Let’s face it — work can sometimes feel like an endless cycle of meetings, emails, and scrambling to meet deadlines. Just when you think you’re making progress, another notification or last-minute request pulls you in a different direction.
That’s why using the best work apps is vital — whether it’s Trello for organizing projects, Slack for team communication, or Lindy’s AI agents for automating busywork, the right tools can help you stay focused and productive.
Read on to learn:
- Types of work apps to consider
- 20 best work apps
- How to choose the right apps based on your workflow, team needs, and budget
- Why use work apps?
Types of work apps you need for maximum productivity
Not all work apps serve the same purpose — some help you stay on top of deadlines, and others make sure your meetings don’t turn into an unorganized mess. Here’s a breakdown of the types of work apps that make a difference in how you get things done:
Task and project management apps
These apps help keep work organized, whether you’re managing a personal to-do list or coordinating a major team project. Some offer simple task lists, while others have full-blown Gantt charts and workload tracking.
No matter the approach, they all aim to make sure things get done on time without endless check-ins.
Communication apps
Work doesn’t happen in a vacuum — you need a way to talk to your team, whether it’s a quick message, a video call, or an old-fashioned email. The best communication apps make it easy to chat, share files, and even jump on a call when typing things out just isn’t cutting it.
Time-tracking and scheduling apps
Between meetings and daily tasks, keeping track of your time can feel like a job in itself. That’s where these apps come in. Some track hours worked, helping teams stay on top of billable time, while others make scheduling meetings less of a headache.
Instead of endless back-and-forth emails trying to find a time that works, these apps do the heavy lifting for you.
Note-taking and document management apps
Important ideas and notes shouldn’t live on scattered Post-its or buried in your inbox. Whether you need a place to store quick thoughts, collaborate on documents, or keep track of meeting minutes, these apps help organize information in a way that’s actually useful.
You’ll soon learn that some are as simple as digital sticky notes, while others function as a full-on knowledge hub for your team.
AI-powered work assistants
AI-powered work assistants help automate tedious tasks, whether that’s summarizing meetings, responding to customer inquiries, or handling inbox clutter. They won’t replace you, but they can take a lot of busywork off your plate.
The 20 best work apps: TL;DR
Need a quick rundown? Here’s our list of the best work apps, each with a short description of what they do best:
- Lindy: The best AI-powered assistant for automating emails, scheduling, and workflow execution.
- Trello: Best for visual task management with a simple, drag-and-drop Kanban system.
- ClickUp: The best all-in-one work management app for teams that need deep customization.
- Slack: Best for fast and structured workplace communication with channels and integrations.
- Airtable: The best database-meets-spreadsheet tool for organizing and linking information.
- Todoist: Best for personal and team task management with natural language input.
- Notion: The best all-in-one workspace for notes, documents, and knowledge management.
- Google Keep: Best for quick and simple note-taking with easy syncing across devices.
- Clockify: The best free time-tracking tool for individuals and teams.
- Calendly: Best for effortless scheduling and eliminating back-and-forth meeting coordination.
- Microsoft Teams: The best all-in-one business communication hub for Microsoft 365 users.
- Google Calendar: Best for managing schedules with seamless integration into Google Workspace.
- Wrike: The best project management tool for teams handling complex workflows.
- Monday.com: Best for visual project tracking with customizable workflows.
- Plaky: The best free project management tool for teams that don’t want to pay for Trello or Monday.com.
- Otter.ai: Best for AI-powered transcription and meeting notes.
- Miro: The best digital whiteboard tool for brainstorming and visual collaboration.
- Asana: Best for structured project and task management with automation tools.
- Loom: The best video messaging tool for quick explanations and asynchronous communication.
- GanttPRO: Best for teams managing complex projects with Gantt chart-based planning.
How we chose the best work apps
We took a close look at what actually makes a work app worth using — because the last thing anyone needs is another app that overpromises and underdelivers. Here’s what we focused on when choosing the best work apps for 2025:
Ease of use
We prioritized apps that are easy to pick up without a steep learning curve. Whether you're setting up a project, logging tasks, or just trying to send a message, the best apps keep things simple so you can focus on your work — not on figuring out how the app works.
Team collaboration
Work is rarely a solo effort, so we looked for apps that make it easier to collaborate. Whether it’s real-time document editing, built-in chat, or effortless file sharing, the best apps help teams stay connected without endless email threads or scattered information. If an app made working together feel smoother, it got our attention.
Cross-platform availability
The best productivity tools need to work on desktops, tablets, and phones, so you can stay on top of things whether you're at the office, on the go, or just moving from your laptop to your phone. We picked apps that work consistently across devices, without weird glitches or missing features.
Task and time management
Of course, a good work app should help you stay organized. We looked for apps that offer scheduling, task prioritization, reminders, and calendar integrations — so you don’t have to rely on sticky notes or mental checklists to keep track of everything.
