PostEaseThe short answer
A content approval workflow is the set of steps a post goes through before it publishes: someone drafts it, someone else reviews it, and it goes out only once it is approved. Agencies use one so a client signs off every post; brands use one so legal, a manager or a second pair of eyes checks it first.
Most schedulers offer approvals, but rarely on their first plan. Of the tools compared below, Loomly and Kontentino list approvals on their first plan; the rest keep them for a higher one, because approvals need more than one person on the account.
Which plan each scheduler’s approvals start on
Each row is the plan whose pricing-page list first includes approvals, in the vendor’s own words, read in October 2026 for this blog’s alternatives posts:
| Tool | Starts on | In the vendor’s words |
|---|---|---|
| Loomly | Starter | approval workflows and roles |
| Kontentino | Starter | internal and external client approvals |
| Social Champ | Standard | basic approval workflow |
| Sendible | Plus | assignment and approvals |
| Later | Growth | Internal & External collaboration and approvals |
| Buffer | Team | Content approval workflows |
| SocialBee | Accelerate | post approval system |
| ContentStudio | Advanced | approval workflow |
| Metricool | Advanced | post approval system |
| eClincher | Professional | approval workflows |
| Hootsuite | Advanced | Review and approve content with your team |
| SocialPilot | Premium | client approval |
| Statusbrew | Premium | assignment and approval workflows |
| Zoho Social | Premium | content approvals and workflow |
| Iconosquare | Scale | post approval workflows |
| RecurPost | Agency | approval workflow |
How an approval workflow usually runs
The names differ between tools, but the steps are much the same:
| Step | Who | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Writer | The post is written and scheduled for a time, but held |
| Review | Reviewer or client | They read it, comment, and ask for changes or approve |
| Change | Writer | Edits are made and the post goes back for review |
| Approve | Reviewer or client | The post is released to publish at its time |
What to check in an approval workflow
Before choosing a tool for approvals, check how its workflow fits the people involved:
- External reviewers: whether a client can approve without a paid seat or a login of their own.
- Steps: whether one approval is enough, or several reviewers must sign off in order.
- Changes after approval: whether editing an approved post sends it back for review.
- Deadlines: what happens to a post whose publish time arrives before anyone approves it.
Do you need one?
If one person writes and publishes, an approval step mostly adds waiting. It pays off when a client must sign off, when a post carries legal or medical risk, or when several people post for one brand and need the same voice. Since most tools keep approvals for a higher plan with more seats, count the cost of the plan, not only the feature, before you decide.
Questions
What is a content approval workflow?
The steps a post goes through before it publishes: drafted by one person, reviewed by another or by a client, and released only once approved.
Which schedulers include approvals on their first plan?
Of the tools compared here, Loomly (Starter) and Kontentino (Starter). The others list approvals on a higher plan, from Social Champ’s Standard to RecurPost’s Agency.
Why do approvals cost more?
An approval needs at least two people on the account, and most schedulers price their plans partly by the number of users, so approvals tend to sit on plans with more seats.
Sources
- Loomly, Loomly pricing, checked October 2026.
- Kontentino, Kontentino pricing, checked October 2026.
- SocialPilot, SocialPilot pricing, checked October 2026.
- Iconosquare, Iconosquare plans and pricing, checked October 2026.