Best Tools for Small Businesses in 2026

QuickBooks is accounting software trusted by millions of small businesses. Track income and expenses automatically. Invoicing with online payment acceptance. Payroll processing for employees. Tax-ready reports simplify filing. The accounting software that small businesses grow up with.

First paid

Simple Start, $38/mo, billed monthly

Watch out

Payroll is a separate add-on starting at $50/mo base + $6.50 per employee per month, not included in any plan

Square processes payments for businesses. The payment solution that started with a card reader-payments that work everywhere. The simplicity defined the category. The features have grown. The ecosystem is complete. Businesses accepting payments often consider Square for complete commerce solution.

Free plan

2.6% + 10¢ in-person, 2.9% + 30¢ online, Unlimited devices

First paid

Plus, $49/mo, billed monthly

Shopify is an all-in-one e-commerce platform that enables entrepreneurs and businesses to create online stores, manage inventory, process payments, and sell across multiple channels.

First paid

Basic, $29/mo, billed monthly

Watch out

Third-party payment surcharge: using PayPal, Stripe, or any non-Shopify payment processor triggers a 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow), or 0.6% (Advanced) surcharge ON TOP of the processor's own fees.

HubSpot is an AI-powered customer platform that unifies marketing, sales, customer service, content management, and operations software in a single system. Built around a free CRM, it provides tools for email marketing, lead management, pipeline tracking, live chat, ticketing, website building, and workflow automation.

Free plan

Smart CRM free tools

First paid

Starter (CRM Suite), $20/seat/mo, billed monthly

Watch out

Mandatory onboarding fees: Marketing Pro $3,000, Marketing Enterprise $7,000, Sales Pro $1,500, Service Pro $1,500, Sales/Service Enterprise $3,500 each.

Mailchimp is an email marketing and automation platform serving millions of businesses worldwide, now part of Intuit. It enables users to create, send, and analyze email and SMS campaigns with drag-and-drop builders, pre-designed templates, and AI-powered content generation tools. The platform includes marketing automa

Free plan

Up to 250 contacts, 500 email sends/month (250/day limit), 1 audience

First paid

Essentials, $13/mo, billed monthly

Watch out

ALL contacts count: subscribed, unsubscribed, non-subscribed, and 'cleaned' contacts all count toward your plan limit.

Gusto is a modern payroll and HR platform for small businesses. Run payroll in minutes with automatic tax calculations and filings. Benefits administration for health insurance, 401(k), and more. Employee onboarding and document management. Time tracking integrates seamlessly with payroll. Compliance updates handle reg

First paid

Simple, $49/mo, billed monthly

Google Workspace combines Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, and more into business productivity suite. The tools billions use daily, plus admin controls and enterprise features. The collaboration is real-time. Storage is generous. Integration between products is seamless. Organizations choosing a productivity suite often lan

First paid

Business Starter, $6/user/mo, billed monthly

Slack is a channel-based messaging platform built for workplace communication and collaboration. Acquired by Salesforce, it serves as a central hub where teams organize conversations by topic, project, or department in dedicated channels. Core capabilities include real-time messaging, audio/video huddles with AI-powere

Free plan

90-day message and file history, 10 app integrations, 1:1 huddles

First paid

Pro, $8.75/user/mo, billed yearly

Watch out

90-day message history on Free: after 90 days, old messages become invisible (not deleted, they return if you upgrade).

Freshdesk is a customer support platform that helps teams deliver exceptional service. Ticketing organizes customer conversations across channels. Automation routes tickets and suggests responses. Knowledge base enables customer self-service. AI features summarize tickets and assist agents. Support that scales without

First paid

Growth, $19/agent/mo, billed monthly

Watch out

Freddy AI Copilot costs $29/agent/month as an add-on, not included in any standard plan

Calendly is a scheduling automation platform that eliminates back-and-forth emails. Share your availability with a link. Invitees book times that work for everyone. Integrates with calendar apps and video conferencing. Team scheduling with round-robin and collective events. The scheduling tool that millions trust for p

Free plan

1 event type, 1 calendar, Video conferencing

First paid

Standard, $10/mo, billed monthly

Watch out

Routing forms (directing invitees to the right person) require Teams plan at $16/seat/mo

Asana is a work management platform that helps teams orchestrate work from daily tasks to strategic initiatives with projects, portfolios, and automation.

Free plan

For 1-2 people, Personal project management, Basic task features

First paid

Starter, $10.99/mo, billed monthly

Watch out

Starter caps automation at 250 runs/month across the entire workspace, a single daily rule on 10 boards burns through this in 25 days, forcing an upgrade to Advanced at 2.3x the price

DocuSign is the global leader in electronic signatures and agreement management. Sign and send documents for signature from anywhere. Powerful workflows route documents through approval chains. Agreement Cloud extends beyond signatures to contract management. Integrations with Salesforce, Microsoft, Google, and hundred

First paid

Personal, $10/mo, billed monthly

Watch out

SMS delivery costs $0.40 per delivery, sending a signing link via text to 100 signers costs $40, and this is per delivery attempt, not per completed signature

1Password is a password manager that securely stores passwords, credit cards, and sensitive documents with end-to-end encryption for individuals and teams.

First paid

Individual, $3.99/mo, billed yearly

Watch out

No free tier at all, even personal use starts at $2.99/mo (annual) or $3.99/mo (monthly)