Chrome extension 
Yowzers, 2023 zoomed past faster than a rocket heading for Mars. 🚀 And boy, was it a blast!
GIF Source: Giphy
We spent the year behind the scenes, enhancing your Workspace and canvas, upgrading overall user experience, and giving you a lot of long-awaited, much-requested features.
So, fasten your seatbelts, and let’s recap some of the fabulous feats we accomplished. (Minor humble brag incoming 😎).
We got bigger than ever
In 2023, we helped even more people streamline and perfect their feedback process. 👌
We saw the number of MarkUp.io users skyrocket, not only in our Slack community but across the board. We even saw the amount of MarkUps created double since last year, underlining our expanding role in the feedback landscape!
Here’s a little visualization of the year in numbers.
We didn’t just kick back and relax, though!
Throughout the year, we supercharged the MarkUp.io platform with significant improvements.
Aiming to make our user experience even more seamless, we welcomed new features and pumped up the power of existing tools. The evidence of this makeover? A stellar surge in asynchronous tool usage, with close to a million MarkUps created and a whopping 11.4 million comments made in 2023. 🤯
That’s a substantial leap from the year before and a testament to how MarkUp is revolutionizing workplace communication.
Alrighty, enough with the teasers – here’s a look at our 2023 highlights!
📅 January 2023
Support for images over 12,000 pixels. We upgraded our image support to over a whopping 12,000 pixels. This allowed users to create even bigger MarkUps, perfect for those large, static screenshots of complex website projects.
Improved upload modal. Empowering you to either merge or split your files during multiple assets upload, this feature spun the wheels for a faster MarkUp production process. Moreover, it opened up the possibility for you to create multiple MarkUps for various clients or campaigns, all at the same time.
The icing on the cake? Different file formats, like a video or PDF, automatically separate while uploading. This makes your workflow even smoother. 👌
📅 February 2023
Default to ‘show pin’ in the screenshot view. We changed how your screenshots look when you open them from a comment. Now you can see exactly where on the page the pin was left – giving you even more context so you can leave feedback faster.
Management of your email notifications. We made it easier for you to manage email notifications in-app via the top toolbar or the footer of your email notifications.
Just hover over your MarkUp’s settings icon and choose whether to receive notifications for all activity in a MarkUp or only when someone mentions/tags you in it. Letting you cut the clutter out of your inbox so you only see what’s important!
Valentine’s competition. In February, we kicked things off in our Slack community with a big Valentine’s Day competition to stoke your creative fires. And the results we got totally exceeded our expectations! ❤️ Check out our winners here.
📅 March 2023
New keyboard shortcuts. We added a much-needed new keyboard shortcut to MarkUp.io – holding Shift + Enter to create a line break in your MarkUp comments. No more accidentally posting comments when you press ‘Enter!’
Automatic screenshots (in comments). We made it possible to collect screenshots with each comment left on a MarkUp without having to download the Chrome extension.
So, if you’re reviewing a Website MarkUp, you’ll be able to see which part of the website the reviewer commented on and where they left their original pin. How’s that for adding more context to feedback?
📅 April 2023
Bottom toolbar moved to the top. We relocated the Comment and Browse toolbar to the top of your canvas to make it more visible to reviewers.
Then, we moved several functionalities to the top of all MarkUps, so you can also:
- Experience different device previews of your Website MarkUp
- Customize the MarkUp’s notification settings
- Manage the MarkUp’s sharing settings
Video scrubbing. Reviewing videos can be like trying to find a needle in a digital haystack. That’s why we introduced our nifty video scrubbing feature in 2023. Now, you can zip through videos on MarkUp.io with the precision of a pro editor. Whether it’s a long explainer or a quick clip, this feature lets you jump to the exact moment you need, leaving pinpoint comments with ease.
Zapier launch. In April, our Zapier integration moved out of beta and our users went wild with the launch!
With Zapier’s magic, MarkUp.io now connects with over 5,000 apps, turning your workflow into a well-oiled machine. Users have set the integration up to send new comments into Slack, create Asana tasks from new MarkUps, and build super useful Zapier templates that make their workflow even smoother and more connected.
Later in the year, we took things up a notch by simplifying how you create Zaps. Now, getting a sneak peek at the MarkUp data you’re sending to your favorite tools is a breeze.
Thanks to everyone in our community who participated in our beta testing group and helped make this a reality!
📅 May 2023
Redesigned email notifications. Our notifications got a massive upgrade! All MarkUp comments that come to your inbox are now accompanied by relevant, contextual screenshots.
Just click “open in markup.io” and it sends you directly to the specific comment instead of the entire MarkUp, saving you time and effort. You can also control the frequency of updates — whether it’s for all changes, mentions only, or no emails at all.
What’s New changelog in-app. We gave you somewhere to get updated on all MarkUp.io news or platform changes – the What’s New changelog!
This lets you see all user-facing product updates–big and small–without ever having to leave MarkUp.io.
📅 June 2023
‘Filter by page’ feature. We added a new feature so you can filter your sidebar to only show comments on the page you’re viewing. This makes it easier to focus on the comments that matter (instead of getting overwhelmed by a mountain of feedback).
Revamped integrations page. The MarkUp.io integrations page got a full layout redesign, making it simpler to sync with our available integrations.
