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Do you wish to streamline review and approval processes but can’t decide which online proofing software would be right for you? Looking for recommendations of the best online proofing tools to use?
FACT: Reviews, collecting feedback, sharing drafts and revisions, getting approvals are all part and parcel of typical content production.
These are also some of the most frustrating elements of the process, though. That’s where the most delays happen, after all. It’s when projects get stuck, feedback gets lost, and you suddenly realize that you have no idea how to get the project to the finishing line.
The good news? Well, you can overcome most of these problems, and that’s precisely what you need online proofing software for.
The challenge? How do you know which tools are best for you and which online proofing platform to choose?
That’s what you’re going to find out in this guide. We’ll cover what makes a good online proofing tool, and you’ll discover 12 amazing platforms to try.
So, let’s get it from the top.
What is online proofing software?
Let’s start with online proofing.
The term refers to a process that various creative teams – web designers, marketing teams, content writers, photographers, and more – use to automate and streamline reviews and approvals.
The goal of the process is to help those teams get on with their work faster by improving proofing and approvals of their projects. And so, online proofing allows team members to share files and drafts easily, offer and collect feedback, submit and process revisions, and finally, get approvals faster.
But the process doesn’t happen by itself. In fact, you need dedicated tools to facilitate it, and we refer to them as online proofing software (or a review and approval software).
Digital proofing tools centralize all aspects of the proofing process and make collaboration on projects more effective.
Benefits of using online proofing tools
- Faster decisions. Online proofing tools eliminate those tedious back and forth conversations over email. With all feedback centralized in one place, they make it easier to discuss projects, collect feedback, and focus on getting things done.
- Better asset management. With proofing tools, you no longer waste time locating the latest versions of assets. Instead, everything is in one place, easily accessible to everyone.
- Quicker project delivery. Streamline review processes mean that work gets done faster. Simply.
- Lower project costs due to fewer mistakes and held-ups. Centralized communication and feedback result in fewer errors, delays, and reworks. This improves not only the quality of your content but also significantly drops production costs.
What to Look for When Choosing an Online Proofing Platform
Before we show you some of the best online proofing tools to try, let’s briefly discuss what you should be looking for in the right tool for your business.
There are several factors that make a great proofing platform:
- Advanced proofing features. A solid tool should include features like markup tools, version control, permissions, and more.
- Ability to collect feedback on almost any file format and type, incl. Video. Today’s content production goes far beyond text or images. Your organization might be creating videos and other assets that need to be revised as well.
- Project management functionality to help oversee each project. The tool should allow you to organize content production and govern all the aspects of the process.
- Streamlined approval processes to ensure that work gets done faster.
With that in mind, let’s review the best proofing platforms on the market today.
12 best Online Proofing Tools to try in 2022
CELUM
CELUM (full disclaimer – this is our tool) offers a complete suite of online proofing tools for businesses of all sizes.
We built CELUM to help creative teams streamline and accelerate their projects by improving how they collect feedback, reviews, and approvals.
For that reason, CELUM features all the tools and capabilities any organization would need to streamline content production:
- Advanced feedback. CELUM allows you to provide feedback on any file type, including videos. You can annotate images, video clips, audio files, and any other common file format.
- Collaboration. With CELUM, everyone involved in a project – be it an in-house creative team or an external vendor – can collaborate and get things done easily. That’s because, with CELUM, you can set advanced roles and responsibilities and also use Robots to automate many tedious management tasks.
- Proofing workflows. The tool features robust templating capabilities allowing you to create workflows for different project types. This way, you can ensure consistency and quality for every project.
- Revision history. CELUM gives you access to a complete revisions history to compare different versions of files and monitor how projects evolve.
- Workflow management. Finally, with CELUM, you can manage all tasks, files, and people in one place and automate your workflow with robots.
Pricing: CELUM offers a free forever plan for up to 10 users, so your team can start implementing online proofing processes with it right away and at no cost. Larger teams can avail of paid plans starting at €14.90 per month.
Why not trying CELUM now – it is free!
Ziflow
Ziflow is a creative collaboration platform. It helps companies deliver creative projects faster by boosting collaboration, discussions, file sharing, reviews, and improving approvals.
Like many other online proofing tools, Ziflow also offers options to integrate with other platforms – Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Drive, and others.
Pricing: Ziflow pricing plans start at $10 per user per month. Higher plans allow more users to access and collaborate on the platform.
WebProof
Webproof takes a slightly different approach to online proofing. First of all, the tool focuses on helping agencies, rather than in-house teams. Secondly, WebProof puts more emphasis on streamlining workflows with clients and allowing to collect their feedback to push projects forward.