Additional features we considered
Some apps went the extra mile with features that aren’t strictly necessary but definitely make a difference. Here are the extra factors we considered when narrowing down our picks:
- 🔐 Security and privacy: Work apps handle sensitive data, so we made sure the ones on our list offer encryption and security measures that keep your information safe.
- 🛠️ Customizable workflows: Every team works differently, so we gave extra points to apps that let you tweak settings, automate tasks, or adjust layouts to fit your needs.
- 💸 Fair pricing: We factored in whether an app offers a free plan, reasonable pricing, or scalable options for teams of all sizes. No one should have to overpay just to stay organized.
- 🧩 Third-party integrations: A good work app should play nicely with the other tools you already use, whether that’s Google Workspace, Slack, or Microsoft 365. The more integrations, the better.
- 🆘 Customer support: No one likes being stuck with an issue and no help in sight. We checked for apps that offer strong support, whether that’s through live chat, detailed help docs, or a responsive support team.
20 best work apps to increase productivity
Let’s dive into each review so you can check out the features, ideal users, pricing, and our final verdict. Here are the best work apps to consider:
1. Lindy
Lindy is an automation platform that lets users create custom AI agents to manage and execute workflows. These agents can respond to emails, schedule meetings, handle customer support inquiries, update databases, and even conduct research.
Users can use pre-built templates to quickly make agents, called “Lindies” to automate tasks. Each Lindy has configurable settings, including memory, context, and confirmation steps, allowing for adaptable and controlled automation.
Features
- Smart meeting scheduling: Lindy can be set up to act as your scheduling assistant, automatically finding available times, sending calendar invites, and even following up when schedules change.
- AI-powered email and inbox triaging: Stop drowning in emails — Lindies can read, sort, and prioritize your inbox, drafting replies based on previous interactions and company knowledge.
- Meeting notes & key takeaways: Lindy can join virtual meetings, record and transcribe the call, and extract key insights — automatically summarizing decisions and action items for easy reference later.
- Templates galore: From a Sales Coach that analyzes calls and offers feedback to a CRM Contact Assistant to whom you can shoot a quick Slack message and have it create newcontacts on your CRM and enrich them with key info. There’s an out-of-the-box Lindy for every task.
- Collaboration between Lindies: Multiple Lindies can work together to complete multi-step processes. For example, one Lindy can research a new email sender, another can draft a response, and a third can update a CRM entry.
- Integrations with major business apps: Lindy connects with tools like Google Calendar, Slack, HubSpot, Salesforce, and email platforms to automate interactions across different systems.
- Enterprise-grade security and compliance: Lindy supports SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance, encrypting data with AES-256 to protect sensitive business information.
- Multi-language support for phone and text interactions: Lindy supports over 30 languages, making it a helpful tool for global teams and customer interactions.
Ideal users
Lindy is well-suited for professionals who need to automate routine tasks, such as sales teams managing lead follow-ups, customer support representatives handling inquiries, and recruiters coordinating interview scheduling. It’s also useful for business operators looking to facilitate workflow automation across multiple apps.
Pricing
Lindy provides a free plan, with Pro pricing starting at $49.99/month.
Bottom line
Lindy is a great solution for companies and entrepreneurs looking to offload tasks to AI. With its abundance of integrations, customization options, and built-in security features, it provides a reliable way to automate workflows while maintaining user oversight where needed.
2. Trello
Trello is a project management app built around Kanban boards, making it easy to organize tasks visually. Users create boards for projects, set up lists for different workflow stages, and add cards representing tasks.
It’s designed for simplicity, letting teams track work with minimal setup while still offering customization through Power-Ups and automation.
Features
- Kanban-style organization: Trello's core system revolves around boards, lists, and cards. Each card represents a task and can include descriptions, checklists, attachments, due dates, labels, and comments. Drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to move tasks between different stages, keeping workflows clear.
- Team collaboration & notifications: Team members can assign tasks, comment on cards, tag others with @mentions, and receive instant updates when changes are made. The activity feed provides a full history of updates to keep everyone in the loop.
- Power-Ups for customization: Trello integrates with a vast number of tools, including Slack, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams. Additional features like calendar views, time tracking, and custom fields can be unlocked via Power-Ups.
- Butler automation: Trello’s built-in automation tool, Butler, allows users to create simple rules and commands. For example, users can set up triggers to move a card to “Done” when a checklist is completed or automatically assign tasks when a new card is created.
- Multiple views for different workflows: While the standard board view is free, paid plans include timeline, table, dashboard, and calendar views, giving teams more ways to visualize their work.
Ideal users
Trello is great for teams and individuals who prefer a visually driven task management tool. It's particularly useful for marketing teams, small businesses, freelancers, and anyone who wants a flexible, easy-to-use project organizer without a steep learning curve.
