It’s 3 p.m. on a Friday. You’re buzzing with anticipation because the project you’ve poured your heart into is on the brink of completion. You’re picturing a tranquil weekend, free from stress, just a few approval clicks away.
Easy peasy, right? Think again.
Suddenly, your serene weekend morphs into a battleground of lengthy, context-less email threads. And just like that, your leisurely weekend becomes a distant dream.
GIF Source: Giphy
“Ugh, not this again,” you sigh.
But, hold on! What if there was a magical solution that could streamline the approval process, saving you from the chaos and the pounding headache?
Meet your knight in shining armor, workflow approval software. It’s here to liberate you from the infinite loop of approval hell.
Say adios to the exhausting chase for approvals and hello to a streamlined process that makes room for the work you truly enjoy.
So, creative geniuses, let’s take you on a journey through the wonderful world of workflow approval software.
Table of contents
- What’s all the fuss about workflow approval software?
- Tool #1: MarkUp.io
- Tool #2: Integrify
- Tool #3: Wrike
- Tool #4: Process.St
- Tool #5: CMW Lab
- Tool #6: Admation
- Tool #7: Approval Donkey
- Tool #8: Jotform Approvals
- Tool #9: Gain
- Tool #10: Moxo
- Tool #11: WebProof
- Tool #12: frevvo
- Tool #13: ApprovalMax
- Tool #14: ProofHub
- Tool #15: Kissflow
What’s all the fuss about workflow approval software?
Think of workflow approval software as your digital fairy godmother. It effortlessly streamlines the route your projects take to get a swift thumbs-up from the right people, thereby slashing the pandemonium and stress that usually accompanies the review stage.
This magical tool allows your team members to request feedback, store it, and log reviews in one central place for easy future access, creating a sleek workflow.
Now, let’s paint a scenario: You’re crafting a web page, and the clock is ticking with only two days left until the due date.
But your clients and stakeholders have vanished into thin air, leaving you hanging for the all-important green light. You fire off emails and reminders, but there’s no response, and the deadline is breathing down your neck. In plain English, you’re in a fix.
Sound familiar? How often have you found yourself in this pickle because approval was pending?
Enter: workflow approval software!
A digital superhero, poised to save you and your team members from unnecessary hold-ups and bottlenecks in your project pipeline. Now, that’s something to cheer about!
Here’s the lowdown:
- It supercharges your quality control process by helping you lay down and stick to approval procedures.
- Are your projects stuck in a feedback loop? Not anymore. This tool serves as a stage where project submission, revision, and approval take the limelight.
- Ever wish feedback was neatly filed away in one place that you could revisit at will? Wish granted! The software provides a vault that serves as the one-stop-shop for all feedback.
- Experience the joy of seamless collaboration and complete transparency.
- No more deciphering cryptic comments! Everything is clear as day and in perfect context.
Impressed yet? Hold onto your hats because there’s more to come.
We’re about to dive into the types of tools that can help you hit the jackpot with all these benefits and more, ensuring a silky smooth approval process.
Workflow approval software comparison
Before plunging into our curated list, here’s a cheat-sheet comparing the crème de la crème of workflow approval tools. We’ve included their prices, along with features that make them steal the limelight.
There are some crucial elements you’ll want to mull over while you’re deciding which tool to invest in.
So, sit back, grab your favorite cup of joe, and unwind as we take a leisurely stroll through these remarkable tools.
Tool #1: MarkUp.io
Fed up with the endless cycle of emailing attachments for approval and then playing the waiting game for a response that’s probably lost in the labyrinth of a jam-packed inbox?
We feel your pain.
Let’s face it: nobody should have to endure that level of stress just to get their projects over the finish line. And thanks to MarkUp.io, that’s a thing of the past.
MarkUp.io is a powerhouse collaboration tool designed to streamline your workflow approval process and make your life a whole lot easier.
But it doesn’t stop there. MarkUp.io also doubles as a visual feedback software. It empowers users to ask for and receive crystal-clear feedback on projects, turbocharging their completion time.
Instead of sending email attachments into the abyss, users can upload them directly to the platform and share the link with stakeholders through their preferred communication tool.
