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“The team loved it from the start. Planable helps us overview the entire marketing efforts.“
Marketing agencies are in their real-time creative work era. Ideas move fast, content moves faster, and deadlines never stop. What can slow them down? Sloppy workflow management.
Handling multiple content types, tight timelines, complex client approvals, and endless feedback loops can turn any creative process into chaos. That’s where the right agency workflow software comes in.
The best agency management tools go beyond tracking tasks. They’re built for collaboration, visibility, flexible approvals, and simplified agency operations across teams, clients, and content channels.
A lot of marketing teams are looking for one tool to rule them all. But all-in-one tools rarely cover the full cycle of creative work.
Before you choose a tool, think about where your team struggles most: feedback loops, approvals, content planning, or delivery. The right agency management tool should bring structure, improve team flow, speed up work, and simplify client management.
Look for tools with:
Real-time collaboration.
Tag teammates, leave comments, pin feedback directly to posts or assets, and keep some notes private to the project team and invisible for clients.
Custom approval flows.
Set single or multi-level approvals with separate paths for internal teams and clients. Bonus points if a tool makes it easy for clients to approve content via a shareable link.
Unified calendar view.
See tasks and content in one timeline to track deadlines and team workload. The best tools come with custom tags and labels to filter content by campaign, platform, or other.
Visual content previews.
See (and show others) how social posts, emails, or banners will look before publishing.
Client workspaces.
Keep content, feedback, and schedules organized by brand or project. Some tools also allow you to set up different approval processes and workflows for each.
AI support.
Use built-in AI tools to write, polish, or repurpose content faster and gain additional insights from analytics.
Best agency workflow software tools to try in 2025
Much of an agency’s success depends on how well its workflows run. If the flows are flowing, both efficiency and client satisfaction go up. Hence, more capacity and more clients.
Read on for more on the top 7 agency management software that can handle everything from project management to collaboration, resource management, and client communications:
1. Planable: best agency management system for visual collaboration & multi-level approvals
Planable is custom-tailored for agencies managing multiple clients and their creative projects. It’s a perfect agency management software for teams that go all in on content and are all for collaboration.
Planable’s approval workflow shows team collaboration with internal comments and step-by-step content validation.
Here’s what marketing teams get with Planable:
Centralized dashboard.
A single interface for all of the planning, feedback, and publishing that goes into managing multi-client, multi-channel content.
Direct publishing to 9 social media platforms.
Schedule and publish content for Instagram, Threads, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, X, Pinterest, and Google Business Profile.
Dedicated workspaces.
Planable’sclient management system is simple, yet elegant. Create a separate workspace for each client and customize the entire process, from content approval workflows to label colors.
AI-powered content tools.
Use Planable’s AI writing assistant to write or polish your copy and automate repetitive tasks like rewriting captions for different channels.
Long-form content.
Write, collaborate on, and approve your blog posts, emails, newsletters, briefs, and scripts via the Universal Content feature. Keep your editorial content calendar next to your social posts for better visibility and media planning.
Media library.
Organize the visual assets in every workspace for immediate access. Connect your Canva account to bring your assets to Planable in one click.
Companion mobile app.
Even quicker feedback exchange and approvals for busy teams and clients on the go.
Planable is customizable, easy to use for your team and less tech-savvy clients, and very visual in how it breaks down the creative process.
And most importantly, it tackles two of the biggest bottlenecks of any project management process: the feedback loop and the approval stage.
This makes Planable the top choice for centralizing content-related work in a creative agency.
Calendar
Each Planable workspace comes with its own content calendar.
Project teams can switch between 4 views: feed, calendar, grid, or list. Visual pixel-perfect previews show exactly how every post will appear once published.
Planable content calendar view with scheduled posts by day and platform.
You can drag and drop content to reschedule, color-code posts with custom labels, and filter by platform or status.
For larger projects, group posts by campaign to keep tabs on content marketing strategy on a higher level.
Planable workspace dashboard showing campaign cards by status.
Collaboration
Planable is one of the few team collaboration tools that supports both internal teamwork and client feedback. Assign roles to control access so creatives, managers, and clients each get the right view of the content.
You can also share a guest view link to give clients or stakeholders a quick overview of the content plan. They can review posts and leave feedback without needing to log in.
Team permissions matrix in Planable with role-based access toggles.
Turn feedback into tasks to keep the project delivery on track. Leave comments and annotations directly on posts and resolve them once they’re implemented.
