In today’s fast-paced business world, efficiency is everything. Whether you’re managing a small team or running a large organization, the ability to streamline repetitive tasks and automate workflows can save time, reduce errors, and increase productivity. That’s where workflow automation tools come in. By automating mundane processes, these tools allow you and your team to focus on higher-value tasks, improving both your workflow and bottom line.

In this article, we will learn what workflow automation is and dive into some of the top workflow automation tools available today, examining their standout features to help you find the perfect fit for your needs.

What is workflow automation software?

Workflow automation automates repetitive tasks, actions, or processes that would typically require manual effort such as task management and approval cycles. With workflow automation tools, businesses can automate workflows, streamline time-consuming tasks, minimize human error, and free up users to focus on more strategic and priority tasks.  

How does workflow automation software work?

Here’s a simple example of how a workflow automation tool works:

Imagine a marketing team that needs to get new campaign materials—such as ad copies, graphics, or videos—approved by multiple departments before they can go live.  

Traditionally, this could involve emailing files to managers, waiting for feedback, making revisions, and then sending them again for further approval. This back-and-forth can be time-consuming and prone to delays or even missed approvals.

With workflow automation, you can set up an automated approval process which ideally would look like this:

1. Uploading file: The marketing team can upload the file of any type or size to an ideal workflow tool.

2. Notification alert: Relevant approvers (such as the marketing manager and legal team) receive notifications as soon as new files are uploaded, alerting them that their review is needed.

3. Review and feedback: Each reviewer receives access to the files and can either approve them or add feedback. Many automation tools like Artwork Flow allow comments to be left directly using annotation tools on the document, centralizing feedback.

4. Approval or revision: Once all feedback is received, the marketing team makes the necessary revisions and re-uploads the updated files. The automated workflow notifies the same reviewer.

5. Final approval: Once all approvals are complete, the system marks the task as “approved” and sends a notification to the marketing team regarding the next step.  

This automated approval workflow saves time by ensuring each person involved in the process is notified at the right time, avoids confusion over who needs to approve next, and provides transparency for all stakeholders on the status of the task.  

Top Workflow Automation Software  

Listed below are the best 15 workflow automation software that you need to explore:  

1. Artwork Flow

G2 ratings: 4.5/5

Artwork Flow has one of the best workflow automation software out there. The platform offers you highly flexible creative workflow solutions; from customizing your workflows to achieving project visibility from the start to the end, this AI-powered platform streamlines your packaging operations effortlessly. Your team can focus on bigger tasks and boost their efficiency with fewer revisions and save costs.  

Highlights

• Track user performance and project progress using the powerful analytics dashboard.  

• Stay up to date on tasks and approvals with real-time notifications.

• Streamline label reviews and feedback process with automated label compliance feature.

• Seamless project management with list views and Gantt charts.

• Maintain accountability with prompt audit and activity logs.

• Advanced and AI-enabled search features to retrieve assets and files.

Pros  

• Clean and user-friendly interface.

• Breakdown complex workflows with easy task visualizer.

• Customer service is available 24x7.  

Cons

• Cannot access on mobile.

2. Ziflow

G2 rating: 4.5/5

Ziflow’s creative workflow automation tool lets you automate tasks in your daily operations saving you time and offers various workflow templates improving your team’s productivity.  

Highlights

• Automate the approval and review process by creating rules for every step and authorize specific review activities among various teams.  

• Mutli-stage review where multiple users can add feedback in multiple formats making collaboration easier.

• Automatic late proof reminders to not miss any deadlines.

• Comprehensive checklist to meet compliance and security requirements.

Pros

• Flexible and customizable.

• Easily switch between languages.

Cons

• Pricey for small businesses.

• Glitches and occasional performance lag.

3. Zapier

G2 rating: 4.5/5

Zapier is a workflow automation platform that seamlessly integrates between various platforms, automates your workflows, and streamlines day to day tasks. You can set up multistep workflows by adding more tasks to your workflows to get it done.

Highlights  

• Create workflows, also called Zaps, using Zapier’s AI copilot.

• Add if/then logic into your workflows and use filters to ensure the system operates only when specific conditions are fulfilled.

• Find numerous templates in the templates library for marketing campaigns, project management, lead management, and more.

