If your creative projects are starting to feel like a mess of lost feedback, emails, and never-ending review and approval cycles, you're not alone. Choosing the right online proofing software can make the difference between a streamlined campaign and a delayed launch. That’s where platforms like Ziflow and Filestage come into play.
Both offer tools to collect feedback and manage approvals, but they take very different approaches to scale, automation, and creative team needs. In this comparison, we’ll break down how Ziflow and Filestage stack up across key areas — so you can find the right fit for your growing content workflows.
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Filestage
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Reviews (Capterra) | |
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Allows review of different file types, but each asset is reviewed separately without campaign grouping.
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Multi-asset campaign reviews |
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Provides basic version tracking with manual comparison and limited control.
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Version management |
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Handles major static and video file formats; lacks support for interactive media.
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Media types |
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Provides basic linear workflows without branching or conditional logic.
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Workflows & review stages |
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No uptime SLA published; generally stable for most use cases.
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Reliability (uptime) |
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Does not support branded intake or external submission forms.
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Intake forms |
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Offers limited reporting with basic status tracking.
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Reporting |
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E-signature and compliance workflows not supported.
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E-signatures & compliance |
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Supports PM tool integrations via Zapier and some direct APIs.
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Creative & PM integrations |
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No Adobe plugin support.
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Adobe plugins |
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Independent but narrow in focus and extensibility.
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Standalone platform |
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Does not support in-review checklists or structured inputs.
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Checklists |
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Ziflow provides advanced creative workflow automation with conditional logic, parallel review stages, and SLA-based triggers — ideal for managing complex, multi-step creative approvals. Filestage offers linear workflows that are simple to set up but lack automation and dynamic routing. For teams with high volumes or cross-functional review needs, Ziflow reduces manual coordination and scales more effectively.
Ziflow delivers in-depth reporting with real-time dashboards, workflow analytics, and audit trails that give teams full visibility into performance and bottlenecks. Filestage includes only basic status tracking, without deeper insights into review timelines or team workload. If visibility and accountability are important, especially across larger teams, Ziflow provides a clear advantage.
Ziflow offers robust collaborative content review with threaded comments, @mentions, version-to-version comparisons, and full decision logs across all asset types — making it easy for cross-functional teams to stay aligned. Filestage supports in-context commenting and basic review steps, but lacks advanced features like side-by-side versioning or automated feedback tracking.
Both Ziflow and Filestage support major file types like PDFs, images, and videos, which cover the core needs of most creative teams. However, Ziflow also handles advanced formats like websites, HTML5, 3D, and interactive media. While both work well for simpler use cases, Ziflow offers more flexibility for diverse content types.
Ziflow is built for regulated industries, offering SOC 2 compliance, ISO/IEC 27001 certification, e-signatures, audit logs, and granular permission controls. Filestage includes secure file sharing and basic access restrictions but lacks enterprise-level compliance features like e-signatures or detailed audit trails. For organizations that need governance and legal defensibility, Ziflow is better equipped.
Ziflow integrates natively with a wide range of tools — Adobe Creative Cloud, monday.com, Slack, Asana, Dropbox, and more — plus offers robust API and webhook support for custom workflows. Filestage provides some integrations but often relies on Zapier for extended functionality, limiting workflow depth. Ziflow fits more seamlessly into enterprise tech stacks.
Ziflow is designed for enterprise scale, with 99.99% uptime, 24/7 global support, and dedicated customer success for high-volume teams. Filestage is better suited for smaller teams, and while it offers standard support, it lacks the infrastructure and hands-on service needed by larger organizations.
“Our creative workflow has really been transformed by Ziflow! As a team with a steady flow of projects, we were in need of a tool that could smooth out our review and approval processes, and Ziflow has worked beautifully for us. The platform is remarkably user-friendly and clear to navigate. Even our less tech-inclined team members have found it simple to operate, which has cut our onboarding time down to almost nothing."
Ziflow has a complete set of features that serve all our needs. It has what we need for version control. It has what we need for automated workflows.”
