MediaLit vs Cloudinary
Store and serve files without paying for a media platform.
Cloudinary is one of the most capable media platforms around. If you need on-the-fly image transforms, video transcoding or a DAM, it does far more than MediaLit. If you mostly need user uploads, documents and agent-generated files with a flat bill, MediaLit is the smaller tool for that job.
Side by side
Cloudinary prices by shared credits across storage, bandwidth and transformations. MediaLit prices by storage and max file size. Both offer MCP access. Only MediaLit is open source and self-hostable.
Read the longer write-up| Feature | MediaLit | Cloudinary |
|---|---|---|
| Signup required | Yes, free account | Yes |
| Free plan | Basic: 1 GB storage, 50 MB max file, unlimited uploads and downloads | 25 credits/mo (1 credit = 1 GB storage, 1 GB bandwidth or 1,000 transformations) |
| Paid plan price | Pro: $10/mo or $100/yr for 100 GB storage and a 2 GB max file (see current pricing) | Plus $99/mo ($89/mo billed yearly) for 225 credits. Advanced $249/mo ($224 yearly) for 600 credits |
| Max file size | 50 MB (Basic), 2 GB (Pro) | Free: 10 MB images / raw, 100 MB video. Plus: 20 MB / 2 GB. Advanced: 40 MB / 4 GB |
| Setup time (est.) | ~5 min | ~5 min |
| Lines of code (upload a file, get a URL) | 7 lines | 4 lines |
| SDK needed | No. REST API, or the optional medialit Node SDK | No. REST API, SDKs available |
| Presigned / browser uploads | Yes: Yes. Short-lived upload signatures; browser uploads are resumable (tus) | Yes: Yes. Upload widget and signed uploads |
| Signed private URLs | Yes: Yes on every plan. Private files get expiring signed URLs | Yes: Yes. Private and authenticated delivery. Token/cookie auth on Advanced and up |
| CDN included | Yes: Yes. Delivery through a CDN | Yes: Yes. CDN delivery on every plan |
| Egress / bandwidth | Unlimited uploads and downloads listed on the pricing section. No separate egress rate published | Counted in credits (1 credit = 1 GB bandwidth) |
| Image / video processing | Partly: Thumbnails on upload, optional WebP conversion. No on-the-fly URL transforms | Yes: Extensive on-the-fly image and video transforms, transcoding and adaptive streaming |
| AI-agent access | Yes: Hosted MCP at https://api.medialit.cloud/mcp with OAuth, plus the medialit CLI | Yes: MCP server access on every plan, plus a CLI |
| Open source / self-host | Yes: Yes. AGPL server, MIT clients. Self-host on S3, R2, MinIO or any S3-compatible storage | No: No self-hosted version |
| File versioning | No: No | Yes: Yes via Backup (off by default; backups count toward storage unless you use your own bucket on paid plans) |
Sources: Cloudinary pricing, compare plans, credits docs, MediaLit pricing. USD, checked 6 November 2026.
Upload a file and get a URL
import { MediaLit } from "medialit";
const medialit = new MediaLit(); // reads MEDIALIT_API_KEY
const { mediaId } = await medialit.upload("./photo.jpg", {
access: "public",
});
const media = await medialit.seal(mediaId); // keep it
console.log(media.file);Uploads stay temporary until seal(). Unsealed files are deleted after 24 hours.
import { v2 as cloudinary } from "cloudinary";
// reads CLOUDINARY_URL
const result =
await cloudinary.uploader.upload("./photo.jpg");
console.log(result.secure_url);Returns a CDN URL immediately. Transformations are applied later via URL parameters.
Questions
Is MediaLit a full Cloudinary replacement?
Only if you use Cloudinary mainly for storage and delivery. For heavy image or video transformation, Cloudinary does more.
How does Cloudinary pricing work?
One credit equals 1 GB storage, 1 GB bandwidth or 1,000 transformations. Free gets 25 credits a month. Plus gets 225. MediaLit does not use credits: Basic is 1 GB free; Pro is $10/mo or $100/yr for 100 GB storage and a 2 GB max file (see current pricing).
Does MediaLit keep old versions of a file?
No. MediaLit has no file versioning. Cloudinary offers Backup-based revision history.
Can AI agents use both?
Yes. MediaLit has a hosted MCP server with OAuth plus a CLI. Cloudinary lists MCP server access on every plan, plus a CLI.
Stick with Cloudinary if…
We'd rather you pick the right tool than migrate twice. Cloudinary wins in clear cases:
- Your product depends on responsive images or on-the-fly crops. Cloudinary transforms from URL parameters. MediaLit only makes a thumbnail at upload and can optionally convert to WebP.
- You serve a lot of video. Cloudinary has transcoding and adaptive streaming. MediaLit stores video and makes a thumbnail.
- You need a DAM or version history. Cloudinary has asset management, auto-tagging and Backup. MediaLit has no file versioning.
- Your team already lives in Cloudinary. Switching storage is easy; rewriting a transform pipeline is not.
What moves with you, and what stays
Export originals from Cloudinary, re-upload them, and store the returned mediaId in place of the Cloudinary public ID.
Moves with you
- Original files (re-upload via CLI or SDK)
- Public and private access patterns
- Your app's upload flow, via
@medialit/reactor the REST API - The option to self-host later on the same API
Stays on Cloudinary
- URL-based transformations and derived assets
- Video transcoding and adaptive streaming
- DAM features, auto-tagging and Backup history
- Existing transformation URLs in production
If you rely on transformation URLs, plan a replacement first. MediaLit gives you a thumbnail and optional WebP conversion, not URL-based transforms. MediaLit docs.
Try MediaLit for storage
Start on the free Basic plan. Move to Pro for $10/mo or $100/yr when you need 100 GB and 2 GB uploads. See current pricing.
Also comparing? All MediaLit comparisons · MediaLit vs UploadThing · Longer write-up
Prices and limits checked 6 November 2026 from Cloudinary and MediaLit. Setup time is an estimate for a developer new to each service. Lines of code are counted from the samples above (non-blank, non-comment). Spotted something out of date? Open an issue.