There are countless digital tools out there that can solve most business problems. Workflow software tools are no exception – the options are near limitless. With so many tools out there, how do you even begin to choose?
We’ve taken the time to assemble this list of the best workflow solutions out there across three different scenarios. We aim to give you the direction you need to make an informed decision on which software to try.
Before we get into the list, let’s clarify the definition of what we’re looking at.
Note: If you’re looking for office-specific software, check out this list by CrazyEgg, who was kind enough to provide us with the awesome graphic below.
What Is Workflow Software?
Workflow software is a digital tool – or suite of tools – that helps you automate or improve your existing business workflows. It’s essentially a means to help speed up your workflows and raise your overall business efficiency.
Some benefits you’ll see in your business include:
- Reduce paper, printing, travel, and staff costs
- Decrease task turnover speed
- Eliminate lost documents
- Easily accessible information for reporting
- Higher efficiency means taking on more work without additional staff
Those are just a few of many more. Beyond these vague descriptions and benefits, there are specific scenarios with their own requirements.
Hence, we’ll list the top tools in three categories: Office, Fieldwork and Industrial Application.
Let’s dive in.
10 Best Workflow Software Solutions For The Office
In an office, you won’t need industrial-grade mobile apps or hardy devices. A lighter solution will do.
In the spirit of avoiding over-complicated solutions, here are our top pics for workflow software in a fast-paced office environment.
1. Basecamp
We use Basecamp, and we love it. You can create teams as well as project cards with grouped to-do’s. You can pin your relevant teams and cards to the top of your interface, and you can assign to-do’s directly to users.
Basecamp also supports private pings for individual discussions. It’s a great tool, and we stand by it.
It even has an impressive 4.5/5 rating on SoftwareAdvice.
There’s also a free plan for small teams or individuals. And when it comes to enterprise users, they charge one flat fee for everybody. This avoids the popular price per user options out there and can save you a healthy sum of money.
2. Notion
Notion’s power lies in its flexibility. You can set it up the way you want – but you do have to set it up. This can be a slight barrier to entry, but they have pre-built templates available if you’re going that route.
Dragging and dropping tasks across different statuses in a workflow is a handy feature.
It’s a great piece of software, and there’s a free option for small teams. However, once you get to the bigger price points, you’ll pay per user, which could get expensive.
There’s a free trial available, so if custom workflows sound good to you, give it a shot.
3. Process Street
Process Street is a document management and collaborative workflow software solution. It also has innovative features like conditional logic and approval flow and even uses basic forms to capture information quickly and effectively.
It’s a powerful option for the professional team.
There is a free plan, but it’s near useless for teams. It could work for an individual, however. The major con is that this solution is expensive – more so than other suitable workflow software for the office.
At $25.00 per user per month (at the time of writing), the price can quickly get out of control if you have a large team. That said, it’s a great option if affordability is not an important requirement for you.
It does boast a 4.7/5 rating on Capterra – very impressive.
4. Miro
Miro is a workflow solution that uses a whiteboard approach. It’s a great concept, and you can even snap photos of real-life ‘post-its’ (or ‘sticky notes’) to digitize the information and easily upload it onto Miro.
It’s an excellent tool for collaborative brainstorming and for managing creative processes.
This is another workflow tool that uses a per-user pricing model, though its free plan is a good option for smaller teams.
Expect to pay around $8-$16 per user per month for an upgrade.
5. Workzone
Simple views of company-wide projects in different statuses make Workzone a fine project management and workflow tool. They also have good customer support, which can help remove potential roadblocks fast.
You also get to-do lists, project templates, and approval workflows – to name just a few. One of the best features, however, are project request forms. You can mandate a project brief before even considering it – a great option to have, especially for busy marketing or R&D teams.
All of this said, the pricing is steep. Expect to pay between $24 and $43 per user per month. There are volume discounts available – so it might be worth looking into if you have a large team.
6. ClickUp
Ah, ClickUp. I fondly remember their ads calling out their competitors. It was daring for sure. I remember sitting there thinking… this is brilliant!
They’ve certainly built a worthy product here, with a healthy 4.7/5 stars on Capterra. They have a huge feature list with drag-and-drop boards, to-do’s, calendars, workspaces, etc.
They also have a free forever plan – albeit with a low storage limit, but their pricing is reasonable. It ranges from $5 to $29 per user per month, depending on your needs and annual vs. monthly payment frequency.
There does appear to be a free trial of some sort, but that’s unclear based on the website. In any case, it’s worth checking them out – they have a good product going, and the only way is up.
7. Airtable
Airtable is not exactly an ‘easy’ tool. It’s another highly customizable workflow solution, but learning how to use it can take time. That said, there are plenty of helpful resources to get you started.
This entry is all about a spreadsheet-like layout and no-code apps to help amplify your team’s productivity.
While they have a generous free plan, the premium plans will knock you back $10-$24 per user per month.
There’s a free trial on the premium plans, so you get to test it out and see how it works for you before committing to a purchase.
8. Asana
These guys have been around for a good long while. Long enough to have assembled over 10k reviews on Capterra – and they’re still bragging with a 4.4-star score.