• Schedule app by Zapier lets you trigger a workflow or a Zap on a recurring basis. You can choose the day, month, or the specific hour of the week to run your workflows.

Pros  

• Zapier’s compatibility with other tools such as Slack, Zoho, Sheets, and more is notable.  

• Smooth onboarding of various teams.

Cons

• Advanced automation features might need a deeper understanding.  

4. Filestage

G2 rating: 4.6/5

It is a project workflow management software that helps brands and agencies automate and simplify their creative workflows. From managing various file formats to analyzing team performance, Filestage is a smooth platform to work on.  

Highlights

• Leave accurate timestamped comments on video and audio files.

• Automate review and approval statuses and move files accordingly.

• Enhance the review process by tracking the performance and review process on ongoing projects, versions uploaded, review finalizations, and average comments per review.

Pros  

• As a reviewer, you will not have to create a specific account to add comments and annotations.

• Easy to collaborate across teams and clients.  

Cons

• Images or videos with larger files could get compressed, losing the original quality.

• The software may slow down if you have too many projects open.

5. Jira

G2 rating: 4.3/5

Jira is a suitable project management tool which facilitates cross-functional collaboration, aligns tasks to company goals, tracks team performance, and lets you prioritize tasks.

Highlights  

• Align your work towards team objectives by tracking how much of your contribution affects the company goals.

• Visualize and manage backlogs, deadlines, and priorities efficiently with Kanban and Scrum boards.

• With shared release dates, from product managers to software engineers, get notification if there is a change in the launch date.  

Pros  

• Robust reporting features and customizable dashboards.  

• Easy to implement.
  

Cons

• Extensive features can be overwhelming to use at first.

• Plug-ins are not available for a limited number of users.

6. Monday.com

G2 rating: 4.7/5

Monday.com is a work management tool that does wonders beyond project management features. It is flexible and your projects can be customized to fit every need.  

Highlights

• Create live-action items by embedding boards, dashboards, and other components into work documents.

• Monday AI automates creative requests, assigns tasks to the right individual, and summarizes work quickly to give you a head start on the tasks.

• Measure marketing campaign impact and optimize campaign performance with integrations like Supermetrics.

Pros  

• Easy-to-scan and read interface.

• Customization options for specific projects.  

• Intuitive drag and drop interface.

Cons

• Limited automation across multiple boards.

7. Wrike

G2 rating: 4.2/5

Wrike is a versatile workflow management tool which streamlines tasks across departments by automating workflows, including approvals, request forms, and blueprints, boosting productivity and efficiency.  

Highlights

• Detailed dashboard and analytics to visualize results, plans, and workloads.

• Wrike AI makes smart suggestions based on the repetitive activities including auto-generated briefs and comment summaries.

• Automate cross-tagging, status-based guardrails, and custom field updates to run projects hassle-free.

Pros  

• User-friendly compared to many competitor tools.

• Projects are easily manageable on the platform.  

Cons

• Only fewer licenses are available within the price.

8. Asana

G2 rating: 4.4/5

Asana’s automation features help you streamline daily tasks effortlessly. Teams gain more clarity on their task briefs and deadlines with a platform like Asana. It is best suited for remote teams.

Highlights  

• Make use of the forms to standardize work requests and custom templates to start common workflows.

• Asana AI gives insights across teams to focus on the most important tasks.

• There is an option to keep your dashboard private, otherwise you can share it with the internal team.

Pros  

• Well organized task management tool.

• The product is updated every month.

Cons

• It is costly.

9. Confluence

G2 rating: 4.1/5

Confluence is an ideal platform for ideation, documentation, and collaboration across teams. From product launches to marketing campaigns, you can create, manage, and collaborate with your team.  

Highlights  

• Using rule-based automation, summarize long content and manage repetitive tasks.

• Loom, the video messaging feature, fast-tracks the explanation part with less text. All you should do is record a video to share the message and embed it on the required page.

• Confluence space lets you organize tasks smoothly and you can dig out any files with advanced search tool.

Pros  

• Well-defined user experience.

• Seamless integration with other apps.

Cons

• The tool can slow down tasks at times.

