Cage

Cage is a creative-workflow tool for teams that need to manage file feedback alongside project coordination. It suits agencies, studios, and in-house teams handling varied media; solo users can try it indefinitely, but the free workspace is tightly capped.

Overview

Cage brings annotation, project organization, approvals, and client-facing presentations into one product. That breadth is useful when a review is part of a larger creative project rather than a standalone proof. The trade-off is that teams must pay per user to move beyond one person and one project.

Key features

File review and approvals

Reviewers can annotate images, video, audio, PDFs, and more than 150 other file formats. Timestamped approvals, video proofing, version history, and multi-stage workflows help teams connect feedback to a file and move sign-off through successive stages. Unlimited reviewers on every plan make client participation less likely to consume paid seats.

Project coordination and presentations

Projects, tasks, messages, calendars, milestones, and activity streams keep coordination near the work being reviewed. Branded presentations provide a way to share design files with clients and colleagues for review. This combination should suit creative teams that want review and project activity together; teams already satisfied with a separate project tool may get less from Cage’s broader workflow.

Integrations, capture, and security

Cage lists integrations for Adobe Photoshop, Adobe XD, Slack, and Dropbox. Its Chrome extension can capture files in one click for download or addition to a Cage project. The company says it uses 256-bit SSL encryption, PCI-compliant payment processors, and daily backups, and stores data copies across multiple data centers with erasure encoding across physical storage devices.

Support is offered through in-app live chat or email, with responses within minutes during normal business hours, Monday through Friday Central Time. That weekday schedule may be limiting for teams needing support outside those hours.

Pricing

The free plan is a no-credit-card, indefinite option for one person working on one project, not a practical shared workspace. Standard removes the project cap and raises storage to 500 GB, making it the entry point for ongoing team work. Professional costs more per user but raises storage to 2 TB, so it fits teams with larger media libraries. Enterprise is for organizations needing unlimited people, larger storage options, or concierge onboarding.

Paid plans are month-to-month, and users can cancel, upgrade, or downgrade at any time. The per-user billing means the total cost rises with the team even though reviewer seats are unlimited.

Platforms

Cage is available on the web, iOS, and as an extension.

Who it's for

Cage is a strong fit for freelancers, creative teams, agencies, and studios that want to coordinate projects and collect approvals across different media formats. Its unlimited reviewers are particularly useful when clients need to participate in feedback. It is a weaker fit for teams that need multiple active projects without paying or that are seeking a solution limited to proofing rather than project workflow.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Annotation across a broad range of media, plus timestamped approvals and version history, supports review through revision and sign-off.
• Pros: Unlimited reviewers across plans allow client participation without spending paid user capacity on each reviewer.
• Pros: Project tools and branded presentations keep coordination and client review close to the files.
• Cons: The free plan’s one-user, one-project limit rules it out for most active team workflows.
• Cons: Standard and Professional are priced per user, so team costs increase with paid seats.

Alternatives

Ziflow is worth considering for teams that want a free proofing plan with unlimited proofs and reviewers, two users, and one workflow stage; its free plan also has 2 GB storage and 60 days of review history. Ashore offers a free plan for one user with 30 files per month and 1 GB storage, making it an option for a solo reviewer with modest monthly volume. Frame.io has a free plan for up to two members and two projects, with 2 GB storage and 2 GB Mounted Storage.

Krock.io has a free plan for one user, 2 GB storage, one workspace, and two projects. Pastel offers one user and one canvas on its free plan. QuickReviewer has a free plan with 100 MB storage, one team member, and unlimited files, proofs, and free reviewers. Approvallo is another option with a free Starter plan. Filestage has a free plan with one active project, five new files per month, two reviewer groups, ten team members, and 2 GB storage.

Browse Online Proofing Software, Design Proofing Software, and Video Review Software for more options by category.

Verdict

Cage is best for creative teams that want file review, approvals, project coordination, and branded client presentations in one workflow. The main reason to choose it is the breadth of its review and coordination tools, with unlimited reviewers across plans. Look elsewhere if a free shared workspace is essential: Cage’s free plan is limited to one user and one project, and paid plans charge per user.