A recent Forbes study revealed that one in five small businesses fails within the first year! While there are many challenges to running a small business successfully, the most common one is management.
As a small business owner, you are solely responsible for overseeing your entire business. However, doing this can become difficult as you scale—I speak from experience. Having the right tools and technology makes it easier and more achievable.
But don’t worry. As someone who has spent considerable time juggling different tech and tools, I will familiarize you with ten of the best apps for small businesses.
Find out which apps are necessary in every small business toolkit today.
The 10 Best Apps for Small Businesses in 2024: Tried and Tested
- What Should You Look for in the Best Apps for Small Businesses?
- The 10 Best Apps for Small Businesses to Use in 2024
- 1. ClickUp (Best for project management and collaboration)
- 2. Slack (Best for team communication)
- 3. Gusto (Best for payroll and HR management)
- 4. QuickBooks (Best for accounting and bookkeeping)
- 5. Mailchimp (Best for email marketing)
- 6. Hootsuite (Best for social media management)
- 7. Sortly (Best for inventory management)
- 8. Figma (Best for design and prototyping)
- 9. Square (Best for payment processing and POS systems)
- 10. Shopify (Best for eCommerce platform management)
- Supercharge Your Small Business With ClickUp
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Should You Look for in the Best Apps for Small Businesses?
Here are five of the most essential factors you should seek in any app for small business before committing to it:
- Ease of use: Go for small business apps that are easy to use and efficient in terms of features. The last thing you’d want is an application that complicates a task rather than simplifying it for you
- Customizability: Choose applications that can adapt themselves to the subtle nuances of a business, especially for small business owners with multiple unique needs
- Security: Pick a small business app that provides robust security measures. This helps ensure all the crucial data in your internal database is safe against unauthorized access and breaching
- Integration capabilities: Look for tools that offer integration with other third-party tools and software to streamline your small business operations
- Customer support: Choose small business applications that offer 24*7 and quality customer support. This ensures you receive quick query resolutions and your operations remain unhindered
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe 10 Best Apps for Small Businesses to Use in 2024
Let’s check out which are the ten best small business apps in 2024:
1. ClickUp (Best for project management and collaboration)
If your small business is looking for an innovative project management app and team collaboration tool, I highly recommend ClickUp. This all-in-one task management software is designed to boost productivity.
The most essential part of project management is teamwork, and ClickUp for Startup Teams streamlines it. I can use it to build product roadmaps, track goals, and manage resources—all while staying in sync with my team. The dashboard offers a centralized view of all these elements.
A lot of documentation is involved in managing a small business. Having multiple documents scattered across different systems and teams makes it difficult to find important information quickly. That’s where ClickUp Docs come to the rescue.
You can use Docs to create project guidelines, assign tasks to team members, and attach relevant files for reference. This ensures everyone is on the same page and creates a central repository for crucial procedures.
I like to integrate ClickUp Brain with Docs to harness the power of AI and eliminate the need for manual project documentation. With Brain, you can quickly draft emails, project guidelines, etc., giving you more time to focus on your business strategy.
Do you find it difficult to manage all the tasks in a project? I would, too—until I stumbled upon ClickUp Tasks. This feature lets you plan, organize, and collaborate on different project tasks with your team. You can check project status, assign duties and routine tasks, and leave comments—all in one place.
As a small business owner, you must also consistently formulate strategies for future growth and development. I swear by the ClickUp Strategic Business Roadmap Template for this purpose. Easy to use and customizable, this template gives you an eagle-eye view of your bigger business strategies. This can help you:
- Schedule tasks and assign duties more efficiently
- Get a clear understanding of your monthly goals
- Track progress and make adjustments in real-time
Apart from this, many ClickUp templates make small business operations easy for you. From budgeting to inventory management, there is a pre-built framework that will help you get started instantly.
