Artwork Archive is a well-loved tool among individual artists, small collectors, and hobbyist galleries. Aurelian is positioned further up the professional spectrum — built for working galleries, private collections above the seven-figure mark, and dealers who need clienteling and consignment workflows alongside cataloguing.
Positioning
Artwork Archive is a beautiful cataloguing tool. Aurelian is an operational workspace. If the primary need is cataloguing artworks with location and value history, Artwork Archive is excellent value. If the need includes client relationships, consignment splits, exhibition management, or multi-user role-scoped access, Aurelian is the fuller platform.
Feature comparison
| Area | Artwork Archive | Aurelian |
|---|---|---|
| Primary user | Individual artists and small collectors. | Working dealers, professional advisors, and serious private collections. |
| Clienteling & CRM | Basic contact list. | Full clienteling with cadence, tagging, purchase history, and role-scoped access. |
| Consignments | Limited consignment tracking. | Full artist-agreement workflows with commission splits and automated reporting. |
| Access control | Single user or shared account. | Multi-user with fine-grained role permissions and full audit trail. |
| Cataloguing depth | Strong. Purpose-built for cataloguing. | Strong. Cataloguing plus operational surrounding it. |
When Artwork Archive wins
Individual artists cataloguing their own output. Small private collectors with under a hundred works and no need for multi-user access. Anyone whose need is genuinely cataloguing-only.
When Aurelian wins
Any operation with staff, clients, artists, or consignments. Private collections managed by an advisor or curator. Advisors managing multiple client collections in one workspace. Any user who has outgrown Artwork Archive's cataloguing-only scope.
Questions
Yes. CSV export from Artwork Archive maps cleanly into Aurelian's artwork records. Photographs and documents transfer with the import.
For an individual artist, yes — Artwork Archive is priced for that user. For a working gallery or professional advisor, Aurelian is competitive and offers materially more operational capability.
Both are approachable. Artwork Archive is faster to first cataloguing entry. Aurelian takes slightly longer to learn because it does more, but keyboard shortcuts and templates accelerate power users.
See for yourself