Choosing the right online proofing platform is how you scale your creative operations without friction. While Lytho offers proofing as part of a broader DAM and brand management suite, that bundling can create real limitations for teams who need flexibility and focus. Ziflow, on the other hand, is purpose-built for creative review and approval, delivering advanced workflow automation, robust compliance tools, and support for every file type your campaign might include.
In this post, we’ll explore how Ziflow compares to Lytho across key categories like collaboration, file support, scalability, and integrations. Whether you’re looking for a standalone solution or something that fits cleanly into your existing creative stack, this side-by-side breakdown will help you decide which tool is right for your team.
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Lytho
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Reviews (Capterra) | |
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Asset review tied to DAM objects; no campaign-level grouping or views.
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Multi-asset campaign reviews |
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Uses DAM metadata for versioning; proofing doesn't include comparison tools.
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Version management |
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File support is dictated by Lytho's DAM capabilities.
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Media types |
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Built on task-based project logic, not creative approval workflows.
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Workflows & review stages |
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Tied to DAM reliability; proofing uptime is not independently measured.
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Reliability (uptime) |
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Form requests exist but are locked into the Lytho DAM environment.
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Intake forms |
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Reporting is limited to asset usage metrics within DAM, not review outcomes.
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Reporting |
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Proofing decisions are not tracked for compliance purposes.
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E-signatures & compliance |
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Integrations are restricted to the Lytho suite of products.
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Creative & PM integrations |
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No plugin support; relies on export/import workflow.
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Adobe plugins |
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Only available as part of Lytho’s broader suite.
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Standalone platform |
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Checklists exist within task flows, but not linked directly to proofs.
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Checklists |
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Ziflow offers advanced automation features that allow teams to build multi-stage review workflows with conditional logic, parallel reviews, and deadline-based triggers. This flexibility makes it ideal for agencies or marketing teams managing high-volume, fast-moving campaigns. Lytho, by contrast, ties its proofing process to its broader DAM structure, which limits the flexibility of approval workflows and lacks the depth of customization required for complex creative processes. If your team needs workflow automation that adapts to your business (not the other way around) Ziflow is the better fit.
Ziflow offers custom-branded intake forms, reviewer dashboards, and notifications — critical for agencies or brands that want to present a polished, client-ready experience. Lytho’s customization is limited to broader brand management and doesn’t extend as deeply into the proofing interface or workflows.
Ziflow allows teams to review entire campaigns — multiple assets, in multiple formats — within a single proofing session. That includes video, web, HTML5, PDF, and image files together. Lytho doesn’t offer this kind of multi-asset grouping, instead requiring file-by-file review tied to individual DAM objects.
Ziflow is a standalone, platform-agnostic solution. That means teams can use Ziflow without adopting a new DAM or brand system, making it much easier to plug into an existing tech stack. Lytho, by contrast, ties proofing directly to its broader DAM and brand management suite. This creates friction if you only want best-in-class proofing, or if your team already uses another.
Ziflow is purpose-built for creative collaboration. It supports features like side-by-side version comparison, frame-accurate commenting on video, text-specific annotations, and customizable review roles. Lytho's proofing experience is more basic and primarily designed to mark up images or documents within its DAM, not to manage complex, multi-asset creative workflows.
Ziflow supports over 1,200 file types, including video, audio, PDFs, live websites, HTML5, and 3D formats — making it ideal for modern multi-channel campaigns. It allows teams to review all asset types in one platform and even in the same proof when needed. Lytho’s asset review capabilities are constrained by its DAM structure, with support focused mainly on static documents and images. Rich media and interactive file support is lacking, which can be a dealbreaker for creative teams working across multiple channels.
With features like SOC 2 compliance, e-signatures, full audit trails, and role-based access controls, Ziflow is designed to meet the needs of regulated industries and enterprise IT standards. Lytho offers basic access control through its DAM but lacks e-signature support and fine-grained workflow security settings. For companies that need defensible approval records and robust control over who can view, comment, and approve content, Ziflow offers a more enterprise-ready solution.
