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Business Software

CRM, accounting, payroll, project management and collaboration tools for growing teams.

  • 36 tools reviewed
  • 5 categories
  • 24 comparisons
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Categories

Browse business software by category

CRM SoftwareCustomer relationship management systems that track leads, deals and conversations so nothing slips through the cracks.8 tools reviewed Accounting SoftwareBookkeeping, invoicing and reporting platforms that keep your finances accurate and your accountant happy.7 tools reviewed Payroll & HRRun payroll, file payroll taxes, manage benefits and keep employee records in one place.8 tools reviewed Project ManagementPlan work, assign tasks, track progress and keep projects on schedule across your team.8 tools reviewed Collaboration & DocsTeam chat, shared documents and knowledge bases that keep information findable.7 tools reviewed

Top rated

Highest-scoring Software tools

Ranked by editorial score. Add up to three tools to compare side by side.

#1

HubSpot CRM

CRM Software

8.8Editorial score 8.8 out of 10

A genuinely useful free CRM that grows into a full marketing and sales platform.

From
Free; paid seats from around $15–20 / month
Free plan
Yes
Researched
Vote
#2

Google Workspace

Collaboration & Docs

8.7Editorial score 8.7 out of 10

Email, docs, drive, meetings and chat in one browser-first suite.

From
From around $7–8.40 / user / month
Free plan
No
Researched
Vote
#3

Slack

Collaboration & Docs

8.6Editorial score 8.6 out of 10

The team messaging platform with the deepest integration ecosystem.

From
Free with limited history; paid from around $7–9 / user / month
Free plan
Yes
Researched
Vote
#4

Zoho CRM

CRM Software

8.5Editorial score 8.5 out of 10

Feature-rich CRM at a price point that is hard to beat, especially inside the Zoho suite.

From
Free for a few users; paid from around $14–20 / user / month
Free plan
Yes
Researched
Vote
#5

QuickBooks Online

Accounting Software

8.5Editorial score 8.5 out of 10

The accounting platform most US accountants already know.

From
From around $30–38 / month (Simple Start)
Free plan
No
Researched
Vote
#6

Xero

Accounting Software

8.5Editorial score 8.5 out of 10

Cloud accounting with unlimited users and a clean, modern interface.

From
From around $20–29 / month
Free plan
No
Researched
Vote
#7

Gusto

Payroll & HR

8.5Editorial score 8.5 out of 10

Friendly, full-service US payroll with benefits and HR built in.

From
Base fee from around $49 / month plus a per-person fee
Free plan
No
Researched
Vote
#8

Rippling

Payroll & HR

8.5Editorial score 8.5 out of 10

A unified workforce platform: payroll, HR, IT and devices in one system.

From
Modular, quote-based pricing per employee
Free plan
No
Researched
Vote
#9

Asana

Project Management

8.5Editorial score 8.5 out of 10

Polished work management for teams that need clarity on who does what, by when.

From
Free for small teams; paid from around $11–14 / user / month
Free plan
Yes
Researched
Vote

Our approach to business software

Most small businesses run on five or six core systems: somewhere to manage customers, somewhere to send invoices and reconcile the bank, a way to pay people, a place to plan work and a channel for the team to talk. Get those right and everything else plugs in around them. Get them wrong and you pay for it twice — once in subscription fees and again in the hours lost to workarounds and migrations.

Our business software coverage focuses on the decisions owners and operations leads actually face: which CRM will still fit at 20 seats, whether your accountant will accept a given ledger, how payroll pricing scales once benefits are added, and which project tool your team will genuinely adopt rather than abandon after a month.

Every review explains who a product suits, who should skip it, and what the real starting cost looks like once the features you need are switched on.

Read how we research and score products →

Head to head

Comparisons

All comparisons
vsHubSpot CRM vs Zoho CRM8.8 · 8.5vsHubSpot CRM vs Salesforce8.8 · 8.4vsQuickBooks Online vs Xero8.5 · 8.5vsAsana vs monday.com8.5 · 8.4vsClickUp vs Notion8.4 · 8.4vsGusto vs Rippling8.5 · 8.5vsPipedrive vs Zoho CRM8.4 · 8.5vsXero vs FreshBooks8.5 · 8.1vsGusto vs ADP RUN8.5 · 7.8vsTrello vs Asana8.4 · 8.5vsmonday.com vs ClickUp8.4 · 8.4vsSlack vs Microsoft Teams8.6 · 8.4vsNotion vs Confluence8.4 · 8.2vsHubSpot CRM vs Pipedrive8.8 · 8.4vsSalesforce vs Zoho CRM8.4 · 8.5vsFreshsales vs Zoho CRM8.2 · 8.5vsQuickBooks Online vs FreshBooks8.5 · 8.1vsQuickBooks Online vs Wave8.5 · 7.7vsZoho Books vs QuickBooks Online8.3 · 8.5vsRippling vs Deel8.5 · 8.3vsGusto vs OnPay8.5 · 8.2vsAsana vs ClickUp8.5 · 8.4vsmonday.com vs Smartsheet8.4 · 8.0vsZoom Workplace vs Microsoft Teams8.4 · 8.4

