Have you been bogged down by slow approval processes? If so, it’s time to say goodbye to paperwork pile-ups and manual approval headaches and to explore approval workflow software!
By adding approval workflow software to your tech stack, you can improve efficiency, reduce errors, ensure compliance with regulations or company policies, and better control the decision-making process.
We’ve compiled a list of 10 approval workflow software apps with features that can help improve your team’s approval system. Let’s dive in and discover what the power of automation and collaboration can do for your team.
10 Best Approval Workflow Software Apps in 2024
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Should You Look for in Approval Workflow Software?
Approval workflow software is a digital tool designed to streamline and automate the process of obtaining approvals for various tasks, projects, or documents. It provides a structured and systematic approach to managing approval requests.
Typical features may include:
- Request submission: Users can initiate approval requests by submitting relevant information, documents, or tasks that require authorization
- Routing and escalation: The software routes the approval request to the appropriate individuals or groups based on predefined rules or hierarchical structures
- Notification and reminders: The software sends automated notifications and reminders to approvers to ensure timely action and to avoid delays
- Commenting and feedback: Approvers can provide comments, feedback, or suggestions within the software to facilitate communication during the approval process
- Approval tracking: The software maintains a clear record of all approval activities, including timestamps, comments, and the final decision
- Customizable workflows: Organizations can configure the approval workflows according to their specific requirements, including the number of approvers, sequence, and decision-making criteria
- Reporting and analytics: The software may offer reporting capabilities to analyze process efficiency, identify bottlenecks, and track overall performance
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe 10 Best Approval Workflow Software to Use in 2024
In today’s fast-paced business environment, efficient approval processes are the keystone to success. With a myriad of options available, selecting the right approval workflow software can be a daunting task.
Below is our curated list of the top approval software available today.
1. ClickUp
ClickUp is project management software that excels in approval and workforce management. The software helps to streamline the approval process so it runs like a well-oiled machine. 🛠️
Starting with a virtual Whiteboard, teams can plan their workflow and map out the approval steps they need to follow. This helps everyone visualize the process from start to finish.
When you’re ready to implement the process, ClickUp’s customizable approval workflow templates provide a seamless and organized approach. Whether it’s project requests, document approvals, or any other critical decisions, you’ll be able to tailor the templates to your specific needs. Then, easily collaborate and stay on the same page with real-time notifications, reminders, and instant feedback capabilities.
The best part is, ClickUp goes beyond your approval workflows. You can use ClickUp’s Docs, task management, chat, and more to stay organized and communicate about all your projects and day-to-day responsibilities.
Say goodbye to bottlenecks and embrace the efficiency and productivity that ClickUp brings to the table. 🎉
ClickUp best features
- ClickUp offers customization tools, making it easy for team members to add various fields, statuses, and views as required
- Approval workflow automation tools let you create tasks, change assignees, update statuses, and apply tags to expedite reviewing project requests
- Notifications keep team members up to date
- With ClickUp Docs, you can edit in real-time with other team members, add comments, assign action items, and more
- Over 1,000 integrations with third-party platforms give you the power to connect the other apps in your tech stack to your workflow
ClickUp limitations
- The software comes with a bit of a learning curve thanks to the number of features it offers
- ClickUp’s mobile app has more limited capabilities compared to the web or desktop apps
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Business Plus: $19/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (8,200+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,700+ reviews)
2. Integrify
Integrify empowers organizations with the tools they need to optimize and automate their approval processes. With a focus on simplicity and efficiency, Integrify offers a user-friendly interface that caters to both business users and IT professionals. Its robust workflow automation capabilities enable seamless approval routing, task assignments, and real-time tracking of progress.
The software’s drag-and-drop form builder allows users to design custom approval request forms tailored to their specific needs, ensuring accurate and relevant information gathering. Additionally, the software’s reporting and analytics features provide valuable insights into process performance, helping organizations identify bottlenecks and drive continuous improvement.
Integrify best features
- It can be used across various industries, from healthcare to construction
- The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to build an unlimited number of automated workflow processes
- Open architecture allows opportunities for users to integrate and build upon their workflow tools
Integrify limitations
- Some users expressed concerns with the styling and interface of the automation software
- There is not much variety available in the reporting processes
Integrify pricing
- Contact for pricing
Integrify ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (30+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (20+ reviews)
3. Approval Studio
Approval Studio stands as a versatile and powerful approval management software for creative content. It’s designed to streamline the review and approval process for marketing, design, and creative teams.
With its extensive range of features, Approval Studio offers a centralized platform for collaborative feedback, annotation, and version control of artwork, images, videos, and other visual content.
