Filestage is built for marketing teams. Drafty's for your client.
Filestage is a staged approval platform — $199/month minimum, and reviewers must authenticate with their email before they can leave a single comment. If you're a freelance designer sending a document or mockup to one client, that's the wrong tool. Drafty gives you a shareable link: your client opens it, clicks the exact spot, and types. No account, no approval stages, no invoice for a ten-seat plan.
The feedback you're getting today
Scattered across iMessage and Slack — every note a guess at which version, which element.
Every message here is a comment that belonged on the artifact. In Drafty they tap the exact spot and the note pins there — threaded, on one link that's always the current version. No “which one,” no screenshots, no “FINAL.html.”
Drafty vs Filestage
What each is actually built for — so you pick by the reviewer you're sending it to.
| What your client needs | Drafty |  Filestage |
|---|---|---|
| Client comments without creating an account | ||
| Free to start — no credit card | Free tier: 1 project, 5 files/mo | |
| Share any artifact (doc, design, PDF, website) | ||
| Anchored, threaded comments on the exact element | ||
| Priced for a solo freelancer | ||
| Multi-stage gated approval with defined reviewer groups | ||
| Enterprise audit trails and compliance controls |
How it works
Share a link — that's it
Drop your proposal, brief, or design into Drafty and copy the link. Your client opens it in any browser, on their phone or laptop. Nothing to install, no invite email, no account to create.
They point at the exact spot
Your client clicks the heading, the paragraph, the image — wherever the note belongs — and types. The comment pins to that element. No screenshots of screenshots, no 'third paragraph from the bottom.'
You iterate on the same link
Make the change, push a new version. The link stays the same; the comment thread stays attached. Your client sees the update and marks it resolved — no fresh email chain.
Why people switch
- Filestage asks your client to authenticate before they can leave a comment
- You only need one client to sign off one deliverable — not a ten-seat approval platform
- Feedback lands in an email thread, a WhatsApp message, and a screenshot attachment
- Guest commenting on a public link — Your client reacts in one click — no friction before the first note
- No per-seat pricing — Use Drafty for free until you know you need more
- Anchored threads on the artifact — Every note is pinned to the line it belongs to — one place, no hunting
Who it's for
Send the proposal as a link. Your client marks up the exact section — not a vague reply-all.
The deliverable is the link. Your client comments inline and it looks like your work, not a generic review tool.
Share the spec doc. Collaborators leave notes on the exact requirement — no account, no $199/month bill.
Questions
- Does Filestage require clients to log in?
- Yes — Filestage asks reviewers to authenticate with their email address before they can comment. Drafty doesn't: your client opens the link and leaves a note as a guest, no account required.
- Is Filestage worth it for a freelancer?
- Filestage's paid plans start at $199/month, which is built for agency teams with multi-stage approval workflows. For a solo designer collecting sign-off from one client, it's more than you need.
- What is the best free Filestage alternative?
- Drafty is free to start — publish your first canvas, share the link, and your client can comment with no card required. Filestage's free tier limits you to one active project and five files per month.
- Can clients comment on a document without signing up?
- Yes, with Drafty. Share a link to your doc or design and your client can pin notes on the exact spot — no login, no extension, no account.
- What does Filestage do better than Drafty?
- Filestage is purpose-built for multi-stage gated approval workflows — where a design moves from legal to creative to final client sign-off in sequence, with each stage blocked until the previous is complete. It also has enterprise-grade audit trails and compliance controls. If your work needs that structure, Filestage is the right fit.
- How is Drafty different from Filestage?
- Filestage is built for marketing teams running structured approval pipelines. Drafty is built for a designer or consultant sharing a single deliverable with a client — one link, anchored comments, no staging, no per-seat cost.
Keep exploring
Send your next client a link, not a login.
Free to start. No card. They comment in one click — Claude ships the fix.