Today’s fast-paced work environment demands efficient and effective workflows to meet ever-changing business needs. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the best workflow management software to help you streamline your processes, increase productivity and achieve your goals.
SEE: Hiring kit: Project manager (TechRepublic Premium)
Whether you’re a freelancer, small-business owner or part of a large corporation, these tools will help you stay organized, focused and on top of your game.
Best workflow management software
| Software | Customization | Collaboration | Reporting and analytics | Ease of use | Automation | Starting price (per month, billed annually) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| monday work management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $8 per seat |
| Smartsheet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $7 per user |
| Wrike | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $9.80 per user |
| Asana | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $10.99 per user |
| ClickUp | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $5 per member |
| Jira | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | $7.75 per user |
| Quixy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $20 per user |
| Process Street | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $415 |
| LucidChart | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $7.95 for one user |
monday work management: Best for customizable workflow management
monday work management is a highly flexible and customizable workflow management software that offers many features to help businesses streamline their processes and increase productivity.
Business owners use monday work management because it allows them to create custom workflows that meet the specific needs of their businesses. For example, a client called Oscar saved about 1,850 hours of staff time and approximately $50,000 monthly using this workflow management software.
The software’s collaboration tools also make it easy for team members to communicate and share information.
Pricing
- Free: No cost for up to two seats.
- Basic: $8 per seat per month, billed annually, or $10 per seat billed monthly.
- Standard: $10 per seat per month, billed annually, or $12 per seat billed monthly.
- Pro: $16 per seat per month, billed annually, or $20 per seat billed monthly.
- Enterprise: Contact sales for a custom quote.
Standout features
- Customizable templates.
- Visual timeline.
- Workflow automation.
- Data visualization.
- Time tracking.
Pros
- User-friendly interface.
- Plenty of third-party integrations.
- Real-time collaboration.
- Workflow visualization.
Cons
- Initial use takes time to learn.
- May be too complex, especially for smaller teams.
- Mobile app is less feature-rich than the desktop.
For more information, check out our full monday.com Work OS review.
Smartsheet: Best for spreadsheet users
Smartsheet is a versatile work execution platform useful for various purposes. However, it is particularly well-suited for project management and collaboration.
Teams can use Smartsheet to collaborate on projects as well as monitor tasks, deadlines and progress. The platform offers tools like Gantt charts, calendars and dashboards to help teams stay organized and on track.
Pricing
- Free: No cost for one user and up to two editors.
- Pro: $7 per user per month, billed annually, or $9 per user billed monthly.
- Business: $25 per user per month, billed annually, or $32 per user billed monthly.
- Enterprise: Contact sales for a custom quote.
Standout features
- Customizable spreadsheets.
- Real-time collaboration.
- Automated workflows.
- Powerful reporting and dashboards.
- Project timeline visualization.
- Built-in formula calculations.
Pros
- Automated workflow and alerts.
- Prebuilt, customizable spreadsheets.
- Easy-to-use interface.
- Robust reporting and dashboard features.
Cons
- Limited rows per spreadsheet.
- Need internet connectivity to access data.
- Pages do not have real-time updates.
For more information, check out our full Smartsheet review.
Wrike: Best for team collaboration
Wrike is an online project management and collaborative work management tool appropriate for businesses of all sizes. It helps teams save time, reduce costs and increase productivity by streamlining communication, organizing tasks and providing reporting features.
Pricing
- Free: No cost for unlimited users.
- Team: $9.80 per user per month for two to 25 users.
- Business: $24.80 per user per month for five to 500 users.
- Enterprise: Contact sales for a custom quote.
- Pinnacle: Contact sales for a custom quote.
Standout features
- All-in-one project management and collaborative work management solution.
- Customizable workflows.
- Workload optimization.
- Real-time insights.
- Seamless collaboration.
Pros
- An all-in-one work hub, allowing users to complete their projects in one spot.
- A customizable, robust approvals process.
- Intuitive workflow visualization.
Cons
- Steep learning curve.
- Lack of filtering options.
- Significantly slower to upload and download files.
For more information, check out our full Wrike review.
Asana: Best for complex projects
Asana is a project management tool that streamlines communication, improves collaboration and helps businesses stay organized. Approximately 70% of people worldwide work from home, which makes Asana especially useful in this aspect. Companies can use it to easily create tasks, assign them to team members and track progress any time anywhere.
Pricing
- Basic: No cost for individuals or teams just getting started.
- Premium: $10.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $13.49 per user billed monthly.
- Business: $24.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $30.49 per user billed monthly.
Standout features
- Customizable project templates.
- Intuitive task management.
- Team conversations and shared calendars.
- Real-time progress tracking.