You can quickly set up and navigate to the desired page, be it our Slack and Zapier integrations or our Google Chrome extension.
📅 July 2023
Comments on canvas. Instead of having to constantly switch between your canvas and the comment panel, your MarkUp comments now display directly on top of your canvas.
Just hover over a comment to see a preview of what it says. You can also view, edit, and reply to comments on the canvas, so communication between stakeholders is easier than ever. This intuitive feature not only makes your feedback loop quicker but also more connected to the work at hand. 🤝
Sidebar updates. One of 2023’s most powerful updates, we gave our sidebar a nifty upgrade to boost your efficiency. Now, you can quickly grab and share direct links to specific comments right from the sidebar.
Plus, navigating to URLs mentioned in your MarkUp is a snap, streamlining your workflow when handling multiple pages. These updates make the sidebar an even more powerful tool for smooth and swift interactions on MarkUp.io.
Slack integration beta. In July, we gave our 3,000+ Slack Community members exclusive access to our much-awaited Slack integration!
This one-way integration lets you link your Slack account to MarkUp.io and get all your notifications right where you chat with your team.
📅 August 2023
Updated pricing plans and free trial. We refreshed our pricing with the Pro plan now just $25/month. But fear not; the top-notch MarkUp.io experience you love remains the same, just with some fine-tuning.
Then, we took it one step further by extending our 14-day free trial to a whopping 30-day free trial! This gives you even more time to explore MarkUp.io and see if it’s the right fit for you.
We did make a slight adjustment to the number of active MarkUps for free plans, reducing it from 20 to five. But if you have more than five active MarkUps, there’s no need to fret. You’ve still got a full 30-day trial to ponder if the Pro plan is for you.
Check out the full scope of our updated pricing here.
Full Slack integration launch. In August, our Slack integration went live for everyone! 🥳
This lets anyone centralize all team communication by connecting the integration to deliver MarkUp notifications straight to any Slack account.
You can receive notifications directly to your DMs or broadcast them to a Slack channel of your choice. Or both — it’s up to you!
📅 2023’s final stop: The Ceros suite and beyond!
As the year unfolded, MarkUp.io not only enhanced its existing features but also embarked on an exciting journey with Ceros, our parent company.
After many, many, MANY months of hard work, we finally unveiled the Ceros suite in the last few months of 2023!
The suite is an innovative lineup of AI-powered tools, including our creative AI assistant, Gemma, designed to help you create, plan, and execute end-to-end interactive content — saving you time and scaling up your output.
Whether you’re rocking it solo with MarkUp.io or part of the broader Ceros ecosystem, we’ve got you covered.
MarkUp.io remains your trusted, independent feedback and collaboration tool, committed to enhancing your user experience. Meanwhile, the integration with the Ceros suite opens up a new realm of possibilities.
The addition of the App Switcher, for instance, makes toggling between MarkUp.io and Ceros’s Studio/Editor incredibly smooth. 🤌
If you want to create a MarkUp of a Studio experience, navigate to MarkUp.io via the App Switcher, and voila – your new MarkUp is automatically generated! Or select your preferred tool to create a Studio or Editor experience directly from MarkUp.io.
Ceros users can also chat with Gemma, a creative AI assistant integrated seamlessly within MarkUp.io. She’s here to speed up your review workflow by helping you power through design feedback, brainstorm copy ideas, and preview content tweaks on your Website MarkUps and Ceros content.
As part of the Ceros suite, MarkUp.io is stronger (and more versatile) than ever. You can still rely on it as your standalone go-to feedback tool, or, if you’re a Ceros customer, tap into the AI-powered content creation ecosystem.
Whether you’re using MarkUp.io on its own or as part of the Ceros suite, our goal remains the same: to empower your creativity and streamline your workflow.
MarkUp.io in 2024 🥳
Looking ahead (and way beyond!), we’ve got some major plans cooking behind the scenes for MarkUp.io.
This year, one of our big focuses will be to improve your MarkUp.io workflow even more, both within the app and outside of it.
One way we’ll do this is by giving you better control of your projects with a MarkUp status feature! This functionality will make team communication even more transparent by letting everyone see the status of your MarkUp’s progress.
That way you can quickly identify what stage of the feedback process you’re at (i.e., ‘In Progress,’ ‘Approved,’ etc) and your stakeholders can see what’s expected of them.
We’ll also make workflow improvements by bringing you brand-new integrations, such as communication apps like Microsoft Teams. So, soon, you’ll be able to bring all your feedback directly into the MS Teams channels you and your team use the most. 💪
That’s your sneak peek for now – check back in soon for more!
That’s a wrap on 2023 🙌
Alrighty, it’s time to wave bye-bye to last year and set our sights on this one!
GIF Source: Giphy
A big, heartfelt thank you to all of you for joining us on this incredible journey – we’re practically glowing with pride at how far we’ve come and couldn’t be happier to have shared 2023 with you.
Got a favorite feature from last year? Eager for any new ones this year? We’re all ears! Swing by our Slack community, and let’s chat.
And if you’re (somehow) still on the fence about hopping aboard the MarkUp.io train, sign up for a free trial here and kickstart your new year with a bang!
