Cloudinary alternatives
Killing $89+/mo (~$1068/yr) — here are 3 verified escapes, honest trade-offs included.
the answer medium migration
imgproxy · Free ⭐ 11.0K stars Blazing on-the-fly image resizing/transformation behind your CDN.
you stop paying $89+/mo → keep ~$1068/yr
head-to-head
| Cloudinary | imgproxy | |
|---|---|---|
| price | $89+/mo | Free |
| self-hostable | no | yes |
| license | proprietary | Apache-2.0 |
| verified | — | 2026-08 |
| migration | — | medium effort |
free & open source (2)
Free
Blazing on-the-fly image resizing/transformation behind your CDN.
trade-offs: Self-host + wire to storage
github →cheaper, but not open source (1)
Cloudflare Images cheaper
~$5/mo base + low unit costs
Managed transforms + delivery on Cloudflare's network.
trade-offs: Closed platform
faq
What is the best free alternative to Cloudinary?
imgproxy is the top free option — Blazing on-the-fly image resizing/transformation behind your CDN.
How much can I save by switching from Cloudinary?
Cloudinary costs $89+/mo, so switching to a free alternative saves roughly $1068/year per seat.
Can Cloudinary be self-hosted?
Yes — imgproxy and Thumbor can be self-hosted for free.