The Best To Do List Apps for Mac

To do lists don't need to be complicated–some people use pen and paper for the job, after all. And yet there are seemingly infinite to do list apps out there. Why? Because keeping track of and organizing your tasks is an intensely personal thing, and everyone wants to do it a little differently. This makes designing a to do list incredibly difficult: it's impossible to offer one design that makes everyone happy.

And it's particularly hard to make Mac users happy. They, perhaps more than users of any other platform, are picky and expect things to look and work a certain way. Applications that don't feel like they were designed for macOS are distracting because things like keyboard shortcuts, notifications, and menus don't work the way they do in other applications. That disrupts your workflow, which defeats the entire point of productivity software.

We thought about all of these things while we tested every macOS to do list application we could get our hands on. There's an incredible range of options out there, all looking to serve different kinds of users. Which one you prefer may well boil down to personal taste. In our opinion, the very best Mac to do lists apps need to do five key things:

• Offer multiple ways to organize tasks, such as tags, lists, due dates, or projects.
• Make it fast to add new tasks without opening the app, ideally using a keyboard shortcut.
• Remind you about self-imposed deadlines.
• Offer a clean interface, with native macOS features like notifications, widgets, and integration with the menu bar.
• Sync tasks to your phone.

With these criteria in mind, here are the best to do list apps you can find for macOS. All offer free trials of some sort, so try out anything that looks useful to you.

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In this article:

• Things: Best blend of powerful features with elegant design
• Todoist: Best to do list app for Mac users who need to sync with other platforms
• OmniFocus: Best option for power users and GTD fans
• Reminders: Best simple option for Apple-only users
• GoodTask: Best way to make Reminders more powerful
• 2Do: Best fully customizable to do list with multiple syncing options
• TaskPaper: Best text-based list for managing tasks with only your keyboard
• TickTick: Best cross-platform option that feels native to the Mac
• A few more options

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Things (macOS, iPhone, iPad)

Best blend of powerful features with elegant design

To do list apps tend to fall into two categories: the complex and the minimalist. Things is somehow both.

Open Things for Mac and it looks simple: You've got an Inbox for your tasks and the option to add more lists. Dig a little, though, and there are all kinds of advanced tools here. There are nesting ways to organize your tasks: Areas can contain tasks or projects; projects can contain tasks or headers that can also contain tasks; even tasks can contain sub-tasks if you want. It sounds confusing but it isn't, which really speaks to how well Things is designed. There's no right way to use this system: Use as many or as few of the organizational options given to you, however you like, to make sense of your chaotic list of tasks, choose which things you want to do today, and then do those things.

Other applications offer features like this, sure, but Things manages to do so without feeling cluttered. And as a native application with no Windows or web equivalent, Things feels very much at home on the macOS desktop. Combine this blend of functionality and beauty with features like a system-wide tool for quickly adding tasks, integration with your calendar so you can see your appointments while planning your day, intuitive keyboard shortcuts, reminders with native notifications, integration with over 1,000 apps via Zapier and syncing to an iPhone and iPad app. It's a powerful way to organize your tasks–and then accomplish them.

Things price: The macOS version costs $49.99 but offers a 15-day free trial. The iPad version costs $19.99 and the iPhone version costs $9.99.

Todoist (macOS, iPhone, iPad, Watch, Android, Windows, Web)

Best for Mac users who need to sync with other platforms

Most Mac users stay within the Apple ecosystem…but not all of them. If you need to sync your tasks from macOS to Windows, Android, or basically any other non-Apple option, Todoist is one of the first applications you should check out. Like Things, it's deceptively simple but has all kinds of advanced task management features hidden just below the surface, though Todoist does feel a little less at home on the Mac desktop.

That's because the macOS application of Todoist is basically the web version in a dedicated window. There are a few native Mac features: notifications, a menu bar icon, and a Today widget. And there's also a universal keyboard shortcut for quickly adding tasks, and that alone makes the Mac app worth installing for Todoist users.

Having said that, Todoist is a solid application. You can arrange your tasks in all sorts of meaningful ways, sync them everywhere, and never worry about not having access.

Todoist price: Free; some features, including labels and attachments, require a subscription that starts at $3 a month.

OmniFocus (macOS, iPhone, iPad)

Best option for power users and GTD fans

If you're particular about how your tasks are arranged, and I mean really particular, OmniFocus is right for you. This application is a power user's dream, allowing you to organize your task in seemingly never-ending variations. There are three different kinds of projects you can set up, for example. There are six main views by default, ranging from the Inbox for unsorted tasks, Forecast for seeing scheduled tasks in context with any of your macOS Calendar appointments, and Review for going over completed tasks at the end of the day or week. You can also create your own views if this isn't enough for you. You can even integrate Omnifocus with 1000+ applications via Zapier, if you want.

