Reviewing and approving project artwork takes time, but proofing software has a solution. Thanks to a roster of the best online proofing software in the market, you get shorter approval cycles when it comes to team projects.

You can gather all your team in one platform and let the creativity flow. The good thing is that you can also streamline better project turnouts.

What Is Proofing Project Management?

Every project team is responsible for managing and delivering a range of project documents and deliverables. This includes designs, videos, graphic outputs, and other related files. It is then the team's task to proofread every file for errors and omissions and return it to the creator for revisions every time.

However, sending revisions one at a time is excruciatingly slow. It takes time and energy. To solve this, proofing software has a way to let you share links via the internet. Then, have the reviewers proof your projects in one go. You can check for revision history, real-time progress, and even comment for corrections. Everything you need is there.

What Is Proofing Software?

Similar to proofing project management, any proofing software bears the same idea. It uses markup tools to enable you to comment directly within the document. Then, it provides an overall access to all revisions you wish to see. Using this approval solution means less guesswork for your team. In the end, it results in a faster turnaround for the file producers.

Best Online Proofing Software

In hindsight, you can come across online proofing software by just surfing the web. But not everything you see can take the edge off your project worries. So we did the honor of hunting the top 5 best online proofing software made especially for your projects:

#1 GoVisually

GoVisually is one of the leading proofing software that lets you collaborate on projects without overwhelming you in the process. It allows you to work on your review cycle faster and ditch email chaos. In this online proofing software, you can create teams, invite clients, and invite reviewers to ensure that every output is reviewed and approved quickly.

This online proofing software has a system that straightforwardly manages client and project relationships. With this, clients can access a project without signing up or logging into an account. Not just that, the proofing space is straightforward and comprehensive, making it ideal for newbie proofers.

What you'll get with GoVisually are exhaustive audit trails where you can check the changes made. You're free to set deadlines and track project statuses or send reminders for reviewers to check the progress of the review cycle. More than an artwork approval software, it also works for videos. To help you synthesize each comment, there are markup tools as well.

Key Features and Advantages

• Version control is also up to manage all changes applied

• Project management for all clients and collaborators

• Comment in detail with up to 512MB file attachment for each comment

• Video reviewing for each time stamp

• Download files based on roles and permission

• No sign up needed

• Integrates with slack for better team collaboration

#2 Ziflow

Designed for creatives working for demanding agencies and brands, Ziflow is a robust, easy-to-use online proofing software. You can integrate it with your tools to easily manage your workflows.

This enterprise-grade proofing software supports more than 1,200 file types, is SOC2 compliant, supports automated workflow, provides version management, and integrates with leading project management solutions. Thanks to these advantages, companies seeking clean proofing solutions have Ziflow on their lists of the first choice.

Additionally, this online proofing software enables you to track the status of your projects, remind collaborators to make changes, and add new versions after they are corrected. Each proof is fast and neatly done. At the same time, teams can keep a closer eye on the workflow progress.

Ziflow offers many well-thought-out and useful features. Besides artworks and documents, you can also proof photos and see overlay views. You can also get to compare the two versions. To do the proofing, you can use different annotation and markup tools.

Key Features and Advantages

• Simple and intuitive interface with user-friendly UI/UX

• Remind collaborators of new projects and keep them updated with deadlines

• Use annotation and markup tools to proof artworks, documents, and photos

• Compare two versions, make changes or add new versions

• Keep track of your project's progress

• Version control and file sharing for an easier review cycle

• Has an audit tracking to see changes in history

#3 GoProof

One of the most significant pros of proofing software is that you no longer have to create a series of disconnected email trails every time you want to provide feedback. Fortunately, GoProof handles all complicated tasks with its online proofing software for all brands and sizes.

GoProof provides more than ten markup tools, including @mentioning, so colleagues, and reviewers, while other collaborators can express their opinions. Gatekeepers can ask for changes to be made before signing off.

To share their work for approval, creators can integrate Adobe CC through extension or use its file uploader through a secure website portal from GoProof. With many ways to distribute files, several collaborations can easily view, comment, request revision changes, and approve the output.

Unlike other proofing software in the market, GoProof maximizes its integration capacity. Numerous workflow options allow Adobe InCopy users to submit their copy directly into Adobe InDesign documents. This is where they can track projects, version histories, and asset history. Plus, it's also a way for managers to approve outputs with collaborators before sending them to clients for review.

Key Features and Advantages

• A handful of plugin extensions to get the job done

• Uses various markup tools and flexible ways of commenting

• One-stop solution to share all outputs

• Can proof copies, photos, videos, and other documents

• Has multiple workflow options depending on your ways

• Manages all changes made on your projects

• Compatible with both iOS and Android devices

#4 zipBoard

If you're on the lookout for another proofing software for more complicated project outputs, zipBoard got you covered. It's an online proofing solution that provides designers and developers with effortless visual review cycles. But, it also functions as a bug tracking platform for sharing and reviewing digital content comprising photos, videos, PDFs, even eLearning courses, live websites, and every digital asset you can think of.

