Notes on the frame
The client comments on the timeline. The editor sees a marker in the edit, not a chat thread to decode.
vs
The Filestage alternative for people who make video
Timecode notes, versions and approvals, plus tasks, estimates, invoices and a client portal. Built for a studio of one or ten, from $19 a month.
The short answer
Filestage is a strong approval tool for marketing teams: video, PDFs, designs, office documents and live websites all move through the same approval stages.
But approval is all it does. Filestage suggests running tasks in Asana or ClickUp, there are no estimates or invoices, and paid plans start at €199 a month for a pack of ten seats.
Basalt PMS focuses on video and runs the whole project: timecode review, tasks, money and the client. The paid plan is $19 a month, and you can start free.
Basalt
FilestageComments and drawing on the frame
Included
Included
Versions and side-by-side compare
Included
Limited, or on a higher plan
Client reviews without an account
Included
Included
Client portal under your brand
Included
Limited, or on a higher plan
Projects, tasks and deadlines
Included
Limited, or on a higher plan
Estimates, invoices and per-project profit
Included
Not available
Editor time tracking
Included
Not available
Portfolio and public case pages
Included
Not available
Panel inside Premiere Pro
Included
Included
Mobile app
Included
Not available
Approving PDFs, designs and websites
Not available
Included
Free plan
Included
Included
Starting price
Free · then $19
Free · then €199
IncludedLimited, or on a higher planNot available
- Versions and side-by-side compare.
- Version comparison in Filestage starts on the Starter plan. The free plan does not have it.
- Client portal under your brand.
- Filestage brands links and emails on paid plans. There is no space where a client sees all their projects and invoices.
- Projects, tasks and deadlines.
- Filestage has due dates on approval stages. For tasks with assignees, it points you to Asana, ClickUp or Trello through integrations.
- Approving PDFs, designs and websites.
- Filestage wins here: it approves documents, images, decks and live websites. Basalt is built for video. If most of what you approve is not video, Filestage is the better fit.
Filestage details checked against filestage.io in September 2026. Found something out of date? Tell us and we will correct the page.
Moving from Filestage
There is no import between the two. Re-upload videos that are still in review to Basalt and leave closed ones in Filestage, where the free plan keeps them. If documents go through Filestage too, keep approving them there and run the video projects with us.
Why video studios choose Basalt. Approval inside the project, not next to it.
Version history
Every cut kept, with a date and an author. The approved one is marked and stays findable.
Tasks and deadlines
Stages, assignees and due dates next to the video they belong to. No second tool.
A client portal
Your logo, their projects, statuses and invoices. They go there instead of digging for an email.
Work becomes a portfolio
A delivered project turns into a public case page in a couple of clicks. No separate website.
A mobile app
Approve a cut and answer a note from your phone, on the days you are not at the workstation.
What people ask.
Straight answers.
The questions that come up when choosing between Basalt and Filestage.
For video, yes: timecode comments, drawing on the frame, versions, a client link with no signup and a Premiere Pro panel. If you approve a lot of PDFs, designs and websites, Filestage handles that better: we are built for video.
Try it on a real project
Free plan, no card: two projects, timecode review and a client portal.
Start free