This isn't an application that's quick to learn, and things can feel cluttered at times. Once you figure everything out, however, you'll have an elaborate, GTD-style task list that works exactly the way you want. Combine this with a system-wide keyboard shortcut for quick task entry and you've got no excuse when it comes to keeping things organized.
OmniFocus for Mac syncs with iPhone and iPad, and there's even a web version, currently in testing, so you can access your tasks while using Windows devices (sadly this is occasionally necessary.)

OmniFocus price: OmniFocus for Mac starts at $39.99 after a 14-day trial. The Pro version, which allows you to customize the sidebar with your own views among other features, costs $79.00. The iPhone and iPad version starts at $39.99, and also offers a 14-day free trial.

Reminders (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Web)

Best simple option for Mac, iPhone, and iPad users

The best to do list is the one you have with you, right? If you own a Mac you already have Reminders, which comes free with every Apple device.

Apple's default application for managing tasks is a simple one, allowing you to create lists of tasks and schedule when you'll do them. You can then view those tasks or view any day's worth of tasks across all lists, and that's about it. But this simplicity might be a big plus: You get in, add tasks, and then get to work.

There's no universal keyboard shortcut for adding tasks, but there is integration with Siri for Mac, which is something no other app on this list can claim. And iCloud integration means you can sync tasks with your iPhone and iPad very easily. You've already got this application so why not give it a shot?

Reminders price: Included with all Macs, iPhones, and iPads.

GoodTask (macOS, iPhone, iPad, Watch)

Best way to make Reminders more powerful

Reminders is great but not exactly feature rich. GoodTask is unique in that it uses Reminders as a backend–add anything to GoodTask and it will show up in Reminders and vice versa. So what's the point? GoodTask offers features that Apple doesn't in Reminders.

First there's Calendar integration, meaning you can see your calendar appointments and your tasks in one place. You can also create smart lists, allowing you to filter your tasks using things like tags, due dates, and locations. You'll have to spend some time setting this up before it's any better than Reminders, but if you've got a specific overview of tasks in mind you can probably design it here. GoodTask also offers a fully customizable Today widget, which isn't something offered by any other application we tested. Integration with Reminders means all your tasks sync to the iPhone and iPad without the need for any other software, though there are versions of GoodTask available for those devices if you want the same power on those devices.

There are a few downsides. There's no universal keyboard shortcut for creating tasks, though thanks to Reminders integration you can use Siri for Mac instead. Overall, GoodTask is a nice little upgrade over Reminders.

GoodTask for Mac price: $19.99 with a 14-day free trial. GoodTask is also available on Setapp, which is a $10 a month subscription service with access to dozens of Mac applications. There's also an iPhone and iPad version available for free, with an in-app purchase of $9.99 to unlock all features.

2Do (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android)

Best fully customizable to do list with multiple syncing options

2Do fits right in on the Mac desktop. It looks a little cluttered at first glance, but it's also really powerful. You can create lists, then put projects or checklists inside those lists. You can add tags and due dates. You can create smart lists, allowing you to view your tasks however you like. And there are a way more options than that if you're willing to put the time in. This is a power user's to do list, which you can bend to just about any workflow. It's going to take you while, but it's going to be worth it.

There's no calendar integration, which is unfortunate, but there are plenty of other integrations with the rest of your system. A universal keyboard shortcut makes it quick to add new tasks, notifications let you know about upcoming deadlines, and there's even a handy Today widget for quickly checking off tasks.

Syncing is unique here because there are multiple options. You can sync to the iPhone or Android version of 2Do using iCloud, Dropbox, Yahoo Calendar, Fruux, Toodledo, or any CalDAV server. You can also access synced tasks on any of those services, albeit without the 2Do specific features. It's a wide range of syncing options, beyond what any other app here offers, so give it a spin and see how it all works for you.

2Do for Mac price: $49.99, and there's a 21-day free trial. 2Do is also available on Setapp, which is a $10 a month subscription service with access to dozens of Mac applications.

TaskPaper (macOS)

Best text-based list for managing with only your keyboard

Wondering why to do lists have to be so complicated? TaskPaper isn't. This text-based option means you can just start typing to create your to do list. Projects end with colons; tasks begin with a hyphen; tags start with the @ symbol. It sounds simple but it's surprisingly powerful once you get used to it, especially with the filtering and search options.

There isn't an iPhone version, but the third party application Taskmator ($4.99) is compatible and syncs using Dropbox. Alternatively, you can set up TaskPaper to sync over items from Reminders.

Taskpaper price: $24.99 with a free trial. Taskpaper is also available on Setapp, which is a $10 a month subscription service with access to dozens of Mac applications.

TickTick (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Watch, Android, Windows)

Best cross-platform option that feels native to the Mac

TickTick is a straightforward to do application you can run on basically every platform on earth. Unlike other cross-platform applications, however, TickTick actually feels like a native Mac application. Some of this is good design choices, but there are also features that make TickTick stand out: menu bar icon with a miniature version of your list, integration with appointments from Calendar, and native notifications. There's also a keyboard shortcut for adding tasks from anywhere.

