ruttl vs Pastel: which is better for client feedback?
ruttl and Pastel both put comments on top of a live website from a shared link, so on the surface they look alike. They differ in how they charge, what their free plans allow, and what else they review. Every fact below is from each tool's own site and help docs, checked on 14 November 2026.
At a glance
| ruttl | Pastel | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid plans start at | $18 per user a month ($15 yearly) | $35 a month for 2 users ($29 yearly) |
| Free plan | 1 project, 5 pages, 10 comments | 1 user, 1 active canvas |
| Guests | No sign-up on the homepage; one help page says comment mode needs login by default | Name and email, no account |
| Reviews | Websites, web apps, images, PDFs, mobile apps | Websites, images, PDFs, video |
| Phone and tablet views | On paid plans (not on the free plan) | Responsive tester, free plan included |
| Edit the page | Edit mode for text and images | No |
| Internal comments | Private comments | Private comments and replies |
| Deadlines | Not found on its site | Deadlines and reminders, free plan included |
| Integrations | Slack, Jira, Trello, Asana, ClickUp | Jira, Trello, Asana, ClickUp, Monday, Zapier (Team plan) |
| Pages behind a login | Chrome extension | Chrome extension, or allow Pastel's servers in |
| MCP server | Yes | Yes, 19 tools |
From ruttl.com and usepastel.com, their pricing pages and help docs, on 14 November 2026.
What each costs for your team
| Team size | ruttl Pro | Pastel |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $18 | $35 (Pro) |
| 2 people | $36 | $35 (Pro) |
| 3 people | $54 | $119 (Team, 5 users) |
| 5 people | $90 | $119 (Team) |
| 10 people | $180 | $239 (Team plus 5 users at $24) |
Monthly billing in US dollars. Both are around 17% cheaper billed yearly. Clients and guests are free in both, so count only your own team.
The other number that matters is Pastel's canvas limit. Pro allows 3 active canvases, so an agency with more than three sites in review at once needs Team, whatever its size. ruttl Pro has unlimited projects and pages.
The client's side
Pastel is the simpler of the two for clients: open the link, type a name and email, click to comment. Pastel states that this doesn't create an account.
ruttl's homepage also says clients don't need to sign up, and its invite help says no login is required to leave comments. Its getting-started help, though, says login is required for comment mode by default. It looks like a sharing setting. Open your share link in a private window before you send it to a client.
What else they review
Pastel covers images, PDFs and video files with timestamped comments, alongside websites. ruttl covers images, PDFs, web apps behind a login (through its Chrome extension) and native mobile apps, which Pastel doesn't. If your team ships apps as well as websites, ruttl covers more of your work in one place.
Workflow features
Pastel puts a lot into its free plan: feedback deadlines with reminders, approvals, labels, assigning and pausing comments. Integrations with project tools arrive on Team.
ruttl's stand-out is edit mode: reviewers can change text and swap images on the live page to show what they mean, and developers see the change. Its free plan includes Slack, Trello, Asana and Jira, and Pro adds the rest.
AI and MCP
Both connect to AI tools through MCP servers. Pastel's lists 19 tools, works with Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor and others, and can copy comments as a prompt or take HTML uploaded by an AI agent. ruttl's lets agents analyse threads, fix code and resolve threads, with a separate MCP server for mobile apps, and its app adds comment sentiment analysis. Neither site said which plans include MCP. For how this works day to day, see letting your AI tool fix client feedback with MCP.
Which should you pick?
- Pick Pastel if your clients review websites plus images, PDFs or video, you want deadlines and approvals, and you run three sites or fewer at a time, or can pay for Team.
- Pick ruttl if you also review mobile apps or logged-in web apps, want edit mode, and your team is small.
- Consider a third option if you mostly review websites and want a flat price: HTMLAnnotate Team is $20 a month for up to 10 people, with separate desktop, tablet and phone comments and no account for clients. It doesn't review images, video or mobile apps. Our HTMLAnnotate vs Pastel and HTMLAnnotate vs ruttl pages go into detail.
Questions
Is ruttl cheaper than Pastel?
For one or two people, yes: ruttl Pro is $18 per user a month ($15 yearly), and Pastel Pro is $35 a month ($29 yearly) for 2 users. From three people Pastel moves to Team at $119 a month, while ruttl costs $54 for three and $90 for five. Checked on 14 November 2026, monthly billing.
Do clients need an account in ruttl or Pastel?
Pastel guests type a name and email, and Pastel says that does not create an account. ruttl's homepage says clients don't sign up, but one of its help pages says login is required for comment mode by default, so check the share settings before a real review.
Can ruttl and Pastel review PDFs and images?
Yes, both review images and PDFs. Pastel also reviews video files with timestamped comments. ruttl also reviews mobile apps and web apps behind a login, using its extension.
Do ruttl and Pastel have free plans?
Yes. Pastel's free plan has 1 user and 1 active canvas, with the responsive tester and deadlines included. ruttl's free plan has 1 project, 5 pages and 10 comments.
Do ruttl and Pastel work with Claude or ChatGPT?
Both have MCP servers. Pastel's lists 19 tools and works with Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor and others. ruttl's lets agents read threads, fix code and resolve threads, and has a separate mobile version.
Want a third option? HTMLAnnotate is $20 a month for up to 10 people, and clients comment with no account.
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