However, teams handling complex workflows or requiring deep analytics may find Trello too limited.
Pricing
Trello offers a free plan with 10 boards per workspace, while paid plans (starting at $5/user/month) unlock unlimited boards, advanced automation, and Power-Ups.
Bottom line
Trello is an easy way to get organized, especially for users who like a drag-and-drop visual workflow. It’s intuitive, flexible, and integrates with plenty of tools, but its reliance on Power-Ups to unlock key features means advanced users might run into limitations unless they upgrade.
3. ClickUp
ClickUp is touted as an all-in-one productivity platform designed for teams that need robust project management features. It combines task tracking, document collaboration, goal setting, and workflow automation into a single workspace.
With deep customization options and a broad range of views, ClickUp aims to replace multiple tools with a single solution.
Features
- Customizable task management: ClickUp lets you organize work in a structured hierarchy — Workspaces, Spaces, Folders, Lists, and Tasks — so you can break down projects in whatever way makes the most sense for your team.
- Multiple task views: ClickUp offers 15+ views, including List, Kanban, Gantt chart, Calendar, and Table. The ability to switch between these views ensures that teams can track projects in a way that fits their workflow.
- Custom statuses & automation: Unlike some project management tools with fixed task statuses, ClickUp lets you define custom workflows, so you can create stages like "In Review" or "Waiting on Approval." Automations allow users to trigger actions, such as moving a task when a due date is reached.
- Docs & whiteboards: ClickUp includes a built-in document editor and brainstorming whiteboards, so teams can collaborate on notes and visualize ideas without needing separate apps like Google Docs or Miro.
- Time tracking & workload management: ClickUp includes a built-in timer for logging work hours and a workload view that helps managers balance task assignments across their team.
- Integrations & API: ClickUp connects with tools like Slack, Google Drive, Trello, GitHub, and hundreds more. It also offers an open API for teams that want to build custom integrations.
Ideal users
ClickUp is best for teams that need an adaptable, feature-rich project management tool, such as software developers, marketing teams, and growing businesses managing multiple projects at once. While its vast customization options are powerful, new users might find the interface overwhelming at first.
Pricing
ClickUp has a free forever plan with basic features, while paid plans (starting at $7/user/month) include unlimited integrations, automation, and advanced reporting.
Bottom line
ClickUp packs an impressive number of features into a single platform, making it one of the top productivity apps for teams who want total control over their workflows.
However, its deep customization options can be a lot to handle, and smaller teams may not need all the complexity. If you’re looking for a simple to-do list, ClickUp might be overkill — but for project-heavy teams, it’s one of the best apps for productivity.
4. Slack
Slack is a team communication platform that organizes workplace conversations into channels, making it easier to collaborate without endless email chains.
It supports instant messaging, file sharing, voice and video calls, and integrates with hundreds of business tools. Whether for quick team updates or company-wide announcements, Slack keeps conversations structured and searchable.
Features
- Channel-based messaging: Conversations are organized into public or private channels for teams, projects, or topics. Threads keep discussions organized, preventing long, chaotic chat streams.
- Direct messaging & huddles: Users can send private messages, start group chats, or use Slack Huddles — an audio-first, lightweight call function for spontaneous discussions.
- File sharing & searchable history: Slack makes it easy to share documents, images, and links directly in chat. Its powerful search function allows users to quickly retrieve past messages, even those with file attachments.
- Workflow automation & integrations: Slack connects with apps like Google Drive, Zoom, Asana, and GitHub. It also includes Workflow Builder, a no-code automation tool that streamlines routine tasks like approvals and reminders.
- Custom notifications & Do Not Disturb mode: Users can set notification preferences per channel or mute conversations during focused work periods.
Ideal users
Slack is best for teams that need fast, structured communication and integrations with their existing tools. It’s widely used by remote teams, software developers, marketing agencies, and customer support teams.
Pricing
Slack offers a free plan with message limits, while paid plans (starting at $8.75/user/month) include unlimited message history, guest access, and deeper integrations.
Bottom line
Slack is a great alternative to cluttered email threads, but it can become a distraction if not managed well. It works best when teams establish communication norms — otherwise, it’s easy to get lost in the constant stream of messages.
5. Airtable
Airtable is a hybrid between a spreadsheet and a database, offering a flexible way to organize and link data. It’s used for everything from content calendars to inventory tracking, with customizable fields and automation that simplify complex workflows.
While it looks like a spreadsheet at first glance, Airtable is much more powerful, allowing users to create relationships between records and automate repetitive tasks.
Features
- Relational databases without the complexity: Unlike traditional spreadsheets, Airtable lets users link data across multiple tables, making it great for managing interconnected information like projects, clients, or inventory.
- Customizable views: Users can switch between grid (spreadsheet-like), Kanban, gallery, calendar, and Gantt chart views to visualize data differently based on their needs.
