ApproveThis addresses a frustration every business owner knows intimately: the approval bottleneck. You send a request via email. It gets buried. You follow up three times. The approver finally responds a week later, killing your timeline. Multiply this across expense reports, content sign-offs, purchase orders, and client deliverables—and you’ve lost countless hours to approval chaos.
Most workflow tools try to solve this by creating another portal people need to log into. ApproveThis takes the opposite approach. Approvers receive an email and click “Approve” or “Reject” directly from their inbox. No account creation. No dashboard login. No friction.
After testing hundreds of workflow automation tools, I can tell you this simplicity matters more than feature lists. The best approval system is one people actually use. This review covers everything about the ApproveThis AppSumo lifetime deal: features, integrations, limitations, and whether it genuinely solves approval workflow problems.
What Is ApproveThis and How Does It Work?
ApproveThis is a dedicated approval workflow automation platform that helps businesses create, route, and track approval requests without manual email chains or spreadsheet tracking.
The platform handles approval scenarios like:
- Expense approvals — Employee submits, manager reviews, finance confirms
- Content approvals — Writer drafts, editor reviews, client signs off
- Purchase requests — Team member requests, procurement approves, vendor notified
- Contract approvals — Sales proposes, legal reviews, executive authorizes
- Client deliverable sign-offs — Agency submits, client approves or requests changes
The core workflow follows a straightforward pattern:
- User submits an approval request through a form
- ApproveThis routes the request to the correct approver(s) automatically
- Approver receives an email notification with approve/reject buttons
- Approver clicks their decision directly from email—no login required
- System logs the decision with timestamp and triggers next steps
- Complete audit trail maintained automatically
The key differentiator? Email-based approvals without requiring approvers to create accounts or log into dashboards. This removes the adoption barrier that kills most workflow tools.
What Problems Does ApproveThis Solve?
Understanding the pain points helps determine if ApproveThis fits your situation.
Why Do Email Approval Workflows Fail?
Traditional email approvals create predictable problems:
- Requests get buried in overflowing inboxes
- No centralized tracking of what’s pending, approved, or rejected
- Manual follow-ups waste hours chasing approvers
- No audit trail documenting who approved what and when
- Approval chains break when someone forgets to forward
ApproveThis solves these by automating the routing while keeping the approval action simple—a button click in email.
Why Do Traditional Workflow Tools Fail?
Complex workflow platforms like Kissflow or Process Street offer powerful features. But they share a fatal flaw: approvers must log into another system.
Reality check: Your CFO doesn’t want another dashboard. Your client won’t create an account to approve a deliverable. Your vendor’s procurement team ignores portal invitations.
ApproveThis eliminates this friction entirely. External approvers—clients, vendors, executives—can approve without accounts, without logins, without friction.
What Features Does ApproveThis Offer?
Let me break down the capabilities that matter for real approval workflows.
How Does the Email Approval System Work?
The email approval workflow system is ApproveThis’s defining feature.
When an approval request triggers, the designated approver receives an email containing:
- Request details and context
- Any attached files or documentation
- Clear “Approve” and “Reject” buttons
- Optional comment field for feedback
The approver clicks their decision directly in the email. No redirect to a website. No login prompt. No account creation. The decision registers immediately in the system.
This approach achieves something rare: high adoption rates from reluctant approvers. When approval requires zero friction, people actually do it promptly.
Can External Stakeholders Approve Without Creating Accounts?
Yes. This is specifically designed for external stakeholder approval workflows.
Use cases include:
- Client approvals — Clients sign off on deliverables via email
- Vendor approvals — Suppliers confirm purchase orders
- Partner approvals — External collaborators authorize documents
- Executive approvals — Board members approve without system access
External users receive the same streamlined email experience. They never see a login page or account creation form. This makes ApproveThis ideal for client approval software scenarios where asking clients to create accounts kills response rates.
How Do You Create Custom Approval Workflows?
ApproveThis provides a no-code workflow builder for creating approval processes:
- Sequential approvals — Request moves through approvers in order (Manager → Finance → Executive)
- Parallel approvals — Multiple approvers review simultaneously
- Conditional routing — Different paths based on request criteria
- Multi-level approvals — Complex hierarchies with escalation rules
Example conditional workflow:
- If expense amount is under $500 → Manager approval only
- If expense amount is $500-$5,000 → Manager + Finance approval
- If expense amount exceeds $5,000 → Manager + Finance + CFO approval
This conditional approval logic ensures appropriate oversight without slowing down routine requests.