Post draft in Planable with inline feedback comments and content suggestions.
Internal notes stay private to your team. Clients see only what’s meant for review, so you can keep the client and team feedback loops separate.
And with mobile and email notifications, feedback always lands where it should.
Approvals
The approval process can be complex, but approval workflow management doesn’t have to be complicated. Planable takes care of it.
Choose from no approval, optional, required, or multi-level flows to match your team setup. Invite external client approvers without full access, and set content to auto-publish once approved.
Approval workflow in Planable with user roles and content lock toggle.
This flexible approval system works perfectly for agencies handling layers of client feedback. Get all stakeholders to sign off on creatives without holding up the project progress.
Pricing: Planable offers 50 free posts as a trial period. Paid plans start at $33 per workspace.
Drawbacks: Planable has no CMS integration for web publishing. There’s also no built-in social listening tool.
2. ClickUp: best tool for customizable project management at scale
“All-in-one solution” is a buzzword, but that’s what ClickUp positions itself as.
ClickUp is a project management software that handles task management, time tracking, document sharing, internal chats, and team collaboration. It suits big agencies running multiple complex, fast-moving projects at the same time.
ClickUp interface combining task management, document collaboration, and automation features for teams.
My personal favorite feature in ClickUp is the built-in CRM. It helps you stay on top of client relationships and gives your sales pipeline more structure and visibility.
Key features
ClickUp helps agencies stay organized through:
Flexible task tracking. Create, assign, and prioritize tasks with timelines, custom fields, and dependencies to keep work flowing.
Multiple views. Switch between list, board, calendar, Gantt, or workload views depending on your project workflow. Match how your team plans and tracks progress.
Internal comments. Keep all task-related conversations in one place with threaded comments, file sharing, and @mentions.
Automated workflows. Build custom rules to assign tasks, update statuses, move work through stages, or trigger alerts.
Creative brief docs. Build and store briefs, standard operating procedures, or campaign outlines directly in ClickUp’s Docs.
Pricing: ClickUp has a free plan. Paid plans start at $10/month per user.
Drawbacks: Users on G2 mention a steep initial learning curve—the UI can feel cluttered and overwhelming at first.
3. Monday: best project management software for cross-functional projects
Monday.cĐ¾m is a visual project management and collaboration tool for creative agencies with cross-functional teams. It helps marketing, design, and client teams stay aligned on project tasks with clear timelines, ownership, and workflows.
Visual dashboard in Monday.com showing team workload, performance, budget, and project health tracking.
Its AI assistant, Monday Sidekick, helps categorize data, extract key info, and mitigate risks. It also makes resource management easier by matching tasks to the right people based on effort and skills.
Key features
Monday.com supports team workflows through features like:
Timelines and Gantt views. Visual project mapping helps view project progress and track deadlines, dependencies, and scope.
Drag‑and‑drop boards. Change project status by moving items between stages or columns, Kanban-style.
Workflow automations. Set rules that handle routine steps like assigning tasks, updating statuses, sending reminders, or handing off work.
In-task comments. Keep feedback tied to tasks so teams can discuss work in the right context without switching tools.
Project templates. Kickstart common workflows or campaign setups with ready-made templates or create your own.
Pricing: Monday.com has a free plan for up to 2 users. Paid plans begin at $12/month per seat, starting from 3 seats minimum.
Drawbacks: Many features like automation, guest access, and advanced fields belong to higher tiers. Monday Sidekick is now in Early Access.
4. Asana: best project management tool for pipeline visibility & task coordination
Asana is a project management tool that helps agencies stay on top of many projects at once. It allows project managers to get an in-depth view of the tasks and make sure the team delivers on time.
Asana project dashboard with campaign tracking, AI status updates, and visual performance metrics.
Besides rocking client coordination and multi-project management, Asana simplifies project requests and automates handoffs to keep work moving smoothly. If you’ve ever had to get a brief from a client, you know that having a unified form for this is a big win for creative teams.
Key features
Asana is built to handle complex workflows with:
Timeline views and time tracking. Plan projects visually and track how long tasks take to improve project performance.
Approval workflows. Speed up reviews with approval tasks. Attach Figma or Adobe files, leave comments, and get clear in-context feedback.
Task dependencies. Improve pipeline management by linking tasks that rely on each other so bottlenecks are easier to spot and prevent.
Resource planning. See team workload and reassign tasks to balance capacity across projects and up your resource management game.
