Free Pastel Alternatives

Bottom line: MarkLayer is the only fully free, open-source Pastel alternative. Chrome extension, real-time live cursors, link-based sharing, no account. Markup.io (Pastel’s sister product) has a free tier with limits. PageProofer and BugHerd are paid alternatives.

By Vadym Rusin · Last updated: April 2026

Looking for a free Pastel alternative? Pastel is a polished but paid platform for agency client reviews. Below are the strongest free or freemium options for visual feedback on live websites in 2026.

Top free Pastel alternatives

1. MarkLayer

Free, open-source Chrome extension. Real-time visual annotation on any live webpage, with live cursors and link-based sharing. No account, no paywall.

Best for: Anyone who needs the core Pastel use case for free.

2. Markup.io

Pastel's own free tier, with project limits. Same parent company.

Best for: Teams who like the Pastel ecosystem but want a free entry point.

3. PageProofer

Visual feedback for staging sites. Paid, with a free trial.

Best for: Teams comfortable on a paid SaaS plan.

4. BugHerd

Visual bug tracker with full workflow tooling. Paid only.

Best for: QA-heavy teams who need a Kanban + integrations.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free version of Pastel?

Pastel offers a free trial but no permanent free tier. Markup.io (Pastel's sister product) has a free tier with project limits. MarkLayer is fully free.

What's the best free Pastel alternative?

MarkLayer for the visual-feedback core use case. Markup.io if you're comfortable in the same product family. BugHerd if you need full bug-tracking workflow.

Can I self-host a Pastel alternative?

MarkLayer is open source and self-hostable on Cloudflare Workers. Most other options are closed-source SaaS.

Related comparisons

Try MarkLayer

MarkLayer is free, requires no sign-up, and works on any webpage. Recipients of your share links don't need to install anything.