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With so many different workflow management solutions available, figuring out which is right for you is tough. You know you want to enhance efficiency, reduce manual intervention, and ensure consistency in the execution of workflows, but need to figure out which tool is best. I've got you! In this post I'll help make your choice easy, using my personal experiences using dozens of different workflow tools with large teams and projects to pick the best workflow management software.

What is workflow management software?

Workflow management software is a digital tool designed to automate, streamline, and optimize the various processes and tasks within an organization. This software facilitates the creation, execution, and monitoring of workflows by providing a centralized platform where you can define, manage, and track the sequence of activities involved in a particular business process.

Workflow management software is instrumental in coordinating and overseeing the diverse set of tasks and processes inherent in project execution. This tool allows you to design, implement, and automate workflows related to project activities, ensuring that tasks are completed in a systematic and timely manner.

The 10 Best Workflow Management Software

These are my overviews of the 10 best workflow management software that made it onto my shortlist. Find each tool’s best use case, standout features, integrations, and pricing information below. I also included a screenshot of the software’s user interface, and some pros and cons for each one!

1

monday.com

Best for automating manual processes

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.7
8702 reviews

14-day free trial + free plan available

From $8/user/month (billed annually, min 3 seats)

monday.com is a project management software used across diverse industries, rapidly growing teams, and enterprise organizations. monday.com sits at the intersection of project management and workflow management software. It simplifies complex workflow processes by streamlining management to focus on structure and transparency.

Why I picked monday.com: you can create tasks on a board and then add the steps required to reach task completion. monday.com is highly customizable and easy to use right out of the box. I also find that it’s incredibly easy to import data from other workflow management software, and even spreadsheets!

Its workflow management software also offers various workflow views that can be arranged by list, geographical map, kanban board, or Gantt chart. These workflows can then be visualized in dashboards to create a bird’s-eye view of the progress and data workflow managers need to monitor. I find information especially useful for workflow managers that sit between their teams and the executive suite and need to communicate complex data sets through visual dashboards.

monday.com Standout Features & Integrations

Features include workflow templates inside of their workflow operating system (Work OS), with workflow automation, data visualization, robust workflow customization for task boards, managing task status, assignees, due dates, hours spent, and more.

Integrations through Zapier include Slack, Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, Jira, GitHub, Trello, Dropbox, Typeform, and others.

Pros

  • Out-of-the-box workflow automation recipes
  • Lots of integrations to support 3rd party data
  • Work OS—A specifically designed workflow system for custom workflow apps
  • Large workflow template library to jumpstart planning

Cons

  • Minimal multi-lang support
  • Limited export functionality for reports
  • Initial customization takes time
2

Kintone

Best for designing custom workflow apps

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.6
207 reviews

30-day free trial

From $24/user/month

Kintone is a customizable workflow management platform used by enterprise teams and organizations worldwide. Users can build a variety of “apps” either from scratch, using templates, or from existing spreadsheets.

Why I picked Kintone: It's easy to build a custom workflow management app—all you have to do is drag and drop elements onto the app-builder screen and click build! Elements include rich text fields, date fields, drop-down menus, number fields with built-in calculations, spaces for attachments, user or group selection menus, related data from other apps, tables, and more. That flexibility in creating apps carries over to how a team adapts—Kintone’s flexible workflow management platform allows users to improve their workflows and adjust as needs change.

As a workflow management platform, Kintone facilitates the ability to track all facets of your teams’ workflows across all the apps you create. That data can range from individual tasks and projects to multi-step approval processes with branching conditionals.

Kintone Standout Features & Integrations

Features are subjective to the “apps” being used for workflow management (giving you complete control over what you need). Common features include in-app communication, customizable filters, customizable reports and dashboards, and multi-step workflows.

Integrations through either API or Zapier include Slack, Gmail, Google Calendar, Outlook, Tableau, Dropbox, Salesforce, HubSpot, Eventbrite, WordPress, QuickBooks, MailChimp, and many more.

Kintone Pricing & Plans

Kintone pricing begins at $24 per user per month with a minimum of 5 users and a 30-day free trial (no credit card required). There are also discounts available for nonprofits and educators. While it doesn’t offer any free plans, Kintone does provide a free custom app build as part of the free trial process.

