Running a small business today means managing a collection of software tools. The right stack saves time, reduces errors, and lets you operate professionally without hiring staff for every function. The wrong stack—or no stack at all—leaves you drowning in manual work and spreadsheets.
This guide covers the essential software categories for small businesses, what to look for in each, and specific tools worth considering at different price points.
How to Think About Your Software Stack
Before diving into specific tools, understand a few principles that will save you money and headaches.
Start lean. You don’t need every tool on day one. Begin with essentials—accounting, email, and perhaps a CRM—and add tools as genuine needs arise. Software subscriptions accumulate quickly, and unused tools waste money.
Prioritize integration. Tools that work together multiply their value. A CRM that syncs with your email and accounting software creates a unified view of your business. Disconnected tools create data silos and manual work transferring information between systems.
Consider total cost. A “cheap” tool that requires hours of workarounds costs more than an expensive tool that just works. Factor in your time and the cost of limitations, not just the subscription price.
Plan for growth. Switching tools is painful—you lose historical data, retrain yourself and your team, and rebuild integrations. Choose tools that can scale with your business, even if you don’t need all their features today.
Free isn’t always best. Free tiers often lack critical features, have usage limits you’ll hit quickly, or come with poor support. They’re fine for testing but may not serve a real business well.
Accounting and Finance
Every business needs to track money coming in and going out. Good accounting software is non-negotiable.
What to Look For
Core features:
- Income and expense tracking
- Invoicing
- Bank and credit card connections
- Financial reports (profit and loss, balance sheet)
- Tax preparation support
For growing businesses:
- Accounts receivable and payable management
- Inventory tracking
- Project-based accounting
- Multi-currency support
Tools to Consider
QuickBooks Online is the market leader for small business accounting, with a massive ecosystem of integrations and accountants who know the platform. It handles invoicing, expense tracking, bank connections, payroll (additional cost), and comprehensive reporting. The interface has grown complex over the years, but it’s capable. Pricing: $30–200/month depending on features.
Xero offers similar capabilities to QuickBooks with a cleaner interface that some find more intuitive. It’s particularly strong for businesses with international operations due to excellent multi-currency support. Xero integrates well with other tools and has a robust app marketplace. Pricing: $15–78/month.
Wave provides free accounting software that’s genuinely usable, not just a teaser for paid plans. It covers invoicing, expense tracking, bank connections, and basic reporting. Wave makes money through optional paid services like payment processing and payroll. The free tier works well for freelancers and simple businesses, though it lacks some features larger businesses need.
FreshBooks started as invoicing software and has grown into full accounting. It’s particularly strong for service businesses that bill by time or project. The interface is clean and approachable for non-accountants. Pricing: $17–55/month.
For most small businesses, QuickBooks Online or Xero will serve well. The choice often comes down to interface preference and which platform your accountant prefers.
The IRS recommends keeping detailed financial records, and proper accounting software makes this straightforward.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
A CRM tracks your interactions with customers and prospects. It’s essential once you’re managing more relationships than you can remember.
What to Look For
Basic features:
- Contact management
- Interaction history (calls, emails, meetings)
- Deal or opportunity tracking
- Task and follow-up reminders
- Basic reporting
Advanced features:
- Sales pipeline visualization
- Email integration and tracking
- Automation workflows
- Territory and team management
- Forecasting
Tools to Consider
HubSpot CRM offers a genuinely useful free tier that includes contact management, deal tracking, email integration, and basic reporting. It’s a great starting point for businesses new to CRM. Paid plans ($20–150+ per user/month) add automation, more sophisticated reporting, and additional tools for marketing and service.
Salesforce is the enterprise standard, powerful but complex and expensive. It’s overkill for most small businesses but worth considering if you have a sales team and need sophisticated pipeline management. Pricing starts around $25 per user/month but climbs quickly with add-ons.
Pipedrive focuses specifically on sales pipeline management with a visual, intuitive interface. It’s less feature-rich than HubSpot or Salesforce but does its core job well. Pricing: $14–99 per user/month.
