Hightail
Hightail is a cloud-based creative collaboration and secure file sharing platform for marketing teams, agencies, and enterprises. Following OpenText's 2018 acquisition, it integrates file sharing, review workflows, and approvals with Adobe Creative Cloud and OpenText's enterprise products.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersCampbell, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Hightail does
Hightail is a cloud-based creative collaboration and secure file sharing platform serving marketing teams, creative agencies, and enterprises that need to share, review, and approve large visual files. Founded in 2004 as YouSendIt, the company rebranded as Hightail in 2013 to focus on creative workflows, and was acquired by OpenText in 2018, since when it has operated as "Hightail by OpenText" out of Campbell, California. The platform combines secure large-file transfer (with access codes, expiration dates, recipient verification, download prevention, and delivery tracking) with creative review tools including version control, side-by-side comparison, freehand annotations, approval routing, HTML preview reviews, and nested folder organization. High-resolution streaming previews for images, video, and audio are supported, and the platform is accessible via web, iOS, and Android (Hightail Spaces). Hightail integrates natively with Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, and OpenText's enterprise content suite (Documentum, Core, Media Management), with Zapier enabling broader workflow automation.
The product is built around a unified workspace concept in which creative assets, reviewer feedback, version history, and approval decisions are managed in one place, addressing the pain point (cited in Hightail's own research) that 79% of respondents miss deadlines due to too many people involved in creative reviews. Customers cite measurable outcomes including a 50% reduction in project review rounds and ~500 hours saved annually (TPF Sports), 150% efficiency gains in creative review processes (CRE8IVE), and accelerated campaign delivery across multiple locations (Epicosity). The platform supports specialized workflows for visual content — HTML previews, side-by-side comparisons, freehand markup — that distinguish it from generic file transfer or generic project management tools.
Hightail monetizes through tiered subscription plans with a freemium entry point (free Lite account, 100MB cap) and a 14-day trial without credit card, paired with enterprise sales for larger deployments that integrate with the OpenText suite. Go-to-market is hybrid: a product-led growth motion with self-service signup targeting individuals and SMBs, plus a direct field-sales motion for enterprise customers (publicly listed US and international phone lines). The customer base spans creative agencies, marketing teams, manufacturing, utilities, construction, engineering, sports licensing, nonprofit/association, legal services, and tourism/government. Hightail's revenue is not separately disclosed and is consolidated within OpenText's reported financials; the company operates as a private subsidiary of OpenText Corporation.
Hightail firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hightail
- Legal name
- OpenText Corporation
- Website
- https://hightail.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Hightail is a cloud-based creative collaboration and secure file sharing platform for marketing teams, agencies, and enterprises. Following OpenText's 2018 acquisition, it integrates file sharing, review workflows, and approvals with Adobe Creative Cloud and OpenText's enterprise products.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hightail industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative Collaboration Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Production Asset Collaboration (shared bins, proxies, live collaboration) (MPAHANAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Remote Review, Approval & Dailies (screening, annotations, version compare) (MPAHANAB)
Keywords
Where Hightail is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Campbell
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Hightail business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Plans: Hightail offers tiered subscription plans for individuals, small teams, and businesses. Plans include features such as file sharing, creative collaboration tools, project management, and integrations. Pricing varies by tier with options for monthly or annual billing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free Lite account for basic file sharing needs |
| Subscription | Monthly | Paid plans for teams and businesses with advanced collaboration features |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise plans with OpenText integration capabilities |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Hightail product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hightail is a cloud-based platform for secure file sharing, creative collaboration, and project management, primarily serving marketing and creative professionals. The platform enables teams to share large files, collect feedback from multiple reviewers on visual content, manage version control, route approvals, and integrate with Adobe Creative Cloud and other productivity tools.
Product overview
Hightail is a cloud-based creative collaboration platform acquired by OpenText in 2018. The unified product offers secure file sharing, creative collaboration with multi-reviewer feedback collection, and project management tools designed for visual content workflows. The core Hightail platform is supplemented by an Adobe Plugin for in-app Creative Cloud collaboration, mobile apps for iOS and Android, and Zapier integration for automation. Users can sync files from Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, and OpenText Core, and integrate with other OpenText enterprise products including Documentum and Media Management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hightail Platform Cloud-based secure file sharing, creative collaboration, and project management platform for creative professionals, marketing teams, and agencies.
- Hightail Adobe Plugin Native integration with Adobe Creative Cloud applications enabling users to respond to feedback and collaborate on creative projects without leaving their Adobe workflow.
