A proofing tool records the comment. An agency also needs the cost of the round.
Ziflow and Filestage are excellent proofing tools, and on markup they are ahead of Ancor. Agencies look elsewhere when the approval argument is not about a pixel but about money: which version the client agreed to, how many rounds the fee covered, and whether round five gets invoiced.
Last reviewed: 23 October 2026. Competitor details from each vendor's own pages, linked at the bottom.
What is the best Ziflow or Filestage alternative for an agency?
If proofing is the whole job, with video, PDFs, live sites and several approval stages per asset, stay with Ziflow or Filestage. If you want client sign-off with no login, pinned to the exact version, with rounds counted and extra work priced before the client accepts it, all on the same project as the hours, margin, retainer allowance and GST invoice, Ancor does that at one flat price per team.
Deeper markup, or the money around it.
Online proofing
Markup on many file types including video and live websites, version history and compare, reviewer stages, and audit trails. They sit next to a project tool and do not track hours, budgets or billing.
Agency operating system
No-login client review and version-pinned approval inside the system that also runs planning, capacity, timesheets, margin, retainers and GST invoicing.
Line by line, from their own published plans.
| Capability | Ziflow | Filestage | Ancor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Platform fee: Free for 2 users; Standard $199 a month (15 users), Pro $329 (20 users), billed annually; Enterprise custom | Platform fee: Free (1 active project, 5 new files a month); Starter $199, Business $329 a month, 10 team members each, more in bundles of 5 | Flat per team: ₹9,999 + GST / $99 up to 10 people, ₹14,999 + GST / $149 up to 20, ₹19,999 + GST / $199 up to 30 |
| Client reviewers | Unlimited, every plan | Unlimited, no account needed | Free, no account needed |
| Markup | Many file types, including video and live sites | Video, PDF, images, audio, live websites | Pinned comments on images |
| Approval stages | 1 on Free, 2 on Standard, 3 on Pro, unlimited on Enterprise | Reviewer groups: 2 on Free and Starter, 3 on Business, unlimited on Enterprise | One client decision per round |
| Version history and compare | Yes | Yes | Approval pinned to the version; a new version reopens review. No side-by-side compare |
| Rounds counted, extra work priced | No | No | Every round numbered; change requests priced by your team before the client can accept, with a signature record |
| Hours, budget, margin, invoices | No | No | Yes, on the same project, with GST invoices and a TallyPrime export |
| Free trial | Free plan; trial on paid plans | 14 days, then the Free plan | 14 days, no card |
Ziflow and Filestage prices in US dollars from ziflow.com/pricing and filestage.io/pricing, checked 23 October 2026. Plans change, so check their sites for the latest.
The approval was never the dispute. The invoice was.
- Rounds that nobody priced. A proofing tool records round five perfectly and says nothing about whether the fee covered two. Ancor counts every round next to the hours and budget, so an extra round shows up in the project's margin.
- Scope changes accepted in a comment. In Ancor a change request must be priced before the client can accept it, and the acceptance keeps who, when, from where, which terms and the amount, with a fingerprint over the record.
- One more tool for the client to learn. Ancor's portal shows the client their deliverables, approvals and invoices in one place, with no login.
Be honest about fit. Sometimes it is them.
- Video-heavy or print work. Frame-accurate video comments, PDF markup and colour checks are their home ground. Ancor pins comments on images only.
- Several approval stages per asset, such as brand, then legal, then the client. Both route proofs through stages; Ancor takes one client decision per round.
- Regulated work that needs e-signatures on decisions or compliance checks. Ziflow and Filestage offer these on their Enterprise plans.
- You already have planning and billing sorted and only need better markup. Then a proofing specialist is the smaller change.
Where the competitor facts come from.
- Ziflow plans, prices, users, workflow stages and unlimited reviewers: ziflow.com/pricing, checked 23 October 2026.
- Ziflow markup, video and live website proofing: ziflow.com/review-and-markup, checked 7 October 2026.
- Filestage plans, prices, seats, reviewer groups, no-login reviewers and trial: filestage.io/pricing, checked 23 October 2026.
- Filestage file types: filestage.io/file-proofing, checked 7 October 2026.
Where to go next
Put the sign-off and the cost of each round in one place in fourteen days.
The questions worth asking first.
Is Ancor a good Ziflow alternative for agencies?
For agencies whose approval problem is really a money problem, yes: who approved which version, how many rounds it took, and whether the extra round was paid for. Ancor gives clients a no-login portal with sign-off pinned to the version, numbered rounds and priced change requests, inside the system that also tracks hours, margin and GST invoices. If proofing itself is the job, with video, many file types and several approval stages, Ziflow does far more of it.
Is Ancor a good Filestage alternative?
Filestage is a dedicated review tool with reviewer groups, version compare and automations, and no account needed for reviewers. Ancor matches it on no-login review and version-pinned approval, and adds what Filestage leaves out: the hours, budget, retainer allowance and invoice for the same work. It does not match Filestage on markup across file types or on multi-step review.
Can clients approve work in Ancor without an account?
Yes. Clients open a private portal link with no password, see each deliverable, pin comments to a spot on an image, and approve or ask for changes. Each approval is tied to the latest version, and a new version reopens the piece for review.
Does Ancor proof video and PDF like Ziflow and Filestage?
Not in the standard product. Pinned comments work on images. For video, PDFs and live websites, Ziflow and Filestage are the stronger tools, and some agencies run one of them for markup alongside Ancor for the rest.
How does pricing compare?
Ziflow Standard is $199 a month billed annually for 15 users, and Pro $329 for 20. Filestage Starter is $199 a month and Business $329, each with 10 team members. Both have free plans with limits, and both include unlimited reviewers. Ancor is ₹9,999 + GST or $99 a month for up to 10 people, and covers planning, time, invoicing and approvals together. Client reviewers are free in all three.