- Seamless third-party integrations.
Pros
- Powerful project management to streamline workflow and improve collaboration.
- User-friendly interface for easy task and assignment management.
- Manage all aspects of a project in one place with third-party tools like Slack, Dropbox and Google Drive.
Cons
- Steep learning curve for new users.
- Limited reporting capabilities.
- No Gantt chart view.
- Limited customization.
- Pricing can be expensive for larger teams.
For more information, check out our full Asana review.
ClickUp: Best for flexibility and customization
ClickUp is a versatile, all-in-one project management tool that helps streamline workflows, enhance collaboration and stay on top of projects. Its powerful task management and project management features, customizability and wide range of collaboration tools make it a great solution for businesses that need a flexible and customizable project management tool.
Pricing
- Free Forever: No cost for unlimited users.
- Unlimited: $5 per member per month, billed annually, or $9 per member billed monthly.
- Business: $12 per member per month, billed annually, or $19 per member billed monthly.
- Business Plus: $19 per member per month, billed annually, or $29 per member billed monthly.
- Enterprise: Contact sales for a custom quote.
Standout features
- Customizable views.
- All-in-one platform.
- Custom fields and tags.
- Workflow automation.
- Real-time collaboration with comments, mentions and shared calendars.
Pros
- Functionality for everything from task management to time tracking to team collaboration.
- Various customizable views, including list, board and calendar.
- Custom fields and tags creation.
- Automates repetitive tasks and saves time.
Cons
- Can take some time to learn how to use it.
- Can be more complex than other project management tools.
- Offers limited integration tools.
For more information, check out our full ClickUp review.
Jira: Best for software development teams
Jira is a popular project management software used by over 65,000 companies. It is ideal for developer teams due to its feature set and integration capabilities, allowing for effective Agile software development. It also offers Jira Service Management for incidents, problems and change management.
Additionally, Jira provides data-driven scrum insights to help product owners and team members track sprint goals and improve retrospectives. Product owners can prioritize development tasks from the most to the least important, so the team understands the priorities.
Pricing
- Free: No cost for up to 10 users.
- Standard: $7.75 per user billed monthly, or $790 for one to 10 users, billed annually.
- Premium: $15.25 per user billed monthly, or $1,525 for one to 10 users, billed annually.
- Enterprise: Contact sales for a custom quote.
Standout features
- Agile software development.
- Real-time reporting and dashboards.
- Search functionality.
- Customizable workflows.
- Third-party integrations.
Pros
- Highly customizable.
- Seamless integration with other software applications, including Slack, GitHub and Trello.
- Live dashboards.
- Large and active user community that provides support.
Cons
- Need technical expertise to set up.
- User interface can be confusing and overwhelming.
- Can be too feature-rich for some businesses, causing unnecessary complexity.
For more information, check out our full Jira review.
Quixy: Best for self-starters
Quixy is a no-code platform that provides businesses with app development, business process management and workflow automation software. It helps companies save time by automating routine processes in a single click and enables them to turn ideas into applications quickly.
Quixy is a great tool for businesses that want to make their employees happier and more productive, automate their daily routine, and boost their return on investment. Users can apply all data regarding customers to existing business processes and encourage customer-centric strategies.
Pricing
- Solution: Contact sales for a custom quote.
- Platform: $20 per user per month, billed annually, for a minimum of 20 users.
- Enterprise: Contact sales for a custom quote.
Standout features
- Drag-and-drop capabilities.
- Workflow automation.
- Prebuilt, customizable apps.
- Cloud-based solutions.
- Third-party integrations.
Pros
- Empowers businesses to develop custom applications without writing code.
- Reduces manual processes and saves time with workflow automation.
- Allows businesses to work remotely and access data globally.
- Takes security seriously.
Cons
- Learning curve is involved.
- Limited customization.
- Difficult migration to other platforms.
Process Street: Best for repeating business procedures and checklists
Process Street is ideal for business owners looking to streamline their operations and manage their day-to-day procedures more effectively. It’s a simple yet powerful tool that enables users to document, manage and track their workflows in one place. That makes it easy to collaborate with team members, automate routine tasks and ensure everything runs smoothly.
Whether you’re looking to onboard new employees, manage client projects or keep your team organized, Process Street has you covered. Business owners looking to save time, reduce errors and improve productivity should try Process Street.
Pricing
- Startup: $100 per month or $1,000 per year for up to five members.
- Pro: Starts at $415 per month or $5,000 per year depending on the number of users.
- Enterprise: Starts at $1,660 per month or $20,000 per year depending on the number of users.
Standout features
- Intuitive interface.
- Prebuilt, customizable templates.