What Approval Forms Does ApproveThis Support?
Requesters submit approvals through customizable forms with field types including:
- Text fields — Names, descriptions, explanations
- Number fields — Amounts, quantities, budgets
- Dropdown menus — Categories, departments, types
- Date fields — Deadlines, effective dates
- File uploads — Documents, invoices, creative assets
- Custom fields — Any data your workflow requires
Standardized forms ensure requests contain all necessary information, reducing back-and-forth clarification delays.
How Does Approval Tracking Work?
The approval tracking dashboard provides real-time visibility:
- Pending approvals — What’s waiting for decisions
- Approved requests — Completed approvals with details
- Rejected requests — Denied items with rejection reasons
- Approval timelines — How long each approval took
- Bottleneck identification — Which approvers cause delays
This visibility replaces the “where is my approval?” conversations that waste everyone’s time.
Does ApproveThis Maintain Audit Trails?
Yes. Complete audit trail and compliance tracking records:
- Who submitted each request
- Who approved or rejected
- Exact timestamps for every action
- Any comments or notes added
- Document versions and changes
This audit capability supports compliance requirements across finance, HR, legal, and regulated industries where approval documentation matters.
What Integrations Does ApproveThis Support?
Approval workflows gain power when connected to your existing tools.
Does ApproveThis Have Zapier Integration?
Yes. ApproveThis Zapier integration connects your approval workflows to 8,000+ apps, enabling powerful automation scenarios.
Example workflows:
- New form submission → Create approval request automatically
- Approval completed → Update CRM record in Salesforce
- Request approved → Send Slack notification to team
- Expense approved → Add row to Google Sheets for accounting
- Contract approved → Trigger document signing in DocuSign
Zapier transforms ApproveThis from standalone approval tool into a node within your entire business automation stack.
Does ApproveThis Have a Slack Bot?
Yes. The ApproveThis Slack bot enables:
- Approval notifications in Slack channels
- Approval actions from Slack interface
- Team visibility into pending approvals
- Integration with existing communication workflows
For teams living in Slack, this keeps approvals visible without requiring email monitoring.
Does ApproveThis Integrate With HubSpot?
Yes. ApproveThis HubSpot integration connects sales and marketing workflows:
- Trigger approvals from HubSpot deal stages
- Update contact records after approvals
- Route discount approvals based on deal value
- Automate sales process sign-offs
Does ApproveThis Work With Google Sheets?
Yes. ApproveThis Google Sheets integration enables:
- Logging approved requests to spreadsheets
- Creating approval requests from spreadsheet data
- Maintaining approval records for reporting
- Building custom dashboards from approval data
What About API and Webhook Support?
Yes. ApproveThis API documentation and webhook setup options provide:
- Custom application integrations
- Real-time approval event notifications
- Programmatic workflow management
- Enterprise system connectivity
For technical teams, API access enables custom integrations beyond pre-built connectors.
What Are the Best Use Cases for ApproveThis?
Let me walk through specific scenarios where ApproveThis delivers the most value.
How Can You Automate Invoice Approval Workflows?
The invoice approval workflow automation typically follows this pattern:
- Vendor submits invoice through form or email
- ApproveThis routes to appropriate department head based on expense category
- Department head receives email, reviews invoice, clicks Approve
- Finance team receives notification for payment processing
- System logs approval with timestamp for audit
Conditional logic can auto-approve invoices under certain thresholds or from approved vendors, escalating only exceptions for human review.
How Does Marketing Campaign Approval Process Work?
The marketing campaign approval process streamlines creative workflows:
- Marketing team submits campaign brief and creative assets
- ApproveThis routes to brand manager for initial review
- Upon brand approval, routes to legal for compliance check
- After legal clearance, routes to executive for final sign-off
- Approved campaigns trigger launch notifications
Each approver receives only the requests relevant to their role, with full context and assets attached.
Can ApproveThis Handle Creative Asset Sign-Off?
Yes. As a creative asset sign-off tool, ApproveThis handles:
- Design proofs requiring client approval
- Video content awaiting stakeholder sign-off
- Brand materials needing compliance review
- Marketing collateral requiring executive approval
File upload support means creative assets attach directly to approval requests, keeping everything in context.
How Does Vendor Onboarding Approval Process Work?