ClickUp best features
- Monitor every project’s progress, deadlines, and milestones for timely execution with ClickUp’s Time Tracking feature
- Keep your customer information organized and updated with ClickUp CRM
- Group every task of a project by category and organize them into a separate database for streamlined management
- Create comment threads and share screen recordings with ClickUp Clips for each task to collaborate with your team hassle-free
- Leverage ClickUp Automations and cut out the need for human intervention in multiple repetitive tasks with the help of 100+ automation templates
- Create targets that are smaller, measurable steps that contribute to achieving the bigger objective with ClickUp Goals
- Utilize ClickUp Integrations to sync your workflow with your favorite tools like Slack, GitHub, HubSpot, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Zoom
ClickUp limitations
- All features are not available on the ClickUp mobile app
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Starter: $7/month per user
- Advanced: $12/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- ClickUp Brain: Add to any paid plan for $7 per Workspace member per month
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (9,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (4,000+ reviews)
2. Slack (Best for team communication)
Countless team leads worldwide (including me) swear by Slack for streamlining collaboration and communication, and its rich arsenal of features explains why.
Slack lets you create separate ‘Channels’ for different projects to organize messaging. With ‘Huddles,’ you can conduct audio and video team meetings with a few clicks.
However, the ‘Slack Connect’ feature is the ultimate game-changer for me. This lets you communicate with your vendors, suppliers, and customers within the same Slack app. This makes it a comprehensive communication tool suitable for both internal and external use. It is a must-have for every small business owner.
Slack best features
- Communicate with your entire team in one place via group messages, DMs, video calls, and audio calls
- Automate recurring tasks to streamline your workflow without missing a beat
- Share important files and documents with your team to enhance project management and collaboration
- Integrate with 2,000+ tools like DocuSign, Google Sheets, Zoom, and ClickUp for maximum operational efficiency
Slack limitations
- The free version has limited features, which may not prove sufficient for growing teams
- Creating too many different channels can confuse the team members and hamper their productivity
Slack pricing
- Free Forever
- Pro: $8.75/month per user
- Business+: $15/month per user
- Enterprise Grid: Custom pricing
Slack ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (32,764 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (23,244 reviews)
3. Gusto (Best for payroll and HR management)
Gusto simplifies both payroll and HR management. This tool is one of the best employee management apps for small businesses due to its easy-to-navigate and intuitive user interface. Its robust set of features is also a huge advantage.
You can sync your payroll with Gusto to track employee working hours and project progress and manage workload without manual intervention. Gusto makes recruitment, hiring, and onboarding simple. You can easily create job posts, send offer letters, create onboarding to-do lists, etc. Moreover, you can also use Gusto to share, sign, and store crucial documents.
Gusto best features
- Track your employees’ working hours, workload, and performance to make adjustments for better productivity
- File your taxes automatically and accurately for systematic management of your compliance requirements
- Set up tools and systems for your new team members with Software Provisioning
- Evaluate the performance of your employees to offer relevant development opportunities to them
- Receive accurate employee analytics and insights to make data-driven decisions
- Integrate with other tools like Expensify, DocuSign, Freshbooks, and ClickUp
Gusto limitations
- No free plan is available
- Users have reported that, at times, customer service is extremely slow
Gusto pricing
- Simple: $40/month + $6/month per person
- Plus: $80/month + $12/month per person
- Premium: Custom pricing
Gusto ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (2,059 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (3,894 reviews)
4. QuickBooks (Best for accounting and bookkeeping)
QuickBooks is a well-known financial management app because of its expert tools and features. Primarily accounting software, QuickBooks also functions as a tool for bookkeeping, payroll management, time tracking, banking, and other similar tasks.
I’ve used it for bill-related activities like creating receipts and centralizing different types of them. You can also use it to calculate taxes and even manage your inventory. This tool’s most intriguing aspect is its virtual bookkeeping feature. With it, you can avail yourself of expert mentorship and assistance for accurate account and cash flow management.