“We compared multiple software providers and this was the best. It had solutions that we did not even know we needed! It was also great to see this for all file formats being available. We use it for website proofing, ads proofing and even PDF proofing. Multiple workflows and people can be set up.”
“We tested a lot of other platforms and Ziflow is the best by far. We were able to easily integrate it into our systems to track status along with other elements. They take the management out of the design process so you can concentrate on what you do best… Creating!”
If you’re currently using Filestage or comparing online proofing tools for the first time, it’s important to consider how your needs might evolve as your team scales and your campaigns grow more complex. Filestage is a solid choice for basic reviews — especially for small teams working on simple projects. But many creative teams eventually find themselves limited by its lack of workflow automation, minimal reporting, and reduced flexibility when managing multiple reviewers or asset types.
Ziflow is built for teams that need more control, visibility, and automation in their creative review process. Whether you're managing one campaign or hundreds, Ziflow helps streamline feedback, ensure brand consistency, and reduce bottlenecks with customizable workflows and detailed audit trails. And with native integrations into tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, monday.com, Slack, and Asana, Ziflow fits seamlessly into your broader tech stack.
If you're outgrowing the manual coordination of Filestage — or want to future-proof your review process from day one — Ziflow is a scalable, secure, and proven platform that can support you at every stage.
Yes. Ziflow supports multi-stage workflows with conditional logic, parallel reviews, automated routing, and task triggers — ideal for agencies or enterprise teams managing campaigns across departments. Filestage supports linear steps but lacks automation and logic-based routing, making it harder to scale or adapt to more complex review processes.
Ziflow provides advanced collaboration tools like @mentions, threaded replies, decision logging, and side-by-side version comparison. This makes it easier for teams to manage feedback loops and stakeholder accountability. Filestage offers basic commenting and markup tools, but doesn't support the same depth of feedback tracking or version control.
Ziflow is built for enterprise scale, with 99.99% uptime, 24/7 global support, and features like intake forms, audit logs, and custom roles. Filestage is better suited to smaller teams, and while it's easy to use, it may not keep up with the needs of distributed teams managing thousands of assets or users.
Yes. Ziflow includes dashboards, workflow analytics, and usage insights that help teams track performance, identify bottlenecks, and ensure SLAs are met. Filestage provides only basic review status tracking, without deeper operational or compliance-level reporting.
Ziflow integrates directly with Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Premiere Pro), as well as monday.com, Asana, Wrike, Slack, Dropbox, and more. It also supports webhooks and API connections for custom integrations. Filestage has fewer native integrations and often relies on Zapier for advanced workflows.
Ziflow is SOC 2 compliant and ISO/IEC 27001 certified and includes audit trails, e-signatures, SSO, and granular permission controls — essential for teams working in regulated industries or with sensitive content. Filestage lacks support for e-signatures and does not offer enterprise-grade compliance controls.
Ziflow lets teams group and review multiple asset types — video, web, PDF, image — within a single canvas, which is ideal for coordinating entire campaigns. Filestage supports multiple file types, but assets are reviewed one at a time, making it harder to manage content holistically.
Filestage may appear less expensive at a glance, especially for small teams. However, Ziflow delivers significantly more value for teams that need automation, integrations, compliance features, and scalability. For enterprise use cases, Ziflow’s pricing reflects its broader feature set and support infrastructure.
If your team needs a simple, user-friendly proofing tool for straightforward review cycles, Filestage can be a solid option — especially for smaller teams or agencies focused on reviewing standard file types without complex workflow needs.
However, if your creative review process involves multiple stakeholders, compliance requirements, or growing volumes of content, Ziflow offers a more powerful and scalable solution. With advanced workflow automation, deeper integrations, enterprise-ready compliance features, and robust reporting, Ziflow is built to support creative operations at scale — whether you’re just getting started or ready to level up.
Ultimately, both tools can help manage creative feedback, but if you're looking for a platform that grows with your team and reduces manual work over time, Ziflow is the better long-term fit.