Zoho CRM offers solid functionality at lower price points than competitors, particularly for businesses already using other Zoho products. The interface is less polished than alternatives, but the value is strong. Pricing: Free (limited) to $52 per user/month.
Less Annoying CRM does exactly what its name suggests—provides simple CRM functionality without complexity. It’s designed for small businesses that need contact management and follow-up tracking, not enterprise sales operations. Flat pricing: $15 per user/month with no tiers to navigate.
For most small businesses, HubSpot’s free CRM is the right starting point. It’s capable enough to use for years before you might need paid features.
Email and Communication
Professional communication tools are fundamental to any business.
Business Email
Using a personal Gmail or Yahoo address for business looks unprofessional. Business email tied to your domain ([email protected]) costs little and matters for credibility.
Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) provides Gmail with your custom domain, plus Google’s productivity suite (Docs, Sheets, Drive, Calendar, Meet). It’s familiar, reliable, and integrates with countless other tools. Pricing: $6–18 per user/month.
Microsoft 365 offers Outlook email with your domain plus the full Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams). If you need desktop Office applications or prefer Outlook, this is the choice. Pricing: $6–22 per user/month.
Zoho Mail provides professional email at lower cost than Google or Microsoft, with a usable free tier for very small teams. It lacks the polish and ecosystem of the major players but handles email competently. Pricing: Free to $4 per user/month.
Most businesses should choose Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 based on preference and what other tools they use.
Team Communication
Once you have employees or regular collaborators, you need better communication than email alone.
Slack is the dominant team chat platform, organizing conversations into channels by topic, project, or team. It integrates with hundreds of other tools, making it a hub for notifications and workflows. Free for small teams with limitations; paid plans run $7.25–12.50 per user/month.
Microsoft Teams comes included with Microsoft 365 and combines chat, video meetings, and file collaboration. If you’re already paying for Microsoft 365, Teams is effectively free. It’s less elegant than Slack but perfectly functional.
Discord started as a gaming platform but works well for small teams, particularly in creative and tech industries. It’s free for basic use with paid upgrades for larger communities.
Video Conferencing
Zoom became synonymous with video calls and remains the most reliable option for most use cases. Free for 40-minute meetings with up to 100 participants; paid plans ($15.99–21.99/month) remove time limits and add features.
Google Meet comes with Google Workspace and handles video conferencing competently. Nothing fancy, but it works.
Microsoft Teams includes video meetings as part of its platform. Quality and features are comparable to Zoom.
Project and Task Management
Keeping track of what needs to happen, when, and by whom becomes critical as work volume grows.
What to Look For
Essential features:
- Task creation and assignment
- Due dates and reminders
- Project organization
- Status tracking
- Collaboration and comments
Advanced features:
- Multiple views (list, board, calendar, timeline)
- Dependencies and milestones
- Time tracking
- Workload management
- Automation
Tools to Consider
Asana offers powerful project management with an intuitive interface. It handles everything from simple to-do lists to complex projects with dependencies. Free tier is generous; paid plans run $10.99–24.99 per user/month.
Trello uses a visual board-and-card system (Kanban style) that’s immediately understandable. It’s simple and flexible but can become unwieldy for complex projects. Free for basic use; paid plans run $5–17.50 per user/month.
Monday.com provides highly visual project management with extensive customization options. It’s polished and capable but can be expensive for small teams. Pricing starts at $9 per user/month with minimum seat requirements.
Notion combines project management, documentation, and databases in one flexible tool. It’s powerful but has a learning curve. Free tier is generous for individuals; team plans run $8–15 per user/month.
Basecamp bundles project management, team communication, and file sharing in one simple package. It’s opinionated about how work should be organized, which some love and others find limiting. Flat pricing: $15 per user/month or $299/month for unlimited users.
ClickUp offers extensive features at competitive prices, trying to be an all-in-one workspace. It’s feature-rich to the point of overwhelming for some users. Free tier available; paid plans run $7–12 per user/month.
For most small businesses, Trello provides the gentlest learning curve, while Asana offers the best balance of power and usability.
Document Management and Storage
You need a place to store, organize, and share files.
Cloud Storage
Google Drive comes with Google Workspace (15GB free, more with paid plans) and integrates seamlessly with Google’s productivity tools. Collaboration features are excellent.