QuickBooks best features
- Automate bookkeeping tasks like transaction categorization, bank reconciliation, and expense tracking
- Create detailed financial health reports, including profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements
- Track your inventory levels and set alerts for low stocks
- Integrate with over 750 apps of your choice, like PayPal, Shopify, and Gusto
QuickBooks limitations
- The user interface can be slightly complex for beginners
- Customization options are very limited
- It can be expensive for small businesses
QuickBooks pricing
- Simple Start: $18/month
- Essentials: $27/month
- Plus: $38/month
- Advanced: $76/month
QuickBooks ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.0/5 (3,304 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.3/5 (7,252 reviews)
5. Mailchimp (Best for email marketing)
Thanks to its impressively comprehensive nature, Mailchimp is my one-stop solution for all things email marketing management. In fact, it is one of the best apps for small businesses in this regard.
This tool automates almost every email marketing activity you can imagine. Use it to send personalized emails, create customized campaigns, and promote relevant products without manual effort. Mailchimp also offers a bundle of email templates that are beautifully designed and ready for customization. If you have this tool in your collection, you don’t need to put up a dedicated team to bolster your email marketing initiatives.
Mailchimp best features
- Schedule your emails to auto-send to convey the right message at the right time
- Create hyper-targeted email marketing campaigns. Segment your audience based on demographics, user behavior, etc
- Utilize the drag-and-drop builder to customize email templates as per your needs easily
- Gain detailed reports and analytics on your campaign performance
- Integrate with 300+ other tools of your workflow like Wix, Stripe, and Canva
Mailchimp limitations
- It can get expensive as you scale
- Customer support quality is average
Mailchimp pricing
- Free: $0/month for 500 contacts
- Essentials: $13/month for 500 contacts
- Standard: $20/month for 500 contacts
- Premium: $350/month for 500 contacts
Mailchimp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (12,448 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (17,148 reviews)
6. Hootsuite (Best for social media management)
Acing social media and digital marketing is a goal for every small business owner. Hootsuite is a tool that facilitates that.
This is one of the best apps for small business marketing due to its versatile range of features. It lets you build engaging social media content from scratch and automate its scheduling and publishing. I particularly like Hootsuite’s powerful brand monitoring feature, which allows you to check online conversations about your brand. Bonus? All the features are also highly customizable.
Hootsuite best features
- Automate content posting for all major platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter
- Create easy-to-comprehend visual calendars to optimize content planning and scheduling
- Collaborate with your team. Assign tasks, manage approvals, and formulate new strategies
- Monitor keywords and hashtags to stay updated about the latest social media trends in your industry
- Plug-in with 100+ analytics and CRM tools like Google Analytics and Salesforce
Hootsuite limitations
- The interface can be slightly overwhelming for new users
- Integrations with certain apps and platforms are paid
Hootsuite pricing
- Professional: $149/month for one user, ten social accounts
- Team: $399/month for three users
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Hootsuite ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.2/5 (4,233 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (3,693 reviews)
7. Sortly (Best for inventory management)
Looking for an inventory management app that can accommodate the unique needs of a small business? Sortly is your answer. It’s easy to use, intuitive, and has the right features.
To begin using it, you only need to upload your existing inventory list on the platform. Sortly will automatically organize it. It will also help you track your inventory and receive alerts when running low on stock. However, the specific feature that stands out the most for me is the built-in barcode generator. It allows you to create unique product barcodes that accurately depict quantity, location, price, SKU, and other details within minutes.
Sortly best features
- Customize unique inventory information and manage your database with Custom Fields
- Generate and scan QR codes to easily manage your inventory on your smartphone
- Access the software on your mobile device with its easy-to-use mobile application
- Integrate with apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams
Sortly limitations
- The mobile app is buggy
- The barcode scanning feature is not fully reliable
- Integrates only with a handful of apps
Sortly pricing
- Free Forever
- Advanced: $49/month
- Ultra: $149/month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Sortly ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (25 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (481 reviews)
8. Figma (Best for design and prototyping)
Figma is a solid product design tool. From ease of use and navigation to feature richness, it meets all my criteria for a good small business app.
