Queue popularized the productized design subscription. But when your agency handles design asset proofing, hour-based retainer caps, and private internal team tasks, a basic card queue breaks down. Stackon combines white-label client portals, point-and-click canvas proofing, and automated retainer accounting starting at $19/mo.
Queue gates essential agency features like custom domains, team permissions, and advanced request queues behind high-priced plans. See the exact pricing comparison as your agency scales.
1 Internal Seat · Unlimited Clients
Queue Starter locks custom email branding and limits queue customizations. Stackon includes 100% white-labeling and visual proofing out of the box.
5 Internal Seats · Unlimited Clients
Stackon includes 5 seats in the base price, plus automated retainer ledgers and multi-page PDF reviews that Queue does not offer.
20 Internal Seats · Unlimited Clients
Queue charges steep enterprise tier upgrades for team seats. Stackon includes 20 team seats for $79/mo with additional seats at just $7/mo.
Because Queue only manages linear request cards, agencies end up purchasing auxiliary subscriptions for PDF review, retainer tracking, and team messaging. Look at the true monthly invoice.
Total Monthly Software Cost:
$327.75 / mo
$3,933 / year
Across 5 different logins
Total Monthly Cost:
$49.00 / mo
Save $3,345 / year
Returned directly to agency profit
Queue is great if you are a solo graphic designer working on one Figma frame at a time. But when client engagements involve retainer hours, 30-page documents, and team coordination, you hit these four structural roadblocks.
Queue forces every service relationship into an abstract linear queue. But real agency retainers are based on hours, scopes, and commitments. When a client pays you a $4,000/month retainer for 25 hours of work, Queue cannot track how many hours were consumed, how many remain, or whether unused hours roll over.
How Stackon Solves This:
Stackon provides an automated retainer ledger. Define monthly hour pools, set rollover caps (e.g., maximum 5 hours rolled over), and receive automated warnings when a client request will exceed their remaining monthly capacity. Overages bill directly through Stripe at your predetermined hourly rate.
In Queue, client review is limited to basic attachments or text feedback. When your team delivers brand identity systems, marketing graphics, or UI assets, clients are forced to download raw files and write fragmented email notes like "on the header, change the subhead color."
How Stackon Solves This:
Stackon embeds an interactive canvas review room for design assets (PNG, JPG, WebP, SVG). Clients click directly on the canvas to drop numbered pin markers with exact pixel coordinates. When revisions are submitted, a side-by-side visual diff slider lets clients verify changes before giving formal approval.
In Queue, all queue cards are visible to the client. But client delivery requires internal friction: junior designer revisions, staging QA checklists, contractor cost notes, and asset prep tasks. Exposing these raw tasks to paying clients causes confusion, micromanagement, and endless "is this done yet?" messages.
How Stackon Solves This:
Stackon enforces strict architectural separation. Your team operates in an internal agency cockpit with private task lists, contractor task assignments, and internal comments. Clients see only their clean client portal with polished deliverables, review requests, and signed-off milestones.
Queue’s pricing is heavily skewed toward solo operators. As soon as you bring on a project manager, a developer, or two senior designers, you are forced into premium monthly tiers that reach $149 to $399/month, draining software margins just as payroll increases.
How Stackon Solves This:
Stackon is built for agency economics. The Studio plan includes 5 full team seats for $49/mo, and the Agency plan includes 20 team seats for $79/mo. Additional seats are just $7/mo. Unlimited client portals are included across every plan.
See how both platforms handle the actual operational fires agency founders deal with every single week.
In Queue:
The client drops a massive 8-hour website redesign request into their queue card at 5 PM on a Friday. Because Queue has no hour limits or retainer balances, your team has no way to prove this request exceeds their weekly scope without an uncomfortable confrontation over email.
In Stackon:
Stackon checks the client’s retainer balance immediately. If they only have 2 hours remaining in their monthly allocation, the system automatically flags a 6-hour deficit and prompts the client to approve an automated overage deposit invoice before the task is scheduled. Scope is protected automatically.
In Queue:
Clients who encounter cumbersome onboarding run into login barriers, abandon the portal, and revert to emailing or messaging the agency founder on WhatsApp or Slack, destroying the organized workflow you tried to establish.
In Stackon:
Stackon uses 1-click invitation links and direct deliverable notification links. When a deliverable or comment is ready for review, the client clicks the button in their notification email and enters their review room directly - accessing their assets and feedback without multi-step onboarding friction.
In Queue:
You attach a new link to the card. The client downloads it, compares it to their notes, misses a small update, and sends another generic message asking whether changes were made to the primary asset.
In Stackon:
The client opens the deliverable right in their browser. They drag the side-by-side version comparison slider between v3 and v4 to see the exact modifications in context, then hit "Approve" with a timestamped sign-off.
An honest, line-by-line comparison between Stackon and Queue across every major agency operational requirement.
Starting Solo Plan (1 Seat)
Stackon includes complete white-labeling, custom branding, and visual proofing on the $19/mo Solo tier without feature lockouts.
5-Seat Boutique Studio Plan
Queue requires upgrading to Pro and buying extra seat add-ons. Stackon includes 5 full team seats in the base $49/mo Studio plan.
20-Seat Agency Plan
Stackon includes 20 team seats for $79/mo, with additional internal seats at just $7/mo. Queue charges enterprise pricing.
Client Portals & Client Accounts
Both platforms allow you to invite unlimited client contacts without paying per client.
Trial Access & Credit Card Requirement
Test Stackon with real client work before paying anything.
Hour-Based Retainer Ledgers & Tracking
Queue only handles "one request at a time" queues. It cannot manage 10, 20, or 40-hour monthly retainers with hourly allocations.
Monthly Hour Rollover Mechanics
Configure whether unused client retainer hours expire at month-end or roll over into the next billing cycle.