The vendor onboarding approval process typically includes:
- Procurement submits new vendor application with documentation
- ApproveThis routes to compliance for background verification
- After compliance clearance, routes to finance for payment setup approval
- Upon finance approval, routes to department head for final authorization
- Approved vendors trigger onboarding workflow in procurement system
Can You Build a Remote Team Vacation Request System?
Yes. A remote team vacation request system works like this:
- Employee submits PTO request with dates and coverage plan
- ApproveThis routes to direct manager automatically
- Manager reviews team calendar and coverage, approves or requests changes
- Approved requests sync to team calendar via integration
- HR receives notification for record-keeping
The email-based approval means managers can approve vacation requests from their phone while traveling—no dashboard login required.
How Does ApproveThis Compare to Alternatives?
Let me position ApproveThis against tools you’re likely considering.
ApproveThis vs Process Street
Process Street offers comprehensive workflow automation with checklists, procedures, and approval steps. It’s powerful but requires users to work within the Process Street interface.
ApproveThis focuses specifically on approvals with email-based actions. Less comprehensive but dramatically simpler for approval-specific use cases.
Choose Process Street if: You need full procedure documentation alongside approvals.
Choose ApproveThis if: You primarily need approval workflows and want frictionless email-based decisions.
ApproveThis vs Monday.com
Monday.com provides project management with approval capabilities built in. Approvals happen within the Monday interface, requiring users to access the platform.
ApproveThis specializes in approvals with external stakeholder support. Approvers never need Monday accounts or any accounts at all.
Choose Monday.com if: You need project management with integrated approvals for internal teams.
Choose ApproveThis if: You need standalone approval workflows especially involving external parties.
ApproveThis vs Kissflow
Kissflow offers enterprise workflow automation with sophisticated process design capabilities. It’s comprehensive but complex, with higher pricing and learning curves.
ApproveThis provides simpler, focused approval workflows at lower cost. Less powerful but faster to implement and easier to adopt.
Choose Kissflow if: You need enterprise-grade workflow automation across multiple process types.
Choose ApproveThis if: You specifically need approval workflows without enterprise complexity.
ApproveThis vs Approveit
Both tools focus specifically on approval workflows. Approveit emphasizes Slack-native approvals for teams already embedded in Slack.
ApproveThis emphasizes email-based approvals accessible to anyone, including external stakeholders without Slack access.
Choose Approveit if: Your approval workflow is entirely internal and Slack-based.
Choose ApproveThis if: You need approvals from external parties or prefer email-based workflows.
Is ApproveThis Better Than Free Approval Workflow Software?
Free approval workflow software options exist but typically offer:
- Limited workflow complexity
- Restricted integrations
- Basic or no automation
- Limited audit capabilities
ApproveThis provides more robust features while remaining affordable through lifetime deal pricing. The email-based approval approach alone justifies the cost for most businesses dealing with external approvers.
How Do You Set Up an Approval Workflow in ApproveThis?
The ApproveThis tutorial process follows straightforward steps:
- Define your approval process — Map who needs to approve what
- Create the approval form — Add fields for request information
- Configure routing rules — Set up approver assignments and conditions
- Set up notifications — Customize email templates and reminders
- Connect integrations — Link Zapier, Slack, or other tools
- Test the workflow — Submit a test request and verify routing
- Launch and monitor — Go live and track performance
Most simple workflows launch within an hour. Complex multi-level approvals with conditional logic may take a few hours to configure properly.
What Are the Limitations of ApproveThis?
No tool is perfect. Here’s where ApproveThis falls short:
Focused specifically on approvals. If you need full project management, document collaboration, or comprehensive workflow automation beyond approvals, you’ll need additional tools.
Initial workflow setup required. You must invest time designing approval processes before seeing benefits. Simple workflows take an hour; complex ones take longer.
Advanced automation requires Zapier. While native integrations exist, sophisticated multi-system automation typically needs Zapier, adding potential costs.
Learning curve for complex workflows. Basic approvals are intuitive. Multi-level conditional routing with parallel paths requires more planning and configuration expertise.
Not a replacement for document management. ApproveThis handles approval workflows but doesn’t replace dedicated document management or contract lifecycle systems.
Is ApproveThis Legit?
Yes. ApproveThis is a legitimate approval workflow software available through AppSumo with standard money-back guarantee protections. The platform focuses on solving a specific business problem—approval workflow automation—rather than trying to be everything for everyone.
The email-based approval approach demonstrates thoughtful product design addressing real adoption challenges. Building a tool specifically around frictionless approvals shows understanding of actual user behavior.
Who Should Use ApproveThis?
