A document approval workflow routes a document, such as a contract, invoice, policy or marketing asset, through the people who must review and sign off, in the right order, with a record of every decision. Done by email, it stalls when one approver is on holiday and leaves no trace of which version was approved. Done in software, it routes automatically, reminds people and keeps an audit trail.
How a document approval workflow works
- Submit: someone uploads the document with its details, such as type, amount and department.
- Route: rules pick the approvers, in sequence or in parallel, based on those details.
- Review: each approver sees the document and context, then approves, rejects or requests changes.
- Escalate: overdue approvals trigger reminders or reassignment.
- Finalize: the approved version is stored, signed if needed, and linked to the related record.
- Record: every step is logged with who, what and when.
The ten apps at a glance
| App | Best for | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|
| Jet Admin | Approvals tied to records in your own database or CRM | Free plan; paid by AI credits, unlimited users |
| Microsoft Power Automate | Approvals across SharePoint and Microsoft 365 | Per user |
| DocuSign | E-signature with routing | Per user or envelope |
| Adobe Acrobat Sign | E-signature for Adobe-centric teams | Per user |
| Kissflow | Form-based approval workflows | Tiered |
| Process Street | Checklist-driven approvals | Per user |
| Pipefy | Approval pipelines for finance and procurement | Tiered |
| Monday.com | Approvals as part of team boards | Per seat |
| Filestage | Creative and marketing asset review | Tiered |
| M-Files | Regulated document management | Custom |
1. Jet Admin
Jet Admin builds document approval workflows on the records the documents belong to: contracts in your CRM, invoices in your accounting database, policies in a Postgres table, from 200+ integrations. Describe the rule, such as "contracts over $50,000 go to legal, then the CFO; anything with non-standard terms goes to legal first", and Jet generates the submission form, approval queues, reminders and a view of what is stuck with whom. Approval updates the underlying record directly.
Approvers are unlimited on every plan, so adding legal, finance and regional managers costs nothing extra. Granular permissions, SSO and audit logs are on the Business plan and above.
Where it stops: it does not include a native e-signature service. Pair it with DocuSign or Acrobat Sign when documents need legally binding signatures.
2. Microsoft Power Automate
Power Automate runs approval flows on SharePoint documents with Teams and Outlook notifications.
Where it stops: strongest inside Microsoft 365; custom approval screens need Power Apps.
3. DocuSign
DocuSign routes documents for signature in a defined order, with templates and reminders.
Where it stops: built for signing, not for internal review with conditional routing.
4. Adobe Acrobat Sign
Acrobat Sign handles e-signatures and signing workflows inside the Adobe ecosystem.
Where it stops: the same as DocuSign: signature-first.
5. Kissflow
Kissflow lets business users design form-based approval workflows visually.
Where it stops: limited connection to records in your own systems.
6. Process Street
Process Street combines checklists with approval steps for recurring procedures.
Where it stops: checklist-first rather than document- or record-first.
7. Pipefy
Pipefy models approvals as pipelines, popular for purchase and invoice approvals.
Where it stops: the data lives in Pipefy.
8. Monday.com
Monday.com adds approval automations to its work management boards.
Where it stops: approvals are items on boards, not records in your systems, and pricing is per seat.
9. Filestage
Filestage handles review and approval of creative files, with comments on the file itself.
Where it stops: specialized for marketing and creative content.
10. M-Files
M-Files manages documents with metadata-driven workflows for regulated industries.
Where it stops: a full document management system, more than a team needs just for approvals.
Which to use
- Approvals change records in your database, CRM or ERP: Jet Admin.
- Documents live in SharePoint: Power Automate.
- The final step is a legally binding signature: DocuSign or Acrobat Sign.
- Business users design simple approval forms: Kissflow, Process Street or Pipefy.
- Creative assets: Filestage. Regulated document control: M-Files.
For approvals beyond documents, see approval workflow software.
Frequently asked questions
What is a document approval workflow?
A defined process that routes a document to the right reviewers in order, records their decisions and stores the approved version.
How do I create a document approval workflow?
List the document types, the approvers for each and the rules that decide the route, then build it in a tool that can notify, remind and log.
What is the difference between approval and e-signature?
Approval is an internal decision that a document is acceptable. E-signature is a legally binding signing step, often after approval.
Why do approval workflows need audit trails?
To show who approved which version and when, for audits, disputes and compliance.
Route approvals on the records they belong to
Start with Jet Admin for free and build a document approval workflow on your own data.