Best project management software with approval workflows in 2026 (features & cost compared)

The best project management software options with built-in approval workflows are:

• GoodDay: Best for flexible workflow management, automated approvals, and complex projects. Allows setting up rules to move tasks and trigger approvals automatically. 
• Wrike: Best for structured review cycles and creative proofing. Offers custom request forms, tailored workflows, and explicit file-and-task sign-offs that log every decision. 
• Monday.com: Best for visual tracking and user-friendly automation. Features dedicated approval board templates, sequential or parallel sign-offs, and clear status columns. 
• Asana: Best for cross-team campaign workflows and operations. Utilizes built-in approval rules on tasks, giving approvers simple Approve, Changes Requested, or Reject actions.

In this article, we explore the best project management software with approval workflows today to help you make the best choice.

But if you have any questions that are not covered in this article, you can always connect with our team via info@goodday.work

Comparison of the best project management software with approval workflows

We tested the leading project management platforms and selected the strongest options based on approval features, automation, pricing, and overall value. Keep in mind that pricing may change as software companies update their plans, packaging, and included features.

Software	Best for	Pricing
GoodDay	Best for flexible approval workflows, structured project intake, and complex project delivery.	Free for up to 15 users; Professional costs $4 per user monthly; Business costs $7 per user monthly; Enterprise uses custom pricing. Pricing details
Wrike	Best for structured creative reviews, visual proofing, conditional approvals, and formal decision records.	Free costs $0; Team costs $10 per user monthly; Business costs $25 per user monthly; Pinnacle and Apex use custom pricing, with listed per-user rates billed annually. Pricing details
Monday.com	Best for visual approval tracking, configurable request boards, project intake, and workflow automation.	Free supports up to two seats; Basic costs $9, Standard $12, and Pro $19 per seat monthly with annual billing; Enterprise uses custom pricing, and rates can vary by billing country. Pricing details
Asana	Best for cross-functional campaign approvals, creative proofing, standardized workflows, and portfolio management.	Personal is free for up to two users; Starter costs $10.99 annually or $13.49 monthly; Advanced costs $24.99 annually or $30.49 monthly per user; Enterprise and Enterprise+ use custom pricing. Pricing details

In-depth overview of the top project management software with approval workflows

We evaluated each platform based on approval depth, request intake, workflow automation, file review, integrations, and desktop and mobile availability. 

GoodDay: best for flexible approvals and complex projects

GoodDay is an all-in-one project management platform for teams that need configurable approval stages. GoodDay combines configurable statuses, approval gates, Action Required, Requests and Forms, and When/If/Then automations. Platform is featured as top software in multiple Capterra shortlists. 

Main features

Teams can route submitted work to reviewers, change status after a decision, track approval history, and connect approvals with dependencies, files, expenses, resources, CRM records, and project reporting.

• Multi-stage approval workflows
• Configurable approval gates
• Requests and public or internal forms
• Action Required for pending decisions
• Custom task and project workflows
• When/If/Then automations
• Automation logs and monitoring
• Custom fields, task types, and statuses
• Files with versioning and permissions
• Unlimited project hierarchy
• Portfolios and more than 20 work views
• Gantt charts, dashboards, and analytics
• Time tracking and resource management
• Finance module and expense tracking
• CRM and customer portal
• AI chat and agents
• Two-factor authentication and enterprise access controls

Approval workflow capabilities

GoodDay’s approval features are part of a broader modular platform. Requests can create structured work records, approval gates can control lifecycle transitions, and Action Required gives users a central place to see reviews or decisions waiting for their attention.

Integrations

GoodDay connects with Google Workspace, Gmail, Slack, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Dropbox, Box, GitHub, GitLab, SAML SSO, and email. Zapier extends it to more than 1,300 applications, while its API supports custom integrations.

Desktop and mobile capabilities

GoodDay provides desktop applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus mobile applications for iOS and Android, so users can review tasks and project activity from their preferred device.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Approval gates, forms, automations, and project delivery are available in one platform.	Advanced workflow configuration requires planning.
The Business plan costs considerably less than comparable recommended plans from Wrike and Asana.	Teams may need onboarding to use advanced functionality.
Unlimited hierarchy supports approvals across departments, portfolios, projects, and subprojects.	Even though it’s overall user-friendly, it takes time to learn how to fully utilize the advanced features.
The free plan supports up to 15 users and includes custom workflows and dashboards.	Teams using many custom fields, statuses, and task types need clear governance standards.

