Uploadcare
File upload widget and image CDN with on-the-fly transformations, smart cropping, and adaptive delivery.
Best for apps that need a drop-in file upload widget with built-in image processing and CDN delivery.
Use Cases
Free Tier
1GB storage, 5GB traffic/month, 1000 operations/month, 500MB max file size
How to Maximize the Free Tier
Uploadcare's free tier is ideal for prototyping: use the widget for uploads, then add URL-based transformations (resize, crop, format) without backend code. The 1000 operations/month limit means you should cache transformed URLs and avoid re-transforming the same image. The 500MB max file size handles most uploads but watch for users uploading huge videos. Pair with Cloudflare R2 or Backblaze B2 for long-term storage once you outgrow the 1GB free cap.
Getting Started
Sign up → get your public key from the dashboard → add Uploadcare widget via npm or CDN script → configure upload container in your HTML → files are uploaded to Uploadcare's CDN → transform on the fly via URL parameters (resize, crop, format).
Pros
- Upload widget: Pre-built, customizable upload widget with drag-and-drop, clipboard paste, and file previews — no upload UI to build
- Image transforms: On-the-fly image transformations via URL parameters — resize, crop, smart crop, format conversion without backend code
- CDN delivery: Files served from a global CDN with adaptive format selection and lazy loading support built in
Cons
- Storage cap: 1GB storage on the free tier fills quickly with user-uploaded media — only enough for small projects
- Operations limit: 1000 operations/month is tight if you're transforming images on every page load
- Vendor lock-in: Uploadcare's API and widget are proprietary — migrating uploads and transformations to another service requires rework