What is design proofing?

Showing a client your design on screen so they can mark up what to change and approve it, before the design is final. It is also the name for checking a printed proof, which this page does not cover.

What is online proofing software?

A tool where a client reviews a design in a browser, marks it up and approves it, instead of sending notes by email. Filestage, Ziflow, PageProof, GoVisually and MarkUp are built for teams. Loop does the markup and a one-press yes from a single branded link.

How do I get a client to mark up my design?

Export it as a PDF or picture, turn it into a Loop link and send the link. They open it in any browser, pick the pen, highlighter, arrow or text, and draw on the exact spot.

Does my client need an account?

Not in Loop, Filestage, PageProof or MarkUp. Ziflow lists public proof links and does not say, and we did not find it for GoVisually.

How much does design proofing software cost?

Branded plans run from $1,188 to $4,990 a year, and Loop is $49 once. Free plans exist at Filestage (1 project, 5 new files a month) and Ziflow (2 users, 2 GB), without branding.

Can the client draw on the exact spot, and who sees it?

Yes on a PDF or a picture: pen, highlighter, arrow and text, in six colours. Everyone with the same link sees every reader's drawings, and can hide them, so send one link per client. A note or an emoji on a spot is seen only by you.

Can the client approve the design?

They press Looks Good at the end, or Ask Question. It is one button per reader, with no named approvers or stages. A signature can be added in the same link.

Can I send a new version?

Yes. Replace File keeps the same link, keeps every older version and lets you restore one. Drawings stay with the version they were made on. Loop does not show two versions side by side.

What files can I send?

PDFs and pictures, plus Photoshop, SVG, HEIC and TIFF files, which Loop turns into a PDF or picture on your Mac. Illustrator files saved with PDF compatibility show as PDFs. Word, Pages and PowerPoint become PDFs, and a Keynote deck needs Keynote installed to show every slide. Not Figma files: export a PDF or picture first.

Where do the prices and facts on this page come from?

From each vendor's own pages, read in October 2026: Filestage , Ziflow , PageProof , GoVisually and MarkUp . Loop's own facts come from the app and its reader page. Filestage's price is from an archived US copy of 2 October and Ziflow's from 15 October. PageProof, GoVisually and MarkUp were read live on 23 October. All prices are before tax.

Design Proofing: Client Feedback on the Exact Spot

Point at the Exact Spot

Design proofing is showing a client your design on screen so they can mark up what to change and approve it before it is final. It is also the name for checking a printed proof, which this page does not cover.

Feedback by email says "the logo feels small" and leaves you to guess which logo, on which page. A client who circles it, or draws an arrow to it, removes the guessing. The tools below differ in what they cost, in what they add around the markup, such as approval stages, and in what the client has to do.

Loop

Loop is a Mac app that turns a file into your own branded link. Export your design as a PDF or a picture and send the link. Your client opens it in any browser, with no account, and draws on the exact spot with a pen, highlighter, arrow or text, in six colours. The recording below shows a client reviewing three homepage concepts.

A real recording of Loop's reader page. Press play, or jump to a step.

The same steps in words:

Open. The client opens your link on a page with your logo and name.
Feedback. One button opens the pen, highlighter, arrow, text, note and emoji tools.
Circle It. They draw a ring around the concept they prefer.
Add Text. They type "This one" above it.
Point. They draw an arrow from the words to the concept.
Looks Good. At the end they press Looks Good, and can add a note.

You can open the file with everyone's drawings on it, or download a copy with the drawings on the pages.

Highlights

Drawing on the exact spot. Pen, highlighter, arrow and text on a PDF or a picture, with positions that stay put at any size.
Notes and emoji just for you. A note or an emoji pinned on a spot is seen only by you.
Looks Good. A one-press yes at the end, with an optional note, and a question button too.
Replace File. Swap in round 3 and the link stays the same, with every earlier version kept and restorable.
Your own brand. Your logo, colours and typeface on every page, and your own domain if you connect one.
No account for your client. They open the link in any browser.
Pay once. $49 for one person with a 14-day free trial. A small "Shared with Loop" badge shows on your pages during the trial and goes with a licence.

Try Loop free for 14 days

Your own branded link, with notes on the exact second. $49 once.

Download for Mac

Options

The tools below are review platforms built for teams. They differ in what they cost and in the approval steps they add, and most put your own branding on a higher plan.

