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You're looking for a workflow app to streamline your task coordination and ensure that everyone is on the same page. The countless workflow solutions on the market increase your chances of finding a great tool; however, determining the best fit for your team can be time-consuming and frustrating.
In this article, I leverage my experience managing complex projects to simplify and narrow down your options. Through careful research, I've identified the best workflow apps on the market and outlined their ideal use cases, making it easy for you to find the right tool for your needs.
What is a workflow app?
A workflow app is a software application designed to facilitate and streamline business processes by automating and organizing repetitive tasks in a systematic manner. These apps typically provide a user-friendly interface that allows individuals or teams to create, manage, and track workflows, ensuring a smooth and efficient progression of tasks within an organization.
You can use these apps to create visual representations of project workflows, assign tasks to team members, and set up automated notifications for task deadlines and updates. This centralized platform for project communication not only reduces manual effort and the risk of errors but also enhances transparency and accountability within the team.
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Hub Planner
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ClickUp
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Miro
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Overviews Of The 10 Best Workflow Apps
Here’s a brief description of each workflow app to showcase each tool’s best use case and standout features.
Monday.com is a flexible platform that lets you create workflows that meet various needs—from project management to sales or software development.
Why I picked monday.com: Boards are central to the tool. These are spreadsheet-like documents that allow you to create almost any data input. You can create tasks, set statuses and priorities, add tags, attach files, and assign tasks to users. You can then view these sheets in Kanban, Gantt, timeline, or calendar views.
The flexibility of the entries means it's possible to create workflows for anything from a task management tool to a CRM. And if you don’t want to start from scratch, the tool also offers a large library of templates you can use to start out.
monday.com offers plenty of integrations and automation. You can connect all your tools, such as Slack, Dropbox, and Adobe, and then automate workflows across each one. For example, you can set task reminders to go out in Slack or automatically add email attachments to relevant entries in your board.
monday.com Standout Features & Integrations
Features include workflow data visualization, templates, workflow automation, managing task status, assignees, due dates, hours spent, and robust workflow customization for task boards.
Integrations include Slack, Google Drive, Gmail, GitHub, Trello, Google Calendar, Jira, Dropbox, and Typeform. You can also access additional apps using a paid Zapier account.
Connecteam is an employee management software designed to assist businesses in managing their workforce, particularly those with non-desk employees. The platform offers a range of features including time tracking, job scheduling, task management, and employee communication tools.
Why I Picked Connecteam: One of its most notable features is the customizable checklists and forms, which enable users to standardize their workflows and ensure that every step is followed precisely. These checklists can be tailored to suit various tasks and processes, making it easy for teams to maintain consistency and quality in their work. Additionally, Connecteam's task management system allows managers to assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress in real time.
Another key feature of Connecteam is its robust notification system, which keeps everyone informed and up-to-date. With real-time notifications, team members receive instant updates about new tasks, changes to existing tasks, or any other important information. This helps to reduce delays and miscommunications, ensuring that everyone is always aware of their responsibilities and deadlines.
Furthermore, Connecteam's mobile accessibility means that team members can access their tasks and checklists from anywhere, allowing for greater flexibility and responsiveness, especially for frontline employees. Whether in the office or on the go, users can stay connected and manage their workflows efficiently.
Connecteam Standout Features & Integrations
Features include time tracking, employee scheduling, GPS tracking, shift management, document management, training and onboarding, employee recognition, in-app chat, and customizable reports.
Integrations include QuickBooks Online, Xero, Gusto, Zapier, Zoom, Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, Slack, Okta, OneLogin, Office 365, SAML, Microsoft Azure Active Directory, and PayPal.
Best for teams looking for a workflow-centric platform
Pneumatic is a workflow management solution designed for businesses working in different sectors such as finance, human resources, product development, web design, sales, and marketing.
Why I picked Pneumatic Workflow: Its workflow builder allows you to create any task or workflow you need for your team, with pre-defined variables like names, assignees, descriptions, and required policies or standard operating procedures (SOPs). Once built, the dashboards can help you track workflows and see what is in progress, started, and completed, and the same applies to tasks that you have been assigned.
If at any point the workflow requires external people to intervene, the software lets you add guest performers at no extra cost. You simply have to click on the “Add Guest” button and enter their email address.