Organizing your tasks isn't complicated: you have lists, tags, due dates, and that's about it. But there are a few features here that other applications don't offer, including a built-in pomodoro timer. Try out TickTick out if you're looking for something straightforward, particularly if you need to sync over to non-Apple devices.

TickTick price: Free, but premium features like a monthly calendar view and custom smart lists require a $2.99 per month subscription.

A Few More Options

We tried a bunch of different applications for this article but couldn't quite include everything. Here are a few more options for you to consider:

• Trello isn't a to do list per se but you can use it to organize your life and there's a Mac app with native notifications and system-wide keyboard shortcuts.
• Evernote, OneNote, or any other note taking application can work very well as a to do list, and most offer a Mac app.
• TaskHeat allows you to organize your to do list as a flowchart, which is neat, but it can't sync with any other platform.
• Wunderlist used to be a no-brainer for lists like this and is still quite nice. The problem: Microsoft bought Wunderlist and is shutting it down at an undetermined point in the future. The replacement, Microsoft To-Do, is missing key features and does not offer a Mac application.
• Todo.txt is an open-source standard for storing your to do list in a plain text document. The command line app runs in the macOS Terminal, allowing you to add and manage tasks with commands. If that's not your style, TodoTxtMac is a nice GUI for the same standard.

source https://zapier.com/blog/best-mac-to-do-list-apps/

How to Search in Trello

Trello is a great place to store and organize just about anything, but all of those cards add up quickly. How are you supposed to find anything?

By searching. Trello’s search functionality seems limited at first, but dig in and you’ll find all sorts of power just below the surface. Here’s how to find that power–and then find whatever card it is you’re looking for.

Getting Started With Search, Quickly

You probably know you can start a search by clicking the search bar.

But did you know you can also use a keyboard shortcut? Just press / and search will open right away. Now you can start typing. Need more precision? Let's dig in.

Trello's Search Operators

You know how Google Search offers operators that help narrow down search queries? Trello does something similar, allowing you to use certain characters to search for specific cards. Learn these and your searches will be a lot faster.

• @ - Use the @ sign before a name to find cards assigned to a specific member. Trello suggests members when you start typing @in the search box. Use @me to find only the cards that you're assigned to.
• board: - By default, Trello searches across all your boards. To search within one specific board, add board: before the name of your board, such as "board:zapier."
• is:starred - This operator restricts your search to only your starred boards.
• list: - Add this before the name of a list to only search cards within that list. For example, list:info.
• label: - Use this to search by label, color, or name. For example, label:yellow or label:next.
• created:, edited:, and due: - Add these before "day," "week," or "month" to find cards that were created or edited or have a deadline in those timeframes or have a deadline. For example, created:day will show you new cards created in the last 24 hours. You can also add a number to specify the date range. For example, due:10 returns cards that are due in the next 10 days.
• is:open and is:archived - Find only open cards or find only archived cards.
• description:, checklist:, comment:, and name: - Add these operators before the text of your search to find cards with matching text. For example, description:how to will find all the cards with "how to" in the description.
• - (minus sign) - Add the minus sign before any of the operators above to do a negative search. For example, -is:archived only includes cards that are open in Trello, not ones that are archived.

Filter cards to search within a single board

Filtering isn't technically equivalent to searching, both functions serve the same purpose: refine the data you see so you can focus on the information you need. Unlike searches, which are done across all your Trello boards by default, filtering only works on a single board. It's also broader than searching: Searching shows exact matches, while filtering shows any of your selected criteria. For example, if you select "Zapier" and "to do" labels, Trello highlights the cards that have either Zapier or "to do" or both labels. Your applied filter also stays in place even if you leave Trello or switch to the calendar view.

To start filtering, click on the Show Menu link at the top right of your board, then select Filter Cards and enter your filtering terms. Or you can quickly open the card filter menu with the f keyboard shortcut, and remove filters with the x keyboard shortcut.

Filter in calendar view

I use Trello's calendar view all the time but only recently learned that filtering also works in that view. Just open the menu as you would in the lists view and select Filter Cards. This comes in handy for getting a bird's eye view of due dates for specific types of cards, such as an articles ready to post on your blog or dinner recipes on your meal plan.

Save Trello searches

If you find yourself often searching for the same things in Trello, save yourself some time by having the app remember your search query. Once you enter your search terms and/or operators, click the Save this Search link at the top right of the results to get an easy link to that search every time you click the search box.

Additionally, you can bookmark the URL for your query (eg. trello.com/search?q=llamas), for quick access to your frequent searches.

More: Learn 28 ways you can maximize Trello for productivity, then check out our Trello overview for more tips and tutorials like this one.

source https://zapier.com/blog/search-cards-in-trello/

How to Automatically Upload to Dropbox

You probably know the Dropbox desktop app can automatically sync any file you add, but did you know Dropbox can also automatically grab photos from your phone, tablet, or camera? Here's how to do that, and how to automatically upload Gmail attachments, Instagram photos, and files from 1,000+ other apps.