- Hightail Spaces Mobile Apps Mobile applications for iOS and Android that enable users to access Hightail Spaces and address feedback on creative projects while on the go.
- Hightail Zapier Integration Integration with Zapier automation platform enabling connection to hundreds of third-party applications and automated workflows between Hightail and other tools.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduced project review rounds by 50%, saving nearly 500 hours per year (TPF Sports case study)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Hightail
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Hightail technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Feature14 records
Hightail partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- AdobecoreAdobe Creative Cloud integration allowing users to respond to feedback without leaving Adobe applications. This deep integration is a key differentiator for creative professionals using Hightail for review workflows.
- Microsoft OneDrivecoreNative integration for syncing files from Microsoft OneDrive, allowing seamless collaboration for Microsoft 365 users
- DropboxcoreNative integration for syncing files from Dropbox, enabling users to import files directly into Hightail spaces
- Google DrivecoreNative integration for syncing files from Google Drive
- BoxcoreNative integration for syncing files from Box cloud storage
- OpenText CorecoreIntegration with OpenText Core for enterprise content management and workflow automation
- OpenText DocumentumcoreIntegration with OpenText Documentum for enterprise document management and compliance capabilities
- OpenText Media ManagementcoreIntegration with OpenText Media Management for DAM (Digital Asset Management) capabilities
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hightail competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Frame.io: Frame.io (acquired by Adobe in 2021) is a direct competitor in creative review/approval and collaborative video/asset workflows. It overlaps with Hightail on multi-reviewer feedback, version control, and approvals, and now benefits from native Adobe Creative Cloud integration similar to Hightail's Adobe Plugin.
- Filestage: Filestage is a direct peer offering file sharing with review/approval workflows for creative and marketing teams. Like Hightail, it centralizes stakeholder feedback, annotations, and version comparison for visual content.
- Ziflow: Ziflow is a direct peer focused on online proofing and creative review/approval for marketing, branding, and advertising teams. It competes head-on with Hightail Spaces on feedback collection, version compare, and approval routing.
- ReviewStudio: ReviewStudio is a direct competitor offering online proofing and collaboration for creative agencies and in-house creative teams. It targets the same use cases as Hightail — visual review, annotation, and approval workflows.
- WeTransfer: WeTransfer is a direct competitor in large file sharing targeting creative professionals and marketing teams. It overlaps with Hightail on the share-large-files-with-tracking use case and competes for the same creative persona.
Emerging players
- Wipster: Wipster is a niche review-and-approval platform focused on video and rich media. It overlaps with Hightail's video-preview and annotation capabilities, particularly for marketing and creative video workflows.
- GoVisually: GoVisually is an emerging player offering online proofing and approval for design and creative projects. It targets agencies and in-house creative teams with a narrower feature set, partially overlapping with Hightail's review workflow.
Broad incumbents
- Dropbox: Dropbox is a broad incumbent in cloud file sharing and storage with HelloSign/Dropbox Sign and collaboration features. While Hightail integrates with Dropbox as a sync source, Dropbox competes at the lower end of Hightail's workflow for share-and-review use cases.
- Box: Box is a broad incumbent in enterprise content collaboration and file sharing. It overlaps with Hightail on secure large-file sharing for enterprises and is also a sync source for Hightail Spaces.
- OpenText Media Management: OpenText Media Management is the broad-incumbent DAM product within Hightail's own parent company. It is integrated with Hightail as a core strategic partner but also overlaps in the digital asset management and review workflows for marketing teams.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Hightail social profiles
Digital presenceHightail financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hightail leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Hightail funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hightail M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A4 records
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hightail
What does Hightail do?
Hightail is a cloud-based platform for secure file sharing, creative collaboration, and project management, primarily serving marketing and creative professionals. The platform enables teams to share large files, collect feedback from multiple reviewers on visual content, manage version control, route approvals, and integrate with Adobe Creative Cloud and other productivity tools.
Is Hightail a public or private company?
Hightail is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Hightail founded?
Hightail was founded in 2004. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Hightail based?
Hightail is headquartered in Campbell, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hightail make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription Plans.
Who are Hightail's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Frame.io, Filestage, Ziflow, ReviewStudio and WeTransfer. Emerging players are Wipster and GoVisually. Broad incumbents are Dropbox, Box and OpenText Media Management.
Does Hightail have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hightail.
What industry is Hightail in?
Hightail's product category is Creative Collaboration Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHANAG, Production Asset Collaboration (shared bins, proxies, live collaboration), with a secondary code of MPAHANAB, Remote Review, Approval & Dailies (screening, annotations, version compare). Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 7372.