Wrike: best for structured creative reviews and proofing

Wrike is a collaborative work management platform designed for structured workflows, creative production, and enterprise delivery. Its approval features connect request forms, task or project approvals, proofing, due dates, and decision records. Wrike is especially useful when teams need formal review cycles and detailed file feedback in one system today.

Main features

Wrike supports approvals for tasks, projects, folders, and files. Teams can add approval stages to custom workflows and request forms, set approvers and due dates, proof more than 30 file types, automate status changes from decisions, and review a recorded stream showing who approved or rejected work and why.

• Task, project, folder, and file approvals
• Visual proofing for more than 30 file types
• File annotations and review comments
• Custom request forms
• Conditional form questions and approvals
• Configurable approvers and due dates
• Automated status transitions
• Approval dashboard widgets
• Recorded decision history
• Custom workflows and statuses
• Gantt charts and Kanban boards
• Dashboards and reporting
• Time tracking
• Resource and capacity planning on higher plans
• Budgeting and advanced business intelligence on Pinnacle

Approval workflow capabilities

Wrike supports approvals at task, project, folder, and file levels. Teams can assign approvers and deadlines, collect decisions in the activity stream, and connect approval outcomes to custom workflow statuses, making the platform suitable for structured review cycles and creative production.

Integrations

Wrike integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Gmail, Outlook, Salesforce, QuickBooks, and other services, with additional API, Wrike Integrate, and Wrike Sync options.

Desktop and mobile capabilities

Wrike provides desktop applications for Windows and macOS, native mobile applications for iOS and Android, and browser access across supported devices.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Native proofing supports detailed review and annotation across many creative file formats.	Business costs $25 per user per month with annual billing, substantially more than GoodDay Business.
Approvals can be attached to files, tasks, projects, folders, workflows, and request forms.	Advanced resource planning, budgeting, and business intelligence require Pinnacle.
Decision records show who approved or rejected work, when it happened, and why.	Wrike sells subscriptions in seat groups, which may create unused capacity for some teams.
Conditional requests and automated status transitions support complex review processes.	Wrike Integrate and two-way synchronization may involve custom pricing or add-ons.

Monday.com: best for visual approval tracking

Monday.com is a visual work management platform that organizes requests, reviews, and approvals through configurable boards. Teams can combine forms, status columns, people fields, notifications, and automation recipes to route work. It suits departments that prefer clear visual tracking and want approval flows adapted to different operational processes without custom development.

Main features

Monday.com builds approval flows from boards, WorkForms, status columns, automations, notifications, and dashboards. Its Project Requests and Approvals template centralizes submissions and reminders, while cross-board automations can create projects after approval. Advanced visual proofing and version comparison may require a marketplace app such as PageProof.

• Project Requests and Approvals template
• WorkForms for project intake
• Configurable status and people columns
• Custom notification recipes
• Deadline reminders
• Cross-board automations
• Approval pipeline boards
• Custom dashboards
• Timeline, Gantt, and calendar views
• Private boards and documents on Pro
• 25,000 monthly automation actions on Pro
• PageProof integration for creative proofing
• Marketplace applications and API access

Approval workflow capabilities

A project can move from an intake form to an approval pipeline and then into a delivery board after its status changes to Approved. Monday.com can automatically create the approved project from a template and notify the assigned project manager.

Integrations

Monday.com connects with Slack, Gmail, Outlook, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and other applications through native integrations, its marketplace, and API.

Desktop and mobile capabilities

Monday.com provides desktop applications for Windows and macOS and mobile applications for iPhone, iPad, Android phones, and Android tablets.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Visual boards make approval stages, owners, deadlines, and statuses easy to scan.	Formal approval behavior depends heavily on how administrators configure boards and automations.
WorkForms and templates provide a practical starting point for request intake.	Advanced creative proofing generally requires a marketplace application such as PageProof.
Cross-board automations can turn approved requests into active projects automatically.	Automation and integration actions are limited according to the selected plan.
The Pro plan supports 25,000 automation actions, private boards, and advanced views.	Pricing depends on seat quantity, billing country, and the available purchasing increments.