The software’s intuitive user interface allows for effortless project setup and tracking, ensuring all stakeholders are on the same page throughout the approval journey. Approval Studio’s markup tools facilitate precise and clear comments, which can help eliminate confusion and reduce revision cycles.
The software’s real-time notification system keeps teams informed of updates and deadlines, expediting the approval process.
Approval Studio best features
- Users can upload large files without losing quality
- An unlimited number of external users can review and approve designs without having to sign up for the software
- Custom branding features allow you to meet your business needs while maintaining your company’s style
Approval Studio limitations
- Integrations are limited to Slack and Zapier
- Users mentioned that they wished the software offered more integrations, especially with other project management tools
Approval Studio pricing
- Lite: $45 per month for five users
- Pro: $135 per month for five users
- Pro XL: $255 per month for 15 users
- Enterprise: $5,999 per year for unlimited users
Approval Studio ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.9/5 (25+ reviews)
- Capterra: 5/5 (20+ reviews)
4. Kissflow Workflow
Kissflow Workflow stands out as a robust and user-friendly approval workflow software that empowers businesses to automate and optimize their approval processes effortlessly. With a no-code approach, Kissflow Workflow allows users to design custom approval workflows without any technical expertise, accelerating implementation and reducing dependency on IT teams.
With real-time tracking and visibility, users can monitor the status of approval requests and identify potential bottlenecks. With its focus on simplicity and adaptability, Kissflow Workflow empowers organizations to drive efficiency, reduce manual errors, and maintain compliance.
Kissflow Workflow best features
- The platform offers a large number of online forms, which can be built into the approval workflow process
- A simple no-code interface makes onboarding a breeze
- Visual representations of workflows make it very easy to see bottlenecks
Kissflow Workflow limitations
- Though users can customize workflow processes, there are limited customization options available otherwise
- The pricing structure could be a deterrent for small businesses or startups
Kissflow Workflow pricing
- Basic: $1,500 per month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Kissflow Workflow ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (520+ reviews)
- Capterra: 3.9/5 (35+ reviews)
5. Hub Planner
Hub Planner’s features focus on resource management. With its Scheduling feature, you can get a bird’s eye view of your team member’s availability—so you can plan pipeline work without overextending your employees. It also offers built-in approval workflows for both time tracking and vacation requests.
The time tracking feature allows your team members to record both billable and non-billable hours. They can categorize their time entries and add notes so you can see a breakdown of where time is going and what parts of a project are most resource-intensive. There is also a built-in timesheet approval process.
The vacation management tool integrates directly with the app’s scheduler feature so that scheduled time off is automatically factored into an employee’s availability. Team members can submit vacation requests that will be routed to their assigned approver. The approver then receives email and Slack notifications about the request.
Hub Planner best features
- You can compare planned time for a project with the actual time spent to calculate project burn and make data-driven time projections on future projects
- You can set different approvers for each team member based on your specific approval workflow
- Vacation approvers have the flexibility to sign off on requests directly in the app or via the email notification
Hub Planner limitations
- A robust feature set could be overwhelming for those not familiar with the software, especially first-time users
- Users wished that the software could do more with add-ins
Hub Planner pricing
- Plug & Play: $7/month per resource
- Premium: $18/month per resource
- Business Leader: Contact for pricing
Hub Planner ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.2/5 (15+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.2/5 (100+ reviews)
6. Frevvo
Frevvo is a workflow management software that empowers businesses to automate and optimize their approval processes efficiently. The platform offers a wide array of prebuilt approval workflow templates designed to address diverse business scenarios, from HR and finance to sales and operations.
The software’s dynamic routing engine automatically directs approval requests to the appropriate stakeholders based on predefined rules, saving time and eliminating the risk of manual errors.
Frevvo also facilitates seamless integration with popular applications like Salesforce, SharePoint, and Google Sheets. Plus, with its mobile-friendly interface, users can initiate, track, and approve requests on the go.
Frevvo best features
- Prepopulated e-forms minimize errors typically seen during the sign-off process
- Built-in audit trails make it easy for employees to track the progress of their request
- As a document approval workflow tool, it can be used for expense and invoice approval
Frevvo limitations
- Users indicated that the search function was rudimentary
- It doesn’t seem to be as widely used as other options on our list
Frevvo pricing
- Custom pricing
Frevvo ratings and reviews
- G2: 2.5/5 (1 review)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (25+ reviews)
7. Gain
Gain is a workflow solution specifically intended for marketing teams. With its intuitive interface and user-friendly features, Gain simplifies the collaboration between team members and stakeholders. The platform allows users to easily submit content for approval, set approval workflows, and track the progress of each review in real time.