- Field types for better data organization: Airtable supports text, attachments, checkboxes, dropdowns, formulas, barcodes, and even linked records for more structured data entry.
- Automations & integrations: Built-in automation tools allow users to trigger actions, such as sending an email or updating records based on changes. It integrates with Slack, Google Calendar, and Zapier for even more automation possibilities.
- Collaboration & permissions: Teams can comment on records, track changes, and set custom permissions to control who can edit or view certain data.
Ideal users
Airtable is perfect for teams managing structured data who need more flexibility than traditional spreadsheets. It’s widely used in content marketing, event planning, and product development. Regardless, users comfortable with Excel’s advanced formulas may find Airtable lacking in that area.
Pricing
Airtable has a free plan with limited rows and automation, while paid plans (starting at $20/user/month) unlock more records, advanced views, and automation capabilities.
Bottom line
Airtable is considered by many as the best productivity app for organizing complex data, but its pricing can get steep for teams with large datasets. If you need database-like functionality but don’t want to write SQL queries, Airtable is a good choice.
6. Todoist
Todoist is a task management app that helps users organize their personal and professional to-do lists.
With natural language input, collaboration features, and cross-platform availability, it’s a go-to choice for people who want a structured approach to task management without too much complexity.
Features
- Task organization & projects: Users can create tasks, set deadlines, assign priorities, and organize them into projects and sub-projects. Sections and labels provide additional ways to categorize work.
- Natural language input: Todoist allows users to create tasks using plain English. Typing “Submit report every Monday at 9am” will automatically schedule the task with the correct recurring settings.
- Collaboration tools: Users can assign tasks to others, comment on items, and attach files, making it useful for small teams working on shared projects.
- Recurring due dates & reminders: Tasks can be set to repeat at specific intervals, and reminders can be scheduled via push notifications, email, or location-based triggers.
- Productivity tracking: Todoist’s Karma feature tracks task completion streaks and visualizes progress over time, helping users stay motivated.
Ideal users
Todoist is great for professionals, students, and anyone who needs a reliable personal task manager. It’s also a good fit for small teams handling lightweight project management. However, users looking for deeper project collaboration tools (such as Gantt charts or dependencies) may find it lacking.
Pricing
Todoist offers a free plan with basic task management, while paid plans (starting at $4/user/month) include reminders, larger file uploads, and priority support.
Bottom line
Todoist is a solid choice If you want a no-fuss, intuitive task manager that keeps you organized without too much complexity. That said, its collaboration features are somewhat limited compared to full-fledged project management tools.
7. Notion
Notion is an all-in-one workspace that combines note-taking, project management, and knowledge management into a single app.
It allows users to create structured pages, databases, and collaborative documents, making it a highly flexible tool for both individuals and teams. Whether you need a company wiki, a content calendar, or just a personal to-do list, Notion provides the building blocks to create it.
Features
- Flexible page structure: Notion’s pages act as digital workspaces where users can add text, images, embeds, and databases. It supports a variety of content blocks, including checklists, code snippets, toggles, and inline equations.
- Databases with multiple views: Users can create databases that function like a mix of spreadsheets and Trello boards. Information can be viewed as a table, Kanban board, gallery, list, or calendar, and each record can have custom properties like dates, tags, and relationships with other databases.
- Linked databases & relations: Notion allows data to be connected across different pages, making it ideal for teams managing interconnected information like content schedules, project tracking, or client databases.
- Collaboration & version history: Team members can work on pages together in real time, leave comments, and track page edits through Notion’s version history (available on paid plans).
Ideal users
Notion is ideal for teams that need a customizable knowledge base or structured note-taking system. It’s widely considered one of the best work apps for startups, marketing teams, freelancers, and students.
The thing is that users looking for strict project management features like Gantt charts or built-in time tracking may find Notion lacking.
Pricing
Notion has a free plan for personal use, while paid plans (starting at $10/user/month) unlock team collaboration, version history, and advanced databases.
Bottom line
Notion’s flexibility makes it a solid tool for those who want to customize their workflows, but that same flexibility can feel like too much to handle. If you want a structured, ready-to-use project management tool, Notion may require too much setup.
8. Google Keep
Google Keep is a minimalist note-taking app designed for quick thoughts, reminders, and to-do lists. Integrated with Google Workspace, it syncs across devices and allows users to capture notes via text, voice, or images.
While it lacks the complexity of other note-taking apps, its simplicity makes it a favorite for those who need a straightforward way to jot down ideas.
Features
- Quick notes and checklists: Users can create color-coded notes, add checkboxes for task lists, and pin important notes to the top for easy access.
- Reminders and integrations: Notes can have time-based or location-based reminders and sync directly with Google Calendar.
- Collaboration and sharing: Users can share notes with others for real-time collaboration, making it useful for shopping lists, quick project ideas, or team brainstorming.
