Editorial review: 3 November 2026. Based on vendor documentation; HD Media has not conducted hands-on product tests for this article.
An approval is a decision on a specific version. “Looks good” in a chat thread does not tell your team which file the client saw or whether the later revision was approved. This matters when a campaign has social posts, landing-page copy, images, and several stakeholders.
Choose the tool by the deliverable and approval path. Planable is a candidate for social content and calendar review; Filestage is a candidate for visual files and structured proofing; ManyRequests is a candidate when approval happens inside ongoing agency requests. A small team can also start with a shared document and a decision log. These are vendor-documented use cases, not results from HD Media product testing.
Define approval before choosing software
For each deliverable, write down:
| Question | Example answer |
|---|---|
| What exactly is being approved? | Social post text and attached image, version 3 |
| Who prepares it? | Agency content lead |
| Who gives internal review? | Account manager |
| Who has final client authority? | Named marketing director |
| What is the deadline? | Date and timezone agreed in the project |
| What happens after rejection? | New version with a new review request |
| Where is the decision recorded? | One tool or explicit decision log |
The example is fictional. If nobody can name the final approver or say whether a changed version needs another approval, buying software will not solve the governance problem.
Compare three different approval jobs
| Tool or process | Vendor-stated focus | Trial task | Plan constraint to inspect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planable | Content planning and approval by client workspace | Prepare, comment on, approve, and revise a social post | Workspace, users, post limits, approval setup |
| Filestage | Review and proofing for files and versions | Mark a change on a visual, upload revision, approve correct version | Active projects, new file limit, reviewer groups |
| ManyRequests | Agency requests with proofing and delivery | Submit a request, review a deliverable, request a revision | Plan features, seats, active requests |
| Shared document plus decision log | Process assembled by your team | Confirm version, approver, date, and decision | Ownership and discipline rather than subscription |
These are not interchangeable product categories. Social scheduling, file proofing, and request management overlap, but one system may be better suited to a particular bottleneck. Choose your shortlist only after identifying that bottleneck.
Planable: consider it for social publishing workflows
Planable's documentation describes workspace-level approval settings and permissions for clients. A reviewer can be given rights to approve content, and teams can configure approval steps. Planable approval guide and client approval guidance.
Test one planned social post with an image and two reviewers. Have the internal reviewer request a revision, then let the client approve the revised version. Check whether the client can see unfinished internal drafts, and whether a later edit changes the status or requires fresh approval. Verify the behavior in your intended plan.
Filestage: consider it for visual proofing
Filestage's pricing page describes annotation, reviewer groups, version comparison on paid tiers, and review decisions. Its Free tier has limits on active projects and new files, so a small test may fit while an agency's regular production volume does not. Confirm the current limits on the official page. Filestage pricing and review decision guide.
Test a visual deliverable with one incorrect element. Ask a client reviewer to point at the exact spot, request a change, and then approve the new version. Check whether your team can see the version history and export an approval record that the client can understand.
ManyRequests: consider it when approval follows a service request
ManyRequests publishes proofing and client portal features alongside request intake and delivery. That may fit an agency producing repeated design or marketing work for retainer clients. ManyRequests features and pricing.
Test the full path, not just a proofing screen: a client submits a request, your team delivers a file, the client requests one change, and the correct version is accepted. Confirm how the plan handles the number of simultaneous requests and team members.
Run the same approval test before you buy
Use one fictional campaign asset across the tools you shortlist. Give the reviewer the same five tasks:
- Find the current version without asking the agency.
- Comment on one exact change.
- Reject that version without accidentally approving it.
- Review the corrected version.
- Confirm that the final decision names the approver and the version.
Also test the exceptions. What happens if two people disagree? Can a viewer comment but not approve? Does changing the file after approval reset the decision? Does the link expose other clients' work? Record what happened in the account you used; do not treat feature-page wording as test evidence.
Keep the process small
For a two-person agency with a few deliverables each month, a shared document with an explicit approval line can work:
Asset: Homepage hero copy, version 3. Decision: Approved for publishing. Approver: named client contact. Date: recorded in the project. Any substantial change requires a new review.
Move to dedicated software when the team repeatedly loses versions, comments, approvals, or client visibility. Count the staff time and avoid replacing a workable process just because a tool offers more features.
If approval delays begin earlier because the brief is incomplete, use the client onboarding questionnaire. If the same client submits frequent requests, also evaluate whether a broader client portal fits the work.
The decision: Pick one representative deliverable and one actual approver. Run the five-task test, then quote the plan that fits your expected number of clients and review rounds. Only call a product the best after documenting how it performed against those tasks.