A Pastel alternative for client feedback and issue tracking
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Both tools let clients comment on a live site from one link, with no account. Choose OverlayQA when each comment should become a tracked issue that syncs both ways with your tracker. Choose Pastel when approvals, deadlines, or feedback on PDFs and video come first.
How they compare
OverlayQA: Client feedback that becomes tracked issues
Share one review link and clients pin comments on the live site or a frozen snapshot, with no account and no install. Each comment becomes an issue with a screenshot and the element's CSS selector, and status syncs both ways with Jira, Linear, Notion, Asana, Trello, ClickUp, GitHub Issues, Basecamp, and monday.com.
Pastel: Client feedback on websites and files
Pastel turns a website, image, PDF, or video into a shared canvas where clients comment without an account. Comments capture a screenshot and browser details, and every plan includes deadlines, reminders, and approvals.
Compare the plans your team would use
OverlayQA: $79/mo for 5 seats. Team plan, with tracker sync included. Starter is $39/mo for 1 seat. Both include a 14-day trial with no card required. There is no free plan.
Pastel: $119/mo for 5 users. Team plan, the first with tracker exports. $99/mo billed annually, plus $24 per extra user. Free covers 1 user and 1 canvas; Pro is $35/mo for 2 users.
Side-by-side comparison
| Capability | OverlayQA | Pastel |
|---|---|---|
| Client comments without an account | Review link; name required, email optional | Canvas link; name and email requested |
| Review a public website with nothing to install | Yes | Yes |
| Screenshot and browser details with each comment | Yes | Yes |
| Each comment becomes a tracked issue | Issue with status, assignee, and severity | Comments with assignees, labels, and resolve |
| Element selector and CSS evidence | CSS selector on client comments; computed CSS on element captures | Pinned element; selector and CSS not documented |
| Two-way sync with your issue tracker | Status syncs both ways with nine trackers, on every plan | Exports from the Team plan; sync back not documented |
| Approvals, deadlines, and reminders | Clients can mark a review done; no approvals or deadlines | Yes, on every plan |
| Feedback on PDFs, images, and video | Websites and page snapshots; files attach to comments | Yes |
| Localhost, staging, and pages behind a login | Chrome extension covers all three | Staging by URL or IP allowlist; login pages not documented |
| Proactive UI and accessibility checks | Auto Review and Accessibility Audit | Not documented in reviewed sources |
| AI coding agents through MCP | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | No; 14-day trial | 1 user and 1 canvas |
| Five team members, billed monthly | $79/mo for 5 seats | $119/mo for 5 users |
Published by OverlayQA. Reviewed October 30, 2026 using Pastel's pricing page, FAQ, and help center, and OverlayQA's product documentation. Workflow recommendations are our assessment, not measured rankings. “Not documented” means the reviewed sources did not establish the capability; it does not mean unsupported. Pastel's ClickUp export can update the ClickUp task when a comment is resolved in Pastel.
- Pastel pricing and plan features
- Pastel FAQ
- Pastel ClickUp integration
- Pastel for AI agents
- OverlayQA client review
- OverlayQA issue tracking and sync
- OverlayQA plans and limits
When OverlayQA fits the job
Turn client comments into tracked issues
Each client comment lands as an issue with a screenshot, the pinned element's CSS selector, a status, and an assignee. Your team works client feedback, captured bugs, and detected bugs from one list.
Keep your tracker in step
Status syncs both ways with Jira, Linear, Notion, Asana, Trello, ClickUp, GitHub Issues, Basecamp, and monday.com, and assignee and priority sync wherever the tracker supports them. Tracker sync is on every plan, Starter included.
Review the pages a link cannot reach
Clients use a review link on public pages. Your team uses the Chrome extension on localhost, staging, and pages behind a login, and can run Auto Review and Accessibility Audit workflows before a client sees the page.
Choose around your main workflow
Choose OverlayQA for feedback that ships as issues
Client comments should become tracked issues with technical context, synced with the tracker your developers already use, at $79 a month for five seats.
Choose Pastel for approvals and mixed media
Your reviews include PDFs, images, or video, you need approvals, deadlines, and reminders, or you want a free plan for one project. Pastel covers those today.
Let a real review decide
Send the same page to the same client in both tools. Compare how many comments arrive, how much follow-up each one needs, and what reaches your tracker without retyping.
Common questions
When should I choose OverlayQA instead of Pastel?
Choose OverlayQA when client comments should become tracked issues with a screenshot and CSS selector, synced both ways with your tracker, and when your team also reviews localhost or staging pages. Choose Pastel when approvals, deadlines, reminders, or feedback on PDFs, images, and video matter most. These are workflow judgments, not measured rankings.
Can clients comment without an account or an install?
Yes, in both tools. An OverlayQA review link asks for a name, with email optional, and clients pin comments on the live site or a frozen snapshot. Pastel asks guests for a name and email when they first comment and does not create an account for them. Neither tool asks clients to install anything.
Is there a Pastel alternative under $100 a month for a five-person team?
Yes. OverlayQA's Team plan is $79 a month for five seats ($72 billed annually), with client comments that need no account and tracker sync included. Pastel's Team plan, its first with tracker exports, is $119 a month for five users ($99 billed annually). Pastel Pro is $35 a month for two users, without tracker exports.
Which tool syncs with my issue tracker?
OverlayQA status syncs both ways with Jira, Linear, Notion, Asana, Trello, ClickUp, GitHub Issues, Basecamp, and monday.com on every plan; assignee and priority sync wherever the tracker supports them. Pastel exports comments to Jira, Trello, Asana, and ClickUp, plus monday.com, Zapier, and a custom webhook, on its Team plan and above. Its ClickUp export can update the task when a comment is resolved in Pastel. Changes made in a tracker flowing back to Pastel were not documented in the sources we reviewed.
Which costs less for a five-person team?
With monthly billing, OverlayQA Team is $79 for five seats, or $72 a month billed annually, with tracker sync included. Pastel Team, its first plan with tracker exports, is $119 a month for five users, or $99 a month billed annually, plus $24 for each extra user. Pastel Pro is $35 a month for two users and three canvases, without tracker exports. OverlayQA Starter is $39 a month for one seat. Prices were reviewed October 30, 2026.
Does either tool have a free plan?
Pastel has a free plan with one user and one active canvas, and a 14-day trial of its paid plans with no credit card. OverlayQA has no free plan. Starter and Team include a 14-day trial with no card required; Pro has no trial.
What should we test in a trial?
Use the same pages, reviewers, and tracker in both tools. Count the comments that arrive with enough context to act on, how many need a follow-up question, and what reaches your tracker without retyping. Check how each one handles your staging site and any pages behind a login.
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