Content originated from a previous article by Bre Gajewski.

“Man is a tool-using animal. Without tools, he is nothing, with tools he is all.”

Whilst we’re not sure to what extent we completely agree with this quote, we do acknowledge that having the right tool for the job makes life a whole lot easier. All over the world entrepreneurs, startups, and corporates rely on business tools for the day-to-day life of their business. 

However, every startup has different needs and wants when it comes to business tools so it’s important to compare startup resources whilst focusing on your business’ needs. We’ve compiled a list of great software for startups with lots of free startup tools and some of the best resources for entrepreneurs. 

So, without further ado, here’s our pick of the best startup tools around.

6 Tools to help your startup succeed 

Best tool for Digital Product Design: InVision

Technically, InVision is a suite of design tools, not just one app. Whilst we’ll be focusing on InVision Studio, the suite also includes InVision Cloud, where you can connect, store, and share your work, and InVision DSM, a design system manager. 

InVision studio allows you to turn your ideas into on-screen designs, animate them to reflect your vision, and create fully-functioning prototypes. You’re also able to collaborate with team members on the project by leaving comments- the app keeps you up to date on any changes.

InVision has a free option, including one prototype, but the paid plans are reasonably priced and provide more freedom in creating multiple prototypes and collaborating on projects. For bigger businesses, the enterprise plan offers unlimited prototypes and extra design features and is used by the likes of Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, and more.

Best tool for Social Media Management: Hootsuite

Social media management is far from a breeze, but luckily there are ample platforms you can use to make life a little simpler. We encourage you to check out a great variation of platforms, as whilst they all provide the same key features, they differ in extras and interface. 

Our pick for this list, however, is Hootsuite, as it answers every need we could possibly think of when considering social media management.

Hootsuite is compatible with over 35 platforms and includes a user-maintained database of extensions and easy-to-use post scheduling and queue alteration (using drag and drop). 

Hootsuite earns its place on this list because of how it handles analytics. It draws on over 200 metrics to provide understandable reports that are easily exported to Excel, PowerPoint, and more.

Plans begin at 25€ and differ mainly in the number of users you can have on an account and social profiles you can link to it. One drawback of Hootsuite is it bills annually, meaning it’s a commitment you may not want to make. 

Best tool for Project Management: Trello

Trello puts everything in one place for everyone to see. It’s one of the best resources for startups disguised as visual management software. You’re able to organise projects into sections and choose who has access to these sections, as well as assign people tasks and communicate through the platform.

Trello isn’t the only platform in its field, but we’re yet to find a better tool for project management for startup companies. It finds fierce competition in Miro, however, we find that Trello is more compatible with other software and offers more features. It’s free software for startups, and super easy to use.

Put simply, if you’re looking for the best startup project management tools- scratch that- the best startup management tools in general, Trello’s not a bad place to start.

Best tool for Signing Contracts: Signaturit

Over the past few months, remote work has become the norm amongst society. This change in our lifestyle has highlighted the need to be able to operate entirely remotely from anywhere with a wifi connection. 

Signaturit provides an answer for when you just can’t make it into the office. It’s a simple, easy-to-use solution to requesting and making legally binding electronic signatures. 

The e-signature company boasts an assortment of features, including analytics, advanced authentication, and various ways to manage your documents. Their service is also auditable; they offer an audit trail that collects the electronic evidence generated during the signature process or certification.

Plans start at 30€ per person and include all the important features right from the get-go. This is one of the lean startup tools for businesses looking to get more done.

Plus, OneCoWork members get 10% off 😉

Best tool for Creative Collaboration: Milanote

Milanote is a tool for organizing creative projects into beautiful visual boards. By design, it feels a lot like working on the wall in a creative studio - visual, tactile, and sometimes a bit messy - Milanote is a great fit for designers who work in teams remotely.

Key Features:
- Write notes & to-do lists, upload images & files and save things you find on the web
- Organize visually using the flexible drag and drop interface.
- Boards by default are a private place to think, but with a single click you can create a shared workspace for collaboration with your team
- Milanote is filled with hundreds of built-in templates to help you get started with a variety of different projects, from creating a mood board to writing that perfect creative brief.

Pricing:
- Free version available with no time limit.
- PRO version $9.99 per month (monthly and annual plans)

Best tool for Hiring: GoHire

When we think recruitment, we instantly think OneRecruit. OneRecruit is our pay-as-you-go recruitment service taking the stress out of hiring for companies worldwide. However, it’s a service, not a tool, meaning it doesn’t technically qualify.

Our expert recruiters do use tools when it comes to finding the perfect candidate and managing the hiring process, and they recommend GoHire. It’s a user-friendly recruitment platform that improves the hiring process from the get-go, providing nifty tools to make everything run a little smoother.

GoHire provides in-depth evaluations of candidates, seamless candidate management to have all information in one place, and smarter interview scheduling to help you save time. It integrates with many major platforms to help keep everything connected, including Slack, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Best tool for Writing: Grammarly

Grammarly is a Google Chrome extension that provides suggestions to improve your text as you write it. It’s perfect for making sure all your writing, from emails to blog posts, is to a high standard. It corrects spelling mistakes and grammar errors, as well as enhances your vocabulary by identifying and correcting contextual errors.

It’s incredibly easy to use and integrates with Facebook, LinkedIn, Gmail, and many more. Grammarly’s main features are free but companies can get in touch to enquire about further features and plans that work for them. 

Premium plans also offer real-time suggestions and information on readability, delivery, and plagiarism, further helping to deliver better, clearer writing. 

Wrapping up

There you have it- our best business tools for startups. As we mentioned at the beginning, what’s needed from certain tools differs from business to business. These are some that we use or have used, and find very practical. 

We encourage you to further your search for the best tools around, and get in touch if you think we’ve got it wrong- we’re always looking to improve.

In order to finish as we began, we leave you with these wise words.

“Discover the tools to build your own vision.”

This one we do agree with. 

Stay hungry.

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