Admins can also use Pneumatic’s workflow management software to configure role-based access permissions for staff members and teams, limiting specific team members’ ability to access certain aspects of the project. They can also be restricted from editing or deleting tasks, processes, and workflows.
Pneumatic Workflow has a built-in API that enables teams to integrate the workflow management software with several third-party systems, including helpdesk, customer relationship management (CRM), and accounting solutions like Zendesk, Salesforce, Checker.com, and Slack. It also enables managers to generate filtered and customized reports to obtain actionable insights into workflow performance and task activities, as well as receive weekly process summaries.
Pneumatic Workflow Standout Features & Integrations
Features include templates, unlimited workflows, external guests, kick-off forms that you can publicly share, conditional workflow logic, and granular access controls.
Integrations include thousands of applications that you can connect using Zapier or Make.
Best for workflow visualizations using collaborative diagrams
Lucidchart Enterprise is a comprehensive solution for visual collaboration, specifically designed for enterprise teams. It merges diagramming capabilities with a virtual whiteboard, facilitating both real-time and asynchronous collaboration.
Why I Picked Lucidchart: Lucidchart stands out for its robust security measures, including domain restrictions, document permissions, and publishing restrictions, ensuring a secure environment for collaborative diagramming. The Enterprise plan is what you need to unlock team spaces, a virtual whiteboard, and a collaborative AI for things like brainstorming new ideas.
Lucidchart works as a workflow app partially due to its robust features that cater to secure, collaborative diagramming. In the realm of project management tools, it stands out due to its focus on visual communication and collaboration. Its ability to create flowcharts, network diagrams, org charts, and other visual documentation makes it a unique tool in the digital project management space. It allows teams to visualize complex processes and systems, which can be instrumental in understanding and managing digital projects.
Lucidchart Standout Features & Integrations
Features include diagramming tools, templates, flowcharts, process maps, network diagrams, a library of shapes and lines, real-time collaboration, co-editing, in-editor chat, commenting, single sign-on (SSO), data loss prevention (DLP), user access and permissions, and team spaces.
Integrations include Slack, Salesforce, GitHub, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and fits within a suite of additional Lucid Software products for collaboration and ideation (Lucidspark) and cloud visualization (Lucidscale).
Miro is a versatile online collaboration tool designed to facilitate project management, diagramming, process mapping, and content visualization.
Why I Picked Miro: I like that Miro has an infinite canvas, which allows users to create comprehensive and interconnected workflows without spatial constraints. This is particularly useful for visualizing complex processes and ensuring that every step is clearly defined and easily accessible.
Another reason Miro stands out is its set of pre-built templates and customizable boards. Whether you are managing a project, conducting a sprint planning session, or tracking progress with a Kanban board, Miro offers a wide variety of templates that can be tailored to fit specific needs with a simple drag-and-drop interface.
The platform also has features for task assignment, deadline tracking, and progress monitoring. Miro's visual task boards and timelines help in organizing tasks efficiently and tracking the progress of individual and collective efforts.
Miro Standout Features & Integrations
Features include agile workflows, remote team collaboration, Kanban boards, mind mapping, brainstorming tools, digital sticky notes, presentation mode, flowcharts, diagramming, customizable templates, project management tools, feedback loops, sketching tools, video chat integration, screen sharing, and user story mapping.
Integrations include Asana, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, Box, Airtable, Notion, Azure, Webex, Jira, Slack, Monday.com, Confluence, Zoom, and Figma.
Nifty PM calls itself a “collaboration hub”, and it aims to unite projects, allowing teams to better focus on their goals (milestones). These are the goals that each project is structured around. Each milestone is broken down into individual tasks, and a visual completion bar goes up as you complete each task.
Why I picked Nifty: Managers can see an overview of everything their team is working on and how each milestone is progressing. The workflows view is a valuable way to view your team's work, and it shows how much each employee is doing, ensuring no one is under or overworked.
An interesting feature of the tool is the built-in discussion board. While other workflow tools integrate with messaging software, Nifty PM has it built-in. Teams can use this to discuss the projects they are working on from within the app.
