We started the company with a handful of essential tools and platforms to launch our first version of the product, and have progressively been adding products to the point where it’s hard to list them. Today we’ll take a quick look at the five tools we can’t live without, and leave a full list at the end.
Intercom is a Conversational Relationship Platform (CRP). With Intercom, you can build better customer relationships through personalized, messenger-based experiences across the customer journey.The world's most successful companies, like Atlassian, Shopify, and New Relic use Intercom to deliver conversational customer experiences through chat, bots, and personalized messaging.
Almost always we find that there’s no single place to find a good answer to these questions. Google Analytics, Salesforce, Intercom or our database might have parts of the answer, but that’s not enough, we need the complete picture. Not only that, we like to look at the answer rather than read it, so a fancy chart goes a long way when trying to understand patterns.
Simple enough for everyone. Powerful enough for the data team.
Chartio is a cloud-based business analytics solution on a mission to enable everyone within an organization to access, explore, transform and visualize their data.
With Chartio, every team member can now answer their own questions.
Github is a fascinating case because it’s both the obvious choice to get started (with a side-project, a small consulting gig, or a brand new startup) and it’ll continue unchallenged until the company is thousands of employees and has billions in revenue. Github was probably the first thing ever that we set up to start hacking together the first version of Factorial.
We use it daily — hourly actually — to push new code, review each other’s improvements and centralize the different quality tools that we connect to it (such as CircleCI for continuous integration).
There’s really not much to say about Github since it does its job phenomenally well and no one else comes even close. The only alternative I can think of is going deep into the Atlassian world and using their well-integrated suite.
GitHub is a popular tool among developers needing public and private code hosting. Teams can leverage the product’s software and collaboration tools. Its features include:
- Version control and issue tracking
- Code review
- Team management
GitHub is great if your team needs great documentation, collaboration, and backup features. Its help section is also robust. On the flip side, GitHub’s repositories aren’t the most secure place for high-value IPs. Additionally, some features are locked behind a paywall.
Now, this is a controversial one. I’ve been thinking about how we should track our sales activity and report on sales performance since we started the company. There are a lot of options in the market, but we knew that once we got to a certain point, we would have to move to Salesforce.
Salesforce helps businesses of all sizes accelerate sales, automate tasks and make smarter decisions so you can grow your business faster. Salesforce CRM offers:
- Lead & Contact Management
- Sales Opportunity Management
- Workflow Rules & Automation
- Customizable Reports & Dashboards
- Mobile Application
All previous tools are about specific parts of our business, but we can’t get anything done if we don’t have a system of record for what needs to be done and a platform for quick asynchronous conversations.
We use Slack for following key notifications (from Github, Segment.com, etc.) and for quick and casual conversations. One thing that’s not ideal, and we’re fighting against are long discussions and misunderstandings.
Redbooth is an easy to use project management software available for teams to stay organized and get work done. Redbooth allows teams to manage an unlimited number of projects in collaborative workspaces that combine tasks, files and feedback into a centralized, searchable, and in-sync experience; it is the perfect workflow management system! Available on Android, iOS, web, and desktop, Redbooth teams are more productive because they can easily work together on their favorite device. Founded in 2008, the company is privately held and headquartered in Palo Alto, California.
The best products start with Sketch. Create, prototype, collaborate and turn your ideas into incredible products with the definitive platform for digital design.
Over one million designers — from freelancers, to some of the largest companies in the world — use Sketch to transform their ideas into incredible products, every day.
With a powerful vector editor, built-in prototyping and more, Sketch makes it easier than ever to take your designs from ideation through to realization.
And, with Sketch for Teams you can take collaboration to the next level. Share designs and prototypes, provide feedback and collaborate with your whole team in a single workspace.
Reach new heights of business productivity by automating repetitive, time-consuming tasks with Microsoft Power Automate.
IconJar is a Mac app that helps to organize, search and use icons the easy way.
Framer is a prototyping software perfect for teams that can design and code high-fidelity prototypes for web and mobile devices. You can invite people within and outside of your organization for real-time collaboration.
