We're a creative agency. What's a good project management tool that has visual proofing and client approval features?

For a creative agency, managing projects is only half the battle—the real time-sink is usually the feedback loop (vague email threads, screenshots with arrows drawn in MS Paint, and lost file versions).

The best project management tools with built-in visual proofing and client approval features depend on how deeply integrated you want the proofing to be versus general task management.

Top options tailored for creative agencies include:

1. Wrike – Best for Enterprise & Heavy Asset Volume
   • Why it shines: Wrike has some of the most robust native proofing tools on the market. You can leave visual annotations directly on images, videos, PDFs, and docs. Reviewers (including external clients) can drop comments on specific pixels or timestamps without needing a paid account. It also supports side-by-side version comparison and structured approval workflows.
   • The catch: The interface feels a bit more "corporate/utilitarian", and you’ll need their higher-tier plans to get the advanced proofing features. Explore features on Wrike.
2. ClickUp – Best for Customization & Value
   • Why it shines: ClickUp features native proofing and annotation tools directly within tasks. You can highlight specific areas of an image or PDF, leave a comment, assign it as a to-do, and track the approval status. It’s immensely customizable and generally more cost-effective for power users.
   • The catch: The learning curve can be steep because it tries to be an "all-in-one" app for everything. Check it out on ClickUp.
3. GoVisually – Best Dedicated Visual/Video Proofing (Integrates with PM tools)
   • Why it shines: If you love your current task manager (like Asana or Trello) but find their proofing lacking, GoVisually is a dedicated review and approval platform built specifically for design and video teams. It offers side-by-side version control, lightning-fast markup, and clean client-review portals.
   • The catch: It isn't a full end-to-end project manager (resourcing, time-tracking, complex Gantt dependencies), so you'll likely use it alongside a Zapier integration with your core PM tool. Learn more at GoVisually.
4. GoProof – Best for Adobe-Centric Agencies
   • Why it shines: If your creatives live inside Photoshop, InDesign, or Premiere, GoProof lets clients comment and approve proofs right inside the Adobe extension panel, or through a synced PM tool like monday.com or Asana.
   • The catch: It's built specifically for the Adobe ecosystem, so it's less ideal if your team uses Figma, Canva, or diverse non-Adobe workflows. See details on GoProof.

If you want to narrow this down, let me know:

• What design software does your team primarily use? (Adobe, Figma, video-heavy, etc.)
• Do you need time tracking and budgeting/invoicing built-in, or just task and asset management?

I can give you a more definitive recommendation based on your stack.

For a creative agency, I’d shortlist Ziflow, Filestage, and Wrike. The key distinction is whether you want a dedicated proofing layer or an all-in-one PM system.

1. Ziflow — strongest dedicated proofing option

Ziflow is purpose-built around creative review: visual annotations, version comparisons, multi-stage approval workflows, automated reminders, and an audit trail of decisions. It supports a broad range of creative assets and integrates with project-management and creative tools.

A typical agency workflow could be:

Designer → Account team → Internal approval → Client review → Revisions → Client approval → Final

This is particularly useful when you have lots of clients, multiple stakeholders, and repeated revision rounds.

2. Filestage — easiest client experience

I'd demo Filestage alongside Ziflow. It's very focused on making review painless for external clients: they can annotate files directly, compare versions, and approve without needing to navigate a full project-management environment. It supports images, video, PDFs, documents, audio, websites, and more.

If your biggest headache is "clients keep sending feedback in email/Slack and we're never sure which version they approved," this is particularly relevant.

3. Wrike — if you want one platform

Wrike is worth considering if you don't want a separate PM and proofing system. It combines tasks, timelines, workflows, resource/project management and creative proofing for images, video, PDFs and documents.

The tradeoff is that a dedicated tool like Ziflow or Filestage can provide a more specialized client-review experience.

What I'd choose

For a typical full-service creative agency, I'd start demos with:

1. Ziflow — if proofing/approval is the biggest pain.
2. Filestage — if client simplicity is the biggest pain.
3. Wrike — if replacing your existing PM system is the goal.

