Pastel

Overview

Pastel is a browser-based review tool for live websites, images, PDFs and videos. It is best suited to teams gathering feedback from clients or other guests alongside internal review; the range of workflow controls is useful, but the free plan's single active canvas limits ongoing work.

Reviewers can comment directly on a website canvas from a browser on any device, while unlimited guests can contribute without accounts. That keeps external feedback attached to the work rather than scattered across messages. Real-time updates and team-only comments also let teams discuss a review privately.

Key features

Pastel adds workflow management to visual commenting. Teams can assign comments, apply labels and deadlines, pause commenting, record approvals and check responsive layouts. These controls make it a stronger fit for structured review cycles than a tool used only to collect occasional notes; CSV export offers a way to carry review data out.

Alongside live websites, Pastel supports uploaded images and PDF markup. Integrations include Trello, Asana, Jira, ClickUp, Monday.com and Zapier, plus custom webhooks and API-based integrations. Cursor, Claude and ChatGPT can act on feedback through Pastel's MCP. This breadth suits teams that want review comments connected to their work tools, but may be unnecessary for a simple one-off approval.

Pastel says it overlays comments on live websites without logging or storing canvas requests, while it does store comment content and related metadata. Its privacy policy describes safeguards including encryption, firewalls and restricted employee access. Enterprise adds a SOC 2 report and SAML single sign-on, which may matter to organizations with formal security requirements.

Pricing

The Free plan costs nothing and includes 1 user and 1 canvas. Only one canvas can be active at a time, though archiving it allows users to create another and restore the earlier one later. That makes Free suitable for a single current review, not parallel projects.

Pro costs $29 a month, billed at $350/year, and includes 2 users, 3 canvases and 100GB video storage. It is the entry paid option for a small team that needs more than one active review and video capacity, but its two-user allowance is tight for broader collaboration.

Team costs $99 a month, billed at $1,190/year. It starts at 5 users, includes unlimited canvases and 500GB video storage, and charges $24 per additional user. This is the more practical fit for teams managing concurrent reviews; the starting seat count and extra-user charge are worth weighing if the group is small or grows.

Enterprise costs $450 a month, billed at $5,400/year and billed yearly. It starts at 10 users and includes unlimited canvases, a SOC 2 report, SAML SSO, custom legal terms and a dedicated account representative. Organizations needing those security and service provisions may find the higher starting tier appropriate; smaller teams pay for capabilities they may not need. The Free plan remains available, and Pastel offers a 14-day trial of any paid plan without requiring a credit card.

Platforms

Pastel is available on web, iOS and Android, and offers an API. Website canvases are reviewed in a browser on any device, supporting guest participation without requiring a desktop-only workflow.

Who it's for

Pastel is a good match for creative teams and agencies that need clients or other external reviewers to annotate websites and creative files without account setup. Its assignments, approvals, deadlines and integrations also suit teams that want a repeatable review process. It is less compelling for a solo user handling multiple parallel projects on Free, or for a small team that needs more than two seats but cannot justify Team's five-seat starting point.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Unlimited guest reviewers can comment without accounts, reducing friction when clients need to weigh in.
• Pro: Website, image and PDF review plus assignments, approvals and deadlines cover more of a review cycle than annotations alone.
• Pro: Integrations, webhooks, API options and MCP-connected AI agents give teams several ways to connect feedback to other workflows.
• Con: Free permits only one active canvas, so simultaneous reviews require archiving or a paid plan.
• Con: Pro has just 2 users, while Team starts at 5 users and charges $24 per additional user; teams between those sizes may face an awkward price step.

Alternatives

Annot8 is worth considering for a smaller budget: its free plan includes 2 projects, 3 team seats, 3 guest reviewers, 50 feedback threads per month, 14-day history and 1 GB storage.

AnnotationBase offers a free Lite plan with 5 active projects, up to 5 collaborators, guest commenting, AI instructions export and comment resolution, which may suit teams prioritizing more free active projects.

dotts has a free Testing plan with up to 3 projects, unlimited reviewers and basic support; its Pro plan is $15 a month, with unlimited projects.

Hypothesis may suit education-oriented annotation: its free plan includes core annotation, private groups and self-service support, and it is available through an extension as well as web and API.

Markify is an option for a narrowly capped free workflow, with 2 canvases and up to 5 comments per canvas, plus shareable links and comment resolution.

PinPoint offers free early access with up to 100 projects, 20 members, 20 guests and a full AI Auto-QA suite.

SiteDots is another web and browser-extension alternative.

WebPinch may suit users looking for browser-extension access and a free plan that includes 2 personal projects, an organization with 1 project, 1 free teammate and an API/MCP token.

For more options, browse Web Annotation Tools or Online Proofing Software.

Verdict

Choose Pastel if your team needs guests to comment on websites and creative files in context, and you want assignments, approvals and integrations around that feedback. Its main drawback is the jump from a one-canvas free plan and two-seat Pro tier to Team's five-seat starting point; look elsewhere if you need a broader free project allowance or a more gradual fit for a very small team.