The best creative work comes from constructive criticism. That's a fact. Feedback is the secret ingredient that defines briefs, shapes projects, and refines ideas into stunning videos.
Unfortunately, feedback also takes time. Getting comments and approvals is a major bottleneck in the workflow of most creative teams.
The solution is streamlined approval software. The right tech can help you collect comments, hand out tasks, and deliver exceptional work, faster. One of the most popular proofing platforms is Frame.io — but it doesn't meet the needs of every team.
So we went on a mission to find the best alternatives with more flexibility, features, and integrations.
What we'll cover
Table of contents
Why seek alternatives to Frame.io?
Frame.io is built for video editing and approval. It has powerful features, such as frame-accurate commenting, but it has less functionality to support other file types and content formats. If you're looking for artwork proofing software, as well as video management, it falls short.
There's also the question of integrations — an issue that came up again and again when we looked at online proofing software for content reviews. While some platforms offer literally thousands of integrations, Frame.io was missing connections to basic marketing tools like Monday, Asana, and Bynder.
Creative teams need approval software that's flexible, secure, spacious, and works across multiple forms of content. It has to fit in seamlessly with the workflows and tools they already use.
So, when we looked at video review and approval software, we asked three main questions:
- What kinds of content can it handle?
- How much storage does it offer?
- What are the integrations like?
Here are the proofing platforms that made our top eight.
1. Ziflow
First on our list of Frame.io alternatives is Ziflow, a tool that combines real-time collaboration with extremely sophisticated functionality.
Ziflow is a collaborative proofing platform for agencies and in-house creative teams. You can make annotations and share feedback on pretty much any asset. The platform covers everything from web-native content to high-performance video proofing, and it has built-in tools for regulatory and marketing compliance.
It also offers many more integrations than Frame.io, so it's a great fit for busy teams that need their solution to work well with other design software and task management apps.
Key features
- Review all types of creatives within a single platform
- Set up automated workflow templates for faster approval
- Auto-compare different versions of creatives, including video
- Pinpoint annotations on individual video frames
- Use discussion tools to handle feedback in real time
- Create audit trails of who opens, reviews, and approves each project
- Low-code/no-code integrations with thousands of design and project management apps
Pricing
Ziflow offers four pricing tiers, including a "free forever" tier. The higher tiers offer more user seats and up to 4 TB of cloud-based storage, so it can accommodate even the largest creative projects.
2. ReviewStudio
ReviewStudio is an online proofing platform that's built to speed up approval processes. It works across multiple content formats, although many of its key tools focus on text files, such as PDFs.
ReviewStudio's most appealing feature is simplicity — the platform has an intuitive, dark-mode-friendly interface. It's a useful alternative to Frame.io if you're looking for a similar interface that works with a wider range of media.
However, some users have reported issues with notifications not appearing, leading to missed feedback.
Key features
- Flexible markup tools, including shapes, freehand, and text
- Comment threads to track feedback
- Privacy controls for comments and file versions
- Comparison mode to view file versions side by side
Pricing
ReviewStudio offers tiered pricing that's billed per user. It looks affordable at first but can add up fast if you work with a large creative or marketing team. The limits on file storage and number of projects are also tied to your user numbers.
3. QuickReviewer
QuickReviewer is an approval tool geared toward brands and agencies. It covers a range of content, including PDFs, audio, video, and websites.
The platform also has a lot of tools surrounding permissions, team members, and campaign folders — ideal for agencies with multiple clients. It's even mobile-responsive, so you can check feedback and show work to clients on the go.
Like Frame.io, QuickReviewer offers a limited number of integrations.
Key features
- Searchable comment history to find specific feedback
- Real-time annotations
- Set up groups, teams, and controlled file access to keep different clients separate
- Create custom project statuses and email messaging
Pricing
QuickReviewer has an appealing free plan. However, the major thing it's missing is integrations, including Adobe Creative Cloud, Dropbox, and task management tools.
To access integrations or any of the platform's customizable features, you'll have to upgrade to a higher pricing tier.
