Archive vs Dig: Which Is Better? (2026 Comparison)
Archive is the powerhouse for D2C brands needing high-volume UGC discovery and Shopify integration, while Dig is a specialized enterprise platform for reputation management and deep social video intelligence. If you need automated content capture, Archive is your best bet; if you are a Fortune 500 company tracking brand narratives, Dig is the superior choice. For teams wanting a middle ground, exploring an Archive alternative or a Dig alternative is often the next step.
| Feature | Archive | Dig |
|---|---|---|
| Content Discovery | ||
UGC Discovery | 5/5 | 3/5 |
Brand Mention Detection | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Untagged Content Detection | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| Video Tracking | ||
Short-Form Video Tracking | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Creator Management | ||
Creator Analytics | 4/5 | 3/5 |
Rights Management | 4/5 | 1/5 |
| Intelligence & AI | ||
Competitor Intelligence | 4/5 | 4/5 |
AI Content Tagging | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| Platform & Integrations | ||
Multi-Platform Support | 4/5 | 3/5 |
Integrations | 4/5 | 1/5 |
| Reporting & Collaboration | ||
Reporting Dashboards | 4/5 | 3/5 |
Team Collaboration | 3/5 | 2/5 |
API Access | 3/5 | 1/5 |
| Usability & Support | ||
Ease of Use | 4/5 | 2/5 |
Customer Support | 4/5 | 3/5 |
Feature Deep Dive
Content Discovery and UGC Tracking
Archive dominates the user-generated content (UGC) space with its AI-powered detection engine, which claims to find 400% more content than competitors. It is specifically built to find untagged mentions, making it invaluable for D2C brands. Dig, while capable of brand mention detection, focuses more on 'social intelligence'—identifying narratives and themes across video clips rather than just archiving every post. For those who find Archive too broad, checking Archive alternatives can reveal more niche tools.
Video Intelligence and AI Capabilities
Dig shines in the intelligence category. Backed by Google AI and Meta, it offers 93% accuracy in video-first analysis, including deepfake and disinformation detection. Archive focuses its AI on 'brand safety' vetting and creator search within its 10M+ profile database. While Archive helps you find creators to work with, Dig helps you understand what the entire internet is saying about your brand's reputation. If you're comparing these against legacy tools, you might look at Archive vs Brandwatch to see how video-first tools differ from text-heavy ones.
Creator Management and Rights
Archive is a complete workflow tool, offering rights acquisition and content repurposing features that integrate directly with Shopify. It is built for small teams managing massive creator programs. Dig, however, lacks a creator CRM, outreach tools, or rights management features entirely. It is a listening tool, not an execution tool. Users requiring robust management might also consider Archive vs CreatorIQ for similar CRM-heavy workflows.
Platform Coverage
Both platforms track the 'Big Three' of short-form video: TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Archive has a slight edge for Instagram users as it specifically mentions support for Stories. Dig’s differentiator is its narrative clustering, which groups thousands of clips to identify emerging trends. For a deeper dive into platform-specific comparisons, see Archive vs Collabstr or the head-to-head ShortsIntel vs Dig breakdown.
| Plan Details | Archive | Dig |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Usage Based | Custom |
| Free Tier | ||
| Free Trial | ||
| Pricing Tiers | ||
| Entry Tier | StarterCustom | EnterpriseCustom |
| Mid Tier | Pro$308/mo | — |
| Top Tier | CustomCustom | — |
| Annual Cost (5-Person Team)* | Contact Sales | Contact Sales |
| Hidden Costs |
|
|
* Annual cost calculated using entry tier pricing. Per-seat pricing multiplied by 5 users. Actual costs may vary based on specific plan and usage.
Archive and Dig represent two very different financial commitments. Archive uses a usage-based, volume-driven model. While their Pro plan is listed at $308/mo, the total cost of ownership scales with the amount of UGC you capture. For a 5-person team, Archive could range from $3,700 to $10,000+ annually depending on content volume and whether a Custom plan is required for historical data imports. You can compare this to other volume-based models in our Archive vs Hypefy analysis.
Dig is strictly enterprise-only. There is no transparent pricing, but industry estimates suggest costs start at $2,000/mo ($24,000/year) and go up significantly based on customization. It requires a high-touch sales process and brand-specific onboarding, making it inaccessible for SMBs or startups. If these price points are prohibitive, you might find a more affordable Archive alternative that offers flat-rate pricing for similar UGC tracking capabilities.
Who Is Each Product Best For?
