Launch vs Frontify
Frontify holds the brand guidelines and assets. Launch checks that what goes live follows them.
Launch vs Frontify, side by side
Last verified September 2026. Classifications describe how each product addresses the dimension. “Different model” means a materially different object or workflow, not a gap.
| Dimension | Launch | Frontify |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Marketing operations control: scan what is live, check every change, keep the record. | A brand platform that combines digital asset management, brand guidelines, and templates. Different model Source |
| Primary user | Marketing operations, brand, and growth teams. | Brand, marketing, and creative teams, and the partners who use their brand. Different model Source |
| Core object | Campaign | Brand guidelines and assets Different model Guidelines and assets describe the brand. A campaign spans live assets and systems. Source |
| Approvals | Two approvals, always in the same order: brand, then legal. People approve; Launch records. | Frontify describes approval workflows where teams assign reviewers and set deadlines and approval rules. Native This is Frontify’s own description. Source |
| What an approval gates | A committed launch. It is read only for everyone but the current approver. | Role-based permissions and approval workflows keep distributed teams inside defined guardrails. Different model Source |
| Pre-release tests | Preflight: twenty-one requirements in six groups. No person can mark a requirement complete. | Interactive guidelines that people consult when they create. Different model Source |
| Live-state visibility | Scan checks what is live. A domain scan needs no account and no credentials. | Assets, templates, and guidelines inside the platform. Different model Source |
| Rules | Rules are versioned. Every evaluation names the version that produced it. | Guidelines are structured content blocks with versioning. Different model Source |
| Audit history | An append-only log records the actor and a timestamp for every action. Two-year minimum retention. | Not verified in current public documentation. Not verified Source |
| Integrations | Every integration is read only, except Slack messaging, which the customer enables. | Frontify describes native integrations with design and marketing tools. Different model Source |
What Launch and Frontify have in common
Both products exist because a brand drifts when nobody owns it. Each gives a team a way to keep the brand consistent.
- Brand rules. Frontify holds guidelines as structured content. Launch holds versioned rules that cover brand, language, claims, legal, and accessibility.
- Approval workflows. Frontify assigns reviewers and sets approval rules. Launch asks for two approvals, brand then legal.
- Versioning. Frontify keeps versions of guidelines and assets. Launch names the rule version in every evaluation.
- Shared reference. Each gives many people one place to check what is correct.
Ask what each product looks at.
Frontify looks at the brand itself. It holds the guidelines, the approved assets, and the templates people build from. Frontify says governance means giving distributed teams defined guardrails.
Launch looks at what is live. Scan checks the pages, ads, tags, and connected systems a campaign touches. Preflight tests them against requirements. The record shows who approved, and against which version of the rules.
Guidelines say what should be true. Live pages show what is true. Frontify keeps the first current. Launch compares the two.
How the workflows compare
The flows meet at review. In Frontify, reviewers approve work against the guidelines. In Launch, brand and legal approve after Preflight has tested the live assets.
Scan and Preflight have no step in the Frontify flow. Guideline authoring and template building have no step in the Launch flow.
9 areas in detail
Statements about Frontify come from its public documentation. Statements that compare the two are Launch’s interpretation.
Campaign vs Brand Guidelines and Assets
A campaign is the durable object in Launch. It owns the assets, systems, requirements, approvals, and history attached to it. The same object carries the campaign from scan to go-live.
Frontify organizes the brand as guidelines built from content blocks, plus stored assets and templates. Frontify describes guidelines as structured data that people and AI tools can read.
Why it matters. The object decides what can be tested. Guidelines describe the brand. A campaign carries the live result that customers see.
Pre-Release Checks
Preflight is an automated test a campaign must pass before it is allowed to go live. It covers twenty-one requirements in six groups. No person can mark a requirement complete.
Frontify offers interactive guidelines and content creation templates. Teams consult them while they create, and reviewers check work against them.
Why it matters. One helps people create correctly. The other tests the result.
Approvals and Release Gates
Launch asks for two approvals, always in the same order: brand, then legal. People approve. Launch records who approved, against which rule version. A committed launch is read only for everyone but the current approver.
Frontify describes built-in workflows and approval tools where teams assign reviewers and set deadlines and approval rules. It pairs them with role-based permissions and versioning.
Why it matters. Frontify approvals keep creative work inside the guardrails. Launch approvals gate the go-live of a campaign.
Rules and Governance
Launch rules cover brand, language, claims, legal, and accessibility. Rules are versioned. Every evaluation names the version that produced it. Exceptions are scoped, owned, tied to a rule version, and time bound.
Frontify defines brand governance as controlling how a brand is presented and used, including guidelines, asset management, approval workflows, and training.
Why it matters. Frontify governs how the brand is defined and shared. Launch governs the live result against versioned rules.
Monitoring and Change Detection
Scan checks what is live across a company’s public web presence and connected systems. A domain scan needs no account and no credentials. A team can see how live assets differ from what was approved.
Frontify tracks assets, guidelines, and usage inside the platform. Its public material describes analytics on usage and adoption.
Why it matters. Usage inside the library and state on live pages can differ. Launch watches the live state.
Integrations and Systems
Every Launch integration is read only, except Slack messaging, which the customer enables. Scan and Preflight read from connected systems. See the integrations page for what is connected today.
Frontify describes native integrations with design and marketing tools, and an MCP server that connects AI tools to guidelines, assets, and templates.
Why it matters. Frontify integrations bring the brand into creative tools. Launch integrations read the systems where campaigns run.
Auditability and History
Every action is written to an append-only log with the actor and a timestamp. Minimum retention is two years. Exports are logged under the exporting user.
Frontify describes versioning of guidelines and assets. Audit log retention and export are not verified for this page.
