HopBack is a Markup.io alternative for agencies and freelancers. It reviews live websites, images, PDFs and video with pinned comments, like Markup.io, but on one link per project rather than one MarkUp per item, and adds numbered revision rounds you can look back on and compare, a finish-review lock, approval with a name and a time, and automated client reminders. It counts active reviews rather than reviews per month, keeps pins on the element at every screen size, and starts at $19 a month with unlimited client reviewers. Markup.io starts at $79 a month for 50 MarkUps.
Three reasons come up again and again in agency forums.
Markup.io's entry plan moved from $29 to $79 a month in 2025, with no plan in between. For a freelancer or a two-person studio that was a hard jump.
Markup.io prices by MarkUps per month: 50 for $79, 75 for $99, 100 for $129, and $4 each beyond that. Quotas reset monthly, so a busy month costs more and a quiet month is wasted.
Markup.io ties a MarkUp to the exact URL it was created from. Change the URL structure, or move from staging to live, and the pins can disappear. Pins also sit best at the screen size they were left at.
Markup.ioIt is polished, it has been around a while, it supports a wide range of file types, and Business plans include custom branding and a vanity domain. Unlimited users on every plan is generous. If you need branded review links today, Markup.io Business has them and HopBack does not yet.
Starter includes 10 active reviews, Studio 30, Agency unlimited. Archive a finished review and the slot frees up. Nothing resets on the first of the month.
Both tools anchor pins to the element. HopBack's stay attached when you switch the review between desktop, tablet and mobile, and when the page is updated for the next round.
On Markup.io every item is its own MarkUp with its own link, and there is no history between them. In HopBack the project is one link: round one can be the concept as a PDF, round two the staging site, round three the live site. The client sees "Round 2 of 3", unresolved comments carry forward, resolved ones stay behind, every earlier round can be opened, and Compare shows two side by side.
Finish review locks the feedback. Approval records who and when.
HopBack chases the client for you, in your words, on business days.
Studio at $49 covers most agencies. Markup.io's cheapest plan is $79.
| HopBack | Markup.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Starter $19/mo ($16 annual), 2 seats, 10 active reviews, 25 GB | Pro $79/mo, 50 MarkUps per month, 100 GB, unlimited users |
| Middle | Studio $49/mo ($41 annual), 5 seats, 30 active reviews, 100 GB, video, reminders, Slack and Teams | Pro $99 or $129/mo for 75 or 100 MarkUps per month |
| Top | Agency $99/mo ($82 annual), 12 seats, unlimited reviews, 500 GB, MCP | Business $499 to $799/mo, 200 to 600 MarkUps per month, branding, vanity domain |
| Over the limit | Add 10 active reviews for $10/mo | $4 per extra MarkUp in packs of 10 |
| Client reviewers | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Trial | 14 days, no card | 14 days |
Prices and features checked on 1 November 2026 against Markup.io's pricing page. If something has changed, tell us and we will fix it.
Markup.io figures from markup.io/pricing, checked 11 September 2026.
Is Markup.io free? No. There is a 14-day trial and then plans from $79 a month. Is there a free Markup.io alternative? HopBack has a 14-day trial with no card; Pastel and Ruttl have limited free tiers.
Markup.io→HopBackStart your next project in HopBack: paste the URL, set the rounds, send the link. Nothing to import. Your clients will not need a new account, because they never needed one.
For live website, image, PDF and video review with pinned comments, HopBack and Pastel are the closest. HopBack adds rounds, a lock and recorded approval; Pastel is simpler and caps canvases on lower plans.
Pro is $79, $99 or $129 a month for 50, 75 or 100 MarkUps a month. Business is $499 to $799. Checked 11 September 2026.
No. Plans include a number of active reviews. Archive one and the slot frees up.
Neither tool requires client accounts. HopBack asks for a name only.
Yes, on Studio and Agency, with a pin on the frame at a timestamp.