Tool profile
Filestage: cost, fit and limits
Filestage is an AI-powered online proofing platform made by Filestage GmbH in Germany, where marketing teams and agencies review artwork, PDFs, video and live websites, collect feedback from internal and external reviewers and keep approvals on record.
What to know first
Filestage lists Free, Starter, Business and Enterprise plans. Paid prices appear in two sets on the pricing page, EUR 199 and 329 on one list and EUR 249 and 399 on another, and the page does not say which is current. Review Agents, automations and API access sit on Business. Data hosting and AI training terms were not stated on the pages we read.
Filestage at a glance
| Maker | Filestage GmbH, Germany |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Entry price | EUR 199 per month (page also shows EUR 249) |
| API access | Yes |
| Category | Best AI Creative Proofing Software in 2026, rank 2 of 12 |
| Website | filestage.io |
Who Filestage is best for
European marketing departments
A German maker, euro pricing and an imprint page give buyers a clear company to contract with, and ISO 27001-certified infrastructure is stated on the home page.
Teams reviewing live websites
Reviewers can leave feedback on a live site while browsing it, alongside artwork, PDFs and frame-accurate comments on video, so one tool covers web and creative rounds.
Agencies with outside partners
Partners and agencies can join reviews next to internal teams, and Business adds external partner uploads, which helps when printers and freelancers feed files into the same project.
Filestage plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | EUR 0 | One active project, five new files per month, two reviewer groups and ten team members. |
| Starter | EUR 199 per month (page also shows EUR 249) | Unlimited active projects and files, due dates and reminders, version comparison, team-only comments, custom branding and password-protected review links. |
| Business | EUR 329 per month (page also shows EUR 399) | Starter features plus review agents, automations, three reviewer groups, advanced compare, project templates, checklists, webhooks and API access. |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | Organizational controls, unlimited reviewer groups, advanced reporting, audit logs and a dedicated success manager, with SSO and data residency as add-ons. |
Checked November 2026.
What Filestage does
- Review Agents
- Agents give feedback based on brand guidelines and industry rules, for example catching a missing logo, a broken link, a compliance problem or an outdated version. The pricing page places them on Business.
- Version comparison
- After an upload, teams can see which file is current and compare it with earlier rounds. Business adds an advanced compare mode for finer differences between versions.
- Automations
- Custom triggers and actions handle recurring review tasks, such as reminders or moving a file along. Business and Enterprise include them, so Starter teams handle those steps by hand.
- Trust Layer audit trail
- Each review decision is logged in a trust layer with an audit trail, which gives auditors and clients a record of who approved a version and when.
How Filestage handles your data
The home page states ISO 27001-certified infrastructure, AES-256 file encryption and a GDPR compliance statement. Beyond that, the pages we read were thin: the privacy policy link returned an error, the Trust Center was linked but not opened, and neither a hosting region nor a retention period nor a statement about training AI models on customer files appeared. Enterprise lists data residency and single sign-on as add-ons, so region choice appears to be a sales conversation. Ask for the Trust Center documents and a data processing agreement before uploading unreleased work.
Where Filestage falls short in practice
- Two price lists on one page. The pricing page shows Starter at EUR 199 and EUR 249 and Business at EUR 329 and EUR 399 without naming the current set. Budget for the higher pair until sales confirms a figure in writing.
- Free plan is a trial in practice. One active project and five new files a month leaves room for a test, not for client work. Teams that review weekly will hit the file cap in the first week.
- AI is on Business only. Review Agents belong to the Business tier, so Starter customers get no AI feedback and pay roughly EUR 130 more a month, by the lower list, to reach it.
Works with
Alternatives to Filestage
Filestage: common questions
What are Filestage Review Agents?
The vendor describes Review Agents as AI that gives feedback based on your brand guidelines and industry regulations, such as missing logos, broken links, compliance issues and wrong versions. They are listed on the Business plan. The pages we read did not explain which models run them or how they are configured.
How much does Filestage cost?
The pricing page shows two sets of paid prices: Starter at EUR 199 and Business at EUR 329, and elsewhere EUR 249 and EUR 399. It does not say which set is current. Billing is monthly with a yearly option that gives two months free. Confirm the live price with sales.
Is there a free Filestage plan?
Yes. Free allows one active project, five new files per month, two reviewer groups and ten team members. A 14-day Business trial is also offered, after which the account moves to the Free plan unless you upgrade. It works for a trial run, not steady client reviews.
Can Filestage proof a live website?
Yes. The vendor lists live website feedback, where reviewers comment on a page while browsing it, next to proofing of artwork, PDFs and video. Video review is frame-accurate. Ask in a trial how it handles pages behind a login or a staging password.
Does Filestage have an API?
Business includes API access and webhooks, according to the pricing page, and Zapier is the one integration named on the pages we read. Starter and Free have no API access listed, so connecting Filestage to a project tool on those plans means manual steps.