Nifty Standout Features & Integrations
Features include a Kanban view to help you better control your workflows, task automation where you can make a resource responsible for a type of tasks, recurring tasks, custom fields, time tracking, forms, file sharing, discussion threads, and reporting.
Integrations include Webex, Slack, Harvest, Zoom, Miro, and Typeform. Additionally, you can access over 2000 apps using Zapier, and custom integrations using Nifty's API.
Kintone is a workplace platform that lets teams build and share custom workflows. Each team can use the tool to create the apps they need, whether a CRM, an expense report, or a content calendar.
The tool offers over 1,000 templates you can use to deploy the apps you need. You can also customize these to ensure they meet your specific workflow needs. Meanwhile, the No-Code interface means it is easy for anyone on your team to create the tools they need.
The tool also has plenty of integrations you can use to manage external data within your app. For example, you can add Dropbox files to the app or record information collected in emails.
Kintone starts at $24 per user per month for a minimum of five users. There is also a $15 per month plan for education, government, and nonprofits.
Studio Creatio is a no-code platform designed to automate workflows and build applications without requiring technical expertise.
Why I picked Studio Creatio: Studio Creatio stands out as an exceptional workflow application due to its robust no-code platform that empowers users to automate workflows and build applications without requiring extensive programming knowledge.
One of the most compelling features of Studio Creatio is its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, which simplifies the process of creating and modifying workflows. Additionally, the platform's composable architecture supports extensive integration capabilities, enabling connectivity with various systems and data stores.
The platform also includes a business process builder, a UI designer, and a marketplace for ready-to-use solutions and templates.
Studio Creatio Standout Features & Integrations
Features include built-in validation tools for easier debugging, multi-level architecture that can scale, AI automation for a wide range of tasks like customer profiling and call routing, an integrated development environment (IDE) for professional developers, and a mobile app.
Integrations include Microsoft Excel, Gmail, Mailchimp, Google Calendar, Microsoft Word, Tableau, Microsoft Outlook, Meta for Business, Twitter/X, Google Contacts, Brandwatch, Asterisk, Pentaho, and Avaya Experience Platform.
GatherContent is a workflow management and collaboration platform designed for content production teams. You can use it to streamline your content creation process, produce new content in a collaborative way, and track each piece through the development process.
Why I picked GatherContent: This isn't just a generic project management software, it's designed specifically for teams who work on content projects. Whether you're a marketing team, agency, publisher, or a company in the media industry, you won't have to adapt the tool to suit your needs because it was made with content production in mind.
You can manage your production workflows with the software, and design various workflows to represent how different types of content are created. This allows you to map and track the various stages of development as your team works on multiple projects. The software can also auto-assign tasks to specific team members, and you can create an editorial calendar for an overview of what's coming up.
In addition to its project management tools, the platform also has a content editor your team can use to collaborate on their projects. You can embed your style guide and set content guidelines and field rules. Team members can also exchange inline comments and keep a revision history on every document. You can also build out a template library to use for future content production.
GatherContent Standout Features & Integrations
Features include multiple workflows, template library, access control, editorial calendar, content editor, inline commenting and tagging, style guide embedding, content guidelines, and revision history.
Integrations include Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word, Wordpress, Slack, Drupal, Kentico, Adobe Experience Manager, Sitecore, Sitefinity, Craft CMS, Gatsby, and Episerver, among others.
Kissflow Workflow is a comprehensive low-code platform that enables users to manage tasks, track project status, and monitor team performance effectively.
Why I picked Kissflow: It offers an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface that allows team members to create workflows without technical expertise using a visual designer that makes creating and editing workflows straightforward and intuitive.
The software includes a powerful analytics dashboard and detailed analytics and reporting tools to help track key performance metrics and gain insights into all aspects of the workflow process. You can track workflow status, turnaround time, and cycle time, which helps identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions backed by real-world data. You can also generate reports in various formats, making it easier to share information with stakeholders.
Kissflow Workflow offers full transparency by providing real-time status updates on all current projects. This feature ensures that everyone involved in the project knows what the team is doing, making communication easier. It also allows team members to vet their progress and lets managers quickly detect and solve project roadblocks. In addition, Kissflow Workflow facilitates easy collaboration between team members, incorporating features such as real-time messaging, file sharing, and project forums.