With Framer, you can easily import production code into components and generate UI screens. That said, the product lacks important pre-made components and requires basic-to-intermediate programming knowledge. This isn’t ideal for teams with little to no coding capabilities.
Abstract is a version-controlled design workflow management system that enables seamless and open collaboration between design teams and organizational stakeholders. With Abstract, designers can
- Store all files in one place
- Collaborate
- Create design versions but keep the original
- Review requests
- Inspect with high-res preview and more.
However, Abstract users may experience slow Sketch loading and sync issues. It's best for simple projects but not the best solution for large ones.
Design and Prototyping for everyone. No coding required. Sign up free!
Figma is a cloud-based web design tool that allows multiple users to work simultaneously on the same file. With Figma, web development agencies can save time creating web mockups and responsive designs.
Figma supports desktops and mobile devices on platforms like Windows, mac OS, Android, and iOS. You can access customizable templates for projects that require quick work. However, you can’t copy objects directly from Adobe to Figma. The learning curve is also quite steep.
Software delivers even more imaging magic, new creative options, and the Adobe Mercury Graphics Engine for blazingly fast performance.
With ScreenFlow you can record any part of your screen or the entire monitor while also capturing your video camera, iOS device, microphone or multi-channel audio device, and your computer’s audio. The easy-to-use editing interface lets you creatively edit your video. When you are done, use the built-in sharing to publish your video directly to YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia, Facebook, Google Drive, Dropbox or to Telestream Cloud for transcoding. Or export an animated .GIF, ProRes file or .MP4 directly to your desktop.
Fonts.com offers desktop and web fonts; you can browse 2,200 font libraries and choose one that fits your needs. One-time purchases are available, but there’s a monthly membership option that gives unlimited access to their font collections.
Designers and artists can also submit their own fonts for inclusion. If approved, the fonts will be sold through a non-exclusive distribution agreement. Meanwhile, some users say downloading your preferred fonts for the first time can be tricky.
CircleCI is the largest globally shared continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) platform. It is used by prominent companies such as Slack, AWS, Terrafor, and many others to make their software idea come to life.
The engineering teams praise this CI/CD platform for its extraordinary features that make their job easier and more effective. Example features are:
- FedRAMP certified
- SOC 2 Type II compliant
- Audit logs
- OpenID Connect
- LDAP
- Build on your preferred API
- Reusable configurations
- Integrations
- Premium support from DevOps experts and so much more.
Some users reported occasional glitches with pipeline progress and user dashboard but nothing too serious.
AWS is a cloud computing platform that provides companies with on-demand access to a variety of resources, including storage, computing power, and databases. AWS is used by companies of all sizes for a variety of purposes, such as website hosting, data processing, and applications development.
The only major disadvantage of AWS is that it has a steep learning curve.
Ansible is an IT automation tool written in Python that aims to manage configuration & deployment. Its native product, the Red Hat® Ansible® Automation Platform offers full life cycle support for organizations and businesses.
Major features are application deployment, configuration management, continuous delivery. This tool is extremely easy to use with excellent documentation. A minor glitch may be that some third-party tools may be a bit difficult to integrate.
New Relic is the industry’s largest and most comprehensive cloud-based observability platform built to create more perfect software. From the beginning, New Relic’s ambition has driven the company to instrument more of the digital world than anyone else. The world’s best software and DevOps teams rely on New Relic to move faster, make better decisions and create best-in-class digital experiences. New Relic One is the industry’s first observability platform that is open, connected, and programmable, empowering teams to find, visualize, and understand everything you need to deliver more perfect software. If you run software, you need to run New Relic.
Sentry's platform helps developers diagnose, fix, and optimize the performance of their code. Each day, we process billions of exceptions and transactions from some of the most popular products on the internet.
Sentry automates exception handling and performance monitoring for nearly all programming languages and platforms so you can observe and respond to issues up and down the stack: JavaScript, Python, PHP, Ruby, Java, Node, iOS, Android, Go, Flutter, and more.
Developers use Sentry to see all the details they need to identify, reproduce, prioritize, and respond to errors, including stack traces, user context, release data, and preceding events.
