Tapko vs Pastel

When Tapko is the better fit

Pastel is designed around a canvas-style review experience, which works well for designers reviewing their own work or sharing with design-savvy clients.

Tapko is built for a different scenario: getting bug reports and feedback from clients who are not designers, not technical, and not interested in learning a new tool. A business owner reviewing their new e-commerce site. A marketing manager checking copy on a landing page. A CEO doing a final walkthrough.

For those clients, the canvas interface is too much. Tapko is just a click and a comment on their live website — no new interface to learn at all.

Pricing comparison

Tapko Pro is $49/month for unlimited projects and unlimited team members. The free plan covers one project indefinitely — all integrations, no credit card, no expiry. Pastel has no free tier.

Pastel's Solo plan is $59/month, covering up to three active projects. The Agency plan at $149/month removes the project cap. For agencies managing multiple client sites, that is the relevant comparison point: Tapko Pro at $49/month versus Pastel Agency at $149/month — a $100/month gap, or $1,200/year.

Both tools also differ in scope. Tapko is built for collecting bug reports and live-site feedback on production websites. Pastel is designed for design review — annotating mockups and staging sites with visual, canvas-style comments. Many agencies find they use both at different project stages, rather than choosing one exclusively.

How client setup works with each tool

Tapko requires nothing from the client. You add one script tag to their website, share a project link, and they are ready. Clients click directly on the live site — on the element or area where they spotted the issue — type a comment, and submit. No accounts, no new interfaces to learn, no instructions needed. Non-technical clients understand it immediately.

Pastel clients access a feedback URL without creating an account, but the interface is a canvas-based annotation tool. They are presented with a screenshot-like view of the page and asked to pin comments to specific locations. For clients who are not designers, this interface can be confusing — they are used to clicking on a live website, not an annotated snapshot.

The distinction matters most when clients are non-technical stakeholders. A business owner reviewing their new e-commerce site understands “click where you see a problem.” They do not understand a canvas annotation interface, even without an account requirement.

Who should choose which tool

Choose Tapko if you collect bug reports from non-technical clients on live websites. Business owners, marketers, content editors, and stakeholders who need to report issues on a production site will find Tapko intuitive from the first click. No design experience or technical knowledge required.

Choose Tapko if browser and OS metadata matter. Every Tapko report automatically includes the URL, viewport size, browser, operating system, and device type. Pastel's technical metadata capture is more limited — which is a meaningful gap when debugging layout or browser-specific issues.

Choose Tapko if you want a free plan for real projects. One project, all integrations, no time limit. Pastel has no free tier, so there is no cost-free way to evaluate it on a live project.

Choose Pastel if your workflow centres on design review. If you share designs or staging pages with design-savvy clients for annotation before development begins, Pastel's canvas interface is built for that use case. The pin-and-comment model works well when both parties think in design terms.

Choose Pastel if clients are comfortable with annotation interfaces. Designers reviewing their own work, or clients with design backgrounds who are accustomed to annotating mockups, will navigate Pastel without friction.

Many agencies use Pastel at the design stage and Tapko once the site is live. The two tools solve different problems at different project phases — choosing one does not preclude the other.