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The Free Online Proofing Experience with Ashore & QuickReviewer

Last updated on by Cody Miles

The Free Online Proofing Experience with Ashore & QuickReviewer
Cody Miles

Cody Miles

Cody is a creative operations expert and founder of Ashore, helping teams streamline their design workflows. He's passionate about building tools that make creative collaboration more efficient and enjoyable.

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Ashore has a crew of dedicated creatives making the seas of the proofing experience a much smoother experience for you. If sea puns aren’t your thing, we’ve still got a ton of features that will improve your free online proofing process in ways you hadn’t considered.

But we know we’re not the only crew out there braving the ocean, and today we’ll be taking a look at QuickReviewer, a cloud-based collaborative review tool.

Ashore vs. QuickReviewer: Free Online Proofing Breakdown

When looking at free online proofing, you have to consider your own experience as a creative with the tool and the experience your approvers will have.

You’ll want:

  • An easy-to-use interface
  • Support for your file types
  • Organization tools
  • Strong feedback features

Your approvers will also want a smooth interface and good feedback tools, but their primary focus will be accessibility and ease of use.

Below, we’ll look at each program and outline major points for both the creative and the approver experience.

Your Experience

Interface

QuickReviewer
QuickReviewer’s interface is familiar to anyone who’s ever used email before — which, unless you’ve been living under a rock (and let’s face it, even rocks get email now), is pretty much everyone.

  • Simple UI with one screen and a sidebar to toggle between files shared with you, starred, or recently sent
  • Organizing files is as simple as adding folders and dropping files in
  • Storage limit of only 100 MB on the free plan
  • Paid plans offer a fully customizable proofing experience

Ashore
Ashore starts you off on your overview page when you log in, displaying proofs that might require attention as well as your approval metrics (sent vs. approved).

  • Workflow page: create workflows of multiple approvers to use repeatedly
  • Templates page: type out an email once and reuse it
  • Proof archive: stores proofs for up to 24 months and organizes them with tags instead of folders
  • Proof page: view activity timeline, send reminders/messages, toggle permissions

File Types

Both QuickReviewer and Ashore support:

  • Images
  • Videos
  • PDFs
  • HTML files

Key difference:

  • QuickReviewer: max file size 100 MB
  • Ashore: max file size 2 GB

Ashore sending process:

  1. Choose recipients (single approver or workflow)
  2. Write the approver email
  3. Attach one or multiple files to a proof (shared name, deadline, notes, permissions)
  4. Send multiple proofs in a single email to reduce inbox clutter

Feedback

QuickReviewer

  • Unlimited reviewers per proof
  • Grant view or comment access
  • All reviewers see the conversation thread to avoid repetitive feedback
  • Reply to other comments
  • Versions are stacked with side-by-side comparison

Ashore

  • Unlimited approvers per proof
  • Workflow feature for reusing groups and sending in sequence (Approver A → Approver Z)
  • Option to allow or hide visibility of all comments
  • Contextual markup and comments directly on files

Sending Proofs

QuickReviewer

  • Works like Dropbox or Google Drive: upload files, then share, rename, send a new version, or move folders
  • Sharing is simple: enter reviewer emails, they get a link

Ashore

  • Workflow automation for sequential approvals
  • Reusable approver groups
  • Control visibility of comments
  • Send proof links to unlimited reviewers in a single step

Automation

QuickReviewer

  • Minimal automation
  • Automatic email sent when sharing a file with reviewers

Ashore

  • Workflow automation for sequential approvals
  • Automatic follow-ups daily, every other day, or weekly

Your Approver’s Experience

QuickReviewer

  • Reviewers must create an account to view the file
  • Can view and compare previous versions
  • Tools: rectangular annotation, sticky note tool
  • Comments saved automatically
  • Can reply to other comments
  • Approve or reject files

Ashore

  • No account creation required — identity tied to the email link
  • Tools: double-click to comment, draw arrows or boxes for clarity
  • Option to see all comments and reply to other approvers
  • Comments auto-save
  • Custom approval checklist to ensure thorough review before sign-off

The End of the Line

Both QuickReviewer and Ashore offer a solid free online proofing experience.

QuickReviewer Pros:

  • Simple interface
  • Easy to learn
  • Unlimited reviewers per proof

QuickReviewer Cons:

  • Limited flexibility and functionality for tracking progress
  • Low file size/storage limit on free plan

Ashore Pros:

  • More features on the free plan
  • Better automation options
  • Customizable emails for a more personal reviewer experience
  • Detailed proof timeline

Wanna check us out?
Try the free online proofing experience at Ashore by signing up for an account today.

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