SOP guide · Evaluated September 2026
SOP Version Control and Approval Workflows, Tool by Tool
Best SOP Software reviewers · From vendor pricing, help-centre and product pages · Evaluated September 2026
Plain answer
SOP version control means every change creates a new numbered version, the old one is kept, and a named person approves the new one before it takes effect. Tools differ most in how long they keep history: from 14 days on some plans to unlimited. Our table below shows the retention and approval step for nine SOP tools, plan by plan, from their pricing pages.
What does good SOP version control look like?
- Every published change gets a new version number and an effective date.
- Previous versions are kept and can be viewed or restored.
- You can see what changed between two versions.
- A named approver signs off, and the approval is recorded.
- People who must follow the SOP are told, and retrained after major changes.
- In regulated settings, the audit trail is computer-generated and time-stamped and does not obscure earlier entries (21 CFR 11.10(e)).
The life of an SOP, and which tools document each stage
A tool is listed under a stage when its own public pages describe a feature for that stage. This shows what vendors document, not how the features perform in use. Sources are on each review.
| Stage | What happens | Tools that document it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Draft | Capture or write the steps | |
| 2 Review | A second person checks it |
|
| 3 Approve | An owner signs off |
|
| 4 Publish | Staff can find the current version | |
| 5 Train | People read, practise, confirm |
|
| 6 Audit | Prove who changed what, when |
|
| 7 Revise | Update and re-approve |
How long does each SOP tool keep version history?
| Tool | Plan | Version history kept | Approval step | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haiku | Free | None | Not described | gethaiku.ai |
| Pro | 14 days | |||
| Team | 14 days | |||
| Enterprise | Unlimited | |||
| Tango | Free | 14 days | Not described | tango.ai |
| Pro | 14 days | |||
| Enterprise | 365 days | |||
| Whale | Free | None | Advance and Enterprise | usewhale.io |
| Scale | 90 days | |||
| Advance | 1 year | |||
| Enterprise | Unlimited | |||
| Trainual | Core | 30 days | Not described | trainual.com |
| Pro | 90 days | |||
| Premium | Unlimited | |||
| SweetProcess | Single plan | Any version (roll back at any time) | Manager approval of suggested changes | sweetprocess.com |
| Process Street | All plans | Restore workflow revision; retention period not published | All plans | process.st |
| Qualio | All plans | Automatic version history with immutable audit trail; retention period not published | Approval workflows | qualio.com |
| Scribe | All plans | Not published | Not described | scribe.com |
| Dozuki | All plans | Version controls described; retention not published | Feedback routed through approval | dozuki.com |
What does the table tell a buyer?
Unlimited history is almost always a top-plan feature. Haiku and Whale keep unlimited history only on Enterprise and Trainual only on Premium. SweetProcess is the exception, with roll back to any version on its single plan.
Short retention matters more than it sounds. With 14 days of history (Haiku Pro and Team, Tango Free and Pro), you cannot show an auditor what an SOP said last quarter unless you export and archive versions yourself.
Approval steps are less common than version history. Of the nine tools, SweetProcess, Process Street, Whale (Advance and up), Qualio and Dozuki describe an approval or sign-off step; Haiku, Scribe, Tango and Trainual do not on the pages we reviewed.
Three vendors do not publish a retention period at all (Scribe, Process Street, Qualio), and Dozuki describes version controls without a period. Ask them.
What should you ask a vendor about version control?
- How long is version history kept on the plan we would buy, and what happens to older versions?
- Can we compare two versions and see what changed?
- Can an SOP require approval by a named person before it is published, and is the approval recorded?
- Are readers notified of a new version, and can we require re-acknowledgement?
- Can we export the full history, including approvals, for an audit?
- For regulated records: do e-signatures and audit trails meet 21 CFR Part 11, and what validation documentation do you provide?
Frequently asked questions
What is SOP version control?
The practice of numbering every change to an SOP, keeping previous versions, recording who approved each one, and making sure only the current version is in use.
Which SOP software keeps the longest version history?
SweetProcess lets you roll back to any version on its single plan. Haiku, Whale (Enterprise) and Trainual (Premium) offer unlimited history on their top plans.
Does Haiku have approval workflows?
Not on the pages we reviewed. Haiku's Team plan has comments, activity logs and admin permissions, and version history is 14 days below Enterprise.