United Kingdom · owned comparison · CAP / ASA

CiteBefore vs ASA Copy Advice (and when you need each)

Teams shipping UK landing pages often ask whether they need ASA Copy Advice, a claim inventory tool, both, or neither. This page sets out an honest comparison: what each is for, what neither replaces, and when to reach for a solicitor instead.

This page is published by CiteBefore (our product). It is an owned comparison on citebefore.co.uk — not a third-party review site. We disclose that clearly so you can weigh our framing.

Not ASA clearance. Not legal advice. CiteBefore is an informational claim inventory with CAP-style risk flags and evidence columns. ASA/CAP Copy Advice is official pre-publication guidance on the CAP Code; it is given in good faith and is not binding on you, CAP, or the ASA. Neither product replaces counsel. The ASA decides complaints.

Short answer

ASA Copy Advice is the official CAP route when you want human advisers to sense-check concepts, imagery, or copy against the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising (the CAP Code) before you publish. CiteBefore is a product for inventoring every material claim on a live marketing URL, flagging CAP-style risk, and giving you Evidence columns to fill — Free on-screen scan, or a £29 Claim Register PDF. CiteBefore does not clear ads and is not a substitute for Copy Advice.

Use Copy Advice for an official CAP steer; CiteBefore to list every claim and evidence gap; both when you inventory first then submit the hard lines; neither for contract, IP, licensing, or litigation — that is solicitor territory.

Side-by-side comparison

CiteBefore vs ASA Copy Advice (factual, not ranking)
Dimension	ASA Copy Advice	CiteBefore
What it is	Official CAP Copy Advice team: pre-publication guidance on whether prospective non-broadcast ads are likely to comply with the CAP Code.	Informational CAP-style claim inventory for UK landing-page URLs: claims listed, risk flags, Evidence and CAP-style note columns.
Who delivers it	CAP Copy Advice (administered via ASA/CAP channels). Human advisers.	CiteBefore (Ellis Greensitt, sole trader). Product scan / PDF register — not CAP staff.
Scope	Non-broadcast only (CAP Code). Concepts, imagery, copy, or a question. TV → Clearcast; radio → Radiocentre. Not legal advice.	Live marketing URLs / landing pages. Claim inventory + evidence prompts. Not clearance. Not legal advice. Not platform ad-policy enforcement.
Binding?	Advice in good faith; not binding on you, CAP, or the ASA. A later complaint can still be upheld.	Informational only. Never binding. Never “cleared.”
Output	Bespoke written advice on the material you submit (within published volume limits).	Free: on-screen top risk flags. Paid: file-ready PDF Claim Register for one URL (£29).
Turnaround / price (verified)	Standard free response typically 3–5 working days. Paid expedited options published by ASA/CAP: 48-hour £150, 24-hour £300, 4-hour £600 (inc. VAT at 20%; figures from ASA Copy Advice pages).	Free scan (limits on pricing page). Claim Register £29 one-off. Site Watch / Agency monthly plans on pricing. VAT not charged on CiteBefore products as stated on our pricing page.
Best fit	Campaign / creative clearance-adjacent questions; sense-check before media spend; disputed claim wording.	Full-page claim inventory; agency handover; evidence-gap triage before publish or before a Copy Advice submission.
Honest limits	Volume caps per submission; complex technical evidence may only get a general steer; not legal advice; not broadcast.	Not ASA clearance; not Copy Advice; does not decide “safe to publish”; does not replace counsel or platform compliance checks.

Related guides

ASA Copy Advice facts taken from asa.org.uk Copy Advice and the related submit / terms pages (checked Sep 2026). Always confirm current fees and turnaround on the ASA site — they can change.

What ASA Copy Advice is actually for

According to ASA/CAP’s own description, Copy Advice helps advertisers, agencies, media owners, and media service providers check how prospective non-broadcast ads measure up against the CAP Code. Advisers can look at concepts, imagery, and copy, or answer a focused question — earlier is usually better. Advice is confidential to the enquirer; if the ASA later receives a complaint about the same content, they can be made aware of the advice given.

Published volume guidance per submission includes up to six image-based ads, or up to four pages of text, or up to five minutes of video (or a reasonable combination). Standard turnaround is free and typically 3–5 working days once they have what they need; paid expedited options are listed on the ASA site (table above). Copy Advice is not a guarantee a complaint will not be upheld, and it is not legal advice — clearance-adjacent official guidance, still non-binding.

