Productivity tools are important for all businesses. However, small businesses usually deal with a tight budget and cannot take advantage of tools that are industry-standard for large corporations. As a small business owner, you know how critical it is to get the best tool for your organisation while not using up too much of your funds.
In this guide, you can find some of the best productivity software available for small businesses. Some of them have free or basic features that are highly affordable.
Top 10 Productivity Software for Small Businesses
These are some of the best productivity software you should know about if you are running a small business. They come with affordable pricing options suitable for smaller teams while also accommodating larger organisations.
1. Asana
Small businesses can get a lot out of Asana because it is a powerful productivity tool that makes it easier to manage projects and work together. It works as an all-in-one work management system that centralises task assignments, progress tracking, and teamwork. As a result, it is many steps above other basic task management tools. This adaptability helps small teams—even with limited resources and team members managing several roles—stay structured and simplify processes.
Best Features of Asana
- Easy to create tasks, assign them to team members, set deadlines, and track progress
- The interface supports various views, including lists, boards, timelines, and calendars
- Integrates with essential tools like Slack, Google Drive, and others
Asana Cost
- Free Tier: Ideal for small teams of up to 10 people, providing essential features like task creation, basic project views, and integrations at no cost.
- Starter Plan: Available at approximately $10.99 per user/month (billed annually). Custom fields, reporting tools, and better project templates are some of the more advanced features in this plan.
2. ChatGPT
ChatGPT is a flexible AI-powered solution meant to increase production and simplify processes. From content creation to customer support and even brainstorming, it serves as an intelligent assistant able to manage a wide spectrum of duties, therefore enabling small teams to accomplish more with few resources.
Any company trying to increase efficiency without adding more staff would benefit from ChatGPT’s versatility and easy UI.
Best Features of ChatGPT
- Helps generate blog posts, social media updates, emails, and other content
- Can automate repetitive tasks like data entry, summarising, and information retrieval, saving time for more critical activities
- Helps with generating new ideas for campaigns, product developments, and other creative processes
ChatGPT Cost
- Free Tier: Offers basic functionalities like question-answering, idea generation, and general task assistance, suitable for light, everyday use.
- Pro Plan: For small organisations, this plan—which is about $20 per month—offers faster response times, access to more advanced features, and the most recent model upgrades, therefore maximising their utility.
3. Canva
Made to fit small businesses’ needs, Canva is a simple graphic design tool that lets them quickly and affordably create professional-quality graphics without the need for expensive graphics designing software. Canva lets people rapidly create excellent marketing materials—even without prior design experience—by providing a wide range of customisable templates, stock photos, and design components. Small teams trying to produce consistent branding across platforms would find it perfect.
Best Features of Canva
- Drag-and-drop design makes it simple for users to customise templates without needing design expertise
- Millions of templates for various needs, from social media posts to infographics, for quick project starts
- Allows real-time collaboration; you can leave comments and manage version history
Canva Cost
- Canva Free: Access to thousands of templates, basic design tools, and limited stock images. Ideal for small projects or individuals.
- Canva Pro: Billed monthly, $12.99/month; alternatively, billed annually, around $10/month. You can use paid templates, photos, and videos as much as you want. You also get a Brand Kit, advanced tools (like Magic Resize and background remover), and 1TB of cloud storage. comprises a free trial good for thirty days.
- Canva for Teams: $10 per user/month, billed annually at $120 per user (minimum 3 users). Perfect for small teams looking for a collaborative platform, this bundle includes all Canva Pro tools together with improved collaboration, team administration, and user authorisation settings.
4. Trello
Trello is an easy-to-use efficiency software that was made to improve project management and teamwork. This makes it a great choice for small businesses. Using boards, lists, and cards, Trello’s graphic approach facilitates teams’ task organisation and workflow management. Thanks to this simple arrangement, teams can efficiently prioritise, track activities, and operate more cohesively.
Best Features of Trello
- Allows you to organise projects using boards for overall tasks, lists for workflow stages, and cards for specific tasks
- Add checklists, due dates, attachments, and comments to each card
- Can be integrated with tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Calendar
- Built-in automation is available to minimise repetitive tasks by setting rules and triggers.
Trello Cost
- Free Plan: Provides essential project management tools like boards, lists, and cards, making it suitable for small teams or individuals who need basic task organisation features.
- Standard Plan: Available at $6 per user/month (billed annually). Includes enhanced features to improve collaboration and task management, ideal for small teams needing additional functionality.
- Premium Plan: Priced at $12.50 per user/month (billed annually), this plan offers advanced tracking and visualisation tools, including timelines and dashboards, for growing businesses that require detailed project insights.
5. Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft Copilot is an AI-powered productivity tool that is built into Microsoft 365 apps and designed to help small businesses be more productive and simplify their work processes. Copilot supports complex data processing and automates repetitive operations using features across Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Small teams trying to maximise their everyday operations will find it a great tool since it fits perfectly into the Microsoft 365 suite.
Best Features of Microsoft Copilot
- In Word, Copilot helps draft, edit, and generate content based on prompts
- Automates data processing, formula creation, and visualisation in Excel
- Summarizes Teams meetings in real-time, highlights key points, and suggests action items to boost productivity
- Works across Microsoft 365 apps, letting users pull data from emails, documents, and spreadsheets to create presentations or reports efficiently
Microsoft Copilot Cost
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic: Approximately $6 per user/month. This plan includes core Microsoft 365 apps but may offer limited Copilot functionalities.