Automatically Upload Photos From Your Phone or Camera

Your phone, your camera, your tablet—it can be hard to keep track of all of your photos and videos. Dropbox can automatically upload media from all of these devices, allowing you to organize and share them from one place. And setting it up isn't hard.

Automatically Upload Photos, Videos, and Screenshots to your Computer

Dropbox can automatically grab photos and videos every time you plug in your camera.

First, click the Dropbox icon in your system tray or menu bar. In the window that pops up, click the gear icon at top-right, then click Preferences. Here's how this looks on macOS (Windows is similar):

In the Preferences window, open the Import tab, and you'll find settings for camera uploads and screenshots.

Check Enable camera uploads, and Dropbox will automatically grab files from any camera you connect to your computer. You can optionally also enable videos. All files will show up, unsorted, in the Camera Uploads folder in your Dropbox.

Dropbox can also automatically upload screenshots. Screenshots will be added to the Screenshots folder in your Dropbox, and the URL will be automatically added to your clipboard. Here's a refresher on how to take a screenshot on various platforms.

Automatically Upload Photos, Videos, and Screenshots to Your Phone or Tablet

The best camera is the one you have with you, and that's almost always your phone. Here's how to automatically upload all of your phone's photos to Dropbox.

You'll need to install the Dropbox app on your computer, phone, or tablet. Then you need to enable the automatic uploads as described above. Open the Dropbox app on your phone, then head to the settings to find the Camera uploads option. Here's how that looks on Android; iPhone and iPad are similar.

Make sure Camera uploads is enabled, then decide if you want to include videos and whether this should use your cellular data. Every photo you take from now on will be uploaded to Dropbox, meaning you now have access to your phone's photos from anywhere you can access Dropbox.

Automatically Upload Files to Dropbox From 1,000+ Apps

Zapier can connect 1,000+ apps to Dropbox, allowing you to automatically upload all sorts of files.

For example, you could upload every Gmail attachment to a folder in Dropbox.

Or you could automatically save your new Instagram photos.

It's also possible for your Evernote attachments to automatically upload.

You could even keep any OneDrive folder in sync with a folder in your Dropbox, which is nice when someone insists on sharing using OneDrive instead of Dropbox.

The possibilities are endless, so check out our Dropbox integrations to learn more of what you can do.

source https://zapier.com/blog/automatically-upload-dropbox/

How to Use Selective Sync in Dropbox

Dropbox, by default, syncs everything in your Dropbox to all of your computers. There are reasons you might not want that: You could have limited bandwidth, for example, or limited hard drive space. Here's how to choose which Dropbox files sync to your computer and which do not.

First, find the Dropbox icon in your system tray or menu bar. Click it, and a window will pop up. Here's how that looks on Windows:

Click the gear at top-right, then click Preferences.

This will open the Preferences window. Click the Sync tab, then the Selective Sync button.

A new window will open allowing you to choose which files should and shouldn't sync to your computer.

Simply uncheck any files or folders you don't want to be synced to your computer. Dropbox will delete them from your computer and not sync over any future changes to them. These files will still be in your Dropbox, however, meaning you can find them using the web or mobile version of Dropbox.

Do you have multiple computers connected to your Dropbox account? Note that Selective Sync settings are tied to each individual computer, not your account as a whole. This means you can decide which files do and don't sync to specific computers—simply change the settings on each individual device.

Want more Dropbox tips like this? Check out our Dropbox overview.

source https://zapier.com/blog/dropbox-selective-sync/

Free Writing Software: 15 Tools to Help You Create Better Content, Faster

Whether you're trying to weave together a jumble of ideas, fix split infinitives, or nail down that hard-to-think-of word, there are plenty of writing apps to help you. But vetting those tools and determining which fit best with your writing style takes time.

That's why we've done the heavy lifting for you. The following 15 writing tools help you brainstorm, research, write, and edit better and faster—and they're all free to use.

• Brainstorming Software
• Researching Software
• Writing Software
• Editing Software

Tools for Brainstorming and Organizing Your Thoughts

Sometimes, the hardest part of writing is figuring out what you want to write about. Other times, you know exactly what you want to write about, but your ideas are too disorganized to move forward. If you're struggling with either issue, these tools will help you brainstorm and organize your ideas, getting them out of your head and onto the screen.

MindMeister (Web, iOS, Android)

Best free writing software for expanding your ideas

Mind mapping is a great brainstorming exercise for all kinds of writing projects. Whether you're capturing thoughts for a term paper or thesis, putting together an outline for a long blog post or ebook, or coming up with ideas for a new novel or book series, mind mapping can help you capture your ideas and brainstorm new ones by triggering associations.