It’s no surprise, really. They have list views, timeline views, and board views – so you can manage tasks the way you want. There are also custom workflows and a lot more available.
It’s a great piece of workflow software, and it’s unlikely that they’re going anywhere soon.
The free option is exceptional. When ready to upgrade, expect to pay between $10.99 and $34.49 per user per month.
9. Monday.com
Another stalwart in the workflow management arena. Monday.com has also been around for a fair while, and they’re able to help a wide range of industries.
Some notable features include task status, task owners, priority, file attachments and even a rating system. It’s a good piece of simple software that’s easy to pick up.
Their free plan is also good but limited to 2 users. Starting from 3 users and up, expect to pay between $6 and $27 per month.
You also have the option of trying the premium plans before you buy.
10. Trello
I’m pretty sure Trello was around before the internet. (I kid, of course).
Everyone I’ve spoken to seems to think that Trello is free – and it is, to a degree. While they boast an excellent free plan (a trend emerging here, I see!), they have paid options as well. While you can expect to pay anywhere from $5 to $17.50 per user per month, Trello really starts to shine around the $10 mark.
You get additional features such as the new dashboard and timeline views, map views, extra admin and security features, etc.
The fact that Trello is even still around is a testament to how popular this workflow solution is. It’s garnered almost 13k reviews on G2Crowd and has an impressive 4.4/5 stars.
Honourable Mention: SamePage
SamePage is a great collab tool, and it has fantastic reviews online. It’s been called simple and easy to use by many and holds an impressive rating of 4.8/5 on Capterra.
That said, the tool has recently been acquired and is not accepting new signups at the time of writing. So if you’re not in a rush to find your office workflow management solution right away, keep an eye on SamePage.
10 Best Workflow Management Tools For Fieldwork
Out in the field, expectations of software change. You’ll rarely have access to a computer, and whatever mobile-friendly application you choose, it’ll need to be offline-capable.
So to our friends working out and about, here’s to you.
1. Salesforce (Service Cloud)
Salesforce needs no introduction. It’s a massive CRM with many powerful solutions rolled into one. It is pricey, though – you’re looking at anything between $25 and $300 per user per month.
That said, there is a free trial available. And we at Appenate even have a Salesforce connector, so you can use this powerful CRM and add custom apps to your stack of tools.
2. Appenate
You knew it was coming. 😜
We pride ourselves on offering top-class solutions to teams from various industries. Fieldwork, however, was where it all began. Appenate started as a disaster management solution, offering offline capability from the get-go.
Since then, we’ve evolved into a powerful custom app builder that allows you to create virtually anything you set your mind to. You can schedule and send out tasks, monitor asset maps and create unlimited mobile forms or apps to digitize your processes and move away from paper for good.
Our prices range from just $9.90 to $17.90 per user per month.
3. Service M8
Service M8 helps you cut paper by using digital job cards, scheduling work for staff and saving photos and notes. It’s a perfect solution for smaller service businesses like plumbers or small HVAC service providers.
If your business works on multiple dimensions, however, you might need to add a few extra tools to your stack in addition to Service M8.
The good news is that they use a flat-rate pricing model, and you can expect to pay between $9 and $149 per month.
It’s a great tool, and if you’re in the market for a niche solution, it’s certainly worth checking them out.
4. RazorSync
This workflow tool is quite similar to the above entry on this list. It is well-suited to niche businesses such as IT companies, lawn care, appliance repair and even alarm & security.
They offer map views, time tracking and asset maps, as well as automated billing – a great addition.
They offer training along with their product and a 14-day free trial. After that, you can expect to pay a flat rate between $60 and $350 per month. Another affordable option that, while it doesn’t offer heaps of customization, provides a user-friendly tool that can reduce your dependence on paper.
5. iAuditor
This tool is specifically geared towards maintenance-like environments. It specializes in inspection checklists.
You get the ability to take and draw on photos, add basic logic to your checklists, and assign actions resulting from an inspection.
It’s a fast, lightweight tool. You can’t create comprehensive, sweeping workflows with multiple levels and splits, but you can create custom checklists, and if that’s all you need, iAuditor is perfect for your needs.
There’s a free forever plan for up to 10 users, which is fantastic. You’re looking at $19 per user per month for an upgrade from there.
6. Workiz
This is a charming little tool specifically designed for home services such as junk removal, carpet cleaning, locksmithing, and more.
The most notable feature is the dispatch board, where you can see a list of your workers and what they’re working on. It’s an innovative way to look at home services and certainly gets a thumbs-up from us.
It offers job scheduling, dispatching, invoicing and payment all in one place. As for pricing, you’ll be paying anywhere between $65 and $299 per month, based on your number of users. Their biggest plan only caters to 15 users – above that, you’ll need a custom quote.
So it really is geared towards the smaller service business – but it has all you need to run the tasking side of things effectively. There’s also a free trial available.
7. Housecall Pro
This is another workflow management tool created for home service businesses. With everything from work scheduling, job dispatch, recurring service plans and even customer management, it’s a great option.
