Ashore Versus Ziflow

Ashore has been riding a wave of growth and change lately, shipping out a collection of new features — with more on the horizon — while steadily growing our user base. But we’re not the only software promising to get proofs from point A to point B (and all the stops in between).

For this comparison, we’re taking a closer look at Ashore alongside Ziflow, a London-based proofing platform founded in 2015. Ziflow is designed with agencies and marketing teams in mind, offering a robust feature set. The question is: which tool truly reimagines the approval process for creatives and approvers?

The Criteria

We’ll compare Ashore and Ziflow based on five factors essential to a successful proofing experience:

• Documentation – How well the software organizes and archives versions, feedback, and project history.
• Collaboration – How easily creatives and approvers can work together in real-time.
• Feedback – How clearly and effectively feedback can be delivered and acted upon.
• Customization – How well the platform can be branded and tailored to fit an organization’s identity.
• Automation – How efficiently repetitive tasks can be reduced or eliminated.

Documentation

Ziflow
Ziflow offers strong compliance and archiving features, automatically saving all proof versions, comments, replies, and attachments for an audit trail. Tools like side-by-side proof comparison and pixel-level comparison help identify changes and errors. However, not all features are available at every tier—proof archiving and combining files into a single proof, for example, are not included in the Starter plan.

Ashore
Ashore’s proof timeline records every action, including approvals, new versions, and email delivery status. Stacking versions keeps all conversations and file histories in one place, while the dashboard highlights overdue and pending proofs. All projects, workflows, and status updates are organized for quick reference.

Collaboration

Ziflow
Ziflow offers automated workflows, deadlines, notifications, and reusable workflow templates. Reviewers can be assigned roles and grouped into teams. Guest reviewers can participate without creating an account, but advanced collaboration features like automated workflows are restricted to the Enterprise plan.

Ashore
Ashore makes collaboration fast and barrier-free. Proofs can be shared via review links (no account required) or structured workflows with multiple approval stages. Workflows can be saved for future use, making them ideal for long-term projects. Approvers never need to download software or register to participate.

Feedback

Ziflow
Reviewers can comment directly on proofs, reply in threads, attach files, and use markup tools like arrows, shapes, and text selection. @mentions are available, but only at higher tiers. A “lock proof” feature stops feedback after final approval.

Ashore
Ashore offers contextual feedback with rectangles and arrows linked to comments, all of which can be replied to and resolved in one place. Video comments are tied to both the timestamp and spatial location, and all comments are color-coded by approver. Document files can even be edited directly within Ashore.

Customization

Ziflow
Branding options scale with pricing. Starter plans include a logo and subdomain; higher tiers add dashboard branding, email branding, and full white-label capabilities with custom domains.

Ashore
Ashore offers white-labeling as soon as you start a paid plan, with custom branding, email integration, and optional Enterprise-level domain customization. All notifications, messages, and review screens can carry your company’s identity.

Automation

Ziflow
Automated workflows move proofs forward based on triggers like deadlines or reviewer decisions. Automated reminders are included, but limited in frequency. Both features require the Enterprise plan.

Ashore
Ashore fully automates workflow progression, sending proofs to the next stage when approvals are complete. Custom reminder emails can be scheduled by day and time until a review is completed. Automation is available at all plan levels.

Verdict

Both Ashore and Ziflow understand the challenges creatives face in proofing. Ziflow offers powerful features, but many are locked behind its Enterprise plan, which may be cost-prohibitive for smaller teams.

Ashore gates plans by usage limits rather than features, ensuring all users have access to the same collaboration, feedback, and automation tools. Ease of use is a core focus, with simple setup, reusable workflows, and no unnecessary account creation for approvers.

If you’re ready to see what you’ve been missing in proofing and approvals, try Ashore free for two weeks.