Ruttl is a website feedback platform for commenting on live sites, web apps, mobile apps, images, and PDFs, with a built-in kanban workflow. Plenty of teams are happy with it. This page is for the ones who are not sure it fits anymore, with five options checked against each tool's own site on July 20, 2026.
Full disclosure: layernote is ours, and it is first on this list. That is exactly why every claim below links back to what each vendor says about themselves, including the cases where another tool, Ruttl included, is the better pick.
Why teams look beyond Ruttl
- Per-seat pricing: $18 per user per month on Pro
- Figma is listed as coming soon on their own integrations page
- No design-vs-live comparison and no MCP or coding agent handoff
- Free plan is tight: 1 project, 5 pages, 10 comments
Verified on ruttl.com. Spot something outdated? Tell us and we will fix it.
Best Ruttl alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| 1. layernote | Design review with Figma vs live comparison | $19/mo flat |
| 2. BugHerd | Client feedback with a kanban workflow | $50/mo (5 members) |
| 3. Pastel | Canvas review of mixed content | $35/mo (2 users) |
| 4. MarkUp.io | Simple review of many file types | $79/mo flat |
| 5. Marker.io | Bug reporting into your issue tracker | $59/mo ($39 annual) |
1. layernote
Ruttl covers a lot of surfaces, including mobile apps, and comes with a free plan. layernote plays a different game: design-first review with native Figma import, a measured Figma vs live comparison, and coding agent handoff. On Ruttl's own integrations page, Figma is still marked coming soon.
Ruttl vs layernote: at a glance
| Ruttl | layernote | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Budget feedback across many surfaces | Design review with Figma vs live comparison |
| Starting price | $18/user/mo | $19/mo flat |
| Free to try | Free plan, 10 comments | 14-day trial |
| Figma vs live | No | Studio plan |
| MCP handoff | No | Yes |
Why it is on top
- You need Figma support today: Ruttl lists Figma as coming soon, layernote imports frames now and compares them to the live page.
- You want fixes verified, not just collected: layernote hands annotations to Claude Code or Cursor over MCP and re-checks the page after every fix.
- Flat pricing for teams: layernote Solo is $19 per month for the workspace, Ruttl Pro is $18 per user. A three-person team pays $19 against $54.
Pricing
Solo at $19 per month, Studio at $39 with unlimited design comparisons, Team at $59. Flat per workspace, never per seat, and clients always review free. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial on Studio, no credit card needed.
2. BugHerd
BugHerd is a visual feedback and bug tracking tool where clients pin comments on live websites and feedback becomes tasks on a kanban board.
Ruttl vs BugHerd: at a glance
| Ruttl | BugHerd | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Budget feedback across many surfaces | Client feedback with a kanban workflow |
| Starting price | $18/user/mo | $50/mo (5 members) |
| Free to try | Free plan, 10 comments | 7-day trial |
| Figma vs live | No | No |
| MCP handoff | No | Beta |
Pros
- Pin comments on live sites with auto screenshots and browser metadata
- Unlimited client users on every plan, no accounts needed for guests
- Built-in kanban board, including a simplified client-facing version
- Wide native integration set: Jira, Asana, ClickUp, Monday, Linear
Cons
- Figma support is prototype feedback only, no design-vs-live comparison
- No free tier, and the entry plan is $50 per month for 5 members
- Member caps per tier with paid add-on seats
- AI and MCP features are still in beta
Pricing
BugHerd starts at $50/mo (5 members) (7-day trial). Checked July 20, 2026 on bugherd.com.
3. Pastel
Pastel is a canvas-based review tool for collecting visual feedback on websites, PDFs, images, and videos.
Ruttl vs Pastel: at a glance
| Ruttl | Pastel | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Budget feedback across many surfaces | Canvas review of mixed content |
| Starting price | $18/user/mo | $35/mo (2 users) |
| Free to try | Free plan, 10 comments | Free plan, 1 active canvas |
| Figma vs live | No | No |
| MCP handoff | No | No |
Pros
- Free Forever plan, and paid tiers include unlimited free guest reviewers
- Websites, PDFs, images, and video on one canvas
- Approval workflow built in: deadlines, approvals, pause commenting
- Zero-friction reviews: paste a URL, share a link, no extensions
Cons
- No documented Figma integration; their docs cover Adobe XD instead
- No comparison between the design and the built page
- No first-party AI features or MCP server
- Free plan allows one active canvas with a 3-day commenting window
Pricing
Pastel starts at $35/mo (2 users) (free plan, 1 active canvas). Checked July 20, 2026 on usepastel.com.
4. MarkUp.io
MarkUp.io is a visual commenting tool from Ceros for leaving feedback on websites, images, PDFs, videos, and 30+ file types.
Ruttl vs MarkUp.io: at a glance
| Ruttl | MarkUp.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Budget feedback across many surfaces | Simple review of many file types |
| Starting price | $18/user/mo | $79/mo flat |
| Free to try | Free plan, 10 comments | 14-day trial |
| Figma vs live | No | No |
| MCP handoff | No | No |
Pros
- 30+ file types on one flat plan, including video
- Unlimited admins, members, and guests on the Pro plan
- Guests comment without registration
- Google and Microsoft SSO included on the entry plan
Cons
- No Figma file support per their own docs; the workaround is exporting images
- No design comparison, AI features, or MCP
- $79 per month for a single workspace; each extra workspace is a full extra subscription
- Private MarkUps become public if the subscription lapses, per their FAQ
Pricing
MarkUp.io starts at $79/mo flat (14-day trial). Checked July 20, 2026 on markup.io.
5. Marker.io
Marker.io is a website bug reporting tool for QA and UAT, built around screenshots, console logs, and deep issue tracker integrations.
Ruttl vs Marker.io: at a glance
| Ruttl | Marker.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Budget feedback across many surfaces | Bug reporting into your issue tracker |
| Starting price | $18/user/mo | $59/mo ($39 annual) |
| Free to try | Free plan, 10 comments | 15-day trial |
| Figma vs live | No | No |
| MCP handoff | No | Beta |
Pros
- Two-way sync with Jira, Linear, GitHub, and Azure DevOps
- Session replay plus console and network logs with every report
- Unlimited free reporters; feedback without an account
- MCP integration so coding agents can read and update issues (beta)
Cons
- Website-only: no image, PDF, or design file review
- No Figma integration and no design comparison
- No native task board; workflow lives in your issue tracker
- Entry plan is $59 per month billed monthly, with session replay and Jira on higher tiers
Pricing
Marker.io starts at $59/mo ($39 annual) (15-day trial). Checked July 20, 2026 on marker.io.
Next steps: choosing your Ruttl alternative
If your reviews are about whether the built page matches the design, we obviously recommend starting with layernote's free 14-day trial, for three reasons:
- It is the only tool on this list that compares the live page to your Figma design and reports expected against actual values.
- Annotations flow to Claude Code or Cursor over MCP, and every fix is re-checked on the live page before it closes.
- Pricing is flat per workspace and clients always review free, so a review round never costs your client anything.
Start your free 14-day layernote trial, no credit card required.
Sticking with Ruttl?
No problem! It is genuinely the better fit if:
- You want to start free: Ruttl's Basic plan is free forever within its limits.
- You review mobile apps: Ruttl supports mobile app feedback, which layernote does not.
- You want AI triage on the feedback itself, like comment sentiment detection.
The honest advice: most of these tools have a free trial or free plan. Run your next review round in two of them and see which one your clients actually use.
Founder of layernote. Making sure what you design is what you ship.