Pre-Work Overage Alerts
If a client submits a 6-hour request with only 2 hours left on their retainer, Stackon alerts you to collect an overage deposit first.
Automated Stripe Overage Invoicing
When clients exceed their monthly retainer scope, generate and send itemized overage invoices directly from the ledger.
Point-and-Click Image Annotations (PNG/JPG/WebP)
Clients click directly on specific design coordinates to drop numbered feedback pins instead of describing changes over text.
Visual Design Proofing & Document Approvals
Inspect design assets with pixel pins and review client deliverables with stage-gated approvals and version tracking in one place.
Side-by-Side Version Diff Slider
Clients drag a slider across old and new revisions to verify requested changes were implemented before approving.
Formal Sign-Off Audit Trail
Eliminates "I never approved that design" disputes by logging legal approval timestamps and signer identities.
Internal vs. Client-Visible Task Boundaries
Keep internal contractor notes, QA checklists, and production timelines hidden while showing only polished deliverables to clients.
Sprint & Milestone Project Conversion
Convert large client requests into milestone-based projects with sequential phases and stage-gated asset deliveries.
Slack-Style Real-Time Team & Client Chat
Stackon includes a dedicated workspace messenger with channels, direct messages, and audio notes, replacing separate Slack fees.
1-Click Invitation & Notification Entry
Clients access deliverables and reviews directly from email notification links without complex workspace onboarding.
Custom Domain (e.g., portal.youragency.com)
Serve your client portal under your own custom domain with automatic SSL certificates.
Complete Brand Removal ("Powered by" removal)
Stackon never places platform branding on your client portals, invoices, or automated notifications.
Custom Accent Colors & Dark Theme Styling
Match your agency brand palette and provide a clean, modern dark-mode client experience.
Self-Service Order Catalog & Stripe Checkout
Allow new and existing clients to purchase service packages, retainer tiers, or add-on deliverables on demand.
We believe in honest software recommendations. Here is who should choose Queue and who should choose Stackon.
You are a solo operator running a minimalist subscription service.
You run a growing creative studio, dev agency, or full-service firm.
Direct, transparent answers to the questions agency owners ask before migrating from Queue to Stackon.
Queue was designed primarily for solo designers offering simple "one active request at a time" subscriptions (popularized by the DesignJoy business model). However, as agencies grow to 2 to 20 team members and take on more diverse client arrangements, Queue encounters severe limitations: it cannot track hour-based retainers, it lacks visual canvas pin proofing, it does not support internal-only subtasks hidden from clients, and its seat pricing escalates rapidly. Stackon gives agencies a true end-to-end operating system with retainer ledgers, visual annotations, Slack-grade messaging, and fair flat-rate pricing starting at $19/mo.
Queue has no concept of billable hours or retainer balances - everything in Queue is treated as an abstract task in a linear card queue. Stackon includes an automated retainer ledger engine: you can define monthly retainer allowances (e.g., 20 hours/month), track time against deliverable tasks, configure rollover policies (e.g., roll over up to 5 unused hours into the next month), and receive automated alerts when a client request will exceed their remaining balance. If an overage occurs, Stackon automatically calculates the difference at your hourly rate and generates an invoice via Stripe.
Yes. In Queue, clients often have to download large files and type out feedback in text comments like "on the homepage mock, change the subhead." In Stackon, visual proofing is built directly into the client review room. Clients can open high-resolution PNG, JPG, WebP, and SVG designs right in their browser, click anywhere on the canvas to place a numbered pin, and leave targeted comments. Designers can view those exact pin coordinates, update the deliverable, and provide a side-by-side version comparison slider for client sign-off. For multi-file packages and documents, Stackon provides organized version history and formal milestone approval audit trails.
Stackon protects your agency scope through three concrete mechanisms: (1) Structured Request Intake Forms: Clients must complete required brief fields and attach necessary assets before a request enters the active queue; (2) Pre-Work Retainer Balances: If a client asks for work that exceeds their active retainer or subscription tier, Stackon flags the deficit before your team starts working; (3) Stage-Gated Approvals: Milestone deliverables require formal client sign-off with recorded timestamps and audit trails before high-resolution production assets are unlocked.
Queue charges increasing subscription fees as you add internal team members and access advanced queue controls. Stackon uses straightforward, agency-friendly economics: the Solo plan is $19/mo (1 seat), the Studio plan is $49/mo (includes 5 team seats), and the Agency plan is $79/mo (includes 20 team seats). Any additional seats beyond 20 are just $7/mo per seat. All plans include unlimited free client accounts, so you never pay extra when onboarding new clients.
Yes. In Queue, every card inside a client queue is exposed to the client. Stackon provides a two-sided workspace: your team has an internal agency cockpit with internal-only task checklists, contractor assignments, and private team comments, while the client sees only their clean client room with approved deliverables, active requests, and billing statements. A single visibility toggle lets you decide whether an item is internal or client-facing.
Migrating takes less than 15 minutes. You can import your client roster via CSV, connect your Stripe account in two clicks to maintain your existing payment flows, configure your agency logo and custom domain (portal.youragency.com), and set up your service packages. Because Stackon uses 1-click invitation links, your clients do not have to struggle with complex workspace setup - they simply click their invitation link and access their active projects and deliverables immediately.
No. Client portal access is 100% free and unlimited on all Stackon plans. Your clients never have to pay a cent. Furthermore, clients access their portal via frictionless 1-click invitation links and direct email notifications, allowing them to jump straight to their active project, review room, or invoice.
Set up your custom-branded portal in less than 2 minutes. Connect your Stripe account, invite your team, and test visual canvas proofing on real client deliverables without entering a credit card.
Full access to 100% of features · No credit card required · Upgrade or cancel anytime