Pros

  • Discounted plans for education, NGO, and government
  • Low-code customized & automated workflows
  • Comprehensive mobile app
  • Onboarding support to help you set up

Cons

  • Minimum 5 Users per plan
  • Some workflows are dependent on external apps
  • Per-user storage capped at 5GB (all plans)
3

Process Street

Best for managing recurring checklists and procedures

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.6
176 reviews

14-day free trial

From $12.50/user/month

Process Street is a process-driven tool that adapts well to simple workflow strategies. While Process Street doesn’t offer as much as other workflow management software tools in terms of analytics and reporting, it’s a good fit for teams with document-driven workflows. The free plan welcomes an unlimited number of users, which is a nice trade-off for being feature lite in some areas.

Process Street’s approach breaks up workflow management into three chunks: handling documentation (creating, exporting, and embedding procedure documents and templates), running trigger-based workflows (for random events initiated by a trigger, such as a client onboarding), and programming scheduled tasks that run on an automated schedule. Its drag-and-drop task manager makes it easy for anyone to use.

Why I picked Process Street: With many tools for process documentation and workflow automation, it’s a good choice for teams who want a streamlined process framework without a maze of features to get lost in.

Process Street Standout Features & Integrations

Features include workflow management, task scheduling/tracking, attendance tracking, data visualization, employee database, vacation & absence calendar, process reporting, status notifications, employee incentive management, and process modeling.

Integrations include 1000+ apps through Zapier. It also integrates with Formstack, opening up a world of additional templates.

Pros

  • Checklists utilize conditional logic
  • Automation for onboarding/training
  • Unlimited workflow checklists and templates
  • Great third-party integration options

Cons

  • No drag-and-drop for checklist reordering
  • Missing field validation for phone numbers (emails only)
4

Wrike

Best workflow management software for reconnecting siloed teams

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.2
2544 reviews

Free plan available

From $9.80/user/month

Wrike is an intuitive workflow management software suitable for teams of five or more, and offers an unlimited number of users. The software enables mangers to customize workflows, dashboards, reports, and request forms.

Why I picked Wrike: The software’s interface enables users to visualize priorities as Kanban boards, interactive Gantt charts, and traditional workload views. Wrike also features automation such as custom request forms that auto-assign tasks, push notifications, and deadline tracking.

Managers can access insightful data through KPI reports, resource management and allocation, and more. The workflow management software also offers a variety of different solutions depending on the type of team or organization, including marketing teams and professional service teams.

Wrike Standout Features & Integrations

Features include personalized app experience via AI Work Intelligence, user and team workload management functionality, account-wide work schedules, shareable dashboards, interactive workflow views, and more.

Integrations are offered natively for over 400 popular platforms including Microsoft, Google, Dropbox, Salesforce, and Marketo.

Pros

  • Comprehensive workflow modeling
  • Individuals and teams can track workloads
  • Easily visualize workflow performance
  • In-app chat to reduce switch cost for collaboration

Cons

  • Not suitable for small organizations
  • High learning curve to fully utilize
  • Limited to 10 workflows per space
5

Next Matter

Best for handling complex, cross-functional workflows

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.4
33 reviews

14-day free trial

From $20/user/month (maximum 50 users)

Next Matter is the platform for capturing and automating a business’s high-impact workflows – no matter how unique or complex. It accomplishes that by offering workflow builders all the custom tools required to mirror complex workflows to the exact specifications of the business, as well as a no-code management and optimization experience for teams looking to scale up. 

Why I picked Next Matter: Next Matter offers the reliability and performance of custom code, with the speed and flexibility of no-code – so complex workflows can be ready for go-live in just hours. The no-code building blocks are easy-to-use and cover an enormous range of operational functions and use cases, and advanced Builders can use low-code blocks to craft custom activities for everything else.

Next Matter’s no-code workflow management experience is equally impressive. The platform provides managers with full operational transparency and the ability to track workflow status at high and granular levels, in real-time. Managers and executives alike can use powerful reporting and analytics to spot improvement opportunities, and optimize workflows on the fly.