- Search and tagging: Google Keep supports labels for easy organization, and its powerful search function can filter notes by color, type, or even text inside images.
Ideal users
Google Keep is great for users who want a no-frills, fast note-taking solution that syncs across devices. It’s ideal for personal organization, grocery lists, and quick reminders but isn’t built for extensive documentation or structured note-taking like Notion or Evernote.
Pricing
Google Keep is completely free with a Google account and comes bundled with Google Workspace.
Bottom line
Google Keep is great at quick note-taking and reminders, but its lack of folders and formatting options means it’s not ideal for more complex organization. If you need a structured note-taking app, you might outgrow Keep pretty quickly.
9. Clockify
Clockify is a free time tracking tool designed for people and teams to log work hours, track billable time, and analyze productivity.
It offers manual time entry, a stopwatch-style timer, and detailed reports that help businesses and freelancers monitor how they spend their time.
Features
- Time tracking and timesheets: Users can start a timer with one click or manually log hours after completing a task. Time entries can be categorized by project, client, or task.
- Detailed reports and insights: Clockify generates reports that break down hours by task, project, or team member, helping users see where time is spent and adjust workloads accordingly.
- Billable vs. non-billable tracking: Freelancers and agencies can differentiate between billable and non-billable hours, making invoicing and budget tracking easier.
- Team collaboration and approvals: Managers can review, approve, and edit time entries submitted by their team, ensuring accurate payroll and project tracking.
- Integrations & API: Clockify connects with Trello, Asana, Jira, and other tools, allowing users to track time without switching between apps.
Ideal users
Clockify is good for freelancers, agencies, and teams that need a simple, reliable way to track hours worked. It’s particularly useful for consultants, remote workers, and anyone managing billable time. The flip side is that those needing advanced scheduling features may prefer other alternatives.
Pricing
Clockify offers a free plan, while paid plans (starting at $3.99/user/month) include additional reporting, invoicing, and admin controls.
Bottom line
Clockify provides a no-cost solution for tracking time, making it a great option for individuals and small teams. However, its interface feels basic compared to premium alternatives, and larger organizations may want more in-depth reporting options.
10. Calendly
Calendly is an automated scheduling tool that eliminates the back-and-forth of booking meetings.
Users set their availability, share a link, and let invitees choose a time that works for them. It integrates with calendars, sends automated reminders, and even supports payment collection for appointments
Features
- Availability scheduling: Users set preferred meeting times, buffer periods, and blackout dates, preventing scheduling conflicts.
- Automated notifications: Calendly sends confirmations and reminders via email or SMS, reducing no-shows.
- Time zone detection: Automatically adjusts availability based on the invitee’s location, ensuring meetings are scheduled at the right time.
- Group scheduling & round-robin booking: Teams can use Calendly to distribute meetings among multiple members, ensuring a balanced workload.
Ideal users
Calendly is ideal for professionals who book frequent meetings, such as sales teams, recruiters, and consultants. It’s also useful for teachers, coaches, and customer support teams. The issue is that users who need full-fledged client management features may prefer more robust CRM-integrated scheduling tools.
Pricing
Calendly has a free plan for basic scheduling and paid plans (starting at $12/user/month) that unlock advanced integrations, group scheduling, and reminders.
Bottom line
Calendly makes scheduling effortless, but its paid features — such as round-robin booking and payment integration — can add up. If you only need basic scheduling, the free version is excellent, but for teams managing multiple appointments, the cost might be a factor.
11. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a workplace communication and collaboration tool that integrates chat, video conferencing, file sharing, and project management into a single platform.
As part of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, it seamlessly connects with Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive, and other Microsoft services, making it a powerful choice for organizations looking to unify communication.
Features
- Chat and channels: Conversations are organized into topic-based channels within teams, reducing email clutter. Users can send messages, share files, and collaborate within threads for structured discussions.
- Video conferencing and screen sharing: Teams supports HD video meetings with up to 300 participants (or 1,000+ on enterprise plans). Features include background blur, live captions, and breakout rooms.
- File storage and real-time collaboration: Each team gets 1TB of cloud storage through SharePoint, allowing members to co-edit Office documents directly within Teams.
- Task management with Planner and To Do: Teams integrates with Microsoft Planner for Kanban-style task tracking and Microsoft To Do for personal task management.
- Third-party integrations + bots: Teams connects with 600+ apps, including Trello, Asana, and Salesforce. Bots help automate workflows, such as scheduling meetings or retrieving customer data.
Ideal users
Microsoft Teams is best for organizations already using Microsoft 365, especially large companies, educational institutions, and government agencies. The downside is that its interface can feel cluttered compared to simpler messaging apps like Slack.
Pricing
Teams has a free plan with limited meeting and storage options, while paid plans (starting at $4/user/month) offer longer meeting times, more integrations, and enterprise security features.
