An approval workflow is any process where a drafted post can’t publish until a designated reviewer signs off. The details that actually distinguish tools:
Internal vs. external
Internal approval means staff review other staff’s drafts before they go out — available on most tools at some tier, including Buffer’s Team plan and Later’s Growth tier. External (client-facing) approval means someone outside the organization — typically the client — reviews content, ideally without ever holding a login. HeyOrca and Sendible‘s Client Connect are both built around this specifically.
Single-stage vs. multi-stage
Single-stage means one reviewer, one yes/no. Multi-stage means a post moves through more than one reviewer in sequence — rarer, and usually reserved for higher pricing tiers across the tools we’ve profiled.
What to check before assuming a tool has this
Whether approval is included at the entry tier or gated higher — Sendible’s Core tier ($29/mo) has no approvals at all; they start at Plus ($99/mo).