Discover the Top 15 Productivity Apps for Work and Study in 2023

Discussing personal productivity feels unappetizing in light of the ongoing global pandemic that has presented unprecedented challenges. Given everything we’ve been through, the idea of “doing more” can seem almost comical. But productivity apps don’t necessarily aim to increase your workload or efficiency – unless that’s what you want. Instead, they seek to alleviate the burden of tedious or unpleasant tasks and simplify your life.

Many productivity apps automate manual processes such as data transfer or transcription, while others help you stay organized and reduce mental fatigue. They aim to lighten your load and improve your quality of life – something we could all benefit from.

This article explores productivity apps that can be used in both personal and professional contexts, either independently or collaboratively. It features a selection of apps from top office suites, as well as our favorite picks from note-taking, project management, and to-do list apps. Although not exhaustive, we hope this list provides helpful recommendations for apps that can enhance your life.

Why Productivity Software is Essential

Enterprises rely on multiple software solutions and programs daily, yet only half of them actually contribute to increased productivity and improved operations. The same goes for productivity apps – with so many options available, individuals and organizations struggle to determine an app’s effectiveness before using it.

However, an “ideal” productivity app can offer several key benefits for you, your team, your projects, and your business. By finding software that offers a majority of these benefits, you’re making the right choice.

Having the right productivity app is crucial because it helps:

• Make everyday tasks more efficient
• Foster fluid collaboration
• Keep you informed when running late
• Manage diverse team schedules
• Embrace diversity within the team
• Keep everyone updated
• Track real-time progress
• Access cross-application integration
• Enjoy cross-platform compatibility
• Simplify reporting
• Streamline invoicing
• Ensure better customer experiences

In summary, the right productivity app can significantly enhance your daily operations and productivity, making it a worthwhile investment.

Discover the Most Common Types of Productivity Tools

Businesses and teams in every industry rely on various types of productivity tools to streamline their operations. To help you navigate the options, we’ve compiled a list of the most common types of productivity tools, along with the best software under each category for your convenience.

1. ProofHub

ProofHub is an all-in-one platform that caters to freelancers, remote teams, small businesses, and enterprises. Its purpose is to simplify planning, collaboration, organization, tracking, proofing, and delivery of work, resulting in smarter, faster, and more effective outcomes. The platform offers various features such as Chat, Discussion, Gantt chart, Kanban board, Custom roles, Custom reports, Files, Notes, Timesheets, and more.

Here are some benefits of using ProofHub:

• Provides all the necessary features and tools for growing businesses or teams.
• Ensures quality outcomes and reduces project delivery time.
• Requires little to no learning curve.
• Offers a free trial with basic and advanced features.
• Boasts a simple pricing structure without per-user fees.

ProofHub acts as a centralized hub for projects, teams, and communication. It streamlines various processes such as creating plans, collaborating with others, organizing tasks, tracking time, and delivering projects on time.

2. Asana

Asana is a popular project management tool that helps individuals and teams to plan, track, and manage their work. It is designed to simplify complex workflows, improve communication, and enhance productivity. Asana offers a wide range of features that cater to various business needs, including task management, team collaboration, progress tracking, and reporting.

One of the key benefits of Asana is its ability to organize tasks and projects into lists or boards, allowing users to easily view and prioritize their work. The platform offers various tools to streamline workflows, including the ability to assign tasks, set due dates, and create subtasks. Additionally, users can collaborate with team members by adding comments, sharing files, and assigning tasks to specific individuals or groups.

Asana also offers a range of reporting and analytics features that allow users to track progress and identify areas for improvement. This includes the ability to generate reports on project status, team performance, and individual workload.

Another advantage of Asana is its integration with other tools and applications, including Google Drive, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. This allows users to streamline their workflows and reduce the need to switch between multiple tools and platforms.

Overall, Asana is a powerful and versatile project management tool that can benefit individuals and teams of all sizes and industries. Its user-friendly interface and extensive range of features make it a popular choice for businesses looking to improve their productivity and streamline their workflows.

Productivity apps: Instant Messaging

Effective collaboration is crucial for any organization. Fortunately, audio/video chat apps make achieving this goal a breeze. These apps make workplace conversations fun and eliminate the possibility of miscommunication or loss of information while working together towards a common goal.