The best part about Figma is that it’s a no-code designing platform. So, it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a team of seasoned developers. You can still use it to create realistic product prototypes tailored to your brand. The platform boasts an engaging UI and is also highly collaborative. That’s not all—Figma also offers a range of templates to get you started with prototyping.
Figma best features
- Collaborate with your team on a product designing project in real-time
- Leverage the power of AI to create product prototypes for testing and iterations
- Use advanced vector tools to edit shapes and designs as per your choice
- Communicate with your team members via audio or chat for unhindered collaboration
- Integrate with a range of popular apps, like GitLab and Google Workspace
Figma limitations
- Can be expensive for growing teams
- Limited offline capabilities
- Requires a strong internet connection for best performance
Figma pricing
- Starter Team: Free
- Professional Team: $15/full seat/month
- Organization: $45/full seat/month
- Enterprise: $75/full seat/month
Figma ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (1,113 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (738 reviews)
9. Square (Best for payment processing and POS systems)
If you’re a new small business, Square can help you set up a decent POS system to facilitate both cash and cashless transactions.
What I like the most about Square is its thoroughness. This tool lets your business accept online payments, including contactless. You can also manage the pickup and delivery of all your orders in the POS system.
But that’s not the best part yet. Square also sells cutting-edge POS hardware solutions like readers and registers. So, it’s like a one-stop shop for creating a complete POS system for a business.
Square best features
- Accept multiple payment methods, including cash, credit card, debit card, and mobile payment
- Send unlimited invoices at no extra fee
- Receive PCI compliance and chargeback assistance
- Gain detailed reports and insights on sales and inventory
Square limitations
- Some users complained about sudden account closures
- Transaction fee is higher than other platforms
- Customer support is difficult to access
Square pricing
- Free Forever
- Plus: $29/month (billed annually)
- Premium: $79/month (billed annually)
Square ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (789 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (610 reviews)
10. Shopify (Best for eCommerce platform management)
Shopify is a must-have application for every small business that aims to go online. It has all the tools and technology you need to build your digital storefront.
For me, Shopify’s USP is its user-friendliness. Although setting up an online business can be overwhelming, this tool simplifies it to a decent extent. There is a range of customizable templates, a user-friendly interface, a long list of third-party app integrations to maximize the store’s efficiency, and a built-in POS system for seamless selling.
Apart from this, Shopify also lets you grow your business with organic SEO, social media, and content marketing tools. This feature alone helps it count among the best apps for small businesses.
Shopify best features
- Choose from a range of customizable templates and themes to build your online store
- Receive payments via multiple sources through Shopify Payments
- Leverage built-in marketing features for driving traffic and sales
- Manage your store on the go with the Shopify mobile app
- Integrate with robust third-party tools like HubSpot and Mailchimp
Shopify limitations
- No free plan is available
- Deep customization options are limited, especially for the checkout process and other key pages
Shopify pricing
- Basic: $39/month
- Shopify: $105/month
- Advanced: $399/month
- Plus: $2,300/month
Shopify ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (4,539 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (6,359 reviews)
Summarize this article for me pleaseSupercharge Your Small Business With ClickUp
Managing a small business is never easy. However, limited resources and a lean team also mean your contributions will be highly impactful.
With the right set of the best apps for small businesses, it doesn’t matter how small your team is or how limited your resources are. You can always make the most of what’s available to you.
An all-in-one project management solution like ClickUp makes managing a small business easier by streamlining tasks, centralizing communication, and boosting customer relationship management and team efficiency. Its comprehensive suite of features ensures your business leverages the best technology to grow and succeed.
So, don’t wait any longer—sign up for ClickUp today for free and try it!
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