Wikimedia Commons vs Smithsonian Open Access

Struggling to choose between Wikimedia Commons and Smithsonian Open Access? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Wikimedia Commons is a Online Services solution with tags like images, videos, audio, media-repository, file-sharing, creative-commons.

It boasts features such as Large collection of freely-usable media files, Centralized location to store and share files, Support for images, videos, sounds, and other file types, Used in educational and creative projects and pros including Completely free to use, Massive selection of media, Active community of contributors, Flexible licensing options.

On the other hand, Smithsonian Open Access is a Education & Reference product tagged with open-access, smithsonian, research, digital-collections.

Its standout features include Provides free online access to millions of 2D and 3D digital items from the Smithsonian collections, Includes images, videos, audio files, 3D models, research data, and more across art, history, culture, and science, Allows users to browse, search and download high resolution images and media, Offers an API for developers to build applications using the content, and it shines with pros like Free access to high quality digitized content, Broad range of materials covering diverse topics and fields, High resolution downloads available, API enables innovative use of content.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Wikimedia Commons

Wikimedia Commons

Wikimedia Commons is a media repository containing over 60 million freely usable media files. It provides a centralized location to store and share images, videos, sounds, and other files for use in educational and creative projects.

Categories:
images videos audio media-repository file-sharing creative-commons

Wikimedia Commons Features

  1. Large collection of freely-usable media files
  2. Centralized location to store and share files
  3. Support for images, videos, sounds, and other file types
  4. Used in educational and creative projects

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Completely free to use

Massive selection of media

Active community of contributors

Flexible licensing options

Cons

No quality control over uploads

Difficult to find specific media

Some files have unclear licensing terms

Uploads require a Wikimedia account


Smithsonian Open Access

Smithsonian Open Access

Smithsonian Open Access is an open access digital platform that provides free online access to millions of 2D and 3D digital items from the Smithsonian's collections. It includes images, videos, audio files, 3D models, research data, and more across art, history, culture, and science.

Categories:
open-access smithsonian research digital-collections

Smithsonian Open Access Features

  1. Provides free online access to millions of 2D and 3D digital items from the Smithsonian collections
  2. Includes images, videos, audio files, 3D models, research data, and more across art, history, culture, and science
  3. Allows users to browse, search and download high resolution images and media
  4. Offers an API for developers to build applications using the content

Pricing

  • Free

Pros

Free access to high quality digitized content

Broad range of materials covering diverse topics and fields

High resolution downloads available

API enables innovative use of content

Cons

Limited contextual or background information on some items

No option to order physical prints or merchandise

Some parts of the collection not yet digitized

Website interface could be improved