4. Vimeo
Vimeo is better known as a video hosting platform — YouTube's indie cousin. But it also offers post-production video editing, security, and collaboration tools.
As an alternative to Frame.io, it offers many of the same tools, since both platforms are focused on video content. But Vimeo also gives you the power to publish and manage video assets once they're out in the world.
It's a valuable platform for video producers — but, naturally, less useful to creative teams that work with other media.
Key features
- Capture screen recordings and screenshots to use in feedback
- Get email notifications when team members edit or comment on videos
- Set custom permissions for clients, freelancers, team members, and other stakeholders
Pricing
Vimeo's pricing tiers start at $12/user/month. However, there's a hard limit on how many videos you can upload, so most teams will need to upgrade. The higher pricing tiers also offer AI tools and access to virtual events by Vimeo.
Aproove is a web-based review platform that focuses on collaboration and compliance. Although it offers proofing tools, most of its features center on task management, automation, and business reporting.
Aproove is notable for its compliance tools, a functionality that's missing from Frame.io. It's a useful alternative if you work in an industry that has strong regulations or compliance requirements.
Key features
- Searchable storage and digital asset management
- Custom workflows and efficiency reports
- Enterprise-level security, including digital signature collection
- Markup tools for PDFs and product packaging
Pricing
Aproove doesn't offer any public information about its pricing, although users report that monthly plans start from $79. You can also request a free tour of the platform and digital workspace.
6. GoProof
GoProof is a popular collaboration software for agencies and marketing teams. It's most notable for its integrations, so it plays well with other tools and existing workflows.
Like many other alternatives to Frame.io, it's designed for a wider range of media than just video. It works seamlessly with Adobe Creative Cloud and has built-in integrations with the task management app Monday.com, its parent platform.
Key features
- Shared user dashboard so that everyone sees the same files
- Free integrations with a wide range of apps and tools
- Automatic version control and version history management
- Custom automated approval workflows
Pricing
GoProof offers three pricing tiers, all of which include unlimited proofs and reviewers. Since the platform belongs to project management app Monday.com, it's automatically integrated from the start.
7. Markup.io
Markup.io is a proofing platform with a focus on websites, PDFs, and prints. It has an open interface that's comfortable and intuitive to use.
It's a straightforward alternative to Frame.io, especially if you want to work with other media beyond just video. And, unlike Frame.io, you'll start off with an unlimited number of users.
Key features
- Chrome extension to take screenshots and add comments
- 30+ file types supported
- Integrations with design, marketing, and monetization tools
Pricing
Markup.io has three pricing tiers. All of them offer unlimited users, including the free tier. However, you'll need to sign up for a higher tier to store more projects and larger files.
8. Wipster
Wipster is a video collaboration tool that dabbles in other types of creative content. Video production teams will love the straightforward interface and point-and-click comment function.
However, its pricing starts a little higher than Frame.io — without offering much in the way of extra features. The only unique thing we found about Wipster was its mobile version, which may or may not be useful, depending on how your team operates.
Key features
- Mobile version for remote working
- SOC-2 security certification
- Side-by-side version comparison
- Share files via private or public links to get comments from a range of stakeholders
- Automatically convert comments into tasks
Pricing
Wipster has a free tier, but it's aimed at freelancers and casual users. Its professional plans start from $19.95/user/month, with more features and branding available in the higher tiers. However, you'll pay more for increased storage and security features.
All your proofing needs in one unified platform with Ziflow
Review and approval software can transform your team's creative process. But it has to be flexible, efficient, and secure. If Frame.io isn’t meeting your needs, there are plenty of viable alternatives with better features and integrations.
Ziflow is a collaborative proofing platform that's perfect for video — and all of your other creative assets.
With real-time discussion tools, version comparison, and frame-accurate commenting, Ziflow speeds up feedback so you can deliver higher-quality projects faster. With automated workflows and endless integrations, it takes over the routine tasks so you can focus on producing your best work.