Bottom line
Microsoft Teams is a solid choice for businesses needing an all-in-one collaboration hub, but for casual teams or startups not using Microsoft 365, it might feel rather restrictive and overly complex.
12. Google Calendar
Google Calendar is a cloud-based scheduling tool designed to help individuals and teams manage events, appointments, and reminders.
As part of Google Workspace, it integrates seamlessly with Gmail, Google Meet, and other productivity apps, making it a go-to solution for scheduling and time management.
Features
- Event scheduling and invites: Users can create events, invite participants via email, and set reminders. Google Calendar suggests times based on availability to simplify scheduling conflicts.
- Multiple calendar management: Users can create and overlay multiple calendars (e.g., work, personal, team schedules) to keep everything organized in one place.
- Appointment scheduling: Paid users can set up public booking links so clients or colleagues can self-schedule meetings based on availability.
- Task and reminder integration: Tasks created in Google Tasks appear in the calendar, and users can set one-time or recurring reminders.
Ideal users
Google Calendar is perfect for freelancers, and teams already using Google Workspace. However, those needing advanced scheduling analytics or deep CRM integration might prefer more feature-rich alternatives.
Pricing
Google Calendar is free for personal use, while Google Workspace plans (starting at $7/user/month) offer advanced scheduling tools, team resource calendars, and admin controls.
Bottom line
Google Calendar is a simple yet powerful scheduling tool that works best for Google users. It’s highly functional, but its business-tier scheduling features may not justify the cost for smaller teams already using free alternatives.
13. Wrike
Wrike is a project management and work collaboration platform designed for teams managing complex workflows. It offers powerful reporting, real-time dashboards, and advanced task dependencies, making it a great option for businesses that need detailed project oversight.
Features
- Task and project management: Work is organized into folders, projects, and tasks. Users can assign tasks, set dependencies, and track deadlines.
- Multiple views and dashboards: Teams can switch between list, Kanban, Gantt chart, and workload views. Dashboards provide real-time insights into task progress.
- Automated workflows: Wrike’s automation engine allows users to set triggers and rules to streamline repetitive tasks, such as updating statuses or notifying team members.
- Resource & workload management: Managers can track employee workloads and distribute tasks to prevent burnout.
- Enterprise-grade security and integrations: Wrike integrates with Microsoft 365, Google Drive, Salesforce, and Adobe Creative Cloud. Enterprise plans include advanced security features like SSO and audit logs.
Ideal users
Wrike is best for mid-sized to large teams managing multi-step projects, such as marketing agencies, IT departments, and product development teams. The downside is its interface can feel complex for users unfamiliar with structured project management tools.
Pricing
Wrike has a free plan with basic task management, while paid plans (starting at $10/user/month) include automation, time tracking, and advanced reporting.
Bottom line
Wrike is a feature-packed project management tool, but it requires effort to set up and learn. It’s a great fit for structured teams, but casual users might find its interface way too overwhelming.
14. Monday.com
Monday.com is a flexible work management platform that allows teams to track projects, assign tasks, and visualize progress. Known for its customizable boards, automation features, and colorful interface, Monday.com can adapt to everything from simple to-do lists to complex project pipelines.
Features
- Customizable boards and workflows: Users can create boards with custom fields, statuses, and task dependencies to match their processes.
- Multiple views: Monday.com supports Kanban, Gantt charts, calendars, and dashboards to give different perspectives on project progress.
- Automation and integrations: Built-in automations handle repetitive tasks (e.g., moving tasks when deadlines are reached). Monday.com connects with Slack, Zoom, and Google Drive.
- Team collaboration tools: Users can leave comments, attach files, and tag teammates to keep communication centralized.
- Time tracking and workload management: Higher-tier plans include time tracking, work capacity insights, and budget tracking.
Ideal users
Monday.com is ideal for teams that want a highly customizable project management tool. It’s widely used by marketing teams, HR departments, and product teams. However, the vast number of features can be overkill for small teams just looking for basic task management.
Pricing
Monday.com has a free plan for individuals, while paid plans (starting at $9/user/month) add automation, integrations, and advanced reporting.
Bottom line
Monday.com offers adaptability and automation, but teams should be prepared to spend time setting up their ideal workflow. It’s powerful, but not as intuitive as some simpler project management tools.
15. Plaky
Plaky is a task and project management tool positioned as a free alternative to platforms like Monday.com and Trello. It provides unlimited users, projects, and tasks even on its free plan, making it a budget-friendly option for teams looking to organize workflows without subscription fees.
Features
- Unlimited tasks and users (even on free plan): Unlike many competitors, Plaky allows teams to collaborate without restrictions on user count or task limits.
- Kanban and list views: Users can organize work using a simple task list or a Kanban-style board where tasks move through different statuses.
- Task collaboration: Team members can comment on tasks, attach files, and set due dates, ensuring transparency and accountability.
- Custom fields and filtering: Users can create custom task properties and apply filters to sort and prioritize work based on relevant criteria.