Ziflow integrates natively with tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, monday.com, Asana, Slack, Dropbox, and many others — plus supports advanced automation via webhooks and API. This makes it easy to plug proofing into any existing creative stack. Lytho’s integrations are primarily limited to its own suite of brand and DAM tools, making external workflow orchestration more difficult. If you want proofing to fit into (not dictate) your broader tech ecosystem, Ziflow offers far more flexibility.
“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 setup.”
“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 Lytho or evaluating your first online proofing tool, the choice comes down to flexibility, depth, and focus. Lytho’s proofing features are tightly bound to its broader DAM and brand management system. That might work if you’re fully invested in the Lytho ecosystem, but it creates friction if you just want a best-in-class proofing solution or need to collaborate across multiple platforms.
Ziflow was purpose-built for creative review and approval. It supports every asset type your team works with — from video and HTML5 to web pages, packaging files, and beyond — all in one platform. With advanced automation, customizable workflows, e-signatures, and enterprise-grade security, Ziflow gives you the control and speed needed to manage complex campaigns with internal and external stakeholders.
Whether you’re scaling a creative ops team or simply tired of workarounds, Ziflow plugs directly into your existing tools (Adobe, Asana, monday.com, Dropbox) and scales with your team — without locking you into a larger suite. If proofing is a critical part of your process, Ziflow delivers more power, better performance, and a smoother path forward.
Yes. Ziflow is purpose-built for creative review and supports advanced proofing workflows, automation, and asset types that Lytho doesn’t. While Lytho includes proofing as part of its broader DAM and brand platform, it lacks the flexibility, version management, and collaboration depth needed for enterprise-scale creative operations. Ziflow also integrates more broadly with other tools your team likely already use
Absolutely. Ziflow is a standalone platform that doesn’t require a DAM or project management system to function. You can use it on its own, or integrate it with your preferred tools (like Adobe CC, monday.com, Dropbox, or Slack). Ziflow also natively integrates with all the industry leading DAMs and file storage platforms. Lytho’s proofing capabilities are tightly tied to its DAM, which can add complexity or cost if all you need is proofing.
Ziflow supports multi-stage workflows with conditional logic, parallel reviews, deadline-based triggers, and automated reviewer routing. Lytho offers only basic routing tied to DAM tasks, with no support for advanced logic or automation. For teams managing multiple rounds of review with various stakeholders, Ziflow significantly reduces manual coordination and speeds up approvals.
Ziflow allows you to easily invite external reviewers with secure access, granular permissions, and no need for them to access your internal DAM or workspace. Lytho, by contrast, requires external collaborators to interact with the broader platform, which can be confusing or restrictive for clients, legal teams, or vendors.
Ziflow offers SOC 2 compliance, e-signatures, audit trails, and role-based access control — features that are required for teams in regulated industries or enterprise environments. Lytho lacks e-signature support and does not offer the same depth of auditability, making Ziflow a more secure choice for sensitive or regulated creative work.
While both offer custom enterprise pricing, Ziflow is more modular — you can pay for just the proofing solution you need without committing to a bundled DAM or brand portal. Lytho’s proofing tools are part of a larger platform, which can be more expensive or less flexible if you’re not using the full suite.
If your team is focused on producing high volumes of creative content across multiple formats, and needs a flexible, secure, and scalable way to manage review and approval, Ziflow is the clear choice. It’s a purpose-built proofing solution that works seamlessly with the tools you already use, supports 1,200+ file types, and offers advanced workflow automation, version control, and compliance features trusted by global creative teams.
That said, Lytho may be a better fit if your team is looking to rebuild their entire creative workflow with an all-in-one platform that includes DAM, brand guidelines, and basic proofing in a single interface. It will be more expensive, take more effort to build, and will have relatively limited review and approval workflow capabilities. But some companies might find value in Lytho’s bundled approach, especially if they aren’t working with external reviewers or complex workflows.
But for teams where proofing is mission-critical, and review cycles span multiple stakeholders, formats, and departments, Ziflow delivers the depth, performance, and independence you’ll need to move faster — without the lock-in.