Based on features and use cases, here’s who benefits most:
Agencies managing client approvals who need clients to sign off on deliverables without creating accounts. The email-based approach gets faster responses than portal-based alternatives.
Finance teams handling expense and purchase approvals who need audit trails and conditional routing based on amounts or categories.
Marketing teams coordinating content approvals across copywriters, designers, brand managers, legal, and executives.
HR teams managing employee requests including PTO, equipment, training, and policy acknowledgments.
Operations teams standardizing procurement workflows with vendor approvals, purchase orders, and contract sign-offs.
Any business with external stakeholder approvals where asking approvers to create accounts kills response rates.
Who Should Skip ApproveThis?
ApproveThis isn’t the right fit for everyone:
Solo professionals without approval workflows. If you don’t have multi-person approval processes, you don’t need approval software.
Teams needing full project management. ApproveThis handles approvals, not project tracking, task management, or team collaboration.
Organizations requiring document lifecycle management. For comprehensive contract management with version control and collaboration, dedicated CLM tools work better.
Very small teams with simple processes. If your approval needs are basic and infrequent, email or Slack might suffice without dedicated software.
How Much Does ApproveThis Cost?
ApproveThis pricing through the AppSumo lifetime deal provides significant value compared to ongoing subscription alternatives.
The ApproveThis lifetime deal offers one-time payment for ongoing access, eliminating monthly subscription costs that compound over time. Specific tier details and pricing are available on the AppSumo listing.
Compared to competitors charging $15-$100+ monthly per user, lifetime deal pricing delivers substantial long-term savings for businesses with ongoing approval workflow needs.
What Do Real Users Say About ApproveThis?
Based on demonstrated use cases and workflow examples, users consistently highlight:
Email-based approvals dramatically increase response rates. Removing the login barrier means approvers actually respond promptly instead of ignoring portal notifications.
External stakeholder support solves a real problem. Client and vendor approvals become possible without account creation friction.
Audit trails satisfy compliance requirements. Finance and regulated teams appreciate automatic documentation of approval decisions.
Setup is straightforward for basic workflows. Simple approval chains launch quickly without extensive configuration.
Common constructive feedback includes requests for more native integrations beyond Zapier and additional customization options for notification templates.
Final Verdict: Is ApproveThis Worth the Investment?
After analyzing features, use cases, competitive positioning, and the specific problem ApproveThis solves, here’s my assessment.
ApproveThis delivers genuine value for businesses struggling with approval workflow chaos. The email-based approval approach solves the fundamental adoption problem that plagues most workflow tools: getting approvers to actually use the system.
The platform’s focus on approvals specifically—rather than trying to be a comprehensive workflow suite—results in a tool that does one thing well. For approval-heavy businesses, this focused approach beats feature-bloated alternatives that complicate simple decisions.
External stakeholder support particularly stands out. If you need clients, vendors, or partners to approve requests, ApproveThis removes the account creation barrier that kills response rates with other tools.
The ApproveThis AppSumo lifetime deal provides long-term value compared to monthly subscription alternatives. One-time payment eliminates ongoing costs while delivering professional approval workflow capabilities.
Is it perfect? No. It won’t replace comprehensive project management systems or document lifecycle platforms. Complex enterprise workflows may need more sophisticated tools. But for the specific use case—streamlined approval workflows with email-based decisions—ApproveThis delivers.
Quick Pros and Cons Recap
Pros:
- Email-based approvals without login requirements
- External stakeholder support—clients and vendors can approve without accounts
- Custom approval workflows with conditional logic
- Multi-level approval routing (sequential and parallel)
- Complete audit trail for compliance
- Zapier integration connects to 8,000+ apps
- Slack bot for team-based approval visibility
- HubSpot, Google Sheets, and API integrations
- No-code workflow builder
- Automated notifications and reminders
- Approval delegation for unavailable approvers
- Lifetime deal pricing eliminates subscription costs
Cons:
- Focused specifically on approvals—not a full workflow suite
- Initial workflow setup requires time investment
- Advanced automation may require Zapier
- Complex workflows have learning curve
- Not a document management replacement
If your business drowns in approval emails, struggles to get external stakeholders to respond, or lacks audit trails for compliance, ApproveThis addresses these problems directly. The email-based approach alone justifies evaluation for anyone tired of ignored portal notifications and manual follow-up chains.
For teams ready to stop using email for approvals and implement proper approval workflow software, ApproveThis delivers a focused, effective solution.
