ResourceSpace DAM review: fit, pricing model and integrations

What ResourceSpace is

ResourceSpace is a free, open source DAM system that Montala Limited develops, supports and hosts. Dan Huby and Neale Hall built ResourceSpace for Oxfam in 2006, and Oxfam later released it under an open source licence. Montala Limited has its registered office in Watchfield, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.

Montala describes itself as a 100% employee-owned B Corporation. The current release is version 11.0 of June 2026, which brought a redesigned interface and a Typesense search plugin.

ResourceSpace comes in two forms:

• Self-hosted: source code through Subversion or Git, installed on a LAMP stack or through Docker
• Montala-hosted: four cloud plans on a dedicated, physically segregated server, each with AI tools, single sign-on, API access, an SFTP drop folder and a separate test instance

Where ResourceSpace fits

ResourceSpace sits in the DAMSelection segment open source, for teams that prefer no licence fee and accept responsibility for hosting or a hosting contract. Montala publishes sector pages for arts and heritage, academic, charity, product and public sector buyers. The integrations page lists IIIF and museum collection systems such as TMS, EMu and MuseumPlus.

DAMSelection assessment: ResourceSpace fits a buyer with in-house PHP and Linux skills, or a buyer that accepts a hosted plan in London data centres. Another segment fits better in three cases.

Universities can compare the profile with the higher education fit page. The vendor directory lists every segment.

How ResourceSpace covers the core DAM jobs

ResourceSpace documents all four core DAM jobs, with search and AI covered in the most recent release notes.

Ingest and renditions

Hosted plans include an SFTP drop folder for large uploads. The REST API exposes upload, download and transcode functions, and version 10.7 added OCR text extraction with Tesseract.

Metadata and search

ResourceSpace supports configurable metadata fields and fixed list fields, and version 11.0 added a Typesense search plugin. The CLIP AI Smart Search plugin finds assets from a natural language description and flags visually similar or duplicate files. The OpenAI GPT plugin can fill metadata fields, and version 11.0 lets it run on the open source Ollama platform.

Workflow and rights

Version 10.7 added TOTP two-factor login. The DAMSelection facts file holds no documented rights or licence expiry feature, so test consent and licence expiry in the demo.

Distribution and sharing

ResourceSpace shares assets through collections, which the knowledge base tutorials on sharing and collections cover. The integrations page names WordPress, Drupal and Joomla, Microsoft Office, Adobe, Figma and Canva.

Product content and PIM integration

ResourceSpace lists no packaged PIM connector on its integrations page. PIM integration runs through the full REST API, which covers upload, download, transcode, edit and search, and an API test tool generates sample code. Montala also points to integration partners for organisations without developers.

DAMSelection assessment: plan a custom PIM integration and test it in the demo. The PIM and DAM Fit Map shows connector depth per PIM.

Hosting, security and contract checks

ResourceSpace hosting is either customer-run or Montala-run in data centres in London Docklands. Each hosted plan runs on a dedicated, physically segregated server with a separate test instance.

Montala holds ISO 27001 certification through ISOQAR and is a Crown Commercial Service supplier. Single sign-on works through a SAML plugin with ADFS, Google Workspace, Okta, OneLogin, Shibboleth and others, and LDAP connects Active Directory. Montala states that CLIP search, face recognition and transcription run without third-party data processing.

Confirm these points in contract:

• Hosting location, if UK hosting fails an EU-only data residency rule
• Whether the GPT plugin sends metadata or images to OpenAI, or runs on Ollama
• Support terms for a self-hosted install
• The open source licence text that governs your modifications

The security review guide lists the evidence to request.

What to test in a scripted demo

ResourceSpace claims should be tested on your own assets with the steps in the demo script guide.

1. Upload 500 mixed files through the SFTP drop folder and show the generated previews.
2. Configure your metadata schema with fixed lists in two languages.
3. Search 1,000 untagged images with CLIP using three natural language queries you choose.
4. Record a model consent and a licence expiry date, then show what happens after expiry.
5. Run the GPT plugin on 50 images through Ollama and show where processing happens.
6. Push approved images to your PIM or website through the REST API.
7. Set up SAML single sign-on with your identity provider in a test instance.

Pricing questions to ask

ResourceSpace has no software licence fee, and Montala quotes its hosted plans by users and storage.

Plans bill annually, prices come on request, and multi-year contracts earn discounts.

Worked example: a self-hosted install has no licence line, so five-year cost equals server, storage, backup, upgrades and staff time. Compare that total with five years of a hosted quote. DAMSelection assessment: model storage growth first, because each plan pairs a user cap with a fixed storage range.

Ask these questions:

• What is the price per plan at our storage volume, and what does bolt-on storage cost per TB
• Which support applies to a self-hosted install
• Are AI plugins, including GPT usage, included without credit limits

Model both routes in the TCO calculator.