Which version did they approve? Stop arguing from email threads.
Approvals usually live in an email, a WhatsApp message or a comment on a shared drive, and none of them say which file the client was looking at. Ancor gives clients one portal to review, comment and approve, and keeps a record of exactly what they said yes to.
Last reviewed: October 2026
What is client approval software?
Client approval software gives a client one place to review work, leave feedback and approve, and keeps a record of exactly what they approved. In Ancor, clients open a private portal link with no account to create, see each deliverable, drop comments pinned to a spot on an image, and approve or ask for changes. Every approval is pinned to the exact version, and each round of changes is numbered, so there is never an argument about which file was signed off.
An approval nobody can find is not an approval.
A disputed sign-off is expensive in two ways. The agency redoes work the client already accepted, unpaid. Or the agency bills for work the client believes was never approved, and the relationship takes the hit. Both start the same way: the approval was given somewhere other than where the work lives, and nobody recorded which version it applied to.
One link for the client. One record for you.
No client login
Clients open a private portal link. No account, no password, nothing for them to set up or forget.
Pinned to the version
Every approval records the exact version the client saw. If changes come in later, a new round opens and the earlier approval stays on record.
Numbered rounds
Each round of feedback is numbered, so "we are on round four" is a fact you can show rather than a feeling.
Comments on the image
Clients drop comments pinned to a point on an image, so "make this bigger" arrives attached to the thing they mean.
Approval flows back
The decision lands on the project inside Ancor, next to the hours and budget, so extra rounds show up in the margin.
A record you can show
Who approved, when, which version and with what feedback, kept with an audit trail.
Every extra round has a cost. See it on the project.
Revision rounds are one of the most common reasons a fixed-fee project loses money, because each round is real work that was rarely priced in full. Because approvals and rounds live on the same project as the hours, Ancor shows what the rounds are doing to budget burn and projected margin. That gives you a factual basis for a change request instead of an awkward conversation from memory.
Built for agency deliverables. Not for every format.
- Frame-accurate video review. Pinned comments in Ancor work on images. For timecoded comments on video, a dedicated tool such as Frame.io is built for that.
- If you only need proofing and nothing about hours, margin or capacity, a standalone proofing tool may be simpler.
- Legal signatures. An approval in Ancor is a recorded business decision, not a digital signature on a contract.
Client approvals. The questions worth asking first.
Do clients need an account to approve work in Ancor?
No. Clients open a private portal link and review, comment and approve with no account or password.
How does Ancor prove which version was approved?
Each approval is pinned to the exact version the client was shown, with who approved it, when and what feedback they gave. If the client asks for changes later, a new numbered round opens and the earlier approval stays on record.
Can clients comment directly on a design?
Yes. Clients can drop comments pinned to a specific point on an image, so feedback arrives attached to the part they mean.
Does it work for video?
Pinned point comments work on images. For frame-accurate, timecoded review of video, a dedicated video review tool is the better fit.
How many client portals do I get?
Practice and Atelier include unlimited client portals. Every plan includes unlimited projects and unlimited clients.
How does this connect to margin?
Approvals and revision rounds sit on the same project as the hours, so you can see what extra rounds are doing to budget burn and projected margin.