When the whole world came to a halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, businesses would have crumbled more if not for tools like Zoom, Slack, and Google Drive. Before and after the pandemic these tools and more have stepped up and supported businesses and particularly remote jobs to blossom.

Various attempts have been made by people and organizations to analyze how important these tools have been for startups. In our previous article, we analyzed what business productivity is. We also discussed why productivity is important to startups. We finally gave some important tips on how startups can become more productive.

Productivity tools as used here refers to software created to make simpler and more efficient for entrepreneurs and business organizations. They have features that let you access documents quickly, make charts and graphs to show project planning and progress, and work with your team effectively. 

In this article, we'll break down productivity tools into types. We'll go ahead to analyze 20+ productivity tools we know will make your startup more productive if utilized effectively.

Read Also: Startup Tips and Guide - 5 things you should know about a startup

Types of productivity tools every startup needs to thrive in 2023

1. Task/project management tools

Project management tools are software applications designed to help individuals and teams plan, organize, and manage resources and tasks for a project. These tools can assist with tasks such as project scheduling and task assignment. They're also useful for resource allocation, team collaboration, project tracking, and reporting. Some popular examples include Asana, Trello, Jira, Monday.com, and Basecamp.

It is crucial to know that ensuring everyone is on the same page is very important to your business. Especially if you want to maximize productivity in your startup, project management tools have the solution to that problem.

Without teamwork throughout your startup, important project features may be overlooked, and workers may waste a lot of time waiting for their next assignment.

A great project management tool makes sure that no time is wasted. It also ensures that all projects — be it design, technology, or marketing — are carefully examined at every stage. Of course, there are a ton of project management applications available. But you should focus on choosing the best one for your company.

Also, each tool has advantages and is suitable for certain working and communication styles. For instance, if your startup specializes in creating high-profile visual marketing campaigns, you need a project management tool that makes it simple to upload design files for review.

2. Time Tracking Tools

These tools are software or apps designed to help individuals and teams prioritize, plan, and track their time effectively. They can include features such as calendars, task lists, time tracking, reminders, and collaboration features. 

The aim of these tools for your startup is to increase productivity. It also helps team members manage their time more efficiently. Examples include Trello, Asana, Todoist, Google Calendar, Rescue Time, and more. Productivity-oriented firms value time as much as they value the business. So time management tools are a big advantage to a startup if utilized properly.

3. Calendar tools

Calendar software controls some of the most important parts of your startup. Having a master calendar for your startup company as well as individual employee calendars helps in information sharing. A business calendar gives workers something to plan their days around. It also guarantees that crucial KPIs, tasks, and employee reviews are never missed. While project management tools give them an overview of projects that can help them stay productive.

4. Social Media management tools

These productivity tools help organizations and individuals manage their social media presence and activities across multiple social networks and channels. They provide features such as scheduling and publishing content and tracking and analyzing social media metrics. Also, monitoring mentions and engaging with followers, managing ads and promotions, and collaborating with team members at different times are possible here.

You already know how crucial social media is to developing your startup's brand and attracting target audiences and investors alike. But it's challenging to accomplish that solely through the app. Especially if you want to take your content seriously and increase the visibility of your postings.

Tools for managing social media are crucial because of this. To maximize your use of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and other social media platforms, you need tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, Later, Sprout Social, and Hubspot.

5. Notes and Checklist apps

They help individuals and startups organize, manage, and track notes, tasks, and to-do lists. Examples are Evernote, OneNote, Airtable, Todoist, Bear et cetera.

You might not have known that checklists and note-taking applications are equally crucial for startup productivity as much as they're crucial for noting your daily routines.

Your business's specific needs will always determine the specific apps or software and technologies you use. Make sure you thoroughly analyze the needs of your startup before investing in any tool. Also, remember to take advantage of the free trials this software provides.

Read Also: A Startup's Guide to being competitive: How entrepreneurs can stack the odds in their favor

20+ Productivity tools every startup founder should be using in 2023

Here are 20+ productivity tools that startups can use to maximize their business productivity. 

‍Asana - project management tool

Being a productivity tool for startups, Asana is a project management and team collaboration tool that helps start-up teams track their work and progress. With Asana, startup companies can create tasks and projects, assign responsibilities, set deadlines, and track progress. The platform also allows for team communication, with the ability to comment on tasks and projects, and receive notifications when changes are made.