- Limited integrations and automation: Plaky is still developing its integration ecosystem. While it allows basic imports and exports, third-party integrations are not as extensive as those of Monday.com or ClickUp.
Ideal users
Plaky is perfect for startups, nonprofits, and small teams that need a free, straightforward task management tool. However, businesses relying on deep integrations with external software might find its current ecosystem too limited.
Pricing
Plaky offers a free forever plan with unlimited users and tasks, while paid plans (starting at $3.99/user/month) unlock Gantt charts, private boards, and additional storage.
Bottom line
Plaky is a great entry-level task manager with generous free features, but its lack of advanced integrations and automation makes it less suitable for teams managing complex workflows.
16. Otter.ai
Otter.ai is an AI-powered transcription tool designed to convert spoken conversations into written text. It’s widely used for meeting notes, lectures, and interviews, offering real-time transcription, AI-generated summaries, and speaker identification.
Features
- Live transcription and AI summaries: Otter records and transcribes conversations in real time, identifying key points and action items automatically.
- Meeting assistant integration: Otter can join Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams meetings as an AI participant to transcribe discussions without manual input.
- Searchable transcripts and playback: Users can search across transcripts for keywords and play back specific sections with synced audio.
- Collaboration & sharing: Team members can highlight, comment, and assign action items within transcripts for more structured follow-ups.
- Multi-speaker detection: Otter differentiates between speakers and allows users to label them for clearer transcription records.
Ideal users
Otter.ai is ideal for journalists, students, business professionals, and remote teams who need automated note-taking. Yet, its transcription accuracy can vary based on audio quality and accents, so manual corrections may be needed.
Pricing
Otter has a free plan with limited transcription minutes, while paid plans (starting at $8.33/month billed annually) increase monthly transcription limits and enable advanced features.
Bottom line
Otter.ai is a time-saver for capturing meeting notes and interviews, but its AI-generated summaries aren’t always perfect, meaning some manual review may still be required.
17. Miro
Miro is a digital whiteboard tool designed for remote teams to brainstorm, plan, and collaborate visually. With an infinite canvas, pre-built templates, and real-time editing, it’s widely used for ideation, mind mapping, and visual project planning.
Features
- Infinite whiteboard canvas: Users can create, arrange, and connect sticky notes, text, images, and diagrams to visualize ideas freely.
- Pre-built templates: Miro offers ready-made templates for mind maps, retrospectives, customer journey mapping, and agile workflows.
- Real-time collaboration: Team members can edit boards simultaneously, leave comments, and even use a built-in video chat feature.
- Integration with productivity tools: Miro connects with Slack, Zoom, Jira, and Microsoft Teams for a more seamless workflow.
- Presentation & export options: Users can structure whiteboards into slides, making it easier to present ideas without switching tools.
Ideal users
Miro is perfect for remote teams, UX designers, educators, and product managers who need a collaborative space for brainstorming. However, for simple note-taking, its interface may feel too convoluted.
Pricing
Miro has a free plan with three boards, while paid plans (starting at $10/user/month) offer unlimited boards and advanced integrations.
Bottom line
Miro is an excellent tool for creative collaboration, but its expansive features might be too much for users who just need basic diagramming or note-taking.
18. Asana
Asana is a project and task management platform that helps teams organize work, track deadlines, and streamline collaboration. It offers structured workflows, automation tools, and multiple views, making it a strong choice for teams managing complex projects.
Features
- Task & project tracking: Users can create tasks, assign them to teammates, set deadlines, and track progress within different projects.
- Multiple views (list, board, timeline, calendar): Users can choose between a simple task list, a Kanban board, a Gantt-style timeline, or a calendar view.
- Work automation: Rules-based automation allows users to create triggers that move tasks, send notifications, or update due dates without manual intervention.
- Advanced reporting & dashboards: Custom dashboards give managers insights into team productivity, project bottlenecks, and workload distribution.
- Integrations & API: Asana connects with Google Workspace, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and more, allowing teams to integrate it with their existing workflows.
Ideal users
Asana is best for teams handling structured projects with multiple dependencies. It’s widely used by marketing teams, product development teams, and agencies. The downside is that teams looking for a simpler task manager may find its advanced features unnecessary.
Pricing
Asana has a free plan for individuals and small teams, while paid plans (starting at $10.99/user/month) include advanced workflow automation and reporting tools.
Bottom line
Asana is a powerful tool for teams managing complex projects, but its feature set may feel excessive for users who just need basic task tracking.
19. Loom
Loom is a video messaging tool that allows users to record their screen, webcam, or both to create quick instructional videos, presentations, or status updates. It’s widely used for asynchronous communication, replacing long meetings and emails with easily digestible video content.
Features
- Instant screen and webcam recording: Users can capture their screen, voice, and face at the same time, with options to annotate recordings.