No more playing hide and seek with feedback! Stakeholders or clients can review and drop pixel-precise comments anywhere on the file and tag the project team once they’re done.
Once the feedback has been taken into account, stakeholders can mark their comments as resolved and give the project their seal of approval.
The best part? All resolved comments on MarkUp.io get automatically whisked away to the Resolved tab, MarkUp’s very own feedback archive. This means users can track modifications made to the document whenever they need to.
And if you need a break from your team mates’ feedback, simply hit ‘Pause new comments’ to stop any new comments from being added to your MarkUp. Then you can shift focus to keep an eye on only the current actionable and unresolved comments.
MarkUp.io workflow approval features
- Engage in a lively chat, adding, responding to, and resolving comments.
- Give your teammates a shoutout using the handy @mention.
- Go the extra mile by attaching video feedback through the seamless Loom integration.
- Share your MarkUps with just a click via a shareable link.
- Use the ‘Pause new comments’ feature so you can control each stage of feedback.
- Embrace diversity by uploading a plethora of different file formats.
Pricing
For the ultimate MarkUp.io experience, we suggest you opt for the Pro plan, yours for just $25/mo.
It offers one Workspace, unlimited MarkUps, and easy-to-manage share links, to name a few of its stellar features.
If you’re just dipping your toes into the world of workflow approval, the Free plan covers basic functionality. But if your team craves more advanced features, you can opt for the custom-priced Enterprise plan, which is available on demand.
Tool #2: Integrify
Integrify is workflow approval software that automates and manages the approval process across different industries such as Human Resources, Marketing, Sales, IT, and more.
The workflow management tool gathers and stores data from users’ previous workflows, using it as a foundation for creating audits with details about the approval.
With the audit, everyone involved in the project can track:
- Who requested approval
- What was requested
- When it was submitted and approved
- Who signed off on it
Features
Integrify’s main features include:
- Delegating and escalating approvals to ensure a smooth review process.
- Process branching and looping to build workflows quickly.
- Integrations with third-party apps such as Slack, Oracle, or Deltek.
- Process reporting to track progress.
- Form designer for creating responsive forms with interactivity and logic.
Pricing
Integrify offers subscription-based pricing, details of which are available on demand.
Tool #3: Wrike
Wrike is project management software that allows users to create automated workflow approval systems for different teams.
Wrike users can request and collect feedback from approvers, organize it, and document it on the platform.
The no-code work platform notifies approvers when projects are ready for review and team members when revisions are complete. Wrike offers integration with multiple third-party apps, streamlining users’ review-and-approval process.
Features
Wrike’s features include:
- Dynamic request forms to automate review-and-approval intake.
- Cross-tagging to avoid duplication in multiple places.
- Live document editor for attaching and editing files in real time.
- Internal and guest approvals to create a chain of approval and accelerate the sign-off process.
Pricing
Wrike offers both free and paid pricing plans for teams of all sizes. Their paid plans range between $9.80 and $24.80 per user, per month.
Wrike also offers custom-priced plans for organizations with complex needs.
Tool #4: Process.St
Process Street is approval workflow software that helps businesses design workflow processes that align with their team’s structure and size.
This approval software offers engaging templates users can edit to create a personalized workflow for their teams. With Process Street’s checklist dashboard, users can track, automate, and optimize multiple approval processes so they’re in charge of key decisions.
Features
Process Street’s main features include:
- Authorization for creating single-instance, multi-stage, or sequential approval processes.
- Data forms to collect structured data in your workflow.
- Activity feed to keep track of who’s working on the approval and when.
- Activity tracking for checking your team’s workload and identifying backlogs.
- Conditional logic for creating dynamic workflows with the if/then logic.
Pricing
Process Street’s pricing plans range between $100 and $1,660 per month.
Tool #5: CMW Lab
CMW Lab is workflow approval software designed to manage strategic projects or tasks.
With CMW Lab, users send out request forms to approvers and streamline the review process for different industries.
Features
CMW Lab has got features such as:
- Graphical workflow builder for creating a streamlined approval process.
- Online forms design for data collection to ensure approval requests are done in an appropriate way.
- Approval tracking and collaboration for submitting review requests, tracking approval status, and providing feedback to users requesting reviews.
