Comparison · vs Filestage
Filestage vs chimping.io: built for agencies, built for filmmakers
These two get compared because they both do client review, and the comparison usually gets made on price, which misses the point. Filestage Starter is $199 a month and ours is $9, but that gap is a different product aimed at a different buyer, not a markup.
The short answer
Filestage is proofing software for agencies. It handles video, but also PDFs, artwork, web pages and audio, with real approval chains, due dates and reviewer groups. If you are routing work through five stakeholders who have to sign off in order, that is what you want and we do not do it. chimping.io is for one filmmaker or a small crew moving footage from card to client, where the hard part is the files rather than the approvals. Also worth knowing: Filestage has a usable free tier, and for a single project it may be all you need.
Side by side
Filestage vs chimping.io
| Filestage | chimping.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free tier, then $199/mo (Starter) | $9/mo (Solo) |
| Free tier | 1 project, 2 GB, 10 members, 5 uploads a month | No free tier, 3-day trial |
| Built for | Agency and marketing approval workflows | Filmmakers and small post crews |
| File types | Video, PDF, images, audio, web pages | Video and the files around a shoot |
| Approval chains | Multi-step, due dates, reviewer groups | Per-asset approve, no multi-step routing |
| Reviewer accounts | Not required | Not required |
| Storage at entry | 2 GB free, 1 TB on Starter | 500 GB on Solo |
| Master delivery | Not the product | Password-protected links, no expiry |
| Large transfers | Not the product | Flat-rate, no per-GB charge |
| Project folder sync | No | Project Sync across every machine |
| DaVinci Resolve | No native integration | Notes import as timeline markers |
Filestage figures from filestage.io/pricing, checked 25 October 2026. Their free plan limits uploads to 5 new files a month and does not roll over. Business is $329/mo. If anything has changed, tell me and I will correct it.
Which one you want
Pick Filestage if
- Approvals are the hard part, not the files. Several stakeholders, in order, with a record of who signed off.
- You review more than video. Filestage handles artwork, PDFs and web pages in the same place.
- You are an agency billing clients for process, where $199 a month is a line item rather than a decision.
- You have exactly one project and can live inside the free tier, which is more generous than most.
Pick chimping.io if
- The hard part is moving footage: offloading cards, sending to color, getting masters to a client.
- You cut in DaVinci Resolve and want notes on the timeline rather than in a browser tab.
- You need delivery that outlives the review, with links that do not expire mid-project.
- You are one person or a small crew and $199 a month is not a line item, it is the budget.
- Your footage volume makes 2 GB a rounding error.
What it actually costs
Where the gap is real and where it is not
The honest version: on a single small project Filestage may cost you nothing. The gap only opens once you outgrow one project or need the files handled.
One short project, review only
Filestage: Free. One project, 2 GB, 5 uploads a month. Workable for a single small job.
chimping.io: $9/mo. Better storage and delivery, but you are paying where Filestage is not.
A freelance editor with several jobs running
Filestage: Starter at $199/mo, because the free tier caps at one project.
chimping.io: $9/mo on Solo, unlimited projects, 500 GB.
A documentary with weeks of cards and a client handoff
Filestage: $199/mo and you still need something to move the footage and deliver the masters.
chimping.io: $19/mo on Studio. Transfers, receive links, deliveries and Project Sync are the same subscription.
If you are an agency reviewing artwork and video across a dozen clients, Filestage earns its price and this comparison is not aimed at you.
Questions people ask
Frequently asked
Is Filestage worth $199 a month?
For an agency, often yes. Multi-step approvals with due dates and a written record of sign-off is real work that software can do, and if a missed approval costs you a reshoot the software is cheap. For a freelance filmmaker it is paying for a process problem you probably do not have.
Can I just use Filestage's free plan?
For one project with light upload volume, yes, and it is a fair option. The limits that bite are one active project and five new file uploads a month, which a shoot week will clear in an afternoon.
Do you do approval workflows?
Not in the Filestage sense. Clients approve per asset on the review link and the approval is recorded on the page where the notes live. There is no multi-step routing, no reviewer groups and no due dates. If you need a chain of approvals in a set order, we are the wrong tool.
Does Filestage handle my masters?
It is not what it is for. Filestage is a review and approval surface, so the finished file still needs somewhere to go. That is usually a separate transfer or storage service, which is the part we fold into the same subscription.
Which one do clients find easier?
Both let a client comment without an account, which is the thing that matters most. Filestage's page is built around approval status, ours around the cut. If your client is signing off on a deliverable, theirs reads better. If your client is watching a film, ours does.
Compare with another tool
More head-to-heads
vs Frame.io
Per-seat enterprise review tool.
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vs MASV
Pay-per-GB transfer service.
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vs WeTransfer
Consumer-grade file send.
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vs Dropbox
General-purpose cloud storage.
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vs Wipster
Focused review tool, same price.
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vs Dropbox Replay
Review bundled into Dropbox.
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vs Vimeo
Hosting with review attached.
Read →
Or see the full comparison hub.
3-day trial
Different problems. Worth knowing which one you have.
If approvals are what hurt, Filestage is the better tool and I would rather you used it. If it is the footage, try this for three days against a real job.