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: Around $12.50 per user/month, including advanced tools across Microsoft 365 applications and some Copilot functionalities.
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium: Priced at about $22 per user/month, providing the full suite of Microsoft 365 apps with extensive security features and advanced Copilot capabilities.
Note: The plan will affect access to particular Copilot features; some Copilot functionality may demand an extra cost based on the selected subscription.
6. Google Workspace
Designed to increase cooperation and simplify daily tasks for small companies, Google Workspace is a complete productivity suite. It’s a flexible answer for teams of any size since it contains necessary tools for data storage, project management, and communication as well as for organising. Its strong security and simple architecture make it perfect for companies trying to keep good remote working policies and increase output.
Best Features of Google Workspace
- Gmail: Professional email with features like spam filtering, Smart Reply, Smart Compose, and seamless integration with other Google apps
- Google Drive: Secure cloud storage makes it easy to share files and work together on papers, spreadsheets, and presentations in real time.
- Google Meet: Video conferencing tool that integrates with Gmail and Google Calendar
Google Workspace Cost
- Business Starter: $6 per user/month. It comes with custom business email, 30 GB of cloud storage per person, and video meetings with up to 100 people.
- Business Standard: $12 per user/month. It comes with extra features like the ability to record video meetings with up to 150 people and 2 TB of cloud storage for each user.
- Business Plus: $18 per user/month. Includes advanced security features like Vault for data retention and eDiscovery, and 5 TB of cloud storage per user.
7. Slack
Popular productivity tool Slack is meant to improve teamwork and communication inside small companies. Slack is great for teams of any size since it helps effective processes by centralising files, grouping chats, and merging several tools.
Best Features of Slack
- Organises conversations into dedicated channels based on topics, projects, or teams
- Interacts with more than 2,600 apps (such as Google Drive, Trello, and Salesforce), centralising processes by collecting often used resources into one location.
- A no-code tool that lets users create custom workflows to automate repetitive tasks
Slack Cost
- Free Plan: This plan offers essential features, including a limited message history (90 days), one-on-one huddles, and 10 app integrations, ideal for small teams starting out.
- Pro Plan: $7.25 per user/month (billed annually). Includes unlimited message history, group huddles, unlimited app integrations, and enhanced security features, providing greater flexibility for growing teams.
- Business+ Plan: $12.50 per user/month (billed annually). Adds advanced security with SAML-based SSO and compliance tools, suitable for larger teams that need more robust management.
8. Grammarly
Grammarly is an advanced writing helper designed for teams that improve communication by correcting spelling, grammar, and style in real time. Its features guarantee consistent, excellent writing throughout all business communications, helping small companies maintain professionalism and brand consistency.
Best Features of Grammarly
- Provides suggestions to improve grammar, punctuation, and style
- Allows businesses to create style guidelines, maintaining consistent language and branding
- Seamlessly integrates with Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, Slack, and more
Grammarly Cost
- Free Plan: Basic grammar-checking features.
- Small Teams (3 members): $15 per user/month with foundational features for small teams looking to improve communication.
- Medium Teams (10 members): $14.50 per user/month. Offers scalability with added cost efficiency for mid-sized teams.
- Larger Teams (50 members): $12.50 per user/month. Ideal for larger teams, maintaining affordability and uniformity in business communication.
9. IFTTT
By linking several applications and services, IFTTT—If This Then That—is a flexible automation platform that helps small companies simplify processes. Known as “applets,” automated processes help IFTTT users reduce tedious activities and improve output, thereby freeing teams to concentrate on important tasks.
Best Features of IFTTT
- Automates tasks across over 800 services, facilitating seamless workflows among different platforms
- Users can create custom applets that trigger actions based on specific events
- Interacts with well-known programs such as Trello, Google Drive, and Slack.
- Features a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface that simplifies applet creation
IFTTT Cost
- Free Plan: Provides access to basic automation capabilities with a limited number of applets, making it accessible for startups.
- Pro Plan: Approximately $3.99 per month (billed annually) — Offers unlimited applets, multi-step applets for more complex automation, faster execution times, and priority support, suitable for businesses looking to expand their automation capabilities.
10. Microsoft Teams
Designed to improve output for small businesses, Microsoft Teams is a complete communication and collaboration tool. For teams trying to simplify their processes, combining chat, video conferences, file sharing, and application integration into a single platform offers the perfect answer.
Best Features of Microsoft Teams
- Instant messaging, voice calls, and video conferencing
- Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365 applications (like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
- Unlimited group meetings with up to 300 participants for up to 30 hours, featuring screen sharing, live transcription, and recording capabilities
- Can work with numerous third-party applications (such as Trello, Asana, and more)
Microsoft Teams Cost
- Free Plan: Ideal for small teams, it lets you chat, make video calls with a limited number of people, and share files in the cloud up to 5 GB.
- Microsoft Teams Essentials: $4 per user/month (billed annually) — Features 10 GB of cloud storage per user, unlimited group meetings with up to three hundred attendees, transcriptions, and real-time collaboration features.
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic: Approximately $6 per user/month (billed annually) — It has everything that Teams Essentials does, plus access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint web versions and storage for your emails.
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: Around $12.50 per user/month (billed annually) — Offers small businesses a complete productivity suite combining all the advantages of Business Basic plus desktop versions of Office applications.
Final Note
If you are looking for a tool to increase your team’s productivity, check out DiziShore’s Computer Software section. In addition to productivity tools, there is software available for your business’ security, privacy, and development.