Having said that, the platform offers all the standard features you’d look for in a proofing solution – the ability to share files, comments and annotations, approvals, and more.
Aside from being a web-based tool, WebProof also offers an iOS app that allows users to manage projects on their iPads or iPhones. You can also use the company’s InDesign plugin to manage online proofing within that app.
Pricing: WebProof’s prices start at $9 per user per month. Higher plans offer more storage and a number of projects.
QuickReviewer
As the name might suggest, QuickReviewer is all about improving the collaborative reviewing process. The company promises that their tool will help get any content-related campaign – be it a video, website, or even a simple PDF document – done up to 400% faster.
To make it happen, the platform offers you the ability to upload and organize files, comment on and review assets, approve projects, review multiple revisions, and even use split-screen to compare them side by side.
Pricing: QuickkReviewer offers a free plan that’s limited to a single team member only. Full plans start at $8/mo for 5 team members and 10GB storage.
ProofHub
ProofHub is not purely for online proofing. This project planning and management tool allows companies to keep everyone involved in a project – project managers, team members, and clients – on the same page.
Project managers can set up and oversee projects, see what needs to be done on any given day, and monitor delivery.
For teams, ProofHub offers collaboration and communication tools and allows them to share work and get feedback, also from clients.
Pricing: ProofHub offers flat pricing at $99 per month, for which you get unlimited access to the tool’s capabilities.
ProofHQ/Workfront
Workfront (previously, ProofHQ) offers a whole range of online proofing tools to streamline your workflows. You can collaborate with team members in real-time, automate approvals, review and compare revisions, and ensure that projects comply with your organization’s brand guidelines.
Pricing: Workfront does not make its pricing publicly available. You have to contact sales and request pricing information.
Filestage
Filestage is all about eliminating the usual email back and forth that accompanies any proofing or approval process. The toolmakers promise that by using their product, you can drop it by as much as 30%. To help you achieve that, Filestage offers a range of tools to help you save time and get on with creative work – the ability to comment on files, asset management, project statuses, and more.
Pricing: Filestage offers a free trial. Monthly plans start at €12 and the company splits packages based on the number of active projects, review steps, and storage size.
GoVisually
GoVisually is another online proofing tool targeting outdated and certainly very flawed approval processes over email. Instead, the product offers designers, video creators, and other creative and marketing teams a whole range of tools to streamline feedback, reviews, revisions, approvals, and also, client work.
With GoVisually, you can upload your files, get comments and feedback, let clients and other team members annotate drafts, and collect sign-offs easily.
Pricing: GoVisually offers two pricing plans. Solo, at $25/mo, is an ideal plan for freelancers who need a proofing solution to collaborate on files with clients. The Team plan, on the other hand, starts at $60/mo for 5 users, with the ability to add more seats at $12 each/mo.
zipBoard
zipBoard combines two capabilities – online proofing, and bug and issue tracking. Its approach seems ideal for creative teams and agencies that need to monitor and collaborate on more than just content creation.
Of course, the tool offers functionality for that too. However, with zipBoard, you can also convert feedback into tasks to solve issues and eliminate bugs in projects.
Pricing: zipBoard’s monthly plans start at $49. Higher plans offer more features and capabilities.
GoProof
GoProof created their tool specifically to work with the Adobe Creative Cloud. As a result, the tool includes all the features to streamline review cycles, team collaboration, and even allow for remote co-editing of the copy within the suite of Adobe tools.
Pricing: GoProof doesn’t make its pricing public.
ReviewStudio
ReviewStudio is a typical online proofing platform allowing marketing teams, agencies, and creatives to process feedback, collaborate, and get project approvals.
With ReviewStudio, you can mark up and annotate any type of file, including videos, web content, and PDFs. You can also track revisions, share feedback in a single, centralized location, and get approvals.
Pricing: ReviewStudio offers four plans that differ by the number of users, storage space, and functionality. The smallest plan starts at $19/mo.
PageProof
PageProof offers all the tools and features you’d expect from a solid online proofing tool – The ability to review, annotate and comment on all types of files, including video and 3D modeling. Workflows ensure that you route assets to relevant teams for review and sign-off. Version comparison allows you to track progress with projects, and so on.
PageProof also integrates with various design prototyping and email marketing tools, allowing you to review and collaborate on those files as well.
Pricing: PageProof costs $249 per month for unlimited users, proofs, and storage.
And there you have it…
The best online proofing platforms on the market today. Check them out, and see which one would deliver on your organization’s needs.
The best tool for Online Proofing
Only CELUM offers a completely free version. Start immediately by setting up your review and approval processes.