A set of powerful APIs that enable you to send, receive and track email from your app effortlessly whether you use Python, Ruby, PHP, C#, Node.js or Java.
Easy SMTP integration and a simple, RESTful API abstracts away the messy details of sending transactional or bulk email. Scale quickly, whether you need to send 10 or 10 million emails.
Searchable logs mean you always know what is happening to your email while tags make it easy to A/B test and report on your data, all via our webhooks.
POEditor is an online localization platform and translation management system for teams.
Trusted by companies like Cisco, Bosch, UNICEF, Daimler and Adidas, POEditor brings transparency to the localization process, helping avoid possible localization bugs and boosting productivity for product, design and localization teams alike.
You can use POEditor to translate apps, websites, themes, plugins, games or other software, and to automate the localization workflow.
Twilio Segment is the world’s leading Customer Data Platform (CDP). Our platform provides companies with the data foundation that they need to put their customers at the heart of every decision.
Using Segment, companies can collect, unify and route their customer data into any system where it’s needed to better understand their customers and create seamless, compelling experiences in real-time.
Thousands of companies, including Intuit, FOX, Instacart, and Levi’s use Segment to make real-time decisions, accelerate growth and deliver world-class customer experiences.
Dux-Soup is a LinkedIn automation tool that automates lead generation with personalized outreach functions. It handles prospecting and other manual tasks so you can focus on other core parts of your business.
Dux-Soup can run multiple LinkedIn campaigns at once and connect to your CRM to enrich your database. It can also send personalized connection requests and analyze campaign statistics. While its UI is understandable enough, it still leaves a lot to be desired in terms of being user-intuitive.
Clearbit is a SaaS software that helps businesses create, capture, and convert demand. It is a very useful tool that analyzes and reports on market trends and features, suggesting prospects and strategies for lead conversion.
By using Clearbit, businesses have a clear idea of their business and how to properly advertise it to attract the right audience.
Some notable features include:
- Data enrichment
- Lead scoring and routing
- Form optimization
- Intent-based outreach
- Advanced personalization
- Ad targeting and
- Conversion tracking
This SaaS tools is best for Sales, Marketing and Operations teams. It flawlessly integrates with Salesforce, Hubspot, Marketo, Pardot, Segment and other popular third-party integrations.
On the negative side, some users complained that it is not suitable for B2C and that some data it collected was outdated.
FindThatLead is a lead-generation tool that makes it easy for business owners and salespeople to find their target customers and investors. Its most notable features include:
- Email verifier
- Email sender
- Social search
It’s perfect for businesses with limited marketing budgets. FindThatLead also enables more detailed searches for clients. Users say it’s faster and less complicated than LinkedIn Sales Navigator. However, they note that the client emails they get are sometimes outdated.
Aircall is the cloud-based call center and virtual phone system used by modern companies. It was founded in 2014 and has raised over $226 million in funding and employed over 600 people.
The standout features of Aircall are that it
- Integrates seamlessly with the most popular CRM and Helpdesk tools
- Helps sales and support teams with 3+ users communicate clearly and efficiently
- Can instantly add numbers from 100+ countries
- Allows admins to gain deep insights through real-time analytics
- Is accessible by desktop and mobile app.
Customers love that it is extremely easy to use and the calls are of high quality. Potential issues may be experienced the loudspeakers functionality.
Mailchimp’s all-in-one Marketing Platform helps small businesses market smarter so you can grow faster. As the backbone for your customer relationships, they provide AI-powered, user-friendly tools anyone can use to be successful.
Mailchimp puts your audience at the center so you can send marketing emails and automated messages, create targeted ad campaigns, build landing pages, send postcards, facilitate reporting and analytics, and sell online.
Millions of businesses and individuals - from community organizations to Fortune 100 companies - trust Mailchimp to connect with their audience with the right message, at the right time, in the right place.