Why it matters. Ask Frontify for retention and export details, and compare them to your audit policy.
Permissions and Security
Approvals belong to named people. Launch records who acted and when. Read the Launch security page for current controls. This page states no certification.
Frontify describes role-based permissions for its platform. Confirm current security controls and certifications in Frontify’s own documentation.
Why it matters. Treat any security claim this page does not cite as not verified.
Automation
Scan checks and Preflight evaluates without anyone asking. People decide, and people fix content where it lives. Launch reports; it does not change your systems.
Frontify describes workflows that move work through review and approval, and connectors that let AI tools read guidelines.
Why it matters. Both automate, but different work. Frontify automates the handling of brand material. Launch automates the testing of the live result.
Feature comparison
| Dimension | Launch | Frontify |
|---|---|---|
| Primary object | Campaign | Brand guidelines and assets Different model Source |
| Approval workflows | Two approvals in a fixed order, brand then legal | Reviewers, deadlines, and approval rules Native Source |
| Brand guidelines | Versioned rules that cover brand, language, claims, legal, and accessibility | Interactive guidelines built from content blocks Native Different form: rules that are tested versus guidance that people read. Source |
| Automated live-result tests | Preflight: twenty-one requirements in six groups | Guidelines consulted by people Different model Source |
| Scan of live state | Scan checks what is live | Assets and usage inside the platform Different model Source |
| Asset storage and templates | Not a Launch function | Core Frontify function Native Source |
| Versioning | Every evaluation names the rule version | Versioning of guidelines and assets Native Source |
| Audit trail | Append-only log, two-year minimum retention | Not verified Not verified Source |
| Integration approach | Read only, except customer-enabled Slack messaging | Native integrations and an MCP server Different model Source |
Want to see the Launch side in motion? See how Launch works or explore Preflight.
Who each is designed for
Who is Launch designed for?
Launch is designed for marketing operations, brand teams, and marketing leaders who need requirements checked before anything goes live. It suits teams that must show later who approved what, against which version of the rules.
Who is Frontify designed for?
Frontify is designed for brand, marketing, and creative teams that need one place for guidelines, assets, and templates. Its public material also describes sharing the brand with external partners.
May fit better when
- 1You need a home for brand guidelines that people actually use.
- 2You want assets and templates in one system with role-based permissions.
- 3Your partners and agencies need controlled access to the brand.
- 4Your problem is how the brand is defined and shared, not what is live.
May fit better when
- 1Your problem is what reaches customers, not how the brand is documented.
- 2Live assets drift from the guidelines and nobody notices.
- 3Requirements must pass before anything goes live, with no manual override.
- 4Brand and legal approvals must happen in a fixed order, with a record.
- 5Someone will later ask who approved what, against which rule version.
Pricing
Pricing models differ. Frontify public pricing is not verified for this page, so no figure appears. Launch has Free, Basic, Business, and Enterprise plans. The Free plan includes unlimited members. See Launch pricing for current plans.
- Verified
- 2026-09-28
- Currency
- USD
- Billing model
- Frontify: not verified. Launch: see Launch pricing.
- Assumptions
- No seat or usage assumptions. No like-for-like total is claimed.
- Exclusions
- Launch Enterprise pricing is negotiated.
Implementation and migration
The starting points differ. A Frontify rollout centers on writing guidelines, organizing assets, and building templates. Launch begins with a domain scan, which needs no account and no credentials. You then connect systems and set the requirements and approvers.
The two do not compete for the same setup work. Teams can keep Frontify as the brand reference and add Launch to check the live result. Neither vendor’s public documentation promises a fixed timeline, so this page does not either.
Frequently asked questions
Is Launch a replacement for Frontify?
No. Frontify holds the brand guidelines and assets. Launch checks what goes live and keeps the record. Many teams could use both.
How is Launch different from Frontify?
Frontify stores guidelines, assets, and templates. Launch reads the live result and tests it against requirements before it goes live.
Does Launch integrate with Frontify?
The integrations page lists the systems Launch connects to today. Check it for the current list.
Who should use Launch instead of Frontify?
Teams whose problem is drift between the brand and what is live. Launch tests the live result and records approvals in a fixed order.
When is Frontify the better fit?
When you need a home for brand guidelines, assets, and templates that many people and partners use.
Do Launch and Frontify work together?
They address different questions. Frontify answers what the brand is. Launch answers whether what is live matches it.
How does Launch handle approvals?
Launch asks for two approvals in a fixed order: brand, then legal. People approve. Launch records who approved and against which rule version.
How does Launch handle rules?
Rules are versioned. Every evaluation names the version that produced it. Exceptions are scoped, owned, and time bound.
How does Launch watch what is live?
Scan checks a company’s live marketing. A domain scan needs no account and no credentials. Every action is written to an append-only log.
How does pricing compare?
Pricing models differ. This page states no Frontify figure. Launch has Free, Basic, Business, and Enterprise plans. See Launch pricing.
Last verified September 2026
Competitor facts come from Frontify’s own public documentation. Statements comparing Frontify to Launch are Launch’s interpretation and are labelled as such.
- 1Frontify: Product overviewFrontify describes a platform that combines asset management, brand guidelines, and templates.official product, accessed 2026-09-28
- 2Frontify: Brand guidelines platformGuidelines are built from content blocks and described as structured data.official product, accessed 2026-09-28
- 3Frontify: Brand asset managementFrontify describes approval workflows, role-based permissions, native integrations, and usage analytics.official product, accessed 2026-09-28
- 4Frontify: What is brand governanceFrontify defines brand governance and describes its approach to guardrails and versioning.official product, accessed 2026-09-28
See what is live before you launch
Run a domain scan. It needs no account and no credentials.