Integrations. Connect with tools like Slack, Google Workspace, Adobe Creative Cloud, and more to simplify managing projects.
Pricing: Asana has a free plan for small teams and individuals. Paid plans begin at $13.49/month per user.
Drawbacks: Time tracking, workload management, and approvals are part of higher plans. Some users also mention that the interface gets crowded as projects grow.
5. Teamwork: best agency management tool for automating agency operations
Teamwork is an agency management system designed to support both project work and administrative tasks. It supports client collaboration, task tracking, resource planning, time and budget management. This is a great fit for marketing agencies and freelancers.
Teamwork’s project view with assignees, due dates, budget tracking, and active timers for task management.
Teamwork enables agencies to combine project management and accounting in one tool, giving project managers a one-glance overview of agency performance. This could’ve been a full-cycle social media management tool if only it could help create content and post to social media.
Key Features
Teamwork helps agency teams stay aligned using:
Project calendars. Visual timelines to track tasks, milestones, and deadlines.
Separated feedback loops. Internal comments for the team stay private while clients only see their review space.
Time tracking and billable hours. Log hours and cost rates per project for easy resource scheduling and budget management.
Profitability reports. Track performance by team or project and see how results stack up against client budgets and planned costs.
Pricing: Teamwork has a free plan for up to 5 users. Paid plans begin at $13.99/month per user and offer a 30-day free trial.
Drawbacks: Teamwork is limited in its content creation and distribution tools.
6. Productive: best agency management system for connecting projects with profitability
Productive is another agency management tool that combines task management and business ops. It brings more clarity to all agency operations, from onboarding clients to managing creative projects and getting paid.
Productive’s editorial calendar for managing blog content across teams with clear weekly task timelines.
With project and financial management in one place, teams can manage client relationships, track project profitability, and plan for business growth. Productive is a great fit for controlling both daily tasks and big-picture performance.
Key features
Productive supports agency ops through features like:
Project timelines and views. Make project planning a breeze with Gantt, calendar, list, board, and workload views. Plan tasks and handle resource allocation according to your project timeline.
Time tracking. Track billable and non-billable hours to better understand your team’s capacity and profitability. Check the real-time insights into your money business with profitability reports and timesheets.
Financial tools. Stay on top of your financial management with built-in budgeting, revenue forecasting, and cost tracking.
Sales CRM. Manage your sales funnel, work with your team on deals, and turn wins into projects.
Automation. Automate repetitive tasks like pushing the task forward, opening a project, or sending an invoice. Set up custom rules to trigger actions specific to your workflow.
Pricing: Productive has 3 paid plans starting at $11/month per user.
Drawbacks: Productive is closer to an HR and accounting tool rather than a creative tool, so it lacks content-specific features.
7. Loomly: best tool for social media workflow management in creative teams
Loomly is a social media management system focused on organizing social media content workflows in creative agencies. It automates publishing to social media platforms, speeds up client approval, and helps keep social media strategy on track.
Loomly’s content calendar and post idea generator help streamline planning and scheduling for social teams.
Loomly is a solid choice for teams that create content daily and need one place to manage posts, feedback, and publishing. It also has built-in analytics and a very neat idea bank for content creation.
Post previews. See how each post will look on every platform before it goes live. Use Loomly’s mockup posts to get your clients’ approval.
Multi-platform scheduling. Plan and publish content to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter/X, Snapchat, Bluesky, and Google Business Profile.
Approval workflows. Set roles and permissions so teammates and clients see only what they need. Invite clients to review posts and send notifications for one post or an entire calendar.
Team collaboration. Set up a separate calendar for each project and customize your workflows within it. Add tasks, share feedback, and keep internal comments private until you’re ready for client review.
Pricing: You can start using Loomly for free and then upgrade. They don’t disclose their price on the website, but word is that it went up significantly.
Drawbacks: Loomly lacks project management tools like task and time management systems. Some users also mention that the analytics could have more depth.
Smoother workflows start with the right agency management software
A successful agency needs more than just a task tracker. The right agency management tool should support your work at every step, from planning and feedback to approvals and publishing.
Creative teams today need clear workflows, rapid turnarounds, and strong communication tools. Tools like Planable bring content, feedback, and scheduling into one user-friendly space that’s easy for both teams and clients to use.
Try Planable for free and see how your first 50 posts can help you build smoother workflows!
Content marketer with a background in journalism; digital nomad, and tech geek. In love with blogs, storytelling, strategies, and old-school Instagram. If it can be written, I probably wrote it.