AI-powered social listening and UGC management platform for detecting and organizing brand content across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube
Best For
- D2C and e-commerce brands
- Small teams managing large creator programs
- Brands tracking untagged content mentions
- Companies needing automated UGC capture
- Teams wanting to eliminate manual monitoring
- Brands focused on short-form video content
Not Ideal For
- Companies wanting predictable monthly costs
- Brands needing extensive competitor tracking (5+ brands)
- Teams requiring advanced reporting on budget plans
- Companies wanting long-term content archives on Starter
- Brands needing transparent upfront pricing
Video-first social intelligence platform for brand reputation monitoring, narrative detection, and influencer evaluation across social video
Best For
- Enterprise brands needing deep social video intelligence and monitoring
- Fortune 500 companies in luxury, CPG, and fashion verticals
- Brand safety teams monitoring for deepfakes and disinformation
- Market research teams analyzing video-first consumer narratives
- Organizations requiring reputation intelligence across social video platforms
Not Ideal For
- Small businesses and startups (enterprise-only, no accessible pricing)
- Content creators needing UGC tracking and rights management
- Teams needing text-based social listening across all social platforms
- Companies wanting self-serve onboarding without sales process
- Brands needing public API access or third-party integrations
- Budget-conscious teams without enterprise-level budgets ($2K+/mo)
Choose Archive if...
You are a D2C or e-commerce brand that lives and dies by UGC. Archive is ideal for small teams that need to automate the detection of untagged content and want a direct Shopify integration to repurpose that content for ads. It is the best choice if you need a high-volume capture tool that eliminates manual monitoring. You can see how it stacks up against other creator tools in our Archive vs Heepsy guide.
Choose Dig if...
You are a Fortune 500 company in the luxury, fashion, or CPG space. Dig is for reputation management and brand safety teams who need to detect deepfakes, disinformation, or complex narratives across thousands of social videos. It is a research and intelligence tool, not a creator marketing CRM.
Neither might be right if...
You need a simple, flat-rate tool that focuses specifically on short-form video without the enterprise complexity of Dig or the unpredictable volume costs of Archive. If you require a self-serve platform with transparent pricing and rights management, you may want to look at Archive vs Critical Mention or other specialized short-form trackers.
Consider a Third Option
Scale creator marketing with data, not grunt work.
If Archive feels too focused on volume-based costs and Dig feels too inaccessible for non-enterprise brands, ShortsIntel serves as a powerful middle ground. While Archive captures 400% more than 'traditional' tools, ShortsIntel is purpose-built specifically for the TikTok, Reels, and Shorts era, offering a specialized ShortsIntel vs Archive alternative that prioritizes frame-by-frame AI analysis.
ShortsIntel offers a flat-rate pricing model starting at just $99/mo, making it significantly more affordable than Dig and more predictable than Archive. It includes a unique 'magic-link' consent system for automated rights management, filling a gap that Dig leaves open. Unlike Archive, which can feel like a general UGC bucket, ShortsIntel provides deep insights into video trends and format performance.
For teams that want to scale creator marketing without 'grunt work' but aren't ready for a $24,000/year enterprise contract, ShortsIntel provides the high-res asset library and untagged detection needed to build an ad creative powerhouse. To see how it compares to other industry leaders, check out ShortsIntel vs Brandwatch or ShortsIntel vs CreatorIQ. If you've been searching for a ShortsIntel vs Critical Mention comparison, you'll find that ShortsIntel's focus on short-form video content provides much deeper visual intelligence than general monitoring tools.
Why Choose ShortsIntel
- Purpose-built for short-form video (TikTok, Reels, Shorts) unlike general social listening tools
- Detects untagged content that competitors miss (claims 30% more coverage)
- AI-powered content tagging analyzes videos frame-by-frame for format, visual elements, and trends
- Automated rights management with magic-link consent system and audit trails
Best For
Starting at $99/mo
7-day free trial
Full Comparison: All Three Options
| Feature | Archive | Dig | ShortsIntel Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content Discovery | |||
UGC Discovery | 5/5 | 3/5 | 5/5 |
Brand Mention Detection | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Untagged Content Detection | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| Video Tracking | |||
Short-Form Video Tracking | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Creator Management | |||
Creator Analytics | 4/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 |
Rights Management | 4/5 | 1/5 | 5/5 |
| Intelligence & AI | |||
Competitor Intelligence | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 |
AI Content Tagging | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Platform & Integrations | |||
Multi-Platform Support | 4/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 |
Integrations | 4/5 | 1/5 | 3/5 |
| Reporting & Collaboration | |||
Reporting Dashboards | 4/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 |
Team Collaboration | 3/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 |
API Access | 3/5 | 1/5 | 3/5 |
| Usability & Support | |||
Ease of Use | 4/5 | 2/5 | 4/5 |
Customer Support | 4/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to try ShortsIntel?
Track UGC, discover creators, and monitor brand mentions across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts.
Related Comparisons
More About archive-vs-dig
Similar Tools in UGC Tracking
Popular Comparisons
Last updated: January 30, 2026