10. Kissflow

G2 rating: 4.3/5

Kissflow is a workflow automation tool that stands out for its visual workflows and analytics features.

Highlights  

• Create customizable workflows with drag and drop functionality.

• With Kissflow, define the user responsibilities as per the user’s job level, and nature of data.

• Real time analytics and reporting functionalities to monitor user performance.  

Pros

• Ease of integration

• No coding skills required.

Cons

• The Kissflow app is not available for Android users.

11. Notion

G2 rating: 4.7/5

Notion is a workspace where you can create docs, take notes, manage tasks, and organize files in a centralized space. With the acquisition of Automate.io, Notion now lets you create and manage automated workflows.  

Highlights

• Streamline task flows, bug reports, database entries, doc outlines and more with automated workflows.

• View and keep track of tasks in the form of calendars and boards.

• Run sprints, clean backlogs, and track bugs with automation.

Pros  

• Clean page hierarchy.

• Images can be added using ‘copy + paste’ instead of saving it in the folder and uploading it.

Cons

• When you work with large files, you may face occasional delays with the software.

12. Hive

G2 rating: 4.6/5

Hive is a workflow management tool with flexible project views and numerous customizations.  It also offers an automation platform to run and manage business projects.

Highlights

• With Hive, visualize projects in six different ways: Gantt, Kanban, calendar, portfolio, table, and label views.

• Hive Automate app facilitates cross-app automation from Hive to any other app.

• Drag and drop workflow builder to customize multi-step workflows.

Pros  

• Access the app through your phone and leave feedback directly.

• Seamless navigation.

Cons

• System may lag when too many users are active.

13. ClickUp

G2 rating: 4.7/5

ClickUp is a platform that lets you automate projects and routine tasks and execute marketing campaigns seamlessly. It is a suitable tool for businesses of all sizes.  

Highlights

• ClickUp Brain, the built-in AI, creates workflows instantly as per your prompt.

• Access multiple templates for various marketing workflows.

• You can connect your marketing apps with over 1000 integrations.

Pros  

• Detailed audit logs.

• Easy to initiate automation.

Cons

• At times, the software may glitch.

14. Smartsheet

G2 rating:  4.4/5

Smartsheet offers workflow automation, content automation, and collaboration features that help you organize, track, and automate various projects and tasks.

Highlights

• Set automated alerts and reminders for every task in your team.  

• Visibility into real-time metrics summarizing the progress of each task across various

• The platform can integrate with powerful tools such as Google Workspace, Slack, Salesforce, Jira, and more.

Pros

• Projects are accessible from the mobile app.  

Cons

• Workflows can be confusing.  

• You need basic training to get around some features.  

15. Miro

G2 rating: 4.7/5

This workflow automation tool is an online collaborative whiteboarding platform that allows teams to visualize ideas, brainstorm, plan projects, and conduct workshops in real-time.

Highlights

• Miro AI lets you build faster workflows on your own or with the pre-built AI actions.

• Miro provides a toolkit for various workflows such as product management, design, engineering, marketing, sales, and planning.

• Visualize comprehensive diagrams easily.  

Pros  

• Various stakeholders can collaborate on brainstorming, mind mapping, and flow documentation at the same time.  

• Miro is suitable for collaboration for those who work remotely.

Cons

• Miro could have had integrations with tools such as Google and MS suite.

• Users sometimes come across bugs in the tool.

Streamline your workflows with Artwork Flow

Work management can be tricky and time-consuming when collaborating with various teams and stakeholders. To get ahead in this dynamic environment, it is essential to adopt workflow automation software to your toolkit. Every workflow automation tool has its unique features, pros, and cons. The best way to choose a tool is to see if it suits your business needs and allotted budget.  

Opted by top brands such as Lavie, Home Chef, LesserEvil, and more, Artwork Flow’s workflow automation software is a fan favorite for its implementation, faster launches, and lesser review time. It is also a user-friendly software ideal for operations of all sizes in industries such as food and beverages, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, wineries, and more.

Artwork Flow can make a significant impact on your team by simplifying complex processes, reducing manual work, and ensuring consistent quality across tasks.

So, ready to take your productivity to the next level? Explore Artwork Flow today and see the difference it can make in your everyday operations.

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