Lastly, Next Matter engages end users – employees, suppliers, customers, and more – with delightful, personalized experiences that reduce coordination friction and cognitive load. If you’re ready to bring reliable automation and scalability to your most complex workflows, and you’re looking to see real results fast, check out Next Matter. 

Next Matter Standout Features & Integrations

Features include no-code / low-code tools and custom building blocks to recreate, launch, and optimize workflows, an all-in-one workspace for workflow orchestration, external steps, granular permissions and visibility controls, custom workflows triggers, advanced workflow logic, and more. 

Integrations out-of-the-box include Slack, GSuite, Office 365, Sendgrid, Hubspot, Zendesk and many others, while an API can be used to connect custom apps, databases, and more.

Pros

  • Lots of self-service product documentation
  • Full workflow and task feature set with all plans
  • Granular access permissions

Cons

  • No API access with starter plan
  • Custom training and support locked to enterprise plan
6

Pneumatic Workflow

Best for accessing a pre-built workflow template library

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.6
4 reviews

14-day free trial + free plan available

From $99/month (unlimited users)

Pneumatic Workflow is a workflow management solution that helps teams identify, organize, and coordinate sets of tasks in your organization for one fixed price. You can use it to streamline your organization’s processes into workflows with automatic task assignments.

Why I picked Pneumatic Workflow: Their software helps teams effectively minimize routine errors, improve communication between teams, boost productivity, eliminate redundancy, and automate task management. Their workflows can be launched in four ways, namely running the workflow manually, sharing kick-off forms, using external SaaS systems, and using the Pneumatic public API.

Using Pneumatic Workflow, you can build assembly lines to pass the results of certain tasks along to the next team member quickly and efficiently. You can also select pre-built workflows from their free template library, or run unlimited workflows from one template. Their free template library includes all the popular workflows you'd expect, including employee onboarding, content development, purchase approval, customer retention, feature release, and more.

Pneumatic Workflow Standout Features & Integrations

Features include a workflow template builder, workflow variables & tools, a tasks interface, highlights, shareable kick-off forms, automations, activity highlights, urgent prioritization, video-based workflows, informative data dashboards, comments and mentions, and a WYSIWYG editor.

Integrations are available by connecting a paid Zapier account and you can build custom integration using its API.

Pros

  • Their freemium plan includes enough features to get small teams started
  • You can easily collaborate with guest (external) project stakeholders
  • They offer a 30-day money back guarantee if you are unsatisfied with their platform

Cons

  • Not many built-in software integrations
  • Limited chat support window (9 am to 5 pm CST)
7

Smartsheet

Best workflow management software for spreadsheet lovers

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.4
7400 reviews

Freemium version available

From $7/user/month

Smartsheet is a work management platform modeled after spreadsheets that enables users to organize tasks, schedules, processes, and more. It is an excellent workflow management software solution for managers currently using Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel for workflows and looking for an upgraded experience.

Why I picked Smartsheet: One of my favorite aspects of Smartsheet is that it automates calculations, even across multiple sheets. That automation enables workflow managers to gather data across multiple workflows and spaces without needing to write complex formulas.

Reporting is a strong feature of this workflow tool, with editable summary reports that can be easily exported to Excel or Sheets. The Critical Path feature highlights all the tasks that directly impact a project completion date so workflow managers can easily keep an eye on important milestones.

Smartsheet Standout Features & Integrations

Features include custom spreadsheet import, workflow automation, data visualization, custom branding, and workflow automation with built-in formula calculations.

Integrations through a REST API and webhooks include Microsoft Office and Teams apps, Google Drive, Jira, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Slack, Box, and Tableau.

Learn more about this workflow management software in my in-depth review of Smartsheet

Pros

  • Low/no-code workflow automations
  • Great alternative to Google or Excel spreadsheets
  • Cross-sheet data sharing for holistic reports
  • Workflow process notifications keep users on track

Cons

  • Set limit to rows per spreadsheet
  • Limited change-tracking functionality
  • Can be difficult to access support resources for answers
8

Qntrl

Best for cross-functional enterprise workflow automation

15-day free trial

$8/user/month

Formerly Orchestly, Qntrl is a low-code workflow orchestration software that brings visibility, control, and automation to processes by cutting down on manual work. The platform lets users control all incoming requests for a team through a centralized interface.