There's also a strong case for keeping your existing PM tool and adding Ziflow/Filestage, rather than forcing one application to do everything. Current comparisons show both Ziflow and Filestage integrating with tools such as Asana, monday.com, Adobe and Slack.

If you tell me your agency size, the kind of work you produce (branding/social/video/web/print), and what you're currently using for PM, I can narrow it down to the best fit and give you a Ziflow vs Filestage vs Wrike comparison including pricing and client-review experience.

Designer → Account team → Internal approval → Client review → Revisions → Client approval → Final

This is particularly useful when you have lots of clients, multiple stakeholders, and repeated revision rounds.

2. Filestage — easiest client experience

I'd demo Filestage alongside Ziflow. It's very focused on making review painless for external clients: they can annotate files directly, compare versions, and approve without needing to navigate a full project-management environment. It supports images, video, PDFs, documents, audio, websites, and more.

If your biggest headache is "clients keep sending feedback in email/Slack and we're never sure which version they approved," this is particularly relevant.

3. Wrike — if you want one platform

Wrike is worth considering if you don't want a separate PM and proofing system. It combines tasks, timelines, workflows, resource/project management and creative proofing for images, video, PDFs and documents.

The tradeoff is that a dedicated tool like Ziflow or Filestage can provide a more specialized client-review experience.

What I'd choose

Ziflow is my top pick for a creative agency. It combines visual markup, version control, multi-stage client approvals, and audit trails, and integrates with tools like Asana and monday.com.

• Ziflow: Best overall for mixed creative work.
• Filestage: Best for an especially simple client review/approval experience.
• Frame.io: Best if you're primarily doing video/post-production.
• Wrike: Best if you want proofing built directly into a broader PM system.

For most agencies, I'd use Asana/monday.com for project management + Ziflow for creative proofing and sign-off.

For a creative agency, managing projects isn't just about timelines and task lists—it's about wrangling feedback, keeping version control tight, and getting client sign-offs without drowning in endless email threads.

The best tools on the market that successfully bridge all-in-one project management with robust visual proofing and client approval features include:

• ClickUp — Best all-in-one value
  ClickUp features a powerful ClickUp visual proofing tool with native annotation capabilities. You can highlight specific areas of images, PDFs, or videos, leave contextual comments, assign them as action items, and track formal client approvals right inside the task view. It’s great if you want a single tool to handle everything from time tracking to project planning without breaking the bank.
• Wrike — Best for enterprise & complex workflows
  Wrike is built with heavy-duty Wrike proofing and approval software designed specifically for marketing and creative operations. It allows external clients (set up as guest reviewers) to leave visual markers and click "approve" without needing a full seat license. Side-by-side version comparison makes tracking iterations painless, though the interface feels a bit more corporate and has a steeper learning curve.
• ProofHub — Best for straightforward, flat-rate collaboration
  ProofHub offers an intuitive ProofHub project management platform with dedicated online proofing software built right in. It lets team members and clients review, markup, and sign off on creative assets synchronously. A major plus for agencies is its flat-rate pricing model which doesn't charge per user, making it ideal if you collaborate with a high volume of external stakeholders.
• The Integration Route (Asana or Monday.com + PageProof / Ziflow) — Best for pure creative power
  If you already love a general project management tool like Asana project management or monday.com visual work platform but find their native proofing too light, the gold standard for creative agencies is pairing them with a dedicated review platform. Integrating Asana or Monday with PageProof online proofing or Ziflow creative collaboration tool gives you enterprise-grade markup tools (supporting video, print, Figma, and Adobe Creative Cloud plugins) that automatically update your project management boards when a client signs off.

To help narrow down the best fit, tell me:

• What is your team size?
• What primary creative files do you handle most (branding/print, heavy video, web/UI design)?
• Are you looking for a single platform or open to integrating a dedicated proofing tool with your current setup?