Microsoft OneDrive comes with Microsoft 365 and integrates with Office applications. If you use Microsoft’s ecosystem, OneDrive is the natural choice.
Dropbox was the original cloud storage leader and remains excellent, though it’s lost ground to Google and Microsoft’s bundled offerings. Dropbox Paper adds light document collaboration. Pricing: Free (2GB) to $15–24 per user/month for business plans.
Document Collaboration
Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides provide real-time collaboration on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. They’re included with Google Workspace and good enough for most business needs.
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) remains the standard in many industries. Microsoft 365 includes online collaboration features, though they’re not quite as smooth as Google’s.
Notion works as a collaborative documentation platform, particularly for internal wikis, meeting notes, and knowledge bases.
For most small businesses, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 covers document management adequately. Choose based on which ecosystem you prefer.
Marketing
Marketing tools help you reach and engage customers.
Email Marketing
Mailchimp is the most recognized email marketing platform, offering email campaigns, automation, landing pages, and basic CRM features. Free tier supports up to 500 contacts; paid plans start at $13/month and scale with list size.
ConvertKit focuses on creators and offers straightforward email marketing with good automation. Pricing starts at $15/month after a free trial.
Constant Contact has been around for decades and provides reliable email marketing with extensive templates and good support. Pricing starts at $12/month.
Klaviyo specializes in e-commerce email marketing with deep integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, and other platforms. Powerful but more expensive than general-purpose tools. Free up to 250 contacts; paid plans scale with list size.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) offers email marketing, SMS, and chat at competitive prices with a generous free tier. A solid choice for budget-conscious businesses.
Social Media Management
Buffer provides simple social media scheduling and analytics across platforms. Clean interface, reasonable pricing. Free for basic use; paid plans start at $6/month per channel.
Hootsuite offers more comprehensive social media management with team features and extensive integrations. More powerful than Buffer but also more complex and expensive. Paid plans start at $99/month.
Later focuses on visual platforms (Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok) with a visual content calendar. Free tier available; paid plans start at $18/month.
SEO and Analytics
Google Analytics tracks website traffic and user behavior. It’s free and essential for understanding how people find and use your site.
Google Search Console shows how your site performs in Google search, including what queries bring traffic and any technical issues. Free and essential for SEO.
Ahrefs provides comprehensive SEO tools including keyword research, competitor analysis, and backlink tracking. Powerful but expensive. Plans start at $99/month.
SEMrush offers similar capabilities to Ahrefs with additional marketing features. Plans start at $129/month.
Ubersuggest from Neil Patel provides basic SEO research at lower cost than Ahrefs or SEMrush. Limited free tier; paid plans start at $29/month.
The Google Analytics documentation provides extensive guidance for getting started with analytics.
Scheduling and Appointments
Service businesses need to let customers book time with them.
Scheduling Tools
Calendly has become the standard for scheduling meetings and appointments. Share a link, let people pick available times, and avoid the back-and-forth of finding a time that works. Free for basic use; paid plans run $10–16 per user/month.
Acuity Scheduling (owned by Squarespace) provides appointment scheduling with more customization than Calendly, including intake forms, packages, and payments. Pricing: $16–49/month.
Square Appointments integrates scheduling with Square’s point-of-sale and payment systems. Good for retail and service businesses already using Square. Free for individuals; paid plans start at $29/month.
Cal.com offers open-source scheduling as an alternative to Calendly. Free tier available; paid plans run $15 per user/month.
For simple meeting scheduling, Calendly’s free tier works well. Businesses with complex booking needs should evaluate Acuity or industry-specific solutions.
E-commerce and Payments
If you sell products or services, you need to accept payments.
Payment Processing
Stripe provides developer-friendly payment processing that powers countless websites and apps. Standard pricing: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Integrates with virtually every platform.
Square offers payment processing plus hardware (card readers) for in-person payments. Pricing: 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person, 2.9% + $0.30 for online transactions. The Square ecosystem includes point-of-sale, invoicing, and scheduling tools.