And while you could create a mind map on paper or a whiteboard, MindMeister offers more flexibility. MindMeister is a tool designed specifically to make mind mapping easier, giving writers a simple way to capture their ideas, organize them, and share them with others.

It doesn't matter how large your mind map gets, MindMeister expands to give you as much room as you need. Capture all of your ideas in a single file, rearrange and organize your ideas by dragging and dropping them, and connect ideas no matter how far apart they are on your mind map. With a premium plan, you can even attach related files and images to reference later.

MindMeister Pricing: Free for up to three mind maps; from $4.99/month for the Personal plan that includes unlimited mind maps and file attachments.

Want to learn more about mind mapping? Check out our mind mapping tutorial, or discover nine ways to use mind maps to jumpstart your projects.

WorkFlowy (Web, macOS, Windows, Chrome, iOS, Android)

Best free writing software for creating content outlines

Well-structured writing starts with a well-structured outline. WorkFlowy makes outlining straightforward: the app lets you quickly create an organized summary of any writing project and all of its parts using bullet points and nested lists.

Start with the broad strokes—section names, big ideas, themes—and nest related details and research beneath those bullets. WorkFlowy also offers hashtag-based tagging and search features, so you don't have to worry about creating too many lists or letting bullet points run wild.

You can zoom in on any list by clicking on the corresponding bullet point. Plus, if you hover over a bullet point, you'll see options to complete, add a note to, share, export, duplicate, or delete that item. Use the Complete option to tick off sections of your outline as you finish writing them, or drag and drop bulleted lists to organize your outline into logical sections.

WorkFlowy Pricing: Free for up to 250 list items per month; from $4.99/month for the WorkFlowy Pro plan that includes unlimited lists and items and customization options.

If WorkFlowy isn't right for you, check out our guide to the best outlining tools—many of which have free plans—to find the best app for your needs.

HubSpot Blog Ideas Generator (Web)

Best free writing software for brainstorming ideas

If you have a general idea of what you want to write about but need to expand your ideas, mind mapping helps. If you have lots of ideas but need to organize them, outlining helps. But what about when you need to write something but have no idea what to write about?

In that scenario, HubSpot Blog Ideas Generator helps. Enter up to five nouns into the generator, and it produces titles for five blog posts (or 250 if you're willing to provide contact information). While the titles it suggests are somewhat formulaic, it does provide suggestions for unique angles you can take with your piece.

For example, say you know you want to write about conferences but aren't sure what you want to say about them. Enter conferences into the Blog Ideas Generator, and you'll get suggestions like "Conferences: Expectations vs. Reality," "The Next Big Thing in Conferences," and "This Week's Top Stories About Conferences."

You can take those suggestions and run with them, or read through them to try and trigger other ideas for topics and angles you're interested in writing about.

HubSpot Blog Ideas Generator Pricing: Free

If you try these tools and are still staring at a blank page, check out some of our favorite writing tips for generating ideas and overcoming writer's block.

Tools for Research and Note-Taking

Once you have a topic in mind, it's time to conduct your research and compile your notes. Whether you need to transcribe an interview, access paywalled research papers, or see what else has been published online, these tools can help.

Evernote (Web, macOS, Windows, Chrome, iOS, Android)

Best free writing software for compiling research

You could compile notes for your content by taking screenshots of the research you want to include and pasting those screenshots in a Google Doc, scribbling down handwritten notes in a notebook, or creating a custom list of bookmarks. But all of these options are time-consuming and hard to search. Evernote provides a simpler option.

Using Evernote's web clipper, you can capture full articles online in a couple of clicks. The articles are then added to Evernote where you can organize collected research into different notebooks, read the full-text of articles you've saved, search all of your collected research at once, and share your collected research with others. Plus, you can automate your note taking with Evernote's Zapier integrations.

With Evernote's premium plan, you can use its mobile app to scan in handwritten notes, pages of books, and business cards. Scanned documents are also searchable, making it easy to find what you're looking for regardless of its format. This makes it a great place to keep things you may need to reference in the future.

Evernote Pricing: Free for up to 60MB uploads monthly, 25MB maximum note size, and Evernote apps on up to two devices; from $7.99/month for the mobile app scanner, searchable PDFs, higher upload and note-size limits, and Evernote apps on unlimited devices.

If Evernote isn't right for your needs, find an alternative in our guide to the best note taking apps.

Unpaywall (Chrome, Firefox)

Best free writing software for finding free copies of paywalled research

You conducted a Google search and found a result for a research paper or article that seems like it has exactly the data you need to cite. Unfortunately, you can't read it because the site you landed on wants you to pay a fee to access the full-text version.

Instead of shelling out to read a paper that may or may not have the information you need, use Unpaywall's Chrome and Firefox extensions to see if there's a free copy of the paper available anywhere online. When you land on a result for a paywalled paper or article that's available for free elsewhere, a green unlocked icon displays; click it to open a free copy of the paper.

