MarkUp.io is a popular tool that many digital agencies use to give visual feedback on digital assets. People like it because:
- You can use it to comment on over 30 file-types, like websites, images, PDFs, and videos.
- It lets you give feedback on live websites without having to install anything.
- It has a pretty good free version.
However, despite its many uses and flexibility, MarkUp.io might not be the best choice for every digital agency, especially those focused on web development. Here's why:
- It doesn't integrate with project management tools, which is problematic since most web agencies already use these tools. This forces teams to manage regular tasks in one tool and feedback in another.
- Their proxy solution, which lets you avoid installing a script, usually works well. But it struggles to generate screenshots on sites protected by Basic Auth, which is common for staging environments.
- It can be confusing for clients, who need to keep track of two web addresses: one for their staging site and another for giving feedback.
To find the right alternative to MarkUp.io, you need to consider what you'll use it for. There are two main use cases:
- Website feedback
- Feedback on other digital assets like images (web designs)
We'll start by looking at the best alternatives for website feedback. If you're more interested in feedback for digital assets, you can skip ahead to that section.
1. Feedbucket
First on our list is Feedbucket, our own tool. Built by former web agency owners, Feedbucket addresses the challenges of collecting feedback from clients on new website builds.
Two key principles guided Feedbucket's creation:
- Most web agencies already use a project management tool. Your team should handle feedback in the same tools they use for other tasks.
- Easy to use, even for non-tech-savvy clients. Let's face it: not all clients are comfortable with technology. Providing feedback and collaborating on the review process should be as simple as possible to prevent clients from reverting to unclear emails.
Let's address the second point first: client feedback submission needs to be straightforward.
Visual website feedback tools typically use one of three installation methods:
- Browser extension
- Shareable link for feedback submission (like MarkUp.io)
- Script tag installed on your website
While each option has pros and cons, we believe web agencies working with clients benefit most from a tool installed on the staging site using a script tag.
If you've worked with clients, you can imagine the challenge of getting them to install a browser extension. Moreover, browser extensions limit feedback to desktop only. What about mobile version feedback?
Proxy solutions like MarkUp.io have advantages, especially for live websites or sites you don't control. However, for web agencies and their clients, this means using a separate platform for feedback and collaboration.
That's why Feedbucket chose option 3: installing a script tag on the staging site.
You only need to send the staging site link to your clients, giving them everything needed to submit feedback and collaborate, right on the website.
No extensions to download, no accounts to create, no need to remember multiple URLs.
Submit feedback using screenshot or video without leaving the website
Once you've added the script tag to your client's website, they can submit feedback in two ways:
- With the screenshot feature. This turns the website into an interactive canvas where you can annotate and place a comment where you want to leave feedback.
- Using video recording. With, or without, a microphone. All without having to install anything. It's like giving your clients Loom directly on the website.
Feedbucket automatically captures technical details like the page, browser, OS, and console errors with all feedback. This ensures your developers have all the information they need, reducing guesswork and back-and-forth communication.
Check out below how easy it is to submit feedback.
Video feedback is particularly useful for explaining complex issues like bugs on forms or animations. It can significantly reduce the need for "Let's hop on a call" meetings.
Remember, even for video recording, clients don't need to download anything. Everything happens right in the browser.
Clients collaborate on feedback directly on the website
Submitting clear feedback is just the first step. But what happens when a client needs to send a follow-up comment? Or when they need to attach a new PDF with updated content?
Feedbucket embeds a guest portal on the website where you can see all unresolved feedback and collaborate with comments, tags, attachments, statuses, and more.
Having this directly on the website, rather than in a separate portal, has significantly improved client adoption.
From a client's perspective, everything needed to submit understandable feedback and collaborate is available directly on their staging site.
Now, let's see how your team would manage the feedback.
Manage website feedback in your existing tools
How your team manages feedback is perhaps the most significant difference between MarkUp.io and Feedbucket.
We believe most agencies already use a project management tool for their tasks. That's why we've made deep two-way integrations with popular project management tools a core feature of Feedbucket.
Our goal? Your team should be able to manage all aspects of feedback in the tools they already use.
Here's how it works:
- Feedback submitted on the website flows directly into your PM tool as tasks, configured to your needs.
- Comments on feedback are attached to the corresponding task.
- When feedback is resolved on the website, the task is automatically marked as completed in your PM tool.
In our view, this addresses a major drawback of MarkUp.io: the need for your team to log into another platform just to handle website feedback.
This approach reduces context switching and helps ensure feedback doesn't get lost between two systems.
This is the first part of our two-way integration: changes on the website sync automatically to your project management tool.
The second part of the two-way integration completes the link and allows your team to manage all feedback in the project management tool.
What if you need to ask a follow-up question about some feedback? With Feedbucket, you don't need to go to the client's staging site, or a seperate tool, to add your comment. Your team can simply add a comment in your project management tool that starts with @feedbucket. This comment will sync over to Feedbucket and notify your client
Comments without this prefix won't sync over, giving you control over what's shared.
When your team completes the feedback, they can mark it as Done in the PM tool. This action syncs with Feedbucket, resolves the feedback, and notifies the client.