What users love: Qntrl comes with integrated tools to help workflow process managers design, deploy, and iterate workflows for almost any process. Workflow managers can leverage process automation mapping experience assists in creating custom forms to quickly fetch essential data. Users can escalate issues, assign tasks, approve/reject stages, and handle huge data transfers from spreadsheets present in different verticals.

Qntrl Standout Features & Integrations

Features include robust data management and visualization, workflow-centric collaboration functionality, process mapping, real-time workflow and task status updates, low-code automation, and more.

Integrations include other Zoho products and outside applications and third-party apps through built-in APIs.

Qntrl is completely free for companies with a maximum of 5 users.

Pros

  • Modest per-user price
  • Native integration with Zoho
  • Great workflow visualizations (“Blueprints”)
  • Webhooks can send notifications to third-party applications

Cons

  • Field names have to be unique across flows
  • Complex feature set has a learning curve
9

Kissflow Workflow

Best with a large workflow template database

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.3
539 reviews

Free demo available

From $15/user/monthly

Kissflow Workflow is a workflow management software with automation features and a no-code interface.

Why I picked Kissflow Workflow: Users can build out their existing workflows in the software, or select from the large bank of templates available in the platform. Ready to use templates for sales teams, HR departments, as well as procurement, finance, and operations processes are available to get business processes up and running. Users can collect and store data with the drag-and-drop form builder, and stay up to date on workflow progress with automated notifcations.

Kissflow Workflow Standout Features & Integrations

Features include workflow templates, WYSIWYG form builder, predefined steps (linear and branched), stakeholders, conditions, pre-built reports, automatic task assignment, and a mobile app.

Integrations include the Google Workspace suite, and additional integrations can be configured using the software's API.

Pros

  • Part of the larger Kissflow ecosystem (project management and app builder)
  • No coding knowledge needed to build workflows
  • Friendly and intuitive user interface

Cons

  • Migration from other tools can be cumbersome
  • Limited reporting and analytics
10

Jotform

Best workflow management software for B2B-oriented enterprises

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.2
27 reviews

Free plan available

From $39/user/month

Jotform Enterprise is a a powerful, easy-to-use data collection process for businesses of all kinds who are looking to optimize their workflow management processes. With Jotform, businesses will have access to offline forms, surveys for product feedback and reviews, collaboration tools, approvals for automated workflows, and conditional logic for a personalized customer form experience. They specialize in B2B businesses but can be adapted to a wide range of customer markets and industries.

Why I Picked Jotform Enterprise: Jotform Enterprise offers companies an easy-to-use tool that makes closing deals, collaborating with coworkers, signing waivers, and collecting form responses a more seamless process. Jotform Enterprise provides you with a wide range of workflows, forms, reports, and automation tools that can be used to build custom applications tailored to your needs. It also allows you to create customized forms for collecting data from customers or employees and then create automated workflows based on this data.

Jotform workflows can automate everyday tasks such as customer onboarding, order processing, invoicing, approvals, reminders, notifications, and follow-ups, allowing businesses to save time by eliminating manual processes.You can set up automated form submissions so that all incoming data is automatically sent to the designated destination, like your customer database or email account.

Additional features include workflow automations, conditional logic, e-sign documents with automated signing orders, webhooks, API, and helpful ways to integrate feedback into your workflow. 

Jotform Enterprise Standout Features & Integrations

Features include form building tools, mobile responsiveness, payment integration, conditional logic, data collection and management, form branding, multi-language support, SSL encryption, and integration with third-party apps.

Integrations include Google Drive, Google Sheets, Slack, Dropbox, PayPal, Stripe, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Airtable. It also can integrate with Zapier to automate workflows and connect JotForm with over 1,000 other apps and services but this requires a Zapier account and may incur additional costs.