Reviewing Asana,  Sid Bharath, SAAS Marketing Consultant, commented:

 "It’s been the best way to keep track of tasks and assign things to people without any back and forth".

Only 15 team members can use Asana's free plan. The premium version costs $10 per team member each month.

Pros: 

• User-friendly interface
• Flexible and customizable, 
• Integrations with other tools.

Cons: 

• The steep learning curve for some users
• Limited functionality in the free version.

2. Slack - a team communication tool

This tool is a team communication and collaboration platform. It provides a single place for team members to communicate and share information. It also offers real-time messaging, file sharing, and integration with other tools like Gmail and Google Drive making it an essential tool for many startups. With Slack, users create channels for specific projects or teams, and provide search and archiving capabilities to keep conversations organized.

‍Pros

1. User-friendly interface
2. Real-time communication
3. Integrations with other tools.
4. Customizable to suit the team and company's need

Cons

1. Limited functionality in the free version 
2. Can be overwhelming with many team members.
3. Can become congested with too many conversations and notifications
4. Limitations on file storage and management.

Read Also: How to find a co-founder for your startup

3. Trello - project management tool

If you're a visual thinker, then Trello should be your best friend because you would be able to visually track work with it. Trello uses a kanban-style board. With this, users can create cards to represent tasks. 

Everyone on your team can examine project overviews, assets, checklists, and more with this card-based project tracking system. Trello quickly syncs across all of your devices, ensuring that you always have access to the most recent data. Meaning your employees don't have to do so much searching before locating files.

What Trello does for your startup is ensure that everyone is on the same page. So it fosters a strong team and workforce. Trello offers a free plan and a premium plan for $10 per month per user as well as specialized corporate subscriptions.

The Marketing Lead at Love the Sales Liam Solomon had this to say;

“We have a lot of campaigns and technical work going on within the business. Mapping out what is done and what needs to be worked on gives the directors a clear picture of the work being done throughout the week.”

Pros

1. The visual interface makes it easy to understand the project's progress.
2. Flexible enough to be used for a variety of tasks.
3. Integrates with other tools.

Cons 

1. Limited reporting and analysis capabilities
2. Limited functionality in the free version.
3. Limited features compared to other project management tools.
4. Can become cluttered with too many cards and boards.

4. Google Drive -  document collaboration tool

Google Drive is a file storage and synchronization service developed by Google. It allows both organizations and individuals to store files in the cloud, share files, and collaborate on documents in real-time.

With Google Drive, your team members can store different types of files such as photos, videos, music, and documents. They can also access them from anywhere as long as they have an internet connection. The files can also be accessed from different devices, such as computers, smartphones, and tablets.

One advantage of this productivity tool is that it offers 15 GB of free storage, which can be increased by purchasing additional storage space. Your company can further use Google Drive to store and access Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. These are free online productivity tools for creating and editing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, respectively.

Additionally, Google Drive also allows your team members to share files and folders with others. It is one of the recommended tools for remote companies. Your company can set the sharing permissions to allow others like clients to view, edit, or comment on files. This makes it an ideal tool for collaboration, especially for teams and organizations.

This is what Joseph Coulburn, Marketing & Customer Support Specialist at Better Nutritional Science Ltd has to say about Google Drive:

 “It’s free, makes collaboration extremely easy, you don’t have to worry about backing up. You can see who is doing what work, and they have a platform for pretty much everything".

‍Pros

1. Easy access.
2. Large free storage capacity
3. Collaboration.
4. Integration with other Google services such as Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, making it a comprehensive suite of productivity tools.
5. Easy Sharing of files

‍Cons

1. Limited file types such as executable files or certain video formats.
2. Reliance on Internet.
3. Although rare, Google Drive can experience downtime, which can prevent users from accessing their files.
4. While the basic plan is free, increasing storage space or adding additional features can become costly, especially for business users.

5. Todoist - task management tool

Individuals and companies keep track of their work and responsibilities using this tool. With Todoist, your company can create tasks and projects, set deadlines, and prioritize their work. The tool also offers team collaboration features, allowing companies to assign tasks to team members and receive notifications when changes are made.