Asana: best for cross-functional campaign approval workflows

Asana is a work management platform for coordinating tasks, projects, campaigns, and cross-functional programs. Its Advanced plan adds approval tasks and proofing, while rules can move work, assign reviewers, and update fields. Asana is a practical fit for marketing and operations teams already managing standardized processes across departments at scale.

Main features

Asana Advanced includes approval tasks and proofing for designs and PDFs. Rules can convert work into an approval, assign reviewers, and move tasks after a decision. Forms with branching logic, custom fields, templates, portfolios, workload, and workflow bundles help standardize approval processes across campaigns and operating teams.

• Approval task type
• Approve, Request changes, and Reject actions
• PDF and design proofing
• Rules and automated assignments
• Forms with branching logic
• Custom fields
• Custom task types
• Workflow bundles
• Custom templates
• Portfolios and workload
• Goals and reporting dashboards
• Unlimited rules on Advanced
• Jira Cloud two-way synchronization
• Unlimited free guests

Approval workflow capabilities

Rules can convert a regular task into an approval when it reaches a specified stage and assign the correct reviewing team. This supports repeatable campaign, staffing, creative, procurement, and operational approval processes.

Integrations

Asana supports more than 100 integrations, including Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, Salesforce, Tableau, Power BI, Canva, and Jira Cloud two-way synchronization on eligible plans.

Desktop and mobile capabilities

Asana synchronizes work across its web platform, Windows and macOS desktop applications, and native iOS and Android mobile applications.

Pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Approval tasks provide clear Approve, Request changes, and Reject decisions.	Approvals and proofing require the Advanced plan at $24.99 per user per month annually.
Rules can convert tasks into approvals and assign the correct reviewer automatically.	Complex approval routing requires careful rule, field, and template configuration.
Proofing keeps design and PDF feedback connected to the underlying task.	Proofing is less specialized than Wrike’s support for more than 30 file types.
Portfolios, workload, goals, and workflow bundles support cross-department standardization.	Financial approvals need custom fields, integrations, or a separate financial system.

How to select the best project management software with approval workflows

Focus your evaluation on three main factors: multi-stage routing flexibility, in-context proofing capabilities, and audit trail reporting. Teams usually compare approval tools by mapping one real process, including intake, review, revision, escalation, and sign-off. 

Approval depth and routing

Check whether the platform supports single-stage, multi-stage, sequential, and parallel reviews. Confirm that approvers can accept, reject, or request changes, and that routing rules respond to project type, amount, department, or risk. GoodDay is especially flexible because approval gates sit inside configurable workflows rather than a separate standalone process at scale.

Request intake and data quality

A strong intake layer should collect complete briefs before work begins. Look for public or internal forms, required fields, conditional questions, attachments, routing, ownership, and service-level tracking. Test how a submission becomes a task or project, whether it is automatically assigned, and whether incomplete requests can be blocked before reaching reviewers.

Proofing and version history

Creative teams should test file previews, annotations, side-by-side comparison, version history, and approval records. Wrike provides the deepest native proofing in this group. GoodDay keeps files, versions, discussions, and approvals connected to project work, while Monday.com may need an external proofing app for advanced asset comparison during active production workflows.

Automation, integrations, and auditability

Evaluate triggers, conditions, actions, escalation rules, reminders, approval logs, and how exceptions are handled. The system should show who requested, reviewed, changed, and approved each item. Verify connections with email, chat, storage, accounting, and identity tools because approvals often begin or end outside the project management platform itself.

Pricing, scale, and administration

Compare the plan that includes approvals, proofing, automation limits, permissions, and reporting, not the lowest advertised tier. Review seat minimums, guest access, onboarding, security, and support. Administrators should modify workflows without rebuilding active projects, while users should immediately understand what needs attention across departments and regions.

GoodDay brings flexible approval workflows and project management together

GoodDay combines flexible approval workflows with powerful project management features. You can create custom approval steps, assign responsibilities, and track progress to keep your teams aligned. 