Unpaywall harvests data from sources like journals' open-access repositories and university and government databases, ensuring you're never infringing copyright when you access a paywalled article for free.

Unpaywall doesn't work on everything—for example, it won't get you past the paywall on your favorite news site—but if you need to reference paywalled scholarly articles from time to time, it's absolutely worth installing to save yourself some time and money.

Unpaywall Pricing: Free

oTranscribe (Web)

Best free writing software for transcribing interview and video content

If part of your writing process consists of transcribing audio or video interviews or content, oTranscribe removes some of the more time-consuming aspects of the process by putting your audio controls and word processor on a single screen. Simply upload your audio or video file, press play, and start typing your transcription onto the blank page.

This removes all of the back-and-forth of playing audio in one app and typing in another. Plus, keyboard controls let you play and pause the audio easily by tapping the Esc key. Other controls let you jump forward or back a few seconds or adjust the speed of the audio playback.

If you're planning on publishing your transcript, you can add basic formatting like bold and italics, or use Control + J on a Windows machine or Command + J on a Mac to insert a timestamp. When you're finished, you can download your transcription in Markdown, plain text, or oTranscribe formats, or sign in to Google to save it directly to your Google Drive.

oTranscribe Pricing: Free

Tired of transcribing? Use our guide to the best transcription apps and services to find an automated transcription tool or human-powered transcription service to do the work for you.

Tools for Freewriting and Collaborative Writing

Looking for a free word processor, a distraction-free writing app, or a way to collaborate with others on a piece without losing your original content? These apps have just what you need.

BlindWrite (Web)

Best free writing software for freewriting

There's an old adage in the writing world: Write drunk, edit sober. The point? Some of the best writing happens when your mind is unhindered and free of distraction.

In that spirit, BlindWrite forces you to write blind and edit… not blind. The app's interface is a simple white-on-black text editor that asks you what you want to write about and for how many minutes. From there, you can type away, but BlindWrite blurs out your text until the timer hits zero.

This method encourages you to just start writing. When you can't see what you're typing, you can punch out all of your thoughts before considering things like word choice and sentence structure, eliminating perfectionist tendencies that lead to writer's block.

Note: When you open BlindWrite, you'll notice a chat bubble in the corner stating that BlindWrite is now Blurt. We've spoken with Blurt's maker, and he assured us that he has no plans to shut BlindWrite down. However, if you use BlindWrite, like it, and are willing to pay a monthly subscription ($4.99/month for early adopters) to get more features, Blurt is definitely worth checking out.

BlindWrite Pricing: Free

Looking for more ways to eliminate distractions while you're writing? Check out our roundup of the best apps for staying focused and blocking distractions.

Google Docs (Web, Chrome, iOS, Android)

Best free writing software for collaborative writing

With a free Google account, you can use Google Docs to write, edit, and archive your work. It autosaves your document to Google Drive after nearly every word you type—ensuring you never lose part of your draft—and it backs up everything you write to the cloud automatically. Plus you can automate your document creation using Google Docs' Zapier integrations.

And while this makes Google Drive a great tool for any type of writing, where it really stands out is with its collaborative features. With a few clicks, you can share your document with others and give them viewing, editing, or commenting permissions. And best of all, everyone you share the file with can edit the document together at the same time without overriding others' changes.

Just like Word's Track Changes tool, the Suggesting mode in Google Docs allows collaborators to recommend changes, which anyone can either reject or accept. If you accept it, Docs automatically incorporates the suggestion so you don't have to type it in yourself. Docs also maintains a version history of every document you create, so it's easy to access earlier versions or see who made specific changes.

Google Docs Pricing: Free

Not a fan of Google Docs or don't want to create a Google account? Find another great option in our guide to the best collaborative writing apps.

Draft (Web)

Best free writing software for version control

Though Google Docs has great collaborative editing features, it doesn't offer the same editing insurance of Draft. Draft's take on editing is that a collaborator's changes shouldn't immediately alter the original document. Instead, a new version is created for each round of editing.

After someone submits edits, it's up to the document owner to individually accept or reject them. Each time this is done, a new version of the doc is automatically generated, and the doc's owner is given the ability to switch between these versions. It works like Google Docs' Suggesting feature, but it ensures that the original document is always easily accessible.

When you've finished writing a draft, you can share it with others via a link; download the content in Markdown, plain text, or HTML formats; or email it to yourself as a PDF, Google Doc, or Word file.

Draft Pricing: Free

Tools for Editing and Proofreading

Editing your own writing can be a beast. It's hard to see typos when you know what a word is supposed to be, and it's hard to know what someone else may not understand when you understand it perfectly. If you don't have an editor to help you—or if you want to send your editor a near-perfect draft—these tools can help you spot typos, grammatical errors, jargon, and more.