‍Pros

1. Simple and straightforward task management.
2. Cross-platform availability.
3. Integration with other tools.

‍Cons

1. Limited project management features compared to other tools.
2. Can become cluttered with too many tasks.

Read also: How to Harness the power of AI in your startup

6. Evernote - note-taking and organizational tool

As you can probably tell from the name, Evernote is a note-taking and organization tool that allows users to create, store, and organize notes, ideas, and files. Evernote provides a range of features for organizing information, including the ability to add tags, set reminders, and create notebooks. 

This makes it suitable as a productivity tool if you adopt it in your company. There are also team collaboration features. With the ability to share notes and work together on projects, team members of any startup can achieve scalability for the company.

‍Pros

• Excellent for note-taking and organization
• Cross-platform availability.
• Integrates with other tools.

‍Cons

• Limited project management features compared to other tools.
• Can become cluttered with too many notes.

7. Mailjet –Email campaign tool

Any startup seeking the best from email campaigns should adopt this tool. Startups and long-standing businesses can collaborate on and send emails with the aid of Mailjet. This tool aids startups' productivity because they can send many emails in no time. Features like user segmentation and A/B testing that are simple to use make this possible. Startups can reach as many people as possible through email campaigns using this productivity tool.

‍Pros

1. Easy to use.
2. Robust email design tools.
3. Advanced analytics including open rates, click rates, and bounce rates.
4. Mailjet integrates with a variety of platforms, including Shopify, WordPress, Magento, and more.
5. Provides 24/7 customer support via email and chat, as well as a comprehensive knowledge base.

‍Cons

1. Limited automation features.
2. Mailjet's pricing can be expensive for some users, especially for those who send a large number of emails.
3. Email deliverability issues.
4. Limited A/B testing.
5. Limited customization.

8. Monday.com - project management tool

 Monday.com help teams plan, organize, and track their work. It offers a range of features including task management, calendars, and custom dashboards. This makes it a useful tool for teams in industries such as engineering, design, and product development. Monday.com also allows for real-time collaboration, with features such as commenting and file attachments.

‍Pros

1. Robust project management features
2. Integration with other tools
3. Customizable to fit team needs.

Cons

1. The steep learning curve for some users
2. Limited customization options
3. Can become cluttered with too many projects.

9. Hootsuite - social media management tool

Here is a social media management tool for all content management. Organizations use it to manage their social media presence across multiple social media platforms. For instance Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and more. 

With Hootsuite, startups can schedule and publish content, manage social media conversations, and analyze social media performance. One of the key benefits of Hootsuite is its ability to streamline the social media management process. 

Your startup can manage all of its social media accounts from one centralized platform. This makes it easier to monitor and respond to social media activity, scheme modules, and publish content.  

Startups can understand what content is resonating with their target audience. They can also measure the impact of their social media efforts on their overall marketing objectives.

Hootsuite is a useful productivity tool for startups and organizations of all sizes looking to effectively manage their social media presence and maximize their marketing productivity.

‍Pros

• Excellent for managing and scheduling social media content
• Integration with other tools
• Customizable to fit team needs.

‍Cons

• Limited features compared to other social media management tools
• The steep learning curve for some users
• Can become cluttered with too many social media accounts.

10. Grammarly - grammar and spell-check tool

A very popular writing-assistant tool. Grammarly helps improve writing by offering real-time suggestions and corrections for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style. You can access Grammarly for your startup through its website, browser extensions, and mobile keyboard. 

The tool works in real-time, meaning that as you type, it scans your writing and provides suggestions for improvement. These suggestions can range from simple grammar and spelling corrections to more in-depth suggestions for word choice and sentence structure.

Grammarly is a helpful tool for especially blogging startups looking to improve their writing and rank high on Google's homepage.

‍Pros

1. Improves Writing Quality
2. Time-saving tool
3. Customizable writing feedback
4. Easy to use
5. Access to advanced features with the premium subscription.

‍Cons

1. Reliance on AI technology.
2. Limited to English Writing.
3. While Grammarly offers a free version of its software, the premium version can be relatively expensive, especially for frequent users.
4. Some users may become too reliant on Grammarly, losing their ability to identify and correct errors without its help. This could negatively impact their writing skills over time.