Gain’s intuitive commenting and markup tools facilitate clear communication and feedback, eliminating the need for back-and-forth email chains. Approvers can also view both dynamic and public previews, so they can see the end result of their marketing campaign before publishing.
Additionally, the software’s version tracking ensures that all changes are documented and easily traceable. Plus, by integrating with popular content creation tools like Adobe Creative Cloud and Canva, Gain enables seamless content transfer and simplifies the approval process even further.
Gain best features
- Users can add an unlimited number of rounds and people to the approval process
- Approvers can access content securely from their email
- The intuitive interface makes it easy to approve requests with one click
Gain limitations
- Users found it difficult to find and use templates
- There appear to be connectivity issues with the application programming interfaces (APIs) of social media channels
Gain pricing
- $99 per month for 10 users, then $10/month for each additional user
Gain ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (10+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (60+ reviews)
8. Filestage
With Filestage, teams can efficiently collaborate and manage feedback, eliminating the need for endless email threads and manual follow-ups. The platform provides a centralized hub for content review, allowing stakeholders to view and annotate files directly in their web browser.
Filestage’s versatile commenting and markup tools enable clear and precise feedback, which enhances communication between reviewers and content creators.
Moreover, the software’s automated workflow feature allows users to set up approval processes with specific stages and approvers. Filestage’s robust version tracking and activity history features provide a comprehensive audit trail, allowing teams to keep track of all changes and approvals.
Filestage best features
- This document management tool keeps every file and comment available at your fingertips
- Your data is secure thanks to enterprise-grade AES 256 encryption
- Password protection allows you to control who views your content
Filestage limitations
- Lower-tiered pricing options come with low data limits, which could require a costly upgrade
- Users reported that the software would abruptly sign them out
Filestage pricing
- Free version
- Basic: $49 per month
- Professional: $249 per month
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Filestage ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.6/5 (235+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (100+ reviews)
9. WebProof
WebProof is a feature-rich online proofing and approval workflow software designed to streamline the review and collaboration process for creative teams. With its intuitive interface and cloud-based platform, WebProof enables users to effortlessly upload, share, and review files in real time, eliminating the need for manual file transfers and disjointed communication.
The platform’s comprehensive annotation tools allow stakeholders to add comments, highlight specific areas, and draw directly on the files, facilitating clear and precise feedback. WebProof’s automated workflow ensures that content moves through predefined approval stages with customizable settings for deadlines and notifications.
WebProof best features
- The project dashboard simplifies task management, providing a quick overview of all open assignments
- Comments and edits can be summarized in the form of a checklist
- Users can receive both text messages and email notifications
WebProof limitations
- Some users found it difficult to customize workflows
- The software can be slow during the upload phases
WebProof pricing
- Pageflip: Pricing available upon request
- Enterprise: Pricing available upon request
- Platinum: Pricing available upon request
WebProof ratings and reviews
- G2: 5/5 (1 review)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (10+ reviews)
10. Admation
Admation is a feature-rich software with automated approval workflows designed to cater specifically to the needs of creative and marketing teams. One of its standout features is Approval Levels, which allow users to set up multi-level approval processes with different stakeholders. This ensures that content goes through the necessary review stages with the right people.
Another unique feature of Admation is Batched Approvals, which allows users to group multiple assets together for simultaneous review and approval. This streamlines the process for projects involving multiple files or variations, saving time and effort for both reviewers and content creators.
Admation also offers advanced annotation tools, enabling stakeholders to provide precise feedback directly on files, avoiding miscommunications and speeding up the approval process. With version control, users can track changes, compare different versions of files, and maintain a comprehensive audit trail, ensuring complete visibility and accountability.
Admation best features
- Multi-leveled approvals make it easy to work through complex approval structures
- Batched approvals can save time
- The ability to appoint proxy users makes it easy to manage approvals while away
Admation limitations
- The system can be a bit clunky at times, making it hard to find certain items and documents
- Users reported that the software can be slow at times
Admation pricing
- Contact for pricing
Admation ratings and reviews
- G2: 3.8/5 (10+ reviews)
- Capterra: 3.6/5 (215+ reviews)
Summarize this article for me pleaseAdd Approval Process Software to Your Tech Stack
If your team is looking for faster approval decisions, it may be time to add approval workflow software to your tech stack. The various software options explored in this article could help your team embrace the power of automation, collaboration, and streamlined approvals. The right approval workflow software can transform your business processes and boost productivity like never before.
If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution to solve your workflow and project management needs, look no further than ClickUp! With its intuitive interface, robust features, and unparalleled versatility, ClickUp has earned its place as a top contender on our list.
Sign up for ClickUp today and improve your organization’s approval process!
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