Pricing
CMW Lab offers three pricing plans, but they’re only available on demand.
Tool #6: Admation
Admation is an approval management tool designed for marketing and creative teams.
Users can create a personalized approval system where they can select approvers and get them to review projects at the right time.
With Admation, teams can gather feedback from multiple stakeholders and track changes made to a project.
The software solution doubles as a project management tool, meaning teams can set up projects, milestones, and calendars.
Features
Admation’s main features:
- Approvals dashboard for easy monitoring of your approvals and a summary of work in progress.
- Batched approvals so reviewers can approve a cluster of deliverables simultaneously.
- Reporting tools.
- Approval path templates for assigning a group of preset approvers to your work and to eliminate intensive repetition.
- Proxy user to manage approvals in your absence.
Pricing
Admation offers four paid pricing plans for different team sizes, all available on request.
Tool #7: Approval Donkey
Approval Donkey is a document-approval workflow software.
Approval Donkey users can create panels for approvals, add approvers, request approvals via email, and track them.
The tool’s integration with third-party apps such as Zapier, Xero, Gmail, or Asana makes it easy to streamline approval workflows further.
Features
Approval Donkey offers features like:
- Automated notifications to stay up-to-date about the approval status.
- Required responses for specifying the number of responses needed to approve or decline a request.
- Multi-step approvals for getting reviews across to those who need to action them.
- Conditional field mapping to set conditions against certain fields and map to panels for approval.
Pricing
Approval Donkey has two pricing plans: the Member plan, which is free, and the Plus plan starting at $19 per month.
Tool #8: Jotform Approvals
Jotform Approvals is one of Jotform’s latest products that allows users to transform digital forms into tasks to streamline approvals.
With Jotform’s drag-and-drop interface, users can collect feedback requests with forms, add approvers and their emails, and add conditional branches to automate the approval process.
Jotform users can track every step of the process so no tasks are overlooked by the reviewer.
Features
Jotform Approvals’ main features include:
- Approval builder to create a workflow for your brand.
- Jotform Inbox so approvers can keep up with pending approvals and requesters can track progress.
- Dynamic approvals so users can assign their submission to an approver.
- Advanced conditional logic to ensure tasks are sent to the right people, with if-else conditions and conditional branching.
- Approval report to track and document actions taken during the approval process.
- Track and manage approval processes to manage every step from any device.
Pricing
Jotform’s plans range between $34 and $99 per month depending on the number of submissions, form limits, storage, etc., that your team requires.
There’s a free Starter plan and a custom-priced Enterprise plan for larger teams.
Tool #9: Gain
Gain is workflow approval software designed for marketing teams that automates collaboration with clients and approvals.
The document approval software allows teams to upload projects to their platform and share them with clients for review.
With Gain, users can gather and organize client feedback, check request history, and track changes made to the project.
Features
Gain’s main features include:
- Flexible approval workflows to add multiple rounds or people as required to the review process.
- Role-specific permissions to customize and limit a reviewer’s access.
- @mentions to tag team members and reviewers.
- Annotations to make reviews clear and precise.
- Content calendar so approvers can identify pending and completed reviews.
Pricing
Gain offers one paid pricing plan starting at $99 per month and features unlimited workspaces, files, approval workflows, storage, and more.
Tool #10: Moxo
Moxo is cloud-based management software that helps businesses accelerate their project processes.
The digital platform automates interactions of human approvers to create a more streamlined work structure.
Features
Moxo offers features such as:
- Drag-and-drop builder to map out processes with role-based user actions.
- Moxo flows to define roles and assign actions to stakeholders.
- Flow actions to add file requests, acknowledgments, and approvals.
- Template library to save frequently used workflows.
- Forms to collect data and automate processes with form builder.
Pricing
Moxo offers three paid pricing plans ranging between $100 and $480 per month.
There’s a custom-priced Advanced plan available on request.
Tool #11: WebProof
WebProof is digital review-and-approval software that acts as a centralized hub where teams can upload their projects and invite reviewers to collaborate on specific areas of the project.
Users across different teams can upload multiple projects on the platform, see which one needs to be approved and get approvers to provide feedback, even on mobile devices.