11. Airtable - project management and database tool

A cloud-based database platform that combines the features of a spreadsheet, a database, and a project management tool. It is designed to be flexible and user-friendly, making it an excellent choice for both personal and business use.

Airtable works by allowing you to create tables with different fields, such as text, dates, numbers, and attachments, much like a spreadsheet. You can then organize your data by adding records (rows) to each table and using the fields to add specific details. 

Unlike a traditional spreadsheet, however, Airtable also has robust database capabilities. The ability to create relationships between tables and use formula fields to calculate values based on other fields is inclusive.

n addition to its database capabilities, Airtable also includes project management features. For example, the ability to create calendars, add tasks and deadlines, and collaborate with team members.

As a productivity tool, Airtable provides companies with a flexible and intuitive platform for organizing, managing, and tracking a wide range of information. This makes it a popular choice for startups, nonprofit organizations, and individuals alike.

‍Pros

1. Flexible and versatile tool.
2. Excellent for organizing and managing data.
3. Integrates with other tools.

‍Cons

1. The steep learning curve for some users.
2. Limited customization options. 
3. Can become cluttered with too much data.

12. Canva - a graphic design tool

It is not uncommon to think that everyone in the digital marketing sector has a famous knowledge of Canva. Sometimes you wonder if its importance can ever be over-emphasized. Canva is a graphic design tool.  It makes creating professional-looking designs, even if you don't have design experience possible. 

With Canva, the team members of your startup can create a variety of graphics, including logos, business cards, presentations, and more. It has a drag-and-drop interface, pre-made templates, and a large library of design elements. So your employees can create designs quickly and easily.

Canva can achieve infographics, thumbnails, and social media posts for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for marketing, and engagement. This can help achieve profitability and also productivity.

‍Pros

• Makes it easy to create professional-looking designs, even if you don't have design experience.
• Has a drag-and-drop interface, pre-made templates, and a large library of design elements.
• You can create designs quickly and easily.

‍Cons

• Some advanced design features are only available with the paid version.
• Some users, especially beginners, may find the interface to be difficult.

‍Buffer - social media management tool

Now, social media marketing is as important as startups and scale-up businesses are to owners and the market. That's why productivity tools for maximizing output are also available. Buffer is another social media management tool. It helps in scheduling and publishing posts, tracking engagement, and analyzing social media performance. 

With Buffer, employees in your startup can schedule posts in advance and publish them at the best times for your audience. Buffer also provides analytics to help your startup track the success of its social media campaigns. When this is done, you can make informed decisions about your company's social media strategy.

‍Pros

1. Helps you schedule and publish posts
2. You don't have to be tied to your computer or phone to maintain your social media presence.
3. Provides analytics to help you track the success of your social media campaigns.

‍Cons

1. The number of social media platforms that Buffer supports is limited.
2.  The scheduling features may be limited or inflexible for the free plan.

14. Jira

Software development teams can "ship early and frequently" with the aid of Jira. To plan, track, ship, and enhance your products, you can utilize Jira's workflow templates or create your own. 

15. Google Analytics - web traffic analysis tool

Google Analytics is well-known among website owners. And similar to many analytics tools, the more time and effort you invest in it, the more you learn about its potential. Growthramp's CEO, Jason Quey had a clear-cut justification for why he adored Google Analytics. According to her, "Without Google Analytics, I wouldn't know what was and wasn't working on my website."

Read Also: Startup pricing: A complete guide on how to set the right price

16. Calendly - scheduling and appointment setting tool

Great scheduling software that helps individuals and organizations schedule appointments, meetings, and events with ease. It automates the scheduling process by allowing users to set their availability and preferences, and then share a personal link with others. 

When someone wants to schedule a meeting with the user, they simply select a time slot that works for both parties. Calendly also integrates with various calendar systems such as Google Calendar, Outlook, and Apple Calendar. This is to ensure that scheduled events are added directly to the user's calendar and automatically updates when there are changes.

Calendly helps to eliminate the back-and-forth email and phone calls that are often required to schedule appointments and meetings. For your startup, it can save time and increase efficiency by allowing your company and your business partners to easily view available time slots and confirm a meeting. 