- Quick sharing and embedding: Loom automatically generates a shareable link for each recording, making it easy to distribute content via email, Slack, or project management tools.
- Viewer analytics and engagement insights: Users can track who watched their videos and see engagement metrics like view count and watch time.
- Video transcription and captions: Loom provides automatic transcripts, allowing viewers to follow along with captions or skim the content without audio.
- Integrations with workplace apps: Loom works with Slack, Notion, and Google Docs, embedding videos directly within these platforms.
Ideal users
Loom is great for remote teams, educators, and customer support reps who need to explain complex ideas visually. It isn’t ideal for, users who require extensive video editing tools, who may find Loom too basic.
Pricing
Loom offers a free plan with limited recording time, while paid plans (starting at $15/user/month) increase storage limits and add advanced video analytics.
Bottom line
Loom is a fantastic tool for quick video messaging, but if you need polished, high-production videos, you’ll need additional editing software.
20. GanttPRO
GanttPRO is a project management tool designed around Gantt charts, making it a great choice for teams that need structured planning and clear task dependencies. It helps managers create timelines, allocate resources, and track progress, ensuring that complex projects stay on schedule.
Features
- Interactive Gantt charts: Users can create project timelines with tasks, subtasks, dependencies, and milestones. Drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to adjust schedules as needed.
- Task dependencies & critical path tracking: GanttPRO helps teams identify task dependencies (Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start, etc.) and automatically calculates the critical path to highlight key bottlenecks.
- Workload & resource management: Managers can assign tasks to team members, monitor workload distribution, and balance team capacity to prevent burnout.
- Collaboration tools: Users can leave comments, attach files, and set priorities on tasks, keeping team communication centralized within the project timeline.
- Templates and integrations: Pre-built templates speed up project setup, while integrations with Jira, Slack, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams help teams stay connected.
Ideal users
GanttPRO is ideal for project managers, engineering teams, and construction firms that rely on Gantt charts for planning. However, teams that prefer more flexible task management (like Kanban boards) may find its structure too rigid.
Pricing
GanttPRO does not offer a free plan, but paid plans start at $7.99/user/month, offering advanced project tracking and team collaboration features.
Bottom line
GanttPRO excels at structured project management, but it’s best suited for teams that work with detailed timelines. If your workflow is more fluid and requires frequent adjustments, a Kanban-based tool might be a better fit.
Why use work apps?
The best work apps help cut through the noise, keep things organized, and reduce time wasted on emails and meetings. Whether you need to manage projects, improve communication, or avoid burnout, the right tools can make a real difference. Here’s how:
They keep everything organized (so you don’t have to)
Ever lost an important document in a never-ending email chain? Or forgotten a deadline because it was buried in a group chat?
Work apps keep everything in one place — whether it’s project details, meeting notes, or daily tasks — so you don’t have to rely on memory (or the aforementioned sticky notes). Instead of scrambling to find what you need, you can focus on getting things done.
There’s less time wasted on meetings and emails
Meetings and emails take up a shocking amount of time. Scheduling apps cut down on the endless back-and-forth of finding a meeting slot. AI-powered assistants can sort and prioritize emails, making sure you’re only dealing with what actually needs your attention.
And for teams, tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams keep communication quick and to the point, so you don’t have to sit through another “this could’ve been an email” meeting.
Collaboration without the chaos
When multiple people are working on the same project, things can get messy — files go missing, version control becomes a nightmare, and updates get lost in translation.
Work apps solve this by giving teams a shared space where they can edit documents, assign tasks, and track progress without clogging up inboxes. Instead of playing detective to figure out who did what, you can see everything in real time.
Better time management and work-life balance
It’s easy to let work spill into personal time, especially if you’re constantly checking emails or forgetting to set boundaries.
Time-tracking apps help you see where your time is going, while scheduling tools make sure meetings don’t take over your day. By cutting out unnecessary busywork, these apps help you focus on what really matters — whether that’s deep work, creative projects, or just logging off on time.
Take productivity to the next level with Lindy
Whether you’re managing emails, scheduling meetings, or keeping projects organized, Lindy helps make sure that you can focus on what truly matters.
Here’s how Lindy helps professionals and teams stay efficient:
- No more long boring videos: Lindies lets you chat with YouTube videos to get quick insights without having to sit through 18-minute-long pieces of content. It’s a great way of saving valuable time that’d be better spent on other business-critical tasks.
- Have phone call agents at your disposal: Whether it’s having a calling assistant that handles lead follow-ups professionally or doing survey outreach at scale via phone to call thousands of people without the hassle, phone agent Lindies are boons for productivity.
- Offer all-day everyday website customer support: You can automate your website’s customer service by embedding a Lindy Chatbot. It will automatically resolve inquiries using your knowledge base of choice and escalate tickets if needed.
Ready to get more done with less effort? Try Lindy for free today.