3. Microsoft Teams, the Microsoft 365 chat

Microsoft Teams is a chat platform that is part of the Microsoft 365 suite. The rise in remote work due to the health crisis has led to the development of various collaborative tools, including instant messaging. As a result, Microsoft Teams has seen a significant increase in usage, with over 270 million monthly active users as of January 2022, up from 44 million in February 2020 before the pandemic.

This messaging application is designed for businesses of all sizes and individuals, providing various conversation features such as chat, video conferencing, and co-editing tools to make communication easier. Companies such as LVMH, Urssaf, and ENGIE have chosen Microsoft Teams for their communication needs.

The main features of Microsoft Teams include chat via messages and video calls, file and document sharing and storage, integration with other video conferencing tools, the ability to add visual backgrounds to video calls, automatic transcription of audio or video meetings, and subtitling of speeches in different languages.

However, it’s important to be cautious about data protection as Microsoft is subject to the Cloud Act. Microsoft Teams offers both a free version and a paid version starting from €3.40 per month per user.

4. Slack, a team communication software

Slack is a team collaboration software that operates through the cloud. It effectively brings together information and people to achieve successful outcomes. Key features of this widely used platform include time messaging, file sharing, and a powerful search function.

Some benefits of using Slack include:

• Centralizes team and project communication into one place
• Integrates with many of the apps that you may already be using
• Helps keep projects on track and within budget

Main Features:

• Customizable discussion channels to organize work by project.
• Tools for asynchronous communication (sending messages offline).
• A call system and screen sharing for faster progress.
• Ability to add external collaborators for better collaboration.
• Direct integration of software and applications into the platform.

Limitations:

• As a US-based company, Slack is subject to the Cloud Act.

Pricing:

• A free basic version.
• Packages with more features starting from €6.25 per month per user.
• A free 30-day trial.

Productivity apps: Video conferencing/Online meeting application

5. Zoom

Zoom is a popular video conferencing and web conferencing software that allows people to communicate remotely through video, audio, and chat. The platform was founded in 2011 and has become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as more people have relied on remote work and virtual meetings.

In addition to traditional video conferencing, Zoom has also become a popular platform for webinars, online events, and virtual conferences. The platform offers a range of tools for hosting and managing these types of events, including registration pages, Q&A sessions, and more.

Main benefits:

• Easy video conferencing: Zoom provides an intuitive and user-friendly interface for video conferencing, making it easy to connect with people from anywhere in the world.
• Screen sharing: With Zoom, users can easily share their screens, making it easy to collaborate on projects or presentations in real-time.
• Recording and playback: Zoom allows users to record meetings and webinars, which can be useful for those who need to refer back to the discussion later or share it with others who were unable to attend.
• Virtual backgrounds: Zoom offers a range of virtual backgrounds, which can be used to eliminate distractions or add a professional touch to video calls.
• Integrations: Zoom integrates with a range of other software and tools, including calendars, messaging platforms, and project management tools, making it easy to use in conjunction with other apps.

Productivity apps: Calendars/Schedulers

These are the types of applications that assist in simplifying the scheduling and organization aspects of project management. By utilizing such apps, you can have a centralized, clear view of all the essential dates (such as tasks, events, milestones, etc.) for you and your team, in one place.

6. Google Calendar

Google Calendar offers the convenience of creating multiple calendars within a single app, using your Gmail or Google account. With integration across various cloud-based (SaaS) and desktop applications, it provides an all-in-one solution for managing your schedules, tasks, and events.

As the default calendar for Android phones and devices, many users underestimate the app’s capabilities, despite it being available for free. Google Calendar’s user-friendly interface and numerous integrations make it our second-ranked app.

Key Features:

• Customizable color schemes
• Integration with G Suite and over a hundred other apps
• Linked with email accounts
• Available on iOS and Android devices
• Easy calendar invites
• Automatic addition of events from Gmail accounts
• Smart title and text suggestions

Price: Google Calendar is available for free with a Google account.

7. Any.do

Any.do, previously known as “Cal Calendar”, is a versatile calendar app that can be used on a wide range of devices. It’s available on Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, web, Siri, Amazon, Windows desktop, Slack, Chrome and Firefox extensions, and wearable devices.

Any.do functions as an all-in-one application that helps users manage their goals, tasks, notes, reminders, and schedule. With its elegant calendar app, users can stay on top of their schedule with location-based reminders and real-time notifications.

Similar to Apple Calendar, Any.do allows users to add travel time to location-based events. It also offers custom color coding for events and appointments to avoid clutter.