You can easily conduct interviews with potential employees using a favorable time with the help of this tool. Your company can experience smooth appointments and meetings with either investors or business partners using this tool.

17. Tableau – Data Analysis tool

 A versatile and valuable tool for organizations looking to turn their data into insights and make data-driven decisions. Tableau is a powerful data visualization and business intelligence tool. It helps organizations turn data into actionable insights. It enables users to connect to various data sources. For instance spreadsheets, databases, and cloud services. Then, visually explore and analyze their data to identify patterns, trends, and insights.

Tableau's user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop functionality make it easy for users to create interactive dashboards, reports, and charts. This visual representation of data is a powerful productivity tool for your startup because it would help your team members quickly understand complex information and communicate their insights to others. 

Tableau also offers your organization advanced analytics capabilities, including forecasting, trend analysis, and statistical modeling. This allows it to make informed decisions based on its data and provides a competitive advantage in today's data-driven world.

18. Zoom –Video conferencing and virtual meeting software

Another powerful productivity tool for video conferencing and virtual meetings. It allows teams to meet and collaborate in real-time, regardless of location. It offers a range of features including screen sharing, recording, and virtual backgrounds. This makes it a useful tool for remote teams. Zoom also integrates with a variety of other tools, including Slack and Google Calendar, to streamline workflows.

‍Pros

1. Excellent for virtual meetings and video conferencing
2. Integrates with other tools
3. Good for remote teams.

‍Cons

1. Technical issues can disrupt meetings
2.  Limited customization options
3. Can be expensive for larger teams.

19. Hubspot - sales, marketing, and customer service tool

A comprehensive inbound marketing, sales, and customer service platform that helps your business attract, engage, and delight customers. With Hubspot, you can create and publish content, run email campaigns, manage leads and customers, and more. Hubspot also provides analytics to help your business measure the success of marketing and sales efforts. With this, you can make informed decisions about your strategy.

‍Pros

1. Comprehensive inbound marketing, sales, and customer service platform.
2. Provides analytics to help you measure the success of your marketing and sales efforts.

‍Cons

1. Can be expensive for small businesses or startups.
2. Some users may find the platform to be complex and difficult to use

20. RescueTime–Tike tracking tool

As the name implies, it is a time-tracking tool that helps you understand how you're spending your time on your devices. It runs in the background and tracks your activity. It provides you with insights into which websites and apps you use the most. 

This information can help you identify areas where you're wasting time, so you can make adjustments to increase your productivity as a business owner. RescueTime also provides alerts and reports to help you stay on track and make the most of your time.

Startups can adopt it in their organization to foster time management and enhance productivity.

‍Pros

1. Provides insights into how you're spending your time.
2. Alerts and reports help you stay on track and make the most of your time.

‍Cons

1. Some users may find the level of detail provided by RescueTime to be difficult to understand.
2. It Invades users' privacy since it tracks all their activity on their devices.

21. Teamwork- Deliver projects on time and within budget

The tools and reports you need to maximize resources and never again lose a billable minute are provided by this project management application. Here you and your team can organize and manage numerous projects in a single location. 

Do you feel fatigued?  Organize your workflow, check the status of jobs quickly, and automate your processes.

Additionally, you can monitor, control, and filter data specific to your company's requirements. So that nothing is left undone. Divide the work into tasks and subtasks. Additionally, you may combine all of your favorite tools that you already use to ensure that your productivity is not affected. 

Read Also: Everything you need to know about AI marketing

22. Wordable

An amazing platform that allows exporting content from Google Docs and importing it into your WordPress website. This way, you save your time and effort in the content creation process. With Wordable, you can easily transfer your Google Docs content to your website, where you can then make further edits, add images, and publish. 

As I said earlier, it is especially helpful for content creators. Especially those who use Google Docs to create and organize their content but want to publish it on their website without having to copy and paste the content individually.

Summing it up

Increasing the efficiency and productivity of your business requires a close examination of your daily operations. It also requires the identification of potential areas for improvement. More importantly, it involves increasing your knowledge of the variety of productivity tools available. 

Carefully analyze which tool will best suit your startup. From project management tools to communication and time tracking tools, you can go ahead and choose the right tool for the scalability and productivity of your business.