Whether you’re writing code, trying to grow your user base or setup your new office, you can benefit from apps for startup productivity. Our technology reviewer, Chris Stobing, has chosen the following apps as the best productivity apps for startups.
As entrepreneurs, we are always looking for ways to stay productive. We know how valuable working at home is when it comes to productivity, so in this article I will be covering my favorite productivity apps for startups.
GoCo
For many small businesses, HR can be a mysterious thing. It’s complex, tricky to navigate, and often filled with paperwork. If you’re in a startup environment, it can be difficult to dedicate the headspace (and personnel) that are necessary to do a great job. The good news is that there are all-in-one platforms to help you meet your company’s needs.
GoCo.io is a platform that moves human resources and benefits to the cloud, streamlining employee onboarding and offboarding, time-tracking, performance management, benefits administration, document management, and compliance. It also works with some of the payroll and management software and productivity apps – we’ll get into later in this article, giving you the HR capabilities you need without all the paperwork.
Asana
Credit: Asana
Asana is a project management tool and business productivity app aimed at helping teams stay focused on goals, projects and hitting deadlines. Asana integrates goal-setting with a deadline schedule, so you can create projects, set goals and then manage each step of the process. Asana is also a great solution for task management, as you can create different boards to shift tasks as they are completed or communicate with team members in threads under each task. Asana provides some tools to visualize where you are in your project, like project timelines or a team calendar view.
As a productivity tool, Asana provides small business owners with the capability to manage all their important tasks and goals in one place. It integrates with other workplace apps, such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, G Suite and others. Asana provides a free version with limited features for those who want to give it a try, with Premium, Business and Enterprise pricing for larger organizations that want an extended feature set.
Asana Key Features
- Project management
- Goal setting
- Task management
Asana Price
- Basic: Free
- Premium: $10.99/month billed annuall
- Business: $24.99/month billed annually
Goodhire
When it comes to growing your startup, one of the biggest pieces of advice you’ll get over and over again is to hire the right people. The problem is that there’s a lot that can go into that process: from reference and employment checks to pre-hire skill tests, there’s a lot that you probably want to know about someone before you decide to bring them onto your team. GoodHire helps you figure it all out with just a few clicks on your device, and gets everything back to you in less than 24 hours.
Basecamp
Credit: Basecamp
Basecamp is a go-to collaboration solution for many organizations. Basecamp is a communication tool where you can manage projects, your team and company-wide communication. Each designated project features different sections to help you better manage the process: a to-do list, a message board, a schedule, a place to save files and a “campfire” chat for general team communication. Threads are a pillar of the Basecamp model. This allows you and members of your team to get updated on the progress of an individual project or discussion with just a quick glance. [Looking for online project management software? Check out our best picks]
Basecamp is more expensive compared to some other solutions, but the company argues the features and capability make it a better solution than using a combination of other tools. Basecamp Business is available for $99 per month.
Basecamp Key Features
- Project management
- Communication
Basecamp Price
- Personal: Free
- Business: $99/month
Gusto
Formerly known as ZenPayroll, Gusto makes your small business’s tax, benefits, and payroll process easier than ever before. It helps take care of all of the onboarding paperwork and also handles all of the reporting you need to do when you make a new hire. It takes care of federal, state, and local tax filings; emails paystubs to your employees; and automatically makes deductions for benefits and workers’ comp
Monday.com
Credit: Monday.com
Monday.com is a program that, like Asana and Basecamp, focuses on organizing your tasks and creating a central point of communication for your team. You can easily create tasks within a project and add steps to each task or group tasks.
Real-time updates on activity and integrations with third-party services make Monday.com a productivity favorite. This app maintains a clear timeline of each project and creates knowledge bases in which you can store documents and other information related to your projects. Monday.com has a variety of plans for businesses to choose from.
Monday.com Key Features
- Project management
- Communication
Monday.com Price
- Basic: $8/seat per month (minimum 3 seats)
- Standard: $10/seat per month (minimum 3 seats)
- Pro: $16/seat per month (minimum 3 seats)
CoSchedule
CoSchedule is an all-in-one marketing tool that helps your team manage your content marketing calendar, social media shares, overall marketing strategy, and projects with one tool. CoSchedule also offers granular tools like Headline Analyzer and Click to Tweet to optimize your content for SEO and shares. Team plans start at $60 per month.
Elevio
Elevio delivers end-user support on your site to reduce ticket loads and increase user engagement. By drawing on all your support materials, Elevio makes it easy for your site visitors to find what they need. Elevio also makes it easy for visitors to contact customer support from your site. Plans start at $41 per month.
Freshbooks
And while we’re on the topic of payments, depending on your business model, there can be a lot of paperwork between when you get the job done and when you actually get paid for it. Managing and tracking invoices can be a tall order, but fortunately, Freshbooks is here to help. You can effortlessly create simple and professional invoices, set up recurring invoices for your clients, and accept credit cards on your mobile device with this productivity app. It also features expense-tracking, business report generation, and profit and loss statements to help you stay on top of everything you need to keep your business running smoothly.
Conclusion
As you begin your business year, staying productive can be one of the most crucial things to keep your business running smoothly. With new apps popping up everywhere, it can be hard to find the best tools for you and your team.