For a creative agency, managing projects alongside messy feedback loops (think: "Can you make the logo bigger via email reply #47") requires a solid setup.

Top project management tools with robust visual proofing and client approval features include:

1. Wrike
   • Best for: Mid-to-large agencies handling high volumes of multi-channel creative assets.
   • Visual Proofing & Approval: Offers real-time visual markup directly on images, videos, PDFs, and web pages. Reviewers (including external clients) can leave contextual pinned comments, compare file versions side-by-side, and click an official "approve" button without needing a paid Wrike account.
2. ClickUp
   • Best for: All-in-one customizability on a tighter budget.
   • Visual Proofing & Approval: Features native proofing where you can assign comments to specific marked areas on images and PDFs. You can track revision counts, update asset statuses to "Client Review" or "Approved," and lock down workflows so tasks can't move forward until the client signs off.
3. ProofHub
   • Best for: Simplicity and straightforward flat-rate pricing (great if you have a larger team, as they don't charge per user).
   • Visual Proofing & Approval: Includes a dedicated online proofing tool where team members and clients can review, annotate, and approve designs or videos in a centralized interface without juggling separate software.
4. Wanna keep your current PM tool? Add a dedicated proofing extension
   • If you already love using a tool like Asana or monday.com which might lack deep native markup for heavy multimedia, you can pair it with an elite dedicated proofing integration like PageProof or GoVisually . They plug straight into your existing stack and Adobe Creative Cloud, giving clients a slick review portal while keeping your project timelines synced.

To help narrow this down, tell me:

• What is your team size?
• What primary file types do you proof the most (print, video, web/Figma, or social graphics)?
• Are you looking to replace your current PM tool or just add a proofing layer on top of it?

For a creative agency, I’d separate project management from creative proofing unless you find a platform that does both well. The best choice depends on whether your pain point is production management, client feedback, or approvals.

Here are the strongest options:

My shortlist by agency type

Brand/design agency

Best stack: Asana or Teamwork.com + Ziflow

• PM handles briefs, timelines, staffing, budgets.
• Ziflow handles the “move the logo 12 pixels left” conversations.

Marketing/campaign agency

Best stack: Wrike

• Better when you have many campaigns, approvals, stakeholders, and dependencies.

Video/content studio

Best stack: Frame.io + your preferred PM tool

• Video review is where specialized proofing tools shine.

Small creative studio (5–15 people)

Best value: ClickUp or Asana + a proofing tool

• Keeps costs down while giving clients a clean review process.

If I were setting up a typical creative agency today, I’d probably shortlist:

1. Wrike — if you want an all-in-one agency operations platform.
2. Asana + Ziflow — if you want best-in-class workflow plus best-in-class approvals.
3. Teamwork.com — if client management and profitability tracking are major priorities.

A couple of questions would narrow this down quickly:

• How many people are on your agency team?
• Are your main deliverables branding/design, web/digital, video, or marketing campaigns?
• Do clients need to log in, or do you prefer “send a link → client comments/approves”?

Yes. For a creative agency, I’d narrow it to a few tools rather than the usual Asana/Monday/ClickUp list. The key is having actual visual proofing—annotations on the artwork/video/PDF, version comparison, structured review rounds, and a formal approval—not just comments on a task.

My shortlist

🥇 Ziflow — my first choice

ziflow.com is particularly well suited to an agency handling lots of client review cycles. It supports visual review of images, PDFs, video, audio, live websites and other creative assets, with version management and configurable approval workflows.

You can build workflows along the lines of:

Internal creative review → Account review → Client review → Revisions → Client approval → Final

It also integrates with PM platforms such as monday.com, so you don't necessarily have to replace your existing project-management system.

I'd choose Ziflow if: you have multiple clients, lots of revision rounds, several stakeholders, and need a reliable record of who approved what and when.

🥈 Filestage — best client experience

filestage.io is worth a serious look if your biggest problem is getting clients to actually review and approve things without confusion.