Join GoodDay for free to test the platform with your own approval process.

And if you have any questions, you can always talk with us at info@goodday.work 

FAQs

What project management software would be best for managing creative projects with approval workflows and version control?

For creative teams, GoodDay is the best overall approval workflow software because it combines flexible stages, automation, file sharing, and version control inside broader project tracking. Its document approval workflow suits recurring creative projects and external stakeholders. Wrike is stronger when advanced visual proofing and detailed asset annotation are the primary requirement.

What software helps with project intake and approval processes?

GoodDay and Wrike both support dynamic request forms that let users submit requests with all the necessary details. GoodDay can create tasks, route approval requests, and support request approvals through automated approval processes. Wrike adds conditional fields and formal approval stages, making its request forms especially useful for structured intake operations.

What are the best tools for centralized review and approval workflows?

GoodDay centralizes pending approvals through Action Required and records decisions in the related work item. Wrike provides dashboards for outstanding approvals, one-click decisions, and a detailed audit trail. Both improve tracking approvals from initial review through final approval, while GoodDay offers broader approval management within one configurable approval system for teams.

What are the best work management platforms with strong automation capabilities for reducing manual handoffs between team members?

GoodDay provides workflow automation using When/If/Then rules, helping teams build automated workflows for repetitive tasks without manual intervention. Teams can be notified automatically when decisions are needed, while automatic notifications keep work moving. This approach supports automating repetitive tasks across projects and reduces delays between departments and reviewers of all sizes.

What are the best tools for marketing campaign collaboration and approval workflows?

For marketing campaigns, GoodDay offers the strongest all-in-one approval workflow tools, combining planning, automated notifications, assigning tasks, and client-facing collaboration. Wrike is a strong client approval software choice for proofing. Asana supports campaign coordination across team members and stakeholders involved, while Monday.com provides enhanced collaboration through visual boards and configurable automations.

What are the best tools for managing content approval workflows in a marketing team?.

For content operations, GoodDay is the most flexible workflow approval software because internal teams can build custom approval workflows around drafting, review, and publication. Define approval steps, use parallel approvals when several specialists must review, and require approval before release. The resulting workflow approval process remains connected to schedules, ownership, files, and reporting.

What’s the best enterprise creative portfolio management tools that support complex approval workflows?

For enterprise creative portfolios, Wrike is the best approval workflow software when proofing depth is essential, while GoodDay is the stronger value for configurable workflow management. Business users can create an approval management system without a no code builder add-on. Organizations centered on Microsoft Teams or Power Automate should compare native connector requirements before deployment.

What’s the best real-time expense tracking software with approval workflows?

GoodDay Business is the best approval software option here because it includes expense tracking, a finance module, and configurable approval functionality within project work. Teams can route expense requests, expense approvals, and invoice approvals through defined approval tasks. This keeps financial decisions connected to owners, projects, supporting records, and operational reporting.

What’s the best project management solution for tracking design projects with approval workflows?

For design work, GoodDay is the best overall project management tool because it connects approval management software with schedules, workloads, files, and reporting. Teams can track progress and display the workflow visually through boards and custom views. Its drag and drop interface and user friendly interface reduce setup friction, while Wrike offers deeper proofing.

Which system integrates budgetary and accounting workflows for stronger audit trails?

GoodDay combines finance, expense tracking, project records, and automated approval within connected business processes. A configurable approval process reduces human error by recording necessary approvals and ownership changes, creating enhanced transparency for audits. Enterprise adds invoices and finance reports, while integrations can connect accounting data with broader operational and project reporting requirements.

What are the most stable and reliable workflow management systems with strong uptime record and proven support?

GoodDay, Wrike and Monday.com are strong approval workflow software tools where contractual availability matters. Compare status history, support coverage, security, and key features before buying. Paid plans start at different prices and seat minimums, so non technical users should test administration and recovery procedures during trials.

I work at a company with 1k-10k employees. What is the best workflow management software?

For a company with 1,000 to 10,000 employees, GoodDay is the best value when managing projects requires configurable task management and an approval workflow at scale. It supports automated approval, lets authorized users approve requests, and helps optimize workflows. Compare enterprise security, request forms, implementation services, data residency, and support before selecting.