HSH Design
Proof System vs Ziflow

A Ziflow alternative built around a print shop's whole job, not just its proofs.

Ziflow deserves the credit it doesn't often get from competitors: a real free plan, and proofing that reviews far more than print — 1,200-plus file types, colour separation, deep enterprise controls. What it isn't is a print shop's operating system. There's no job board, no quote, no invoice, no client portal — just the proof. Proof System is that too, plus everything around it, still free to start.

The comparison

Sourced, not guessed
FeatureProof SystemZiflow
What it actually isA print shop's job board, quoting, invoicing and proofing, in one placeA creative-review tool — proofing and approval, nothing else
Free planYes — 20 active jobs, 5 proofed a monthYes — 2 users, 2GB storage, 60-day history
Starting paid price$12 / month$199 / month, billed annually (Standard)
Job board, quotes, invoicingBuilt in, from FreeNot offered — Ziflow reviews files, it does not run a shop
Reviewer needs a loginNo — opens from a linkNo — public proof links, Free through Pro tiers
Review depth (file types, colour separation)Print-specific: bleed, resolution, cut contour, built in1,200+ file types; colour separation on Pro — deeper for teams reviewing every kind of creative
White-labellingFrom $12 / monthEnterprise only, custom pricing
Client portal — customer submits new jobsEvery plan, including FreeNot offered
Scroll the table sideways →

Ziflow figures from ziflow.com/pricing, checked 25 Aug 2026. Ziflow is a trademark of its own owner; nothing here is affiliated with or endorsed by them.

Both have a free plan — they're free for different reasons. Ziflow's free tier is a real, capable review tool with a ceiling (2 users, 60 days of history). Proof System's free plan is the actual shop: job board, client portal and proofing together, metered by volume rather than seats — 20 active jobs, 5 proofed a month — with no time limit on any of it.

Where Ziflow genuinely wins

If the job is reviewing creative broadly — video, web pages, PDFs, any of 1,200-plus file types, not specifically print — Ziflow's depth is real and Proof System doesn't attempt to match it. Colour separation on the Pro tier is a genuine print-production feature most proofing tools skip. And Enterprise brings SSO, SCIM user management, electronic signatures and a fully white-labelled viewer on a custom domain — infrastructure built for a much larger organisation than a print shop typically is.

Why print shops switch anyway

A proof approved in Ziflow is still a job somewhere else — a spreadsheet, a separate system, an invoice typed by hand. Proof System's proof is one step inside the job itself: quote, board, proof, sign-off, invoice, all the same record. That's the difference between a review tool and a print shop's system of record.

And once a shop outgrows the free tiers, the gap widens fast: Ziflow's cheapest paid plan is $199 a month, billed annually, for proofing alone. Proof System's whole ladder tops out at $29 a month, and includes quoting, invoicing and a client portal Ziflow doesn't offer at any price.

The proof, and the job it belongs to, in one place.

Free plan, no time limit — start on a real job today.

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