It focuses heavily on the proofing experience: visual annotations, version history, comparisons and structured review steps.

I'd favor it over Ziflow if your workflow is relatively straightforward:

Send proof → client comments → revise → client approves → done.

🥉 Wrike — if you want everything in one system

wrike.com is the more compelling option if you don't want a separate proofing platform. It combines project management, timelines/tasks and creative proofing, including images, video, PDFs and documents.

The tradeoff is that it can be a heavier operational system than something like Filestage.

🎬 Frame.io — if you're primarily video

frame.io would be my choice for a video/post-production agency. Its review and approval experience is built specifically around creative media, with workflow management and feedback on video, images and documents.

For a general agency doing branding, web, campaigns, social and print as well as video, I'd lean Ziflow or Filestage.

What I'd actually recommend

If you're a typical 10–50 person creative agency, I'd demo these three:

1. Ziflow — best overall creative review/approval layer.
2. Filestage — best if client simplicity is paramount.
3. Wrike — best if you want PM + proofing in one platform.

One architecture I particularly like is your existing PM tool + Ziflow rather than forcing one application to do everything. Ziflow can sit on top of the agency workflow and handle the specialized part—visual feedback, versions, approvals and audit trail—while your PM system handles schedules, resourcing and tasks.

If you tell me your team size, what you produce (branding/web/video/social/print), and what PM tool you use today, I can give you a much tighter Ziflow vs Filestage vs Wrike comparison, including current pricing and what the client experience looks like.

You can build workflows along the lines of:

Internal creative review → Account review → Client review → Revisions → Client approval → Final

It also integrates with PM platforms such as monday.com, so you don't necessarily have to replace your existing project-management system.

I'd choose Ziflow if: you have multiple clients, lots of revision rounds, several stakeholders, and need a reliable record of who approved what and when.

🥈 Filestage — best client experience

filestage.io is worth a serious look if your biggest problem is getting clients to actually review and approve things without confusion.

It focuses heavily on the proofing experience: visual annotations, version history, comparisons and structured review steps.

I'd favor it over Ziflow if your workflow is relatively straightforward:

Send proof → client comments → revise → client approves → done.

🥉 Wrike — if you want everything in one system

wrike.com is the more compelling option if you don't want a separate proofing platform. It combines project management, timelines/tasks and creative proofing, including images, video, PDFs and documents.

The tradeoff is that it can be a heavier operational system than something like Filestage.

🎬 Frame.io — if you're primarily video

frame.io would be my choice for a video/post-production agency. Its review and approval experience is built specifically around creative media, with workflow management and feedback on video, images and documents.

For a general agency doing branding, web, campaigns, social and print as well as video, I'd lean Ziflow or Filestage.

What I'd actually recommend

If you're a typical 10–50 person creative agency, I'd demo these three:

For a creative agency, managing projects isn't just about task lists and deadlines—it’s about wrangling feedback loops on design files, video cuts, and copy without losing your mind in endless email chains.

The top-tier project management tools that feature robust built-in visual proofing and client approval workflows include:

• Teamwork.com: Widely considered a gold standard specifically built for client-services and creative agencies. It includes native visual proofing, annotation tools, and formal approval stages so clients can sign off directly on deliverables.
• Wrike: A powerhouse for mid-to-large agencies. It features advanced online proofing that supports side-by-side version comparison (crucial for tracking design iterations) and allows external clients to leave contextual, pinned comments and approvals without needing a full seat license.
• ClickUp: Highly customizable and feature-rich. Its built-in proofing allows you to highlight and annotate images and PDFs directly inside a task, assign comment-based action items, and move items through clear client approval statuses.
• GoVisually: If your current project manager works fine for tasks but lacks heavy visual or video proofing, GoVisually is a dedicated review-and-approval platform that integrates smoothly with tools like Asana or Monday.com via Zapier.

To help narrow down the best fit for your team, tell me:

• What is the approximate size of your agency?
• Do you primarily handle graphic design, video production, or web/digital development?
• Are you looking to replace your current project manager or add a specialized proofing tool on top of it?