OneLook Reverse Dictionary and Thesaurus (Web)

Best free writing software for finding the perfect word

OneLook's Reverse Dictionary and Thesaurus works like any other thesaurus you've used: Type in a word, and it suggests dozens of synonyms to consider as alternatives. And while the thesaurus is a must-have in any writer's toolkit, OneLook offers some uniquely helpful options.

For example, you can enter more than a single word into OneLook: Enter a phrase or even an entire sentence. Say you can't think of a word you want to use that means "hard to remember." Enter the phrase into OneLook, and it returns multiple options like "elusive," "hazy," and "mnemonic." You can even filter the results by part of speech to see only nouns, adjectives, adverbs, or verbs.

Reverse Dictionary Pricing: Free

Hemingway Editor (Web, macOS, Windows)

Best free writing software for clear and concise writing

Ernest Hemingway was lauded for his conservative use of words and ability to communicate volumes in short sentences. The Hemingway Editor helps you do the same, making it useful for cleaning up all those thoughts you spilled onto the page.

Paste your content into Hemingway, and it highlights areas of concern in several categories: use of adverbs, use of passive voice, overly complex words and phrases, and overly complex sentences. Scroll through your content to look for highlighted items, then make the necessary changes to remove adverbs, use active verbs, and simplify complex sentences.

Hemingway also gives your writing a grade that represents the reading level for your content. The lower the grade, the more accessible your content will be to a wider audience.

In the long term, Hemingway teaches you to be a better writer because you're identifying and fixing your errors. Over time, you won't make so many of them, and eventually, you may find you don't even need the tool anymore.

Hemingway Editor Pricing: Free for editing in the Hemingway web app; $19.99 for the Mac or Windows desktop app.

Grammarly (Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)

Best free writing software for catching spelling and grammar mistakes

You've written the perfect Twitter post, and now you need to sit back and wait until it goes viral. It does, and you're excited until you realize that you typed "your" instead of "you're," you can't edit it after publishing, and your mistake is all anyone in your comments can talk about.

Grammarly helps you avoid these embarrassing mistakes. Install one of its browser extensions to spell- and grammar-check everything you write online, then download the appropriate desktop app for your machine to check things you write offline. It catches mistakes like misspellings, incorrect usage of singular or plural nouns, and homophone mistakes like "its" and "it's"; "you're" and "your"; and "to," "too," and "two."

Grammarly's browser extensions can also be used as a replacement for Google Docs' built-in spell-checker, and overall, it's a better option. When you misspell a word, Grammarly underlines it in red. Hover over the word to see the correct spelling and click the word to change it. It also recognizes when you're using a product name—like WorkFlowy—that isn't technically a word but also isn't incorrect, and it doesn't mark that as a misspelling as Google Docs does.

Grammarly Pricing: Free for the basic spell- and grammar-checker; from $11.66/month for Grammarly Premium that includes more advanced grammar-checking tools, vocabulary enhancement suggestions, and a plagiarism checker.

Cliche Finder (Web)

Best free writing software for finding and removing cliches

Cliche Finder helps you eliminate cliches from your writing, so your work can stand out instead of sounding just like everyone else's.

Paste your text into the tool, click the Find Cliches button, then see a version of your text with any cliches highlighted in bold, red text. You'll have to make the edits in your original document, but it's an easy way to identify any place where you're using a phrase that may need to be re-worded for originality or clarity.

Cliche Finder Pricing: Free

De-Jargonizer (Web)

Best free writing software for finding uses of jargon in your text

Say you're a developer writing a blog post for other developers. It's probably fine—and expected—to use the industry-specific words (jargon) you use every day in your role. However, if you're a developer writing an explanation for non-developers, using day-to-day technical jargon can baffle and alienate your audience.

But it's hard to recognize jargon when the terms you use in your role are ingrained in the way you communicate daily. That's where De-Jargonizer comes in: It helps you identify words that might be considered jargon to readers who aren't in your field.

Paste your text into or upload your draft to De-Jargonizer, and it highlights potentially problematic words in orange or red, depending on severity. While it sometimes highlights words that aren't really jargon (like "evolve" in the example above), it does a great job of highlighting words you may need to change or define for an audience of beginners (such as "lifecycle," "provisioning," and "velocity").

De-Jargonizer Pricing: Free

CoSchedule Headline Analyzer (Web)

Best free writing software for creating compelling headlines

CoSchedule Headline Analyzer gives you the tools you need to craft compelling headlines. Type in a title you're considering, and you'll get a headline score, tips for improving your headline, and other suggestions on length, word placement, and sentiment.

Use Headline Analyzer to test multiple headlines: It displays all of the headlines you've tested, so when you're finished, you can pick the highest-scoring title. Or use CoSchedule's suggestions to improve your existing title by adding power words, uncommon words, or words that invoke emotions and entice click-throughs.

CoSchedule Headline Analyzer Pricing: Free

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The right writing tools help you create content better and faster by giving you what you need to stay focused, find errors, brainstorm ideas, and perfect your copy. You may find yourself wondering later how you ever wrote a word without them.