PayPal remains widely recognized and trusted by consumers. Standard pricing: 2.99% + fixed fee per transaction. Useful for businesses whose customers prefer PayPal.
Invoicing
Most accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, Wave) includes invoicing. You probably don’t need a separate tool.
For standalone invoicing, Square Invoices and PayPal both offer free invoicing with payment processing fees on transactions.
E-commerce Platforms
Shopify provides the most complete e-commerce platform for small businesses, handling product listings, checkout, payments, and shipping. Pricing: $29–299/month plus transaction fees.
WooCommerce adds e-commerce to WordPress sites. The plugin is free; you’ll pay for hosting and extensions.
BigCommerce offers similar capabilities to Shopify with different pricing structure (no transaction fees on any plan). Plans run $29–299/month.
Squarespace and Wix both offer e-commerce features integrated with their website builders, suitable for businesses with simpler selling needs.
Human Resources and Payroll
Once you have employees, you need tools to manage them.
Payroll
Gusto provides payroll, benefits administration, and HR tools designed for small businesses. It handles tax filings, direct deposit, and compliance. Pricing starts at $40/month plus $6 per employee.
QuickBooks Payroll integrates with QuickBooks accounting for a unified financial view. Pricing starts at $50/month plus $6 per employee.
ADP offers payroll and HR services at various scales. Pricing isn’t published; expect it to be competitive with Gusto for small businesses.
Square Payroll works well for businesses already in Square’s ecosystem. Pricing: $35/month plus $6 per employee.
HR Management
Gusto includes basic HR features (onboarding, documents, PTO tracking) with its payroll service.
BambooHR provides dedicated HR management for growing businesses—employee records, onboarding, performance management, and reporting. Pricing isn’t published but starts around $6–8 per employee/month.
Homebase focuses on hourly teams with scheduling, time tracking, and team communication. Free tier available; paid plans start at $20 per location/month.
For most small businesses, Gusto provides the best combination of payroll and HR features at reasonable cost.
The Department of Labor provides compliance resources for employment-related requirements.
Security and Passwords
Protecting your business data is essential.
Password Management
1Password helps you generate, store, and share strong passwords securely. Business plans: $7.99 per user/month.
LastPass offers similar functionality with a different interface. Business plans start at $4 per user/month.
Bitwarden provides open-source password management at lower cost. Business plans start at $3 per user/month.
Any of these is dramatically better than reusing passwords or storing them in spreadsheets.
Backup and Security
Your cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox) provides some backup, but consider dedicated backup for critical data.
Backblaze offers simple computer backup for $7/month per computer.
For website backup, many hosting providers include this, or use plugins (UpdraftPlus for WordPress) or platform features.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) provides security guidance specifically for small businesses.
Building Your Stack
There’s no single right answer for every business. Your ideal stack depends on your industry, size, budget, and working style.
Starting Point for Most Small Businesses
At minimum, most businesses need:
- Accounting — QuickBooks Online or Wave
- Business email — Google Workspace or Microsoft 365
- Payment processing — Stripe or Square
- Cloud storage — Google Drive or OneDrive
Adding as You Grow
As needs emerge, add:
- CRM — When managing customer relationships becomes complex
- Project management — When tracking tasks manually breaks down
- Email marketing — When you’re ready to build an audience
- Scheduling software — When booking appointments becomes a bottleneck
Avoiding Common Mistakes
Don’t sign up for everything at once. Software subscriptions add up, and you’ll pay for tools you don’t use.
Don’t skip accounting software. Spreadsheets don’t scale, and catching up later is painful.
Don’t choose tools in isolation. Consider how tools work together—a slightly inferior tool that integrates well may be better than a superior tool that doesn’t.
Don’t ignore security. Password managers and backups cost little and prevent disasters.
Evaluating New Tools
When considering any new software:
- Take advantage of free trials to test with your actual workflow
- Check integrations with your existing tools
- Read reviews from businesses similar to yours
- Calculate true cost including your time, not just subscription fees
- Consider the exit path—how hard would it be to switch later?
Your software stack will evolve as your business does. Start with what you need now, stay aware of what’s available, and add tools when genuine needs arise—not just because they seem cool or everyone else uses them.