Available for : Web | Android | iOS | iPad | Mac | Windows

Key Features:

• Daily planner
• Reminders
• Checklist items
• Customizable color coding for tasks
• Location-based reminders
• Attachments
• Recurring tasks
• Collaborative features like sharing, delegation, and team chat on a calendar
• Customized themes

Pricing:

• Free plan
• Paid plans starting at $5.99 per month (billed annually)

Productivity apps: Note-Taking

Note-taking applications are essential productivity tools that allow you to access important information such as meeting minutes and project details easily and securely. These apps provide a convenient and centralized location to store and share your valuable ideas and critical business information.

8. Evernote

Evernote is a top-rated application that offers features for note-taking, task management, and organization. It provides a convenient platform for capturing and prioritizing ideas, to-do lists, minutes of meetings, and projects all in one place, making it easy to keep track of everything.

Benefits of Evernote:

• Collaborate with colleagues by sharing notes and entire notebooks.
• Take and attach photos to notes directly from the app.
• Sync automatically across all devices for easy access.
• Use Optical Character Recognition to scan text in a photo.

Price: $7.99 / month

Available for: Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Web

Productivity apps: Time Tracking

A time tracking app is designed to help you monitor and record the time spent on specific activities. By using this type of app, you can gain a more precise understanding of how you are allocating your time at work, which in turn can help you improve your time management skills and increase your overall productivity.

11. Time Doctor

Time Doctor is an all-in-one tool for time tracking, employee monitoring, and project management. It provides a detailed overview of employees’ activities by recording the web pages and applications they use, and allows managers to take desktop screenshots to minimize the chances of slacking off. Time Doctor also enables you to pay your employees directly from the software using various payment methods such as PayPal, Payoneer, and TransferWise.

For Whom? Time Doctor is ideal for both small and large companies with 20-500 employees who want an all-in-one solution for detailed employee monitoring and payment. Small business owners and startup CEOs can also benefit from this tool as it saves time by allowing direct payment from the time tracking app.

Special features

• Payroll creation and payment processing within the software
• Automatic screenshots
• Client access to the Time Doctor account
• Chat monitoring

What Time Doctor users say: According to users, Time Doctor helps maintain transparency with clients at all times by providing documented proof of work. However, some users find the interface outdated and difficult to navigate.

Available for: Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android

Price

• Basic: $7/user/month ($70/user/year if paid annually)
• Standard: $10/user/month ($100/user/year if paid annually)
• Premium: $20/user/month ($200/user/year if paid annually)

12. RescueTime

RescueTime is a time tracking app that offers a comprehensive approach to productivity and time management. This app tracks the time you spend on websites, apps, and various activities, and provides you with detailed reports on how you’re spending your time. The goal of RescueTime is to help you identify areas where you’re wasting time so you can optimize your workflow and become more productive.

One of the key features of RescueTime is its ability to automatically categorize websites and apps into different categories, such as social media, email, and entertainment. This allows you to see at a glance how much time you’re spending on each type of activity. You can also set goals and alerts to help you stay on track and make better use of your time.

Another useful feature of RescueTime is its ability to track time spent on specific projects or tasks. This is particularly useful for freelancers or anyone working on multiple projects at once. You can easily switch between tasks and the app will automatically track the time you spend on each one.

RescueTime also provides detailed reports on your productivity, such as your overall productivity score, your most productive hours of the day, and your top distractions. This information can help you identify patterns and make adjustments to your schedule to maximize your productivity.

RescueTime is available for:  Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, as well as a web-based version.

The app offers a free version with limited features, as well as a premium version that includes advanced features such as alerts, goal setting, and more detailed reports. Overall, RescueTime is a great choice for anyone looking to optimize their time management and boost their productivity.

Productivity apps: File Storage/Sharing

File storage and sharing apps are designed to keep your files safe, secure, and private while also providing easy access to them from all of your devices.

13. Google Drive

Google Drive is a cloud-based file storage and collaboration platform developed by Google. With over one billion users, it is one of the most popular file-sharing and collaboration tools available today.

The platform allows users to upload files to designated team folders via desktop or mobile devices, and team members can be given permissions to upload and edit documents as designated by the file’s creator. Teams can work together within documents and spreadsheets, tracking comments and keeping a comprehensive history of any file as it evolves.

Google Drive’s search function highlights users’ most recent documents and allows for searching by name or author. It is known for its intuitive and easy-to-adopt interface, making it accessible for users of all technical abilities.