What CiteBefore is actually for

CiteBefore fills a different gap: landing pages that accumulate objective-sounding lines across headlines, badges, comparisons, green claims, and trust strips. Under CAP Code rule 3.7, marketers must hold documentary evidence for objective claims capable of substantiation before publication. Copy Advice is excellent for contested lines; it is not a full-page inventory.

Paste a live URL for CAP-style risk flags (free scan: top flags on-screen).
£29 Claim Register PDF: fuller inventory with Evidence and CAP-style note columns — see the Register sample.
Does not say a claim is safe to publish, clear copy with the ASA, or replace Copy Advice or a solicitor.

Evidence by claim class: advertising claim substantiation for UK landing pages. Agency workflow: CAP-style claim register agency template.

When to use each

Use ASA Copy Advice when…

You need an official CAP view on a concept, pack shot, or set of lines before a major non-broadcast push.
Internal stakeholders want “we asked CAP” on file (remembering advice is still non-binding).
The question is interpretive (“is this comparative claim likely to mislead?”) rather than “how many claims are on this URL?”

Use CiteBefore when…

You need a structured claim inventory and evidence-gap list for a live landing page.
An agency must hand a client a dated register without pretending it is ASA clearance.
You want a cheap triage (free scan) or a £29 file-ready PDF before spending Copy Advice time on the whole page.

Use both when…

You inventory the page first (CiteBefore or your own register), close obvious evidence gaps, then submit the remaining high-risk lines — with evidence packs — to Copy Advice within their volume limits.
You treat the register as operational hygiene and Copy Advice as the official sense-check on the hardest claims.

Use neither (call a solicitor) when…

You need legal advice (consumer law, contracts, IP, licensing, litigation) or representation on a live complaint.
The risk is broadcast (Clearcast / Radiocentre as ASA/CAP directs) or sits outside advertising Code advice.

Honest framing. CiteBefore is useful and incomplete on purpose: inventory + evidence columns. Copy Advice is official and still non-binding. Neither is “ASA clearance” in the sense of a guarantee. If someone sells you that guarantee elsewhere, treat it sceptically.

Paid compliance platforms (careful note)

Some commercial tools market “ad compliance” checks aimed at platform policy risk (for example Meta, Google, or TikTok rejection patterns). That is a different job from ASA/CAP Copy Advice and from CiteBefore’s CAP-oriented claim inventory. We are not ranking those products here — confirm features and pricing on the vendor’s own site, and do not treat platform checkers as equivalent to Copy Advice unless they clearly document UK CAP Code coverage.

Practical next steps

Inventory — Run a free CiteBefore scan or build your own register (see the agency template).
Evidence — Close gaps using the substantiation checklist in claim substantiation for UK landing pages.
Official steer (if needed) — Submit remaining hard lines to ASA Copy Advice with evidence attached.
Legal (if needed) — Instruct a solicitor for advice that sits outside Code guidance.

Try free scan See £29 Register sample Pricing

FAQ

Does CiteBefore replace ASA Copy Advice?

No. CiteBefore inventories claims and evidence columns. Copy Advice is official CAP pre-publication guidance. They solve different jobs and can be used together.

If I get Copy Advice, am I cleared?

No. ASA/CAP state that advice is given in good faith and is not binding on you, CAP, or the ASA. A complaint can still be investigated and upheld.

Is this page an independent review?

No. This page is published by CiteBefore on our own domain. We disclose ownership so you can read it as an owned comparison, not a fake-review site.

Where do I see CiteBefore pricing?

On our pricing page: Free scan, Claim Register £29, Site Watch £79/mo, Agency £149/mo. Soft samples: free-scan sample and Register sample.

Primary sources

ASA/CAP Copy Advice
Submit Copy Advice request (service tiers / fees as published)
CAP Code Section 03 — Misleading advertising (includes rule 3.7)
CiteBefore guide: advertising claim substantiation
CiteBefore guide: agency claim-register template

Owned comparison for UK marketers and agencies. Informational only. ASA Copy Advice details verified against asa.org.uk Copy Advice materials as of Sep 2026; re-check the ASA site for current fees and turnaround.