It seems like everyday there are more and more paid applications coming out to make our life easier. Pioneers like Freshbooks and Basecamp have set the bar for such applications. But with so many great (and not so great) alternatives to these, how do you know which premium apps are worth paying for and which aren’t? Sure you could test all the free ones, but who wants to do that?
Anyways, my question this week is…
What premium applications and services do you pay for to run your business and why?
4 Responses to “Discussion: What Premium Apps Do You Use?”
I use Squarespace for Web site/blog publishing instead of Wordpress or Movable Type.
I’ve tried a ton of collaboration Web apps (activeCollab, 5pm, tadalist, and todoist), but ultimately went back to Basecamp because it just made sense in the way it worked.
For invoicing for freelance work, I use Blinksale. I’ve tried Freshbooks, Harvest and a couple others but I liked the simplicity of Blinksale.
I guess simplicity and ease of use is my deciding factor. I’ll pay for a Web app over a free solution if I feel like it’s the better choice for me.
Does Monkey Ball count?
We use DeskAway for project and team collaboration (we created it ;-)), iContact for sending out email newsletters. In addition, Google Apps is pretty helpful for online spreadsheets.
I use:
- activeCollab: I have it installed on my server and use it to get my clients involved on their projects. They just love the ability to log-in to an area that is set aside for only their work. I think it makes them feel part of the creative process.
- TasksPro (10 user version): This is Alex Kings’ baby. I have been using for a while to manage my work and other freelancers to whom I outsource some work.
- MailBuild: Not necessarily a paid app, but can’t leave it out. LOVE it!
- iBiz: billing and time tracking, not a web appp, but it felt lonely not mentioning it.