Many agencies and organizations opt ZipBoard to communicate visually in asynchronous mode when developing websites, software, and eLearning courses. Besides that, freelance product managers also favored this online proofing software. Thanks to its effective platform for communicating with clients, stakeholders, external reviewers, and development teams.

zipBoard allows unlimited clients to be added to a project and share their reviews and comments. Developers can also see clients' and reviewers' feedback when invited to a zipBoard project. For seamless communication, collaborators can send messages back and forth within the system. To invite reviewers, simply send them the link through email and set the degree of access each of them can have.

Key Features and Advantages

• Offers both online proofing and bug tracking

• Lets you review different file contents

• All-in-one board where your team can work

• Unlimited collaborators and built-in messaging method

• Has visual review and annotation tools

• Has a task manager so project managers can easily assign tasks

#5 Artwork Flow

Every aspect of your packaging, design, and artwork plays a decisive role in the level of trust consumers place in your brand. Therefore, it is imperative to invest in regulatory compliance software that can meet the unique demands of regulatory compliance industries. To satisfy this requirement, label management software equipped with the necessary online proofing software is right up your alley.

There's no other choice than Artwork Flow, an online proofing software that helps teams manage projects such as product labeling, workflows, artwork checklists, labeling compliance, etc. It's a SaaS-based creative collaboration tool for reviewing & signing off artwork labels for faster product launch. Among other industries, it helps brands in the areas of food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, personal care, chemicals, and consumer goods.

Features

• Easy to get started: With just a few clicks, you can get started and set up your account in no time. You and your team will love the intuitive interface of the Artwork tool. Also, you don't need any special training to use this artwork proofing software.

• Creative collaboration tool: You don't need to work in different systems with its collaboration tools available in one location. With this, you can streamline your marketing, legal, and regulatory reviews and get approvals faster than usual. You also get to encourage internal members and external agencies to jointly work on a print artwork for better upshots.

• Labeling regulation compliance software: Stay up-to-date with the latest regulations issued within your industry. Thanks to this label approval software, you can ensure compliance and personalize your workflows and checklists for future artwork proofing and label design needs.

• Workflow automation: Establish workflows and checklists to hold your colleagues accountable, notify them of new tasks, and ensure that work gets done on time. Meanwhile, for a better artwork management solution, you can use markup or annotation to provide feedback to collaborators. Moreover, you can also create a templated approval process suited to your organization and use it for other artwork reviews. Then, automate the step-by-step audit process and ensure transparent processing from beginning to end.

• Digital asset management: With Artwork Flow's asset library, you can manage all your artwork, labels, and brand collateral in one place. This makes it an ideal artwork management software, and it gets rid of messy output bins in your team systems or your device.

• Artwork proofing tool: By finding font size and type and Pantone and CMYK colors used in your packaging labels or marketing collateral, you can begin the process of reviewing your designs online. Measurements of different elements of your design files can also be found.

Additionally, using its Artwork Proofing tool, you can compare two versions of a design file for mistakes made in the text or graphics. Overall, this process will reduce your product's time to market by allowing for approval in seconds.

Artwork Flow's artwork management software allows you to gather your entire team in one place, proof artworks quickly, and keep track of assets. This process alone can cut costs, time, and effort. This is the time to invest in artwork approval software to get faster approvals, fewer revisions, and higher work productivity.

Pros

• Effective and compliant artwork label management

• Encourages collaboration within and outside your team

• Lets you get started in a snap with its simple and intuitive interface

• Provides workflow automation and organized feedback loop

• Offers templated artwork flow for future usage

• Comprise of version control to see changes made or overlooked corrections

• Has artwork proofing tools to stay on brand and compare versions side by side

Cons

• No freemium version

Don't miss out on the chance to simplify your creative department's workflow with Artwork Flow. You can start proofing your digital assets off the ground by requesting a demo from this proofing software. Simply fill out the form, and let your team's creative juices flow with no limit.

Final Verdict

Because approval processes don't go through a standardized workflow, keeping track of the overall cycle can be difficult. Thus, files tend to linger for a while simply because someone forgot they had it for approval or it got lost in their email. But a publication and submission without any review cycle are the worst-case scenarios.

We've compiled a list of the top 5 best online proofing software to ensure that all your projects are reviewed in one comprehensive yet rapid process. Our recommendation for labels and other digital assets is Artwork Flow, while GoVisually is best for heavy workloads, and Ziflow is best for demanding brand compliances. Alternatively, check out other proofing software that may work for you!