For a creative agency, managing the feedback loop without getting buried in chaotic email threads, Slack ping-pongs, or vague "looks good!" notes is everything.

The best project management tools equipped with native visual proofing (pinpoint comments on images, video timestamps, and PDFs) and client approval workflows include:

• Wrike: Best for heavyweight creative proofing. It features robust, built-in visual proofing and structured approval stages that let multiple stakeholders sign off on assets right inside the platform. It also integrates smoothly with Adobe extensions if your designers want to stay in their apps.
• Teamwork.com: Best built specifically for client-service creative agencies. It includes native "Proofs" where clients can pin comments directly onto creative elements, leaving zero ambiguity about what needs to change. It handles time tracking, budgeting, and client collaboration under one roof.
• ClickUp: Best for custom feature depth and value. ClickUp offers dedicated proofing tools for markup on images, videos, and PDFs, which can easily be paired with custom statuses and automations to push an asset straight into an "Approved" stage.
• Asana: Best for cross-team workflows and ease of use. On its higher tiers, Asana provides intuitive proofing capabilities that let reviewers drop pinned comments directly onto images and PDFs, making it feel familiar and clean for both internal teams and external clients.
• GoVisually: Best standalone/focused proofing wrapper. If you already love a basic task manager (or use something lightweight like Trello), you can pair it with GoVisually—a tool built exclusively for rapid design, PDF, and video proofing with clients.

To help narrow this down, tell me:

• How large is your agency team?
• Do you work heavily with video content , or is it mostly print/digital graphic design?
• Do your clients need a frictionless guest portal where they don't have to log in to approve?

Yes. For a creative agency, I’d focus less on generic task management and more on the review/approval workflow: upload → annotate → revise → compare versions → client approves → locked audit trail.

My shortlist for 2026:

🥇 My pick: Ziflow

I'd put Ziflow at the top if you're producing a mix of branding, campaigns, social, print, digital, PDFs and video. It's specifically designed around creative review: visual annotations, version comparison, structured multi-stage approvals, and an audit trail of who approved what.

A typical workflow could be:

Creative team → Account/strategy review → Client review → Revision → Client approval → Final

The big advantage is that client feedback is attached to the actual asset rather than buried in email/Slack. It also integrates with project-management platforms, so you don't necessarily have to replace your existing PM system.

🥈 Filestage — best if client experience is the priority

I'd demo Filestage alongside Ziflow. It's particularly good if you want clients to open a link, click directly on the creative, leave comments, and hit Approve without having to learn your project-management system. It supports visual annotations, version history, structured review steps and documented approvals.

I'd favor it for a workflow like:

Brief → Creative → Client review → Revisions → Approval → Done

rather than a highly complex production operation.

🥉 Wrike — if you want one system

If your goal is "I don't want separate PM and proofing software," Wrike is worth serious consideration. Its proofing is built into a broader PM system with tasks, timelines, workflows and resource management. It supports proofing for images, video, PDFs and documents.

The tradeoff is that dedicated tools like Ziflow/Filestage tend to feel better specifically for the client review experience.

If you're primarily a video agency

I'd move Frame.io to #1. Its review/approval workflow is built around creative media, with strong video feedback and Adobe integration. The current version also has broader workflow-management capabilities.

What I'd actually recommend

For most creative agencies, I'd avoid trying to make one application do everything:

Asana / monday.com / ClickUp → projects, tasks, deadlines, resourcing Ziflow or Filestage → visual proofing, revisions, client feedback + formal approval Figma / Adobe CC → creation

That separation gives you a much cleaner agency workflow. Current comparisons similarly distinguish Ziflow/Filestage as dedicated review platforms and Wrike/monday.com as broader PM systems with proofing built in.

If you tell me your approximate team size and whether you mainly do branding/design, social, web, video, or a mix, I can narrow this to the best 2–3 and compare their pricing, client UX, integrations, and approval workflow.