🏪

Best Business Tools for Small Business in 2026

Practical, value-driven tools for SMBs. The right balance of features and affordability for businesses with 5-50 employees looking to professionalize operations.

46 toolsacross7 categories

Build Your Complete Small Business Stack

Our recommended combination of tools to cover your essential business needs.

Estimated monthly cost:

$49/mo

* Based on starting prices. Actual costs may vary.

Best Project Management for Small Business

See all Project Management tools
M

Monday.com

Work OS that powers teams to run projects and workflows

8.5/10

Exceptionally easy to use.

From $9/mo

Learn More
L

Linear

The issue tracking tool you'll enjoy using

8.5/10

Exceptionally easy to use.

Freemium

Learn More
A

Asana

Work management platform for teams of all sizes

8/10

Comprehensive feature set.

Freemium

Learn More
C

ClickUp

One app to replace them all

8/10

Outstanding value for money.

Freemium

Learn More
N

Notion

All-in-one workspace for notes, docs, and projects

8/10

Outstanding value for money.

Freemium

Learn More

Best CRM & Sales for Small Business

See all CRM & Sales tools
H

HubSpot CRM

Free CRM with powerful marketing and sales tools

8.5/10

Exceptionally easy to use.

Freemium

Learn More
P

Pipedrive

Sales CRM designed by salespeople, for salespeople

8.5/10

Exceptionally easy to use.

From $14/mo

Learn More
F

Freshsales

AI-powered CRM for high-velocity sales teams

8/10

Inside sales teams.

Freemium

Learn More
C

Close

The CRM built for closing deals

8/10

Outbound sales teams.

From $49/mo

Learn More
Z

Zoho CRM

CRM for fast-growing businesses

7.5/10

Outstanding value for money.

Freemium

Learn More

Best SEO & Marketing for Small Business

See all SEO & Marketing tools
S

Semrush

All-in-one marketing toolkit for digital professionals

9/10

Comprehensive feature set.

From $129.95/mo

Learn More
A

Ahrefs

SEO tools and resources to grow your search traffic

8.5/10

Comprehensive feature set.

From $99/mo

Learn More
S

SE Ranking

All-in-one SEO platform for businesses of all sizes

8/10

Outstanding value for money.

From $44/mo

Learn More
M

Moz Pro

SEO software and data to help you increase traffic

7.5/10

Exceptionally easy to use.

From $99/mo

Learn More
S

Serpstat

Growth hacking tool for SEO, PPC, and content marketing

7.5/10

Budget-conscious teams.

Freemium

Learn More

Best Web Hosting for Small Business

See all Web Hosting tools
H

Hostinger

Affordable web hosting with premium features

8.5/10

Exceptionally easy to use.

From $2.99/mo

Learn More
S

SiteGround

Web hosting crafted with care

8.5/10

Comprehensive feature set.

From $2.99/mo

Learn More
C

Cloudways

Managed cloud hosting made simple

8.5/10

Comprehensive feature set.

From $14/mo

Learn More
K

Kinsta

Premium WordPress hosting powered by Google Cloud

8.5/10

Exceptionally easy to use.

From $35/mo

Learn More
B

Bluehost

Web hosting recommended by WordPress.org

7.5/10

Exceptionally easy to use.

From $2.95/mo

Learn More

Best Email Marketing for Small Business

See all Email Marketing tools
K

Klaviyo

Marketing automation platform built for e-commerce

8.5/10

Comprehensive feature set.

Freemium

Learn More
M

MailerLite

Email marketing tools for small businesses

8.5/10

Exceptionally easy to use.

Freemium

Learn More
M

Mailchimp

All-in-one marketing platform for small business

8/10

Exceptionally easy to use.

Freemium

Learn More
A

ActiveCampaign

The email marketing and automation platform for growing businesses

8/10

Comprehensive feature set.

From $29/mo

Learn More
B

Brevo

The complete CRM suite for marketing, sales, and support

8/10

Outstanding value for money.

Freemium

Learn More

Best Website Builders for Small Business

See all Website Builders tools
S

Shopify

The all-in-one commerce platform

8.5/10

Exceptionally easy to use.

From $29/mo

Learn More
W

WordPress.com

Build and grow your website with the best way to WordPress

7.5/10

Solid choice for the price.

Freemium

Learn More

Best Analytics for Small Business

See all Analytics tools
P

PostHog

The open-source product analytics platform

8.5/10

Outstanding value for money.

Freemium

Learn More
G

Google Analytics 4

The most widely used web analytics platform

8/10

Outstanding value for money.

Free

Learn More
M

Mixpanel

Powerful, self-serve product analytics

8/10

Comprehensive feature set.

Freemium

Learn More
H

Hotjar

Understand how users really experience your site

8/10

Exceptionally easy to use.

Freemium

Learn More
F

Fathom Analytics

Simple, privacy-focused website analytics

8/10

Exceptionally easy to use.

From $14/mo

Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions

Small Business typically need tools for project management, CRM/sales, email marketing, analytics, and communication. Our 46 recommendations cover these essential categories with options that fit your specific requirements.
Budget varies widely based on team size and needs. Many small business start with free tiers and upgrade as they grow. Our recommendations include options from free to enterprise-grade pricing.
We've curated tools with generous free tiers that are perfect for small business. Look for tools marked "Free" or "Freemium" in our recommendations above.
It depends on your needs. All-in-one tools are simpler but may lack depth. Specialized tools excel in their area but require more integration. We recommend starting simple and adding specialized tools as needed.
Compare ratings, pricing, and specific features that matter to you. Use our comparison tool to evaluate tools side by side. Also consider factors like integration capabilities and learning curve.
Some enterprise tools offer startup or small team pricing tiers. However, they may be overkill for smaller operations. Focus on tools that match your current scale with room to grow.
Prioritize integrations between your core tools: project management + communication, CRM + email marketing, analytics + everything. Most modern tools offer native integrations or work with Zapier.
Review your tech stack annually or when your team size changes significantly. Tools that worked at 5 employees may not scale to 50. Our recommendations are segmented to help you find the right fit at each stage.
Yes. Tools are selected purely based on objective criteria: pricing model, target audience, ratings, and features. We may earn affiliate commissions but this doesn't affect which tools are recommended.
Start with your most pressing need (usually project management or CRM). Sign up for free trials, test with your actual workflows, then expand to other categories. Don't try to implement everything at once.