- Automation.
- Real-time collaboration.
- Detailed reporting.
- Integration with Zapier, Slack and Trello.
Pros
- Great for beginners.
- Wide range of customizable templates.
- Responsive customer support team.
Cons
- Limited functionality for complex workflows.
- User interface can lag.
- Advanced features are only available for more expensive plans.
LucidChart: Best for diagramming and visualization
LucidChart is a powerful online diagramming app that supports real-time collaborative editing, has well-stocked templates and object libraries, and offers many options for exporting and presenting diagrams.
You might like LucidChart because it is reliable and easy to use, with no steep learning curve. It can help identify redundancies and non-value-adding steps to achieve a productive and efficient workforce.
Pricing
- Free: No cost for three editable LucidChart documents.
- Individual: $7.95 per month for a single user.
- Team: $9.00 per user per month.
- Enterprise: Contact sales for a custom quote.
Standout features
- Large library of templates and charts.
- Simultaneous collaboration and feedback.
- Drag-and-drop interface.
- Export and presentation options.
- Integration with Google Drive, Slack and Microsoft Office.
Pros
- User-friendly interface.
- Ability to work on the same diagram with teams and share feedback in real time.
- Many export and presentation options, including PDF, JPG and PNG formats, alongside the ability to embed graphs in webpages and presentations.
Cons
- Limited free version.
- Steep pricing for advanced plans.
- Limited diagram customization.
- Slow load times.
Key features of workflow management software
Workflow management software is essential for companies of all sizes. It helps streamline operations, increase productivity and reduce errors. Here are some of the most important features to look for when choosing workflow management software.
Customizable workflows
The software should allow you to create custom workflows that meet the specific needs of your business. This means you can design workflows tailored to your processes rather than using a one-size-fits-all solution.
Collaboration tools
Your workflow management software should have built-in collaboration tools that allow team members to work together on projects. This can include features such as task assignments, comments and notifications.
Third-party integration
Look for software that integrates with your business’s other tools, such as project management software, customer relationship management systems and accounting software. This will help streamline your workflows and reduce the need for manual data entry.
Reporting and analytics
The software should provide detailed reporting and analytics that allow you to track your workflows’ progress and identify improvement areas.
Mobile access
In today’s fast-paced business environment, accessing your workflows from anywhere is important. Look for software that offers mobile access to manage things on the go.
Security
Your workflow management software should be secure and protect your sensitive data. Look for tools that offer encryption, user authentication and other security features.
Ease of use
The software should be easy to use and intuitive. You’ll want to save time training your team on simple software. Look for products with a user-friendly interface and good customer support.
What are the benefits of workflow management tools?
Implementing a workflow management tool can significantly benefit a business of any size. Here are just a few benefits of using workflow management software:
- Increased productivity: Automated workflows can greatly increase productivity among teams. By decreasing the need to perform redundant tasks manually, employees can work faster with less stress.
- Improved collaboration: Workflow management tools offer a better line of communication, which improves visibility on task completion and progress for members of the team.
- More positive work culture: With a lower need for micromanagement and active multi-tasking provided by the improved collaboration, there is a more positive work culture for employees at all levels.
How we picked the best workflow management software
It’s paramount to consider several factors to ensure you select the right tool when looking for the best workflow management software for your business. We started by researching various options and narrowed the list based on features, pricing and user reviews.
Next, we identified the key features most businesses require in workflow management software, such as automation, real-time collaboration, task tracking and reporting. We also considered the ease of use and integration with other tools to ensure the software could operate seamlessly with your existing workflow.
We then evaluated each product based on these criteria and ranked them on their performance, pricing, customer support and overall user feedback. Finally, we selected the top software options that met our criteria and provided the best value for businesses of all sizes.
Following this process helped us identify the best workflow management software options available on the market and provide you with a comprehensive overview of their features and benefits.
How to choose the best workflow management software
Choosing the best workflow management software for your business can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Make an informed decision by considering your needs, such as team size, workflow complexity and budget.
Start by identifying the key features required in workflow management software, such as task tracking, automation, real-time collaboration and reporting. You should also consider the ease of use and integration with other tools to ensure the software can work seamlessly with your existing projects.
Next, research and compare the top software options in the market based on their pricing, user reviews and features. Take advantage of free trials and demos to test the software and see how it fits your needs.
You should then consider the long-term benefits of the software, such as scalability, customer support and security. Investing in the right workflow management software can save you time, money and resources in the long run, so choosing wisely is essential.
By following these steps and evaluating your options, you can select the best workflow management software for your business and streamline your operations for maximum efficiency and productivity.
Read next: 10 best project management software and tools for 2023 (TechRepublic)