Pros

  • Wide range of workflow templates
  • Mobile-responsive forms & surveys
  • Cost-effective, even for Enterprise plans

Cons

  • Required Zapier for most integrations
  • Data visualization options are limited

Need expert help selecting the right Workflow Management Software?

If you’re struggling to choose the right software, let us help you. Just share your needs in the form below and you’ll get free access to our dedicated software advisors who match and connect you with the best vendors for your needs.

Summary Of The Best Workflow Management Software

Here’s a table summarizing basic info about the tools described in this article. View pricing as well as the availability of free trials to make a quick side-by-side comparison.

Tool Trial Info Price
1
monday.com

Best for automating manual processes

14-day free trial + free plan available

From $8/user/month (billed annually, min 3 seats) Website
2
Kintone

Best for designing custom workflow apps

30-day free trial

From $24/user/month Website
3
Process Street

Best for managing recurring checklists and procedures

14-day free trial

From $12.50/user/month Website
4
Wrike

Best workflow management software for reconnecting siloed teams

Free plan available

From $9.80/user/month Website
5
Next Matter

Best for handling complex, cross-functional workflows

14-day free trial

From $20/user/month (maximum 50 users) Website
6
Pneumatic Workflow

Best for accessing a pre-built workflow template library

14-day free trial + free plan available

From $99/month (unlimited users) Website
7
Smartsheet

Best workflow management software for spreadsheet lovers

Freemium version available

From $7/user/month Website
8
Qntrl

Best for cross-functional enterprise workflow automation

15-day free trial

$8/user/month Website
9
Kissflow Workflow

Best with a large workflow template database

Free demo available

From $15/user/monthly Website
10
Jotform

Best workflow management software for B2B-oriented enterprises

Free plan available

From $39/user/month Website

Other Workflow Management Software Worth Considering

I haven’t had a chance to review these properly, but if the tools included in the review aren’t working for you, consider checking out these additional BPM tools:

  1. Nifty

    Best for issues, bugs, & changes management

  2. SysAid

    Best for internal service departments

  3. Kissflow

    Best enterprise workflow management software

  4. Quixy

    Best no-code workflow management software

  5. Pipefy

    Best to build shareable forms, portals, and actions

  6. Forecast

    Best for managing your projects, resources, and finances in one

  7. Cflow

    Best workflow management software for growing organizations

  8. DocuWare

    Best for document management & e-signatures

  9. Avaza

    Best iPhone, iPad, and Android friendly workflow app

  10. Asana

    Best workflow management software that’s free and easy to use

  11. Camunda Platform

    Best for automating processes across diverse endpoints

  12. Planview Clarizen

    Best workflow app for PMOs and professional services

  13. ProcessMaker

    Best low-code iBPMS for enterprise-level processes

  14. ProWorkflow

    Best integration-friendly collaborative workflow platform

  15. beSlick

    Best to identify and improve work processes

  16. Admation

    Best workflow management software for marketing-specific projects

  17. WorkflowGen

    Create integrated, adaptive workflows for digital ecosystems

How I Picked the Best Workflow Management Software

To decide which tools to feature in this list, I evaluated and compared the details for a number of popular workflow management tools. I weighed a variety of key factors and functions that would be top of mind for businesses of all sizes.

This is the set of criteria I considered to determine the best and most useful workflow management software:

Automation

I examined each tool’s time-saving automation functionalities, such as automatically assigning tasks, sending push notifications, routing documentation, reducing repetitive processes, sending status updates, and generating reports. The best software should include automation tools with customization options. Especially when it comes to workflows, notifications, business rules, process automation, and more. You can support your team with an entire ecosystem of business process management software (AKA BPM tools) to create efficient, optimized workflows.

KPI reports

KPI and metrics reporting not only gives team members insight into their task or project status but also gives management a quick look at where inefficiencies may be occurring so you can make changes to optimize business processes. The best workflow management software should offer clean and easy-to-interpret KPI dashboards.

Deadline tracking

Even with a dashboard, it’s easy to lose sight of deadlines when you’re juggling dozens of workflows. To be most useful, a workflow management system has to offer a clear system for SLA indicators. Each tool’s pricing plan is based on its simplicity, transparency, and value. Workflow management software should add a layer of structure and visibility to your workflow process. I looked for tools that use notifications, color-coding, and dashboard views that display tasks by due date to help you manage deadlines.