The two-way integration is designed so your team can manage all feedback directly from their current tools. It doesn't change your workflow; it simply enhances it with better feedback management.
Feedbucket receives praise in TheAdminBar
Recently, a lively discussion about visual feedback tools took place in TheAdminBar, a popular Facebook group for WordPress agencies.
Many members mentioned Feedbucket, citing our core principles as the reasons for choosing our tool.
For example, see this comment from Dave:
While we're proud of the positive feedback, we encourage you to evaluate Feedbucket for yourself. We offer a 14-day free trial without requiring a credit card. You can set up and start using Feedbucket in about a minute, allowing you to experience how it integrates into your workflow.
Feedbucket Pricing
- Pro Plan: Priced at $39 per month, the Pro Plan allows you to use Feedbucket on unlimited projects and gather unlimited feedback, making it easy to collect and organize visual website feedback within your existing tools.
- Business Plan: Available for $89 per month, the Business Plan offers additional features such as console recording, custom branding with your own colors and logo, and several other advanced functionalities.
You can try Feedbucket yourself with a 14-day free trial, no credit card needed, to see the difference.
MarkUp.io vs Feedbucket: At a Glance
| MarkUp.io | Feedbucket | |
|---|---|---|
| Used by | Marketing-, digital-, creative agencies | Web agencies |
| Standalone tool | No | Yes |
| Price for web agency | $29 / month | $39 / month |
| Free trial | 30-days no credit card | 14-days no credit card |
| 2-way integrations | No | Yes |
2. Pastel
Pastel is quite similar to MarkUp.io, which is why we've included it on our list.
Like MarkUp.io, Pastel allows you to collect website feedback. It also expands its functionality to other digital assets such as images and PDFs.
For web agencies, Pastel shares similar challenges with MarkUp.io, although it does offer more extensive integrations.
Make sure to look out for the 72-hour commenting window in their lower plans. Having a client submit all feedback and complete a review within 72 hours would be some sort of record.
Features
- Edit text directly in the tool and submit as feedback.
- Track different website versions.
- Assign feedback to team members and set statuses.
- Automatically capture browser type, device, and screen size.
Pros
- No installation needed, allowing feedback on live sites.
- Support feedback on websites, images, and PDFs.
Cons
- Your team would handle feedback in a seperate tool from your project management tool.
- No mobile feedback option available.
- Limited to four integrations, none with two-way sync.
Pricing
Pastel has a free tier suitable for hobby use. Paid plans range from $29 to $350 per month. Due to the 72-hour commenting window limitation, most agencies will need the Studio plan at $99 a month.
MarkUp.io vs Pastel: At a Glance
| MarkUp.io | Pastel | |
|---|---|---|
| Used by | Marketing-, digital-, creative agencies | Marketing-, digital-, creative agencies |
| Standalone tool | No | No |
| Price for web agency | $29 / month | $99 / month |
| Free trial | 30-days no credit card | 14-days no credit card |
| 2-way integrations | No | No |
3. Marker.io
Marker.io allows you to collect website feedback from both clients and team members. However, it truly shines when gathering bug reports from team members on your own products. In these scenarios, features like network tracking and session replay become particularly valuable.
One notable feature is the ability to display different widgets to team members and clients. This means your team can set priorities and assign tasks - actions you wouldn't want clients performing.
However, Marker.io has some shortcomings when it comes to client feedback. Clients need to create an account and log into a separate feedback portal to collaborate. It would be more convenient if this portal were embedded directly into the website.
Another limitation is the lack of video feedback support. Some bugs or animation issues are challenging to explain with just text and screenshots.
Features
- Capture feedback with annotated screenshots, including automatic page, browser, and device details.
- Record JavaScript errors and network activity.
- Provide session replay to show steps leading to bug reports.
Pros
- Customize widget separately for team and clients.
- Connect two-way with over 15 popular project management tools.
Cons
- No video feedback option available.
- Require client account creation for collaboration on guest portal.
- Support response was less than ideal when I needed assistance.
Pricing
Marker.io has two pricing options: $59 and $149 per month. The Starter Plan at $59 a month includes all basic tools for managing client feedback. For additional features like session replay and console log tracking, the Team plan at $149 a month is available.
MarkUp.io vs Marker.io: At a Glance
| MarkUp.io | Marker.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Used by | Marketing-, digital-, creative agencies | Web agencies, QA teams |
| Standalone tool | No | Yes |
| Price for web agency | $29 / month | $59 / month |
| Free trial | 30-days no credit card | 14-days no credit card |
| 2-way integrations | No | Yes |
4. Ruttl
Ruttl is another tool that functions similarly to MarkUp.io.
It offers feedback submission for various digital assets including websites, mobile apps, videos, and images. While this range of capabilities might seem impressive at first glance, it raises questions about whether the tool is attempting to cover too much ground.
I try not to be too negative about other tools since I know how hard it is to build perfect applications. However, when I tested Ruttl, I ran into several bugs and issues.
Be sure to thoroughly test Ruttl on your own websites to make sure you don't encounter the same problems.