The app complies with industry-standard data-security requirements and offers access restrictions and permission settings that enable organizations to control access rights and assign users to appropriate roles.
Kissflow Standout Features & Integrations
Features include pre-built reports to track workflows, a drag-and-drop builder, templates, workflow turnaround time and cycle time, a form designer, dashboards, and direct chat with voice message options.
Integrations include ActiveCampaign, Adobe Sign, Mailchimp, Basecamp, Twilio, Dropbox, QuickBooks, HubSpot, Google Drive, and Slack.
The 10 Best Workflow Apps Summary
Tools | Price | |
---|---|---|
monday.com | From $8/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
Connecteam | From $29/month (for up to 30 users, billed annually) + $0.5/user/month for each additional user | Website |
Pneumatic Workflow | From $99/month (unlimited users) | Website |
Lucidchart | From $7.95/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
Miro | From $8/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
Nifty | From $5/user/month (billed annually) + free plan available | Website |
Kintone | From $24/user/month | Website |
Studio Creatio | From $25/user/month | Website |
GatherContent | From $109/month | Website |
Kissflow Workflow | From $15/user/monthly | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
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Here are a few more workflow apps that didn’t make the top list. These tools may still be good choices for the right business.
How I Picked The Best Workflow App Contenders
In coming up with this list, I researched the most popular workflow app tools on the market based on user ratings and reviews. Then, I narrowed down my choices using my years of experience in project management and factors I consider important for workflow tools. Finally, I evaluated the tools on this list based on the following criteria:
User Interface (UI)
A good user-friendly interface makes it easy to keep track of your workflows. The information should be clear and understandable for all. Building a complex workflow requires you to focus on the logic behind the diagram. Therefore, we can't have the interface confuse you while trying to do it.
Usability
Workflow apps need to be easy to use by everyone in your organization and sometimes even outside partners. I research these tool's available knowledge bases, training docs, videos, and anything that will help you master the app.
Integrations
Workflow apps need to integrate with the other tools you use to automate processes. All the apps on this list connect to plenty of cloud-based solutions. I will describe the types of integrations available, whether that is built-in options, third-party connections, and custom integrations using APIs.
Pricing
Prices may vary, but I think all the tools on this list offer value for money to the right user. You just need to choose a plan that fits your needs. I will provide you with information about free trials, free versions, and any relevant discounts.
Workflow app FAQs
Find answers to common questions people ask about this topic.
What is a workflow app used for?
A workflow app is used to bring teams together to sync on building workflow diagrams that let you to represent the conditional logic behind the completion of a unit of work. And although there are some standalone solutions, you can also find workflow functionality in project management software. The advantage of using a project management solution is that you can also have access to other collaboration features that complement workflow diagramming.
Examples of these activities are co-authoring on wiki type of documents, creating checklists within task views to support diagram development, or use an automation tool to take that workflow to its next level.
Workflow apps normally aim to be all-in-one solutions to help you create custom workflows on a whiteboard-looking canvas where you can add elements, notes, comments, and collaborate on projects. Although these tools are normally meant for desktop users, you can find mobile app alternatives that let you collaborate on workflows from an Android or iOS device.
What are the key features I should look for when selecting workflow apps?
- Templates: Being able to create templates is a key feature of workflow management software. It makes it easy to run the same workflows repeatedly. Some tools even contain best-practice templates you can use or customize.
- Multiple views: All the tools on this list allow you to view tasks and projects in multiple ways such as kanban boards, Gantt charts, sheets views, and calendars.
- Task assignees: You need to be able to assign tasks to relevant people. The best tools will automatically notify people when their task is ready.
- External party access: Giving third parties access to your workflows is essential if you work with external businesses like clients or suppliers.
- Collaboration: Team collaboration tools like commenting and document sharing help teams get work done without leaving the workflow app. People can leave notes for the next person in the chain.
- Dashboards and analytics: These features help managers see project progress so they can identify roadblocks and streamline processes further.
What's Next?
Perhaps now that you know more about workflow apps, you should look into how to use a workflow management tool to create automated workflows. I will also give you some related tool lists you can look at.
Related tool lists:
- Best Workflow Automation Software
- Free Workflow Software For Small Teams
- Best Process Workflow Software
- Approval Workflow Software For Project Managers
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