Filestage runs the approval pipeline. Drafty handles the client share.
If you need legal, design, and marketing to sign off a video campaign in sequence — Filestage is built for that. If you're a designer sharing a doc or mockup with one client and need their feedback back without an account, a ten-seat plan, or an approval stage — Drafty is the faster path.
Drafty vs Filestage
An honest, capability-by-capability look — including where Filestage is the better pick.
| What your client needs | Drafty |  Filestage |
|---|---|---|
| Client comments without creating an account | Email required | |
| Free to start — no card, no project limit on free tier | Free tier: 1 project, 5 files/mo | |
| Share any artifact (doc, design, PDF, live site) | ||
| Anchored, threaded comments on the exact element | ||
| No per-seat cost for freelancers | ||
| Multi-stage gated approval with defined reviewer groups | ||
| Video review with frame-accurate comments |
How it works
Drop in the deliverable and copy the link
Push your proposal, brief, or design to Drafty — you get a link. No project to configure, no reviewer groups to set up, no due date required. Send the link wherever you're already talking to your client.
Your client pins a note on the exact spot
They open the link in any browser, hover the paragraph or element they mean, and click to leave a comment. It sticks to that spot. No account, no email verification, no confused screenshot attached to an email that says 'the bit near the top.'
Make the change — same link, new version
Push an update and the link shows the new version. The comment thread stays anchored. Your client sees what changed and can mark it resolved. Claude can also read the open threads and ship the fix itself, versioned in place.
Why people switch
- Filestage's Starter plan is $199/month — built for a ten-person agency, not a solo deliverable
- Your client has to authenticate with their email before leaving a single comment
- Feedback arrives as an email, a WhatsApp message, and a screenshot — all referencing the same paragraph
- Free to start, no per-seat pricing — Share as many documents as you need before you ever see a billing page
- Guest commenting on a public link — They click, they type — no friction between opening the link and the first note
- Anchored threads on the artifact — Every note is pinned to the exact element it belongs to, in one place
Who it's for
Send the brand proposal as a link. Your client marks the exact heading — not a vague reply-all or a screenshot with a red arrow drawn on it.
The deliverable is the link. Your client reads the report and drops notes inline — no approval stage to configure, no team seat to buy.
Share the spec or the v0 prototype. Collaborators comment on the exact requirement without signing up for anything.
Questions
- What is the main difference between Drafty and Filestage?
- Filestage is a structured approval platform for marketing teams running multi-stage content pipelines — video campaigns, brand assets, compliance sign-offs. Drafty is for sharing a single deliverable with a client and getting annotated feedback back without any setup. Different tools for different moments.
- Does Filestage require clients to create an account?
- Filestage asks reviewers to enter their email address before they can comment. Drafty doesn't — your client opens the link and comments as a guest, no login of any kind.
- Is Filestage worth it for a freelance designer?
- Filestage's Starter plan is $199/month, designed for agency teams with multi-stage approval workflows. For a solo designer sharing a proposal with one client, that's more structure than you need. Drafty is free to start with no card required.
- What does Filestage do better than Drafty?
- Two genuine advantages: multi-stage gated approval workflows where content moves through defined reviewer groups in sequence, and video review with frame-accurate timestamped comments. If a campaign moves from legal to creative to client sign-off — or your deliverable is a video — Filestage is the right fit.
- Can I switch from Filestage to Drafty?
- If your use case is designer-to-client sharing rather than team approval pipelines, yes. Drafty doesn't replicate Filestage's multi-stage workflow or video review, but for sharing a doc or design with a client and getting anchored comments back, it's faster to start and free.
- How much does Filestage cost compared to Drafty?
- Filestage's paid plans start at $199/month (Starter). Its free tier is limited to 1 active project and 5 files per month. Drafty is free to start with no card required.
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.