Tool	Proofing for designers	Cost, one person
Loop	Pen, arrow, text, Looks Good	$49 once
Filestage	Pens, shapes, free plan	Free, or $2,388 a year
Ziflow	Markup tools, free plan	Free, or $3,948 a year
PageProof	Adobe files, approvals	$2,499 a year
GoVisually	Branding needs 3 users	$1,188 a year
MarkUp	Pins and drawing	$4,990 a year

These are US dollars, billed yearly, before tax, on the plan that adds your logo. Each was read from the vendor's pages in October 2026. Vendors show local currency to some visitors, so most figures come from archived US copies of their pages, dated in the last question below. MarkUp was read live on 23 October. Filestage and Ziflow also have a free plan without branding, GoVisually Lite is $192 a year for one person without branding, and MarkUp Pro is $990 without branding.

Filestage

Filestage is a review and approval platform. Its pricing page lists a free plan with 1 active project and 5 new files a month, with pens, shapes and text highlights. Custom branding starts on Starter at $199 a month, $2,388 a year, with 10 seats. Reviewers do not need an account.

Ziflow

Ziflow is an enterprise proofing platform. Its pricing page lists a free plan for 2 users and 2 GB, and markup with square, circle, arrow, line and freehand drawing. Viewer branding is on Pro at $329 a month billed annually, $3,948 a year, and Standard is $2,388 a year without it. The page does not say whether a reviewer needs an account.

PageProof

PageProof is a proofing platform for teams, with native Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign files, approvals and an audit trail. Its pricing page lists the Team plan, with your logo on the proofing screen, at $2,499 a year for the whole team, with no free plan. Reviewers need no account.

GoVisually

GoVisually reviews images and PDFs, with video on its Pro plan. Its pricing page lists Pro, with custom logo branding, at $33 a user a month billed annually with a minimum of 3 users, so $1,188 a year. Lite is $16 a user a month billed annually, $192 a year for one person, without branding. We found no free plan.

MarkUp

MarkUp lets reviewers drop a pin and draw or highlight on websites, images, PDFs and videos. Its pricing page lists Business, with branding and a vanity domain, at $4,990 a year, and Pro at $990 a year without branding. Guests need no sign-up.

Limits

Loop is built for sending a design and hearing back on the page. It is not a proofing platform, and these gaps matter for some designers:

No Figma or live design files. Export a PDF or a picture first. Photoshop, SVG, HEIC and TIFF files are converted on your Mac, and Illustrator files saved with PDF compatibility show as PDFs.
Everyone with the link sees every drawing. Send one link per client, or stakeholders on the same link see each other draw.
In the Mac app, a note shows which page it was left on, not the exact spot. The drawings carry the exact spot.
No approval workflow. Looks Good is one button per reader, with no stages or named approvers.
No threads or resolving. Readers cannot reply to each other, and comments cannot be ticked off.
No version comparison. Loop keeps every version and restores one, but does not show two side by side.
Video gets notes, not drawing. A note pins to a moment, and there is no frame-by-frame markup.
Not tested on a phone. We have not checked drawing on a client's phone.
Mac only on your side. Clients open the link in any browser.

If you run rounds with several named approvers, use Filestage, Ziflow or PageProof. If you send a design to one client at a time and want your own name on the link, use Loop.

Cost

For one person for one year on a plan with your own branding, Loop is $49, paid once. GoVisually is $1,188, Filestage $2,388, PageProof $2,499, Ziflow $3,948 and MarkUp $4,990. Filestage and Ziflow have free plans without branding, and the cheaper paid plans without branding are $192 for GoVisually Lite and $990 for MarkUp Pro. The platforms bill again every year, while Loop does not renew.

Loop includes a 14-day free trial that starts on first run, and Loop asks for no payment to begin it. During the trial a small "Shared with Loop" badge shows on the pages your clients see, and it goes with a licence. Your files are stored in your own Cloudflare account, and Cloudflare may ask for a card when you switch storage on.

Sending a Design

Five habits make feedback rounds quicker, whichever tool you use.

Export a PDF or a picture. The client sees what you see, with no software to install.
Name the round. "Homepage Concepts, round 2" tells the client which version this is.
Ask a question. "Which direction feels most like the brand?" gets sharper answers than "thoughts?".
Send one link per client. Everyone on a link sees every drawing, so separate links keep feedback separate.
Replace the file for the next round. The link stays the same and earlier versions are kept.