One of the main advantages of Google Drive is its cost, as the platform is free to use. However, to make full use of the platform’s features, users and collaborators need to have a Google account, which may be a downside for those who prefer not to use Google products.

Another potential issue with Google Drive is that syncing and lag issues can occur from time to time, which users need to be mindful of to avoid accidentally working over each other. However, these issues are infrequent and do not detract from the overall value of the platform.

Overall, Google Drive is an excellent file sharing and collaboration platform that is suitable for teams of all sizes and budgets.

14. Dropbox 

Dropbox is a cloud-based file sharing and storage platform that has been popular for many years. It allows users to store, share, and access their files from anywhere, and from any device with internet access.

Benefits of using Dropbox:

• File sharing and collaboration: Dropbox makes it easy to share files with others and collaborate on documents in real-time. With Dropbox, you can invite others to access specific files or folders, set permissions for editing or viewing, and even leave comments or annotations on shared files.
• Automatic backup and sync: Dropbox automatically backs up your files to the cloud and syncs them across all your devices. This means you can access your files from anywhere and always have the most up-to-date version of your work.
• Increased productivity: With Dropbox, you can easily access your files and collaborate with others, which can increase your productivity. You can work from anywhere and on any device, and you won’t have to worry about version control or emailing files back and forth.
• Enhanced security: Dropbox uses advanced encryption and security features to protect your files from unauthorized access. Your data is stored in the cloud, which means you don’t have to worry about losing your files if your computer crashes or gets lost or stolen.
• Integration with other tools: Dropbox integrates with a variety of other tools, such as Microsoft Office, Google Docs, and Slack. This allows you to easily access your Dropbox files from within these tools and streamline your workflow.
• Flexible storage options: Dropbox offers a range of storage options to fit your needs, from free plans with 2GB of storage to paid plans with up to 3TB of storage. You can also upgrade or downgrade your storage plan at any time.
• Cost-effective: Dropbox offers a variety of plans to fit any budget, including free plans for personal use and affordable plans for businesses. With Dropbox, you can get all the benefits of cloud storage and collaboration without breaking the bank.

Dropbox pricing : varies depending on the plan you choose. The basic plan is free, but it has limited storage and features. The paid plans range from $9.99 to $16.58 per user per month and offer more storage and advanced features for individuals and teams.

Productivity apps: CRM

15. Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is an online software that provides an on-demand, SaaS-based solution for managing customer relationships. It’s primarily designed for sales teams to attract, retain, and delight customers.

Benefits of the app: 

• Streamlines sales tasks: Zoho CRM automates daily sales tasks such as lead generation, email marketing, and follow-up actions, freeing up time for sales reps to focus on more strategic activities.
• Increases lead conversion: With Zoho CRM, you can capture website visitor information and track their interactions with your website, allowing you to follow up with them and convert them into hot leads.
• Improves customer experience: Zoho CRM tracks customer interactions throughout the sales cycle, giving you valuable insights into their needs and preferences. This enables you to provide better customer service and personalized solutions.
• Identifies inactive leads: Zoho CRM lets you identify leads that have gone cold and allows you to re-engage them through targeted marketing campaigns, ensuring that no potential customers slip through the cracks.
• Integrates with Google Apps and Zoho suite: Zoho CRM seamlessly integrates with other Zoho apps such as Zoho Mail and Zoho Projects, as well as Google Apps like Gmail and Google Drive, making it easy to manage all your business activities from one platform.
• Provides a comprehensive view of sales performance: Zoho CRM provides detailed reports and analytics on sales performance, allowing you to identify trends and areas for improvement. This data-driven approach enables you to make informed decisions and optimize your sales strategy for better results.

Zoho CRM offers a variety of pricing plans to fit different business needs and budgets, starting at $12/user/month up to $100/user/month. They also offer a free plan with limited features and users.

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Michael Johnson, a seasoned tech professional and industry expert. Michael has worked in the tech industry for over 15 years, starting as a software developer and working his way up to management positions. He has always been fascinated by the rapid pace of technological innovation and the impact it has on our lives.

Michael's blog features in-depth analysis and commentary on the latest technology trends and developments, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, and more. He also provides insights and advice for businesses and individuals looking to navigate the ever-changing tech landscape. With his vast knowledge and experience, Michael is quickly becoming a trusted source of information and expertise in the tech industry.

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