That said, it is pricey. The basic option only allows one user and costs $49 per month. At $49 per user, it’s one of the more expensive options. The five-user plan is only $129 a month, though, and after that, a custom quote is required.
They stand out because they’re one of the top-rated home service workflow apps, so you get what you pay for.
The first month with them is only $22 on one of the basic plans, so it’s fairly cheap to test for a month and see how it works for you.
8. Fergus
Fergus was made for trades businesses. So whether you’re an electrician, plumber, builder or roofer, this tool was made for you. It does have a limit of 50 users cited on its website, though.
You can quote, schedule, track and manage your jobs on the go with Fergus. It also has a free option, but it’s very limited. You get unlimited users, but to get access to invoicing, timesheets, and more than ten jobs a month, you’ll need to upgrade to basic or professional plans.
You’ll be paying either $27 or $40 per full user per month. There are also timesheet and contractor users, at $10 and $3 per user, respectively.
9. FieldEdge
FieldEdge helps a range of industries optimize their processes by moving away from paper. It has all the standard features you’d expect; scheduling, invoicing, etc. – but it does have an interesting feature in performance dashboards.
On this dashboard, you can see revenue, number of jobs sold, outstanding collections, etc. It’s a great little feature that helps this tool to stand out.
Pricing is not readily available on the website, and for good reason. FieldEdge could set you back as much as $100 to $150 per user. So while it’s an outstanding and highly rated workflow software solution for service businesses, it’s not affordable to everyone.
Still, if you’re keen to try a heavier solution (albeit with less customization than something like Appenate would offer), book a demo from their website.
10. ServiceTitan
It’s not the first time ServiceTitan has appeared on our blog. It’s a great workflow tool for bigger service businesses, including industries such as water treatment, construction and larger enterprise.
It’s undoubtedly a powerful tool, but their pricing is available upon request only. According to SoftwarePundit, their pricing starts from $398 per month.
So they do appear to be expensive – but they also have nifty features such as the overview dashboard, call booking, payroll, etc. It’s clearly a more robust solution but offers less in the way of customization.
Industrial Workflow Management Software – The 5 Best
In the factory, things change again. You have to get the correct information to the right people ASAP – and then you have safety procedures and compliance to worry about as well.
Here are our top 5 picks.
1. Appenate (yes, again)
Appenate is the perfect solution for field service companies looking to go paperless – but it’s also an excellent option for industrial applications. Our app builder is capable of creating some of the most comprehensive mobile apps in the industry. And all with a simple to use drag-and-drop interface.
The app builder is easy to pick up, but some more advanced features can be complicated. This is why we offer free support and training for life.
All sorts of industries have used Appenate to great effect – from large enterprises all the way to ski resorts (and even a mortuary 😐).
Grab a free trial to see how Appenate could help you solve multiple business problems in different areas with easy-to-operate mobile apps.
2. nTask
nTask isn’t limited by industry and can be applied to various companies. Their tool can help solve workflow headaches in project management, risk management, task management, and more.
While nTask can be a little restricted in terms of customization, it’s one of the most affordable options on this list. It offers a free plan, and after that, it’s between $3 and $8 per user. If you have a specific problem that nTask can solve, they may just be your solution.
3. ClickUp
It’s ClickUp’s second appearance on this list as well – and why not? They’re making waves.
That’s because their workflow software solution can work wonders across multiple industries for businesses of all sizes. Healthcare, project management, marketing, etc. – and yes, industrial application as well. It’s a good all-rounder.
With a mobile app as well, your team can manage their workday from their phone.
The only issue we have is that the software isn’t fully customizable. If your processes are more straightforward, however, this shouldn’t be a problem.
They have a free option, and their pricing is reasonable, ranging from $5 to $19 per user per month.
4. Wrike
Wrike is a task management and workflow tool that allows you to manage incoming requests and features handy dashboard views. It’s a versatile tool that you can use across different industries, including professional services.
Their pricing isn’t bad either, with a free option for teams of up to 5 users. Their premium options cost between $9.80 and $24.80 per user per month for up to 200 users.
So they’re a good fit for most sized businesses, though when it comes to the more complicated workflows, it’s probably better to go with an option that offers a deeper level of customization.
5. Device Magic
Now, firstly, Device Magic is a direct competitor of ours. So why would we even mention them on our blog?
Well, it’s because they’re one of the better competitors in the industry. They come the closest to competing with us in terms of power, and we respect that. So here they are.
Anyway, like Appenate, Device Magic is a mobile app builder. In some areas, they’re more limited – we have a comparison page here if you’re interested.
Our only issue is that they’re relatively expensive, coming in at $25+ per device per month.
That said, they’re worth a try.
If you’re interested in learning more about mobile form and app builders, we have a great introductory article here.
Choosing The Right Solution For You
We sincerely hope this article has helped you narrow down your search for the perfect workflow software solution for your business. We went all out trying to find the best solutions and ease the sometimes painful journey of finding a specific tool.
If you’d like to see more from our blog, give our going paperless or digital transformation blog posts a peek.
If you are interested in mobile apps as an extension of your business, you can start a free and obligation-free trial of Appenate here.
Good luck, and may you find that perfect solution.