10 Best Client Approval & Sign-Off Tools for Agencies [2026]

Short answer: Filestage is the best all-round client approval tool for documents, designs and video, with clear versions and approval stages. Planable is the best for social media approvals, and Ziflow suits high-volume creative proofing. SEO Runway records sign-offs against each client project, which suits SEO and marketing deliverables that live in the platform.

Disclosure: SEO Runway is our product. We ranked it using the same criteria as every other tool, and noted where others do better.

Quick picks

• Best all-round proofing: Filestage
• Best for social posts: Planable
• Best for high-volume creative: Ziflow
• Best sign-offs on marketing projects: SEO Runway
• Best for video: Frame.io

Client approval tools compared

*Approximate; verify.

How we chose these tools

We compared each tool's published features, plans and documentation on six criteria: content types, versioning, approval stages, audit trail, ease for clients, and price.

1. Filestage: best all-round proofing

Verdict: simple for clients, with versions, stages and due dates.

Pros: ease; many file types.

Cons: file-focused.

2. Planable: best for social posts

Verdict: clients see posts exactly as they'll appear and approve them in place.

Pros: previews; multi-level approvals.

Cons: social and docs only.

3. Ziflow: best for high-volume creative

Verdict: automated proofing workflows at scale.

Pros: automation.

Cons: price.

4. SEO Runway: best sign-offs on marketing projects

Verdict: sign-offs and approvals recorded against the client project, next to the tasks, reports and results they relate to, with client chat in the same place.

Pricing: included with SEO Runway plans from $49/month; 14-day free trial. See plans.

Pros: approvals in context; client role.

Cons: no visual markup on designs or video.

5. ProofHub: best flat pricing

Verdict: PM with proofing at a flat price.

Pros: price model.

Cons: interface.

6. GoProof: best for Adobe users

Verdict: proofing inside Adobe Creative Cloud.

Pros: Adobe integration.

Cons: niche.

7. Wrike: best proofing in PM

Verdict: proofing inside a full PM tool.

Pros: one tool.

Cons: complexity.

8. Monday.com: best for automations

Verdict: approval automations on boards.

Pros: flexibility.

Cons: proofing is basic.

9. Approval Studio: best for packaging and print

Verdict: proofing built for print artwork.

Pros: print features.

Cons: niche.

10. Frame.io: best for video

Verdict: frame-accurate video review.

Pros: video.

Cons: video only.

A sign-off workflow that protects scope

1. Agree the deliverable and number of revision rounds in the contract.
2. Submit each version with a due date for feedback.
3. Consolidate feedback: one client approver, not five.
4. Record approval with name, date and version.
5. Auto-approve after the deadline if there's no response (agreed in advance).
6. Treat extra rounds or new requests as change requests.

Related guides

• Client portal software for agencies
• Social media management tools for agencies

Frequently asked questions

How do I get faster client approvals?

Send one link with everything to review, set a deadline, name one approver, and agree an auto-approve rule.

What is an approval audit trail?

A record of who approved what, which version, and when. It protects both sides if there's a dispute about scope.

Do clients need an account to approve?

Many tools allow guest review links without an account, which speeds up approvals.

The bottom line

• All-round proofing: Filestage.
• Social posts: Planable.
• Creative at scale: Ziflow.
• Sign-offs on marketing projects: SEO Runway.

Start a 14-day free trial of SEO Runway, or see team and approval tools.