Is there a free version of Pastel?

Yes, but limited: the free plan allows 1 user and 1 canvas. Paid plans run $29–35/month for Pro and from $99/month for Team plus $24 per extra seat (August 2026). MarkLayer is fully free with no canvas limits.

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.

MarkLayer

Free Pastel 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.

Bottom line

MarkLayer is the only fully free, open-source Pastel alternative. Nothing to install, real-time live cursors, link-based sharing, no account. Markup.io covers similar ground but has no free plan ($79/month). PageProofer and BugHerd are paid alternatives.

Pastel alternatives compared

Option	Price	Best for
MarkLayer	Free. No tiers, no seats	Anyone who needs the core Pastel use case for free.
Markup.io	No free plan. Pro $79/month (unlimited users, 1 workspace); 14-day trial	Teams that want managed project workspaces with unlimited users.
PageProofer	Not tracked	Teams comfortable on a paid SaaS plan.
BugHerd	No free plan. Standard $50/month (5 members); extra seats $8 each	QA-heavy teams who need a Kanban + integrations.

Prices as published by each vendor, checked August 2026, and read from each tool's owncomparison page. "Not tracked" means there is no comparison page for that option yet, so no price is quoted for it here.

Top free Pastel alternatives

1. MarkLayer

Free and open source, no install: paste a URL and annotate any live webpage in your browser, with live cursors and link-based sharing. No account, no paywall.

2. Markup.io

Project-based review platform from Ceros. Covers similar ground; no free plan, Pro is $79/month.

3. PageProofer

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

4. BugHerd

Visual bug tracker with full workflow tooling. Paid only.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free version of Pastel?: Yes, but limited: the free plan allows 1 user and 1 canvas. Paid plans run $29–35/month for Pro and from $99/month for Team plus $24 per extra seat (August 2026). MarkLayer is fully free with no canvas limits.
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

MarkLayer vs Pastel Free Markup.io alternatives Free AnnotateWeb alternatives Free Jam.dev alternatives Free Marker.io alternatives Free Userback alternatives Free Hypothesis alternatives Free BugHerd alternatives Free Ruttl alternatives Free Usersnap alternatives Free stagewise alternatives Free Loom alternatives

Try MarkLayer

Paste any URL at marklayer.app and annotate the live page in your browser. No install, no account, no sign-up. Recipients of your share links don't need to install anything either.

Annotate a page

Or add the free Chrome extension for sites the web app cannot embed, such as pages behind a login.