If you’re looking to speed up internal processes and reduce email back-and-forth, automating your approval workflow is the way forward, especially if you’re using Google Forms. Two major players in this space are PerformFlow and Form Approvals. But how do they actually stack up against each other?
In this article, you’ll find a detailed comparison to help you decide which tool fits your workflow needs best.
Why Automate Your Google Form Workflows?
In today’s fast-paced digital environment, organizations are increasingly seeking efficient solutions to automate routine processes. Google Forms, a widely adopted tool for data collection, becomes even more powerful when integrated with approval workflow add-ons. Manually managing approvals through email or spreadsheets can slow down decisions, introduce errors, and overwhelm your team. Add-ons built for Google Forms automation eliminate bottlenecks by automatically routing requests to the right people.
Using an approval workflow add-on for Google Forms allows you to:
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Automate request routing based on conditions
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Track every step of the process
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Collect digital signatures
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Generate standardized documents or emails
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Save time and reduce administrative overhead
Two leading options to consider are PerformFlow and Form Approvals.
Overview: PerformFlow vs Form Approvals
When it comes to automating approval processes in Google Forms, two powerful tools stand out: Form Approvals and PerformFlow. Both are Google Workspace add-ons that help streamline manual workflows, reduce approval delays, and improve efficiency—each in its own way.
Form Approvals
Form Approvals is a simple and efficient add-on that allows you to create approval workflows directly from your existing Google Forms. You can assign approvers, choose how approvals are routed, sequentially or in parallel and send automated email notifications.
Everything works without any coding. Approvers receive email requests and can approve with a single click. With its intuitive setup and mobile-ready design, Form Approvals is well-suited for users who want fast implementation with minimal effort.
PerformFlow
PerformFlow is a more advanced add-on built for users who need deeper control and customization over their approval processes. It allows you to set multi-step workflows, route based on conditions or form answers, and generate PDF documents from form submissions.
Other features include digital signatures, custom email templates, approval tracking, and team management options. Whether you’re automating internal requests or external submissions, PerformFlow provides the flexibility and structure to handle complex approval needs with ease.
Let’s explore what each tool offers before jumping into direct comparisons.
Feature Comparison: PerformFlow vs Form Approvals
| Feature Category | PerformFlow | Form Approvals |
|---|---|---|
| Approval Routing | Supports multi-level, parallel, and conditional approvals | Supports sequential and parallel approvals with basic conditional routing |
| Working Modes |
Multiple modes: • Create approval workflow • Generate document/PDF • Generate & send document/PDF • Combine all modes |
Only one default mode combining approval and email notification |
| Role-Based Workflow | Assigns custom roles: Approver, Notifier, Final-email-only recipient | Built-in role types: Approve, Sign, Recommend, Acknowledge, Action, Edit, Receive Copy |
| Conditional Logic | Advanced conditional logic per recipient based on form response values | Conditional routing based on form answers, supports Google Sheets lookup for conditions |
| Document/PDF Generation | Auto-generates PDF or Google Docs from responses; includes e-signature support | No document generation; only sends email summaries with approval response |
| Reminders & Notifications | Custom reminder schedule, email template editing, resend pending requests | Email customization with additional messages; no resend feature available |
| Form Tracking | Built-in tracking via sheet and dashboard; dashboard includes approve/reject buttons | Dashboard and tracking sheet included; no approve/reject action within the dashboard |
| User & Access Management | Manage add-on access, user transfer, team sharing capabilities | Tracks users (admin, requestor, recipients); allows team sharing but limited transfer control |
| Resending Requests | Allows resending pending approval emails (individually or all at once) | Not supported |
| Quota & File Limits |
• 100–10,000 emails/month depending on plan • Google Docs quota: 100-250/day (Gmail), 1500 files/day (Workspace) |
• 20–1000 form responses/month • No document generation quota (since no PDF support) |
| Pricing |
• Starts at $6.50/month for 1200 emails • Team plans from $25/month (5000 emails) • Free plan available with 100 emails/month |
• Starts at $7/month for 100 responses • Team plans from $45/month (1000 responses) • Free plan includes 20 responses |
In-Depth Feature Breakdown: What Each Add-on Does Best
PerformFlow – Designed for Flexibility and Complex Workflows
PerformFlow is a powerful solution built for teams that require highly customizable workflows and automation around approval and document generation. Its strengths lie in flexibility and operational control:
- Flexible Working Modes: Whether you want to just run an approval flow, create a document from responses, send that document automatically, or combine all three — PerformFlow allows you to tailor each form’s behavior through separate modes.
- Advanced Routing Logic: PerformFlow lets you create sophisticated logic trees for conditional routing based on specific form answers and assign different roles with tailored responsibilities, like Notifier or Final Email Recipient.
- Dynamic Document Generation: Automatically creates PDF or Google Docs from responses. Supports digital signatures and sends finalized documents to designated recipients.
- Dashboard Control: Offers a real-time dashboard where approvers can approve or reject requests directly — a level of control not available in many other tools.
- Custom Notifications: Beyond standard emails, you can fully customize the content and timing of notifications, including setting up resend flows for pending requests — ensuring no approval gets missed.
PerformFlow is ideal for businesses or organizations with layered approval needs, documentation requirements, or internal compliance processes.
Form Approvals – Streamlined for Simplicity and Quick Setup
Form Approvals shines when simplicity and ease of use are top priorities. It’s well-suited for organizations looking to implement a basic yet functional approval system with minimal configuration:
- Quick Setup with Built-In Roles: Comes pre-configured with various recipient types (Approver, Signer, Acknowledger, etc.), making setup straightforward even for non-technical users.
- Basic Conditional Logic with Sheet Integration: Supports conditional approval flows triggered by form responses, and can reference Google Sheets to customize routing for different recipients.
- Personalized Email Notifications: You can customize the notification emails with personalized messages and attachments based on form responses.
- Signature Role Included: While it doesn’t generate PDF documents, it does support digital signatures as part of the approval flow by assigning the “Sign” role.
- Simple Tracking Interface: Provides access to a dashboard and Google Sheet for tracking approval statuses. However, unlike PerformFlow, it does not allow actions (approve/reject) to be taken directly from the dashboard.
Form Approvals is best suited for smaller teams or straightforward approval processes where fast deployment and minimal maintenance are key.
What to Consider When Choosing an Approval Add-on
Choosing the right approval tool depends on how your team works and what you expect from your workflow. Consider these key factors:
- Workflow complexity: Do your processes involve multiple approval levels, role-specific logic, or conditional paths?
- Team structure and growth: Are you working across departments, or planning to scale? Will multiple people or roles be involved in each form?
- Tracking and visibility: Do you need a dashboard where actions like approve/reject can happen in real-time?
- Document and signature needs: Will your workflow require generated documents or signed PDFs for recordkeeping?
- Notification controls: Is it important to resend pending requests, customize email content, or set reminder schedules?
Before You Decide
Both PerformFlow and Form Approvals are designed to help automate Google Form approval processes, but they cater to different needs.
If your team needs:
- Full control over multi-step, parallel, or conditional workflows
- A built-in dashboard with action controls (not just tracking)
- Auto-generated PDFs with digital signatures from form responses
- Resending of pending approval emails and flexible email customization
…then PerformFlow offers the scalability and workflow depth you’ll need — without adding complexity or forcing rigid templates.
It’s built to grow with your team while staying easy to use, even if your process evolves.
Start using PerformFlow for free today.