The Best Workflow Tools In 2024

Hunting for new workflow tools? We’ve been in your shoes before. As a public service, there should be a book called, “What To Expect When You’re Expected To Buy New Workflow Software.” Unfortunately, the aforementioned book is still a figment of our imagination (for now), but we’ve got the next (or maybe third or fourth) best thing.

We used our team’s very specific set of skills to crunch the data on features, user reviews and more to bring you our picks of the best project management software for managing workflows. The winners? monday.com, ClickUp, Jira, Smartsheet and ProofHub.

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After signing up for free trials for each product, I was all set for two weeks of testing. I evaluated each product’s workflow capabilities by setting up processes and building automations and customizations. As tempting as going in blind may have been, for the sake of time, I popped over to the product’s knowledge center for help or, in a few cases, watched YouTube tutorials for inspiration.

What follows is our inside scoop on pricing, differentiating features, a walkthrough of how to build workflows, what each product is best for and why a product may not “work” for your team.

Workflow Tools Comparison

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Top Workflow Tools

monday.com

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Our Analysis

Best For

Organizing and tracking project work using multiple views, customizable columns and filters, no-code automations and in-built templates. Bonus points for their 7-day free trial extensions.

Avoid If

The Enterprise version is out of your budget because you won’t have access to the workflow builder.

Pricing

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ClickUp

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Our Analysis

Best For

Extensive customization to meet the needs of any team’s workflow, over 15 view options, no-code automation and templates. Plus points for the ability to manage notifications and alerts.

Avoid If

You’re not planning on using their wide range of features and customization options as there is a steep learning curve for new users.

Pricing

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Smartsheet

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Our Analysis

Best For

Workflow automation capabilities, templates and users familiar with spreadsheets.

Avoid If

Excel is not your jam, and you don’t have the budget for advanced features.

Pricing

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ProofHub

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Our Analysis

Best For

Team collaboration, streamlined proofing and approval processes, user-friendly interface and pricing.

Avoid If

Automations are your bread and butter, and you need multiple integrations for your processes.

Pricing

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Jira

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Our Analysis

Best For

Lovers of Agile methodologies and tools, scrum teams and workflow automations and tools.

Avoid If

Agile is not your cup of tea, or you have limited technical experience and don’t have the time to customize specs and train your team.

Pricing

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How We Chose and Evaluated Products

Testing products is a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it. Luckily, I didn’t have to go in blind.

First, our analysts conducted in-depth research to understand the market. They then recommended the 5 best products based on a range of criteria: topic alignment, feature comprehensiveness, product popularity, user reviews and ratings, SelectHub in-house data, hands-on experience, market analysts’ reports, thought leaders’ opinions and information available in the public domain.

Products with better user reviews were given preference, provided they adequately met the other criteria listed.

While all the products on our list are project management tools, they offer impressive features for creating and managing workflows.

Armed with those insights from our team of analysts and free trials for each product, I was ready to put my grading cap on. To ensure an objective evaluation, here’s the criteria I used to test the products after our analysts gave us the final list:

Ease of Use: I didn’t expect to pick each tool up immediately, but I wanted each one to be intuitive and user-friendly to master for team members without Python as a soft skill.

Customization: Workflows aren’t exactly one-size-fits-all. I looked at how the tools could be customized to fit user-specific workflows.

For example, Cache Merill, Founder and CEO of Zibtek uses a set process for his company that requires in-depth customization.

We use workflows the most between design phases and development. So we have clear stories and tasks in design and devs can’t start until those designs are approved. We build a workflow around that, then once the approval is done it can automatically be placed in the dev queue. Some tools can be overly complex for non-technical teams, and setting up workflows often requires more customization and time.

Cache MerillFounder and CEO, Zibtek

Integration: No software is an island. I tested how well the products integrated with important solutions like email, third-party integration applications, CRM, ERP and project management software.

Scalability: It’s the second decade of the millennia and growth is a priority. Ipso facto, companies may not be fans of changing tools every time they scale (or downsize). I looked for the ability to, for example, increase users without a massive price hike or easily scale to an enterprise package.

Affordability: As much as we’d like it to be otherwise, pricing models matter. All the products included have affordable pricing models for small and mid-sized businesses and offer a monthly payment option.

Learn more about our research methodology and editorial standards.

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FAQs

Next Steps

Thanks for coming to our TedTalk on the best workflow tools! We hope the insights gleaned from our countless free trials help you make a better software selection or just give you more context about what’s out there. If you would like to dive deeper into the rabbit hole of workflow tools, check out our free comparison guide. Happy reading!

What is your biggest barrier to implementing new workflow tools? Is it pricing, trial periods, employee training or a secret fourth thing? Let us know in the comment section below.

SME Contributors