Canva is one of the most powerful and user-friendly platforms for graphic design. With Canva, users can create social media graphics, presentations, posters, infographics, flyers and other visual content. Its features include:
- Extensive template library
- Fonts
- Illustrations
- Stock photography
- Simple drag-and-drop user interface
- Different format types for downloading
- Different sizes and quality available
- Power to include content from the web such as Giphy and Google Maps
The best thing about Canva is that you can invite people to collaborate on a project. You can invite up to 350 members to your team and share designs/folders with them. Canva is available for web use and on iOS and Android.
The major downside to Canva is that you can spend hours creating a design only to find out that it is not downloadable because some the features you used were available only on paid accounts.
Buffer is a social media management platform that helps businesses publish content, engage clients, and analyze their social media performance. Buffer integrates with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest allowing you to post in real time and schedule post across different social media accounts without having to login to each one separately.
Its features are:
- Simple and intuitive interface
- Post scheduling and
- Analytics
Some users report that some hashtags are not supported and adding an RSS feed would be a nice addition.
Semrush is a leading online visibility management software-as-a-service platform. With over 50 products, tools and add-ons across online visibility management, including tools for search, content, social media and market research, data for more than 140 countries, seamless integration with Google and task management platforms, Semrush is a critical solution for all companies who are serious about online presence.
What is Hotjar?Hotjar's behavior analytics software makes it easy to go beyond traditional web analytics and understand what users are really doing on your site.- Visualize behavior with Heatmaps- Eliminate guesswork with Recordings- Understand the reasons behind behavior with Surveys and Incoming Feedback
DatoCMS is a headless CaaS platform with a coordinated suite of APIs and tools working seamlessly with texts, images, and video. Its features are built for scalability and speed, and users tout it as the fastest headless CMS in the market.
DatoCMS works with static websites, mobile apps, and server-side applications. While several users noted bugs and missing features in DatoCMS’s first iterations, issues have since been fixed and newer features have been added.
WordPress.org is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. They like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.
Online invoicing software for freelancers and SMBs.
Signaturit, making it easier to sign contracts online since 2013.
Our innovative solutions facilitate the digitisation and automation of contracting and communication processes, for SMBs and enterprises, legally, safely and efficiently.
As qualified trust service providers in accordance with the eIDAS Regulation, Signaturit is listed in the European Commission’s global list of trusted service providers.
Therefore, the legal and regulatory compliance of all electronic transactions made through Signaturit is guaranteed.
The future of online forms & surveys is here. Power your brand’s interactions with beautifully designed, professional-looking online forms & surveys that people just love. Collect feedback, sign people up to events, receive job applications, take payments, create engaging quizzes or interactive stories.
Formerly known as G-Suite, Google Workspace is an enterprise productivity tool that offers collaboration tools for a wide variety of customers. It’s widely used by businesses, educational organizations, and other institutions.
Its Google Drive feature offers file storage and sync services. It features Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets, Google Slides, and other online apps for productivity and collaboration. However, even with a focus on remote collaboration, Google Workspace has online-only apps that require Chrome and advanced planning to work offline.
Microsoft 365, formerly Office 365, is a cloud collaboration tool that provides a private and secure space to store, share and edit files and documents, to connect dispersed teams using shared calendars, messaging and conferencing tools, and to improve your brand experience using branded emails and online websites.
The business class email provided by Microsoft 365 allows for 50 GB of storage per user and the ability to send messages of up to 25 MB. This enables you to send images within emails and to apply custom formatting. You can customize your inbox rules and notifications, and update your calendar and to-do list, to help prioritize tasks. Communicate with colleagues more effectively with online availability statuses to instigate online chat, instant messaging tools and one-to-one, or one-to-many voice and video calling.
Protect your business from cyber-threats, without compromising ease of use. LastPass Business empowers employees to generate, secure, and share credentials seamlessly, while providing valuable insight and control to Admins and ensuring protection through LastPass’ zero-knowledge security infrastructure. Gain additional access and authentication features, such as single sign-on for simplified access to up to three cloud applications and multi-factor authentication (MFA) that secures the LastPass vault and single sign-on applications.
Intercom is a fantastic Swiss-army knife for a young startup. Everybody in our company has access to it, and we all use it for different purposes: sending on-boarding automated in-app messages, targeted e-mail campaigns, one-off announcements, customer support and product feedback.