Integrations

Nearly all projects require using multiple tools. So, your workflow management software absolutely must play nice with other apps that you and your business use, including project management tools like Asana or ClickUp. I looked at how each of these workflow management tools might integrate with other tools. These include calendars, CMS, development tools, databases, email and communication tools, payment processing apps, CRMs, and more. I also delineate whether integrations are native or require Zapier.

Price

The value that you get from a workflow management tool has to align with the price you’re paying. It also must be within the scope of your budget, especially if you run a small business. I evaluated the price based on features available at the standard vs. premium plans. I also based that evaluation on per-user or feature pricing models, and how the overall offering matched the average seen on the market.

Workflow Management Software FAQs

Find answers to common questions other people ask about this topic.

Workflow Management Software Buyer's Guide

Here's a buyer's guide covering 2 use cases and information to help you choose the right workflow management tool.

Use case 1: Coordinating people-centric workflows

This use case focuses on organizing people by bringing their tasks, files, status updates, and comms into one place, with a clear structure to the flow of work.

This is often the case in businesses including:

  • Digital agencies, development agencies, creative agencies, etcetera
  • Project and product teams or departments within companies
  • Professional services companies

If you're among these users, the type of workflow software that's most useful for you will usually be focused on:

You also will want all these features in a no-code environment that simply organizes your business processes in a central place. Most of the products in my list here fall into this category.

Use case 2: Coordinating system-centric workflows

This use case focuses more on connecting business processes or systems together, integrating their functions and tech systems to create a unified workflow.

This is more common in enterprise companies, as well as in sectors including:

If you're among these users, the type of workflow software that is most useful is often an enterprise-grade solution. At the very least, you need access to a REST API and SLA manager to help you orchestrate across multiple systems.

At this level, though, many companies may go beyond a workflow SaaS product and use an Integration Platform As-A-Service (iPaaS) such as Make (formerly known as Integromat) offering connectors to unify their business process systems.

Who is going to use the workflow management software?

  • How many people are on your team?
  • Who is going to use the tool, and do you require role-based access control? What other stakeholders will be involved in using or accessing the tool (eg. clients, management, and others)?
  • You’ll also need to ask yourself what types of people will be using the tool in order to decide if you require something code-based or with low code or no code.
  • Does this tool fit in with your existing toolkit and integrate with the right tools?
  • Does it align with your use cases?
  • If this is one of the first tools you’re adding, will it scale and expand in order to meet your needs as you grow? Ask yourself whether your team will use it online, or if they need something that works offline as well.

Cost of workflow management software

Prices fall into a wide range from $0-$40 per user per month. Most SaaS workflow tools are priced per user, which highlights the importance of considering how many team members will use it—as well as how many team members are going to be using it in the future.

Make sure you look at how the cost will increase as you scale—not only will your costs increase with each team member, but you may also need to bump up your plan to a more expensive tier as your business needs increase. Therefore, pay attention to tools that offer unlimited users after a certain tier.

What's Next?

Tools aside, as a project manager you can quickly align teams and find bottlenecks by scheduling a workflow diagramming session. Our complete guide to workflow diagrams has an example of how one of those sessions helped a team, and all the workflow diagram basics you need (+ templates!).

Other related reads:

Why do vampires make poor project managers? Because they refuse to meet with stake holders. You can find more fun and PM-related content in our Insider Membership Newsletter. Subscribe now.

By Ben Aston

I’m Ben Aston, a digital project manager and founder of thedpm.com. I've been in the industry for more than 20 years working in the UK at London’s top digital agencies including Dare, Wunderman, Lowe and DDB. I’ve delivered everything from film to CMS', games to advertising and eCRM to eCommerce sites. I’ve been fortunate enough to work across a wide range of great clients; automotive brands including Land Rover, Volkswagen and Honda; Utility brands including BT, British Gas and Exxon, FMCG brands such as Unilever, and consumer electronics brands including Sony. Ben's a Certified Scrum Master, PRINCE2 Practitioner and productivity nut.