Features
WebProof’s features include:
- Commenting tool for reviewers to add comments and directions.
- Text highlighter to underline text to be replaced in a document.
- Revision history to see who made changes and when.
- Proofing overview to see all the added corrections and use them as a checklist.
- Project sharing so reviewers can annotate.
- Instant notification to stay on top of changes made to the document.
Pricing
WebProof offers three pricing plans starting at $9.50 per user, per month.
Users can request a demo before subscribing and/or a quote for WebProof’s Platinum plan.
Tool #12: frevvo
frevvo is workflow automation software that allows users to design dynamic forms for a more streamlined workflows.
frevvo offers templates and built-in wizards that new users can leverage when automating their approval process.
You can automate reminders for different tasks and keep track of who’s responded to revisions requests.
Features
Here are some of the features Frevvo offers:
- Dynamic form builder to optimize data collection with auto-fill.
- Customizable templates to easily build automated approvals.
- Digital signatures so users can e-sign and apply it across multiple documentation.
Pricing
frevvo offers pricing plans suitable for organizations of different sizes but they’re only available on demand.
Tool #13: ApprovalMax
ApprovalMax is workflow software designed to help teams approve their financial documents at the right time.
With ApprovalMax, users can create audit trails and reports depending on their business needs.
They can also add the number of approval steps required to get projects signed off and the number of approvers needed for each step.
Features
ApprovalMax’s main features include:
- Multi-step approval for setting up rule-based condition, sequential, and parallel approvals to simplify approvers’ responsibility.
- Prebuilt and custom reports to quickly create new reports using various filters.
- Fraud detection for identifying deceptive scenarios in the approval process.
- Quick search to find documents using different filters such as document status or document type.
- Bill-to-PO matching for aligning incoming bills with approved purchase orders and avoiding the approval of unmatched bills.
Pricing
ApprovalMax’s pricing plans cost between $36.67 to $82.50 per organization, per month depending on the number of features your organization requires.
Tool #14: ProofHub
ProofHub is planning software that enables creative teams to request and receive approvals to speed up project delivery time.
With ProofHub, users can manage their projects while keeping stakeholders, clients, and team members in the loop.
The online proofing tool features a central group chat function and automated workflow for different projects.
Features
ProofHub’s main features include:
- Custom roles to assign tasks and grant access levels to reviewers.
- Project templates for creating approval processes without filling in the details from scratch.
- Form creation to make requesting approvals or supporting queries a walk in the park.
- Notes to store essential information about the project.
- Project reports to keep track of the work and what’s left.
- Mentions to tag people to highlight important stages of the project.
Pricing
ProofHub offers two paid pricing plans starting at $45 per month.
There’s a free trial available for users who want to test the platform at no cost.
Tool #15: Kissflow
Kissflow is a flexible work platform that lets business users create and automate work processes.
The software enables users to streamline their workflows and approval processes, thus facilitating more effective business solutions.
Features
Kissflow’s main features include:
- Process builder to design and automate approval processes using conditional logic and flexible permissions.
- Form Builder for building forms to capture data with tables and smart attachments.
- Collaboration to stay in sync and communicate about work in context.
- Reports and analytics to get insight from workflow data and build reports.
Pricing
Kissflow’s pricing plans range between $15 and $20 per user, per month.
There’s a custom-priced Enterprise plan available on demand for large organizations.
***
And there you have it, guys!
The top 15 workflow approval software programs that can be a game changer for how you approach your business processes going forward.
Just one more thing before we say goodbye.
The ball’s in your court
With a sea of options, you might be wondering, “How on earth do I choose?”
You’re on the hunt for a tool that simplifies asset sharing with approvers, streamlines approval requests, offers an intuitive platform for feedback and discussion, tracks changes, and gives a swift nod to reviewed assets.
Well, not to brag, but MarkUp.io checks all those boxes. ✅
This easy-to-navigate approval management software requires minimal effort from users. All you need to do is drag-and-drop or upload your assets, share, and sprinkle in some comments.
Why not take it for a spin? Sign up for a 30-day free trial with MarkUp.io and get ready to revolutionize your workflow approval process!
