflow: JSON file of Figma variables · variables2json [S7]
- External sharing deactivation: Backend library curator can deactivate external sharing, removing share action from library page [S6]
- Figma variables block: document Figma variables (color, string, number, and other types) in Frontify guidelines [S7]
- Filtering: yes [S7]
- Folder level access: DAM only · yes [S9]
- Folder level access: DAM only · yes [S9]
- Folder permission levels: Can view · Can review · Can edit [S9]
- Folder permission levels: Can view · Can review · Can edit [S9]
- Folder permissions additive: yes [S9]
- Folder permissions additive: yes [S9]
- Guideline search: Search across brand guidelines [S10]
- Guidelines description: Frontify Guidelines – the single source of truth for your brand [S10]
- Guidelines export: PDF and print export of guidelines [S10]
- Guidelines navigation update: new Guidelines navigation [S10]
- Guidelines pdf export: yes [S10]
- Guidelines pdf print export: Guidelines export to PDF and print available [S12]
- Guidelines positioning: Frontify Guidelines positioned as the single source of truth for your brand [S10]
- Inspect artboard info: HEX · pixels [S8]
- Inspect assets download: exportable layers marked in Sketch · yes · yes [S8]
- Inspect auditing: Auditing shows artboard colors and warns when colors/fonts are not on-brand [S8]
- Inspect availability: yes · Enterprise · Sketch [S8]
- Inspect code: yes [S8]
- Inspect content copy: yes [S8]
- Inspect exportable setting: Elements must be set as exportable in Sketch to be downloadable later [S8]
- Inspect format settings: CSS · HEX · RGB · pixels · PNG · JPG · TIFF · WEBP · PDF · EPS · SVG [S8]
- Inspect layer info: Layer-contextual info: typeface, color/weight (HEX/RGB), size, line height, letter spacing, alignment [S8]
- Inspect layers panel: Layers Panel mirrors Sketch layers; selecting a layer selects it on the artboard [S8]
- Inspect layout grid: Layout grids defined in Sketch are visualized via Grid toggle in Information Panel [S8]
- Inspect measurement tool: pixels · yes · yes [S8]

**Support**
- Channel: Customer Success Manager [S8]
- Privacy request SLA: 30 [S3]

55 more facts on the canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/design/frontify

## Questions

### Is Frontify European?

Yes, though not from the EU. whats-best.ai classifies Frontify as UK / wider Europe.

### Where does Frontify store data?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026.

### Does Frontify have a free plan?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026.

### What are the best alternatives to Frontify?

As of 16 Oct 2026, the panel rates [Penpot (2.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/design/penpot), [Sketch (2.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/design/sketch) and [Figma (2.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/design/figma) highest among the other 13 Design products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is [Penpot](https://whats-best.ai/software/design/penpot) (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: [how scores are made](https://whats-best.ai/methodology#ordering). The full list, with European products first: [Frontify alternatives](https://whats-best.ai/software/design/frontify/alternatives).

## What this page leaves out

- 39 product facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 11 legal facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 6 subprocessors facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 5 pricing facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 1 compliance fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 1 integrations fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 1 support fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 2 sovereignty dimensions could not be confirmed on the vendor’s own pages and are shown as unknown.
- 6 of the readings below were written against an earlier fact sheet — a fact has been corrected, added or pulled since. Until the panel next runs on this product you are reading the older judgement.

## Sources

- [S1] Vendor homepage: https://www.frontify.com/en (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S2] Pricing page: https://www.frontify.com/en/pricing (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S3] Privacy policy: https://www.frontify.com/en/legal/privacy-notice (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S4] Legal notice: https://www.frontify.com/en/imprint (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S5] Terms of service: https://www.frontify.com/en/legal/website-terms-of-service (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S6] Design, prototyping & design systems — found from sitemap: https://help.frontify.com/en/articles/8166396-library-pages (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S7] Design, prototyping & design systems — found from sitemap: https://help.frontify.com/en/articles/11131897-figma-variables-block (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S8] Collaboration, review & developer handoff — found from sitemap: https://help.frontify.com/en/articles/3286091-inspect-mode-for-frontify (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S9] Collaboration, review & developer handoff — found from sitemap: https://help.frontify.com/en/articles/1356460-user-roles-and-permissions (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S10] Brand assets & governance — found from sitemap: https://help.frontify.com/en/collections/22195-brand-guidelines (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S11] Brand assets & governance — found from sitemap: https://help.frontify.com/en/articles/4319547-how-to-asset-migration-metadata-sheet (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S12] Files, formats & portability — found from sitemap: https://help.frontify.com/en/articles/14718558-guidelines-export-pdf-and-print (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S13] Files, formats & portability — found from sitemap: https://help.frontify.com/en/articles/1139499-projects-how-to-export-entire-project (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S14] AI features & rights to the work — found from sitemap: https://www.frontify.com/en/legal/addendum-for-the-use-of-ai (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S15] AI features & rights to the work — found from sitemap: https://www.frontify.com/de/legal/zusatzvereinbarung-fur-die-nutzung-von-ki (checked 2026-10-13)

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Cite as: whats-best.ai, "Frontify — Design", AI panel analysis, as of 2026-10-20. https://whats-best.ai/software/design/frontify

Corrections: https://whats-best.ai/correct/605?target=page