Buying guides

Software buying guides

All guides
Illustration of a CRM pipeline with connected contact cards
Software · Buying guide

Best CRM Software for Small Business

The best CRM software for small businesses in one shortlist — HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive, Salesforce, Freshsales and more compared on ease of use, automation, pricing tiers and integrations.

Updated November 3, 2026
Illustration of financial charts and ledgers
Software · Buying guide

Best Accounting Software for Small Business

The best accounting software for small businesses — QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks, Zoho Books, Wave and more compared on price, users, invoicing, inventory and regional tax support.

Updated November 3, 2026
Illustration of kanban boards and timeline bars
Software · Buying guide

Best Project Management Software for Small Teams

The best project management software for small teams — Asana, monday.com, ClickUp, Notion, Trello, Wrike and more compared on ease of use, views, automation and price.

Updated November 3, 2026
Illustration of a payslip card, coin stacks and connected employee avatars
Software · Buying guide

Best Payroll Software for Small Business

The best payroll and HR platforms for small teams, compared on tax filing, benefits, global hiring and true cost per employee.

Updated November 3, 2026
Illustration of a CRM pipeline with connected contact cards
Software · Buying guide

Best Free CRM Software

The best genuinely free CRMs for small teams — what each free plan includes, the user and feature limits that matter, and when it is time to pay.

Updated November 3, 2026
Illustration of financial charts and ledgers
Software · Buying guide

Best Accounting Software for Freelancers

The best accounting and invoicing software for freelancers, consultants and sole traders — compared on invoicing, expenses, tax readiness and price.

Updated November 3, 2026
Illustration of a payslip card, coin stacks and connected employee avatars
Software · Buying guide

Best HR Software for Small Business

The best HR platforms for small businesses — employee records, onboarding, time off, performance and payroll — and whether you need HR-first, payroll-first or an all-in-one.

Updated November 3, 2026
Illustration of project boards and timeline cards
Software · Buying guide

Best Free Project Management Software

The best free project management tools for small teams — free-plan limits on users, views, storage and automations, and which free plan you can actually run a business on.

Updated November 3, 2026
Illustration of a CRM pipeline with connected contact cards
Software · Comparison guide

HubSpot vs Salesforce vs Zoho vs Pipedrive

The four most-shortlisted small business CRMs compared side by side: free plans, ease of use, automation, customisation, total cost and who each one suits.

Updated November 3, 2026
Illustration of financial charts and ledgers
Software · Comparison guide

QuickBooks vs Xero vs FreshBooks vs Wave

The four most popular small business accounting tools compared: pricing, users, invoicing, inventory, payroll, regions and which suits your business.

Updated November 3, 2026
Illustration of a payslip card, coin stacks and connected employee avatars
Software · Comparison guide

Gusto vs Rippling vs ADP vs Deel

Four leading payroll platforms compared: domestic vs global payroll, HR and IT features, pricing models and which suits your team.

Updated November 3, 2026
Illustration of project boards and timeline cards
Software · Comparison guide

Asana vs Monday vs ClickUp vs Trello

Four popular project management tools compared: free plans, views, automation, ease of use, pricing and which fits your team.

Updated November 3, 2026

Insights

Related reading

All insights

Frequently asked questions

Which business software should a new company buy first?

Start with accounting (so your books are clean from day one) and a shared workspace for documents and communication. A CRM becomes essential once you are managing more leads than you can track in a spreadsheet — for most service businesses that happens within the first year.

Is it better to buy an all-in-one suite or best-of-breed tools?

Suites reduce integration work and often cost less per user, but you accept weaker modules in some areas. Best-of-breed tools are stronger individually but need integrations to share data. Teams under ten people usually benefit from fewer, broader tools; specialist teams benefit from best-of-breed in the system they use most.

How much should a small business budget for software?

There is no universal figure, but it is worth tracking cost per employee per month across all subscriptions and reviewing it every quarter. Our free SaaS cost calculator helps you total current spend and spot overlapping tools.