One positive aspect of Ruttl is the ability to edit elements like a website's CSS directly within the tool, which can be very useful for collaborating with your team.
Features
- Works with a proxy setup, eliminating the need for website installation.
- Allows feedback submission for websites, web apps, mobile apps, videos, images, and PDFs.
- Maintains multiple versions of the reviewed asset.
Pros
- Enables feedback submission on live websites, or even websites you do not control.
- You can edit text, CSS, and images directly, which can be submitted as feedback.
Cons
- Integration simply generates a task in your project management tool with a Ruttl link, without syncing data.
- Like other proxy solutions, Ruttl struggles with feedback on websites behind Basic Auth. I had to use a Chrome extension for those pages.
- It seems they want your whole team to use Ruttl for feedback, which can get expensive.
Pricing
Ruttl offers a free plan that's pretty basic and not suitable for client projects. Their pricing is different from other alternatives, with two premium plans costing $4 or $30 per user per month. Likely, your entire team and sometimes clients will need their own accounts. Make sure you understand who needs an account or it can quickly become expensive.
MarkUp.io vs Ruttl: At a Glance
| MarkUp.io | Ruttl | |
|---|---|---|
| Used by | Marketing-, digital-, creative agencies | Design teams, web agencies, software team, and more |
| Standalone tool | No | Can be |
| Price for web agency | $29 / month | Hard to compare with user pricing |
| Free trial | 30-days no credit card | Limited usage on free plan |
| 2-way integrations | No | No |
5. Figma
Figma is our first entry that focuses on design feedback as an alternative to MarkUp.io.
Many teams use Figma for creating initial client designs. If your team isn't already using Figma for design prototypes, we suggest considering it instead of relying on static images and MarkUp.io.
After creating a design, you can share the prototype with your clients via a link. Figma includes built-in collaboration tools, streamlining the feedback process.
Additionally, many developers are familiar with translating Figma designs into functional websites, which can smooth the transition from design to development.
Features
- Multiple team members can work on the same file simultaneously, enhancing productivity and teamwork.
- Create clickable, animated prototypes to demonstrate user flows and gather more accurate client feedback.
- Build and maintain consistent design libraries, making it easier to create cohesive designs across multiple projects.
Pros
- No software installation required, making it easy for clients and team members to access designs from anywhere.
- Automatically saves all changes, allowing you to revert to previous versions if needed.
Cons
- For teams transitioning from other design tools, there may be an initial learning period to master Figma's interface and features.
Pricing
Figma offers a Free plan that allows you to create up to 3 design files simultaneously. For more extensive needs, they provide three paid plans ranging from €15 to €75 per user per month. The €15 per user per month plan includes unlimited Figma files, making it a popular choice for teams requiring more capacity.
6. Filestage
Filestage is a feedback collection tool that works with a wide range of digital assets, including images, PDFs, videos, and websites.
While FileStage can be used for website feedback, it's not its strongest feature. The process is somewhat cumbersome, requiring you to download an extension, import the website into FileStage, and then have everyone submitting feedback install the extension as well.
However, FileStage excels when it comes to images and other digital assets. It offers a robust set of features, including versioning, making it a powerful option for these types of files.
Features
- Collect feedback on a wide variety of digital assets in one tool.
- Proofing workflows that is very customizable.
Pros
- GDPR compliant.
- Lots of integrations and automations.
Cons
- Very hard to collect feedback on websites with clients.
Pricing
Filestage offers a free plan that could be suitable for business use. It supports all file types but limits you to 2 projects and 2 reviewer groups. For more serious business needs, you'll likely need their Basic plan, which costs €119 a month.
7. GoVisually
GoVisually is a platform designed for creative teams to streamline the review process for images, designs, videos, and other digital assets.
If you're seeking an alternative to MarkUp.io that focuses exclusively on digital assets other than websites, GoVisually might be the tool that meets your needs.
Features
- Built in version control to keep track of progress.
- Approval process with clear statuses and custom checklists.
- Custom web and email branding
Pros
- A tool to see before and after comparison of a creative.
- Seamless integrations with Adobe Creative Cloud.
Cons
- Can't collect feedback on websites.
Pricing
Filestage offers a free plan that could be suitable for business use. It supports all file types but limits you to 2 projects and 2 reviewer groups. For more serious business needs, you'll likely need their Basic plan, which costs €119 a month.
Next Steps: Choosing the Best MarkUp.io Alternative for Your Company
We've explored 7 alternatives to MarkUp.io: 4 for website feedback and 3 for design feedback.
If you're an agency building websites for clients, we recommend trying Feedbucket's free 14-day trial (no credit card required) for these reasons:
- Feedbucket was created by former agency owners who understand the challenges of getting client feedback and have focused on solving this problem.
- It's designed to integrate with your existing project management tools, improving your feedback process without disrupting your current workflow.
- Feedbucket keeps everything on the website for your client. No extensions to install or accounts to create - just easy feedback.
Are you ready to enhance your website feedback process? Start your free 14-day Feedbucket trial today, with no upfront credit card required.
