Creative Collaboration Software

What is Creative Collaboration Software?

Creative collaboration software allows users to upload a wide range of different file types and provide feedback on them by marking up the content assets. These file formats may include various image file types, documents, presentations, gifs, audio, video, webpages (via HTML or URL), and more.

This type of software is commonly used by marketing teams, web designers, content or creative teams, film teams, and freelancers working in the creative industry. Creative collaboration software allows these teams to share content assets and marketing collateral, give feedback, and get approval before publication or distribution.

Creative collaboration software also helps users automate and customize approval workflows and ensure brand compliance. Teams can customize different workflows for different projects or types of projects, and set certain steps in the process to trigger actions. Approaches to brand management and compliance include the ability to match a new asset against a library of brand standards, audit trails for all feedback and version changes, and customizable user roles and permissions.

Creative collaboration software also sometimes allows users to not only leave real-time feedback, but participate in video calls, send messages, or stream video for live proofing.

Online proofing software offers the same content markup and feedback features as creative collaboration software, but is more limited in terms of workflow customization, compliance, and range of file types supported.

Online Proofing and Creative Collaboration Software Features

Most creative collaboration software has many of the following features:

• Support for hundreds or thousands of file types, including multimedia (e.g. video, audio, presentation, website)
• Markup tools (e.g. highlighting, shapes, pixel measurements, etc.)
• Commenting and annotations on files
• Version management and control
• Side-by-side version comparison
• Folder system or file taxonomy tagging
• File sharing
• Real-time collaborative commenting on files
• Approval templates
• Project templates
• File storage
• Mobile applications
• Audit trails for annotations and edits
• Configurable approval workflows and automations
• Brand management and compliance features
• Advanced collaboration features (e.g. live chat or video)
• Many integration options, often including custom integrations via API

Creative Collaboration Software Comparison

Before deciding to purchase creative collaboration software, consider the following key points:

Type(s) of assets your team creates: While most creative collaboration products can handle many different file types, some specialize in specific types of media. Some are ideal for web designers, while some are better for film teams, and some are great for animation and game designers. Make sure the product you're looking into supports all the types of assets your team creates and the ways you review and approve them.

Collaboration options: Different products support different types of collaboration. All creative collaboration software supports real-time commenting and markup, but some also offer chat, video conferencing, or even livestreaming film assets as they’re being created. Consider the ways your team prefers to collaborate.

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Pricing Information

Pricing for creative collaboration software can vary depending on the amount of storage required, the number of users, and the number of advanced features included. Most vendors offer a free trial of their product, which typically lasts for 14 days. Some offer limited free plans as well. Different plans may charge either per month per user, or simply per month and allow a set number of users. Billing is typically monthly or annual.

Starter plans can range from $4 per user per month up to $90 per month for a set number of users. Mid-tier plans can cost between $20 per user per month up to $200 per month for a set number of users. Most vendors offer enterprise-level plans with custom pricing.