Related reading:

• The 10 Best Journaling Apps
• The 10 Most Common Writing Mistakes You Should Avoid Making
• How to Organize and Automate Your Writing Workflow
• How to Automatically Capitalize Text the Way You Want
• How to Combine Facts and Figures in Modern Writing Apps

This post was originally published in March 2015 by Jane Callahan.

source https://zapier.com/blog/writing-editing-apps/

The Best Screen Sharing Software in 2019

Screen sharing makes collaboration and support as visual and interactive as it would be in person. You can present a design, document, or website exactly as it displays on your screen—while it's happening—or virtually peer over the shoulder of a colleague to offer guidance.

But it doesn't always feel like the revolutionary, location-defying technology that it is. "Can you see my screen yet?", you ask your silent meeting participants while scrambling to turn on Do Not Disturb before someone's Slack message pops up for everyone to see. That's why picking the right screen sharing software is so important.

Apps for screen sharing come in a few different flavors. Some are part of broader video conferencing tools, while others are primarily intended for remote access or geared toward bare-bones simplicity. It's a varied category with a lot of choices to evaluate, but we've narrowed it down to the 13 best options for you to consider.

What Makes for Great Screen Sharing Software?

Screen sharing software can be used for anything from webinar presentations, to live customer support interactions, to a quick gut check on a design with a colleague. At its most basic, it's software that allows two or more users to share their screens with other people online. But the best software offers more—so we weighed a number of factors when making our picks:

• Ease of access for participants. The best software includes no-install, web access and can be used across devices.
• Annotation features. The ability for presenters and participants to mark up the screen while sharing adds a layer of utility to the software.
• Collaboration features. We looked for features like presenter-switching, joint annotation, co-browsing, and collaborative document editing.
• Support features. While it's not necessary for many use cases, features like remote access are a huge plus if using screen sharing for customer support.
• Integrations. Being able to automate tasks like scheduling sessions and uploading recordings makes the whole process simpler.

The 13 Best Screen Sharing Apps

• Screenleap (Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android) for quickly sharing your screen with anyone
• TeamViewer (Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android) for enterprise tech support
• Slack (Mac, Windows, Linux) for collaborative team meetings
• Zoom (Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android) for interactive presentations
• Upscope (Web) for SaaS teams offering in-app support
• Surfly (Web) for co-browsing your app with leads and customers
• join.me (Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, Web) for annotation and whiteboarding
• USE Together (Web) for free creative collaboration
• CrankWheel (Web) for embarrassment-free sales demos
• Skype (Mac, Windows, Linux) for Office 365 users
• Apache OpenMeetings (Web, WIndows, Mac, Linux) for free self-hosting
• Windows Quick Assist (Windows) for quickly supporting Microsoft users
• GoToMeeting (Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android) for mobile screen sharing

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Screenleap (Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Chrome)

Best screen sharing software for quickly sharing your screen with anyone

Screenleap is one of the most bare-bones screen sharing tools out there, but its lack of complexity makes it lightning fast to use. It's ideal when you need to give a quick tutorial to a colleague or present to a client without forcing them to download and install something heavy-duty.

With Screenleap, you get a permanent URL that anyone with the link can use to join the session when you're sharing (it will tell them to wait if you're not actively sharing). It's great for including in the calendar event description for recurring meetings or quickly accessing when you need to go live.

You can also share your screen via a six-digit share code that participants can enter on the Screenleap homepage, so both webinar-style sessions and sales demos are easy to manage.

Broadcasts, which can be joined via predictable link, and private sessions, which are joined with a disposable passcode, can be kicked off with one click in the Chrome extension. And since it's browser-based, it means participants can join regardless of their device or setup. Watching a screen share is just as smooth from a mobile browser as it is on desktop.

With this simplicity comes trade-offs. Screenleap doesn't support video conferencing or annotation, making it less useful for collaborative team meetings than a dedicated tool would be. It's still ideal for launching fast, low-friction screen sharing sessions right from the browser—especially if can't afford to spend 10 minutes asking "can you see it yet?" while your participants install new software.

Screenleap Pricing: Free for 40 minutes of screen sharing per day; from $15/month (billed annually) for up to eight hours of screen sharing per day.

TeamViewer (Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android)

Best screen sharing software for enterprise tech support

TeamViewer is more than just a screen sharing tool: It's a full remote access suite, packed with enterprise features. It's built for tech support teams, but it's just as well suited to meetings as it is to assisting users.

Remote access apps let you connect to another computer and control its keyboard and mouse. That makes TeamViewer great for support and training, but having multiple users on one screen also has applications in pair programming and design.

TeamViewer's screen sharing features are as rich as you'd expect from a mature collaboration tool. The host of a session can nominate any other participant to be the presenter, and all participants can mark up the broadcast with annotation tools. Collaboratively annotate reports, or review your latest rebrand as a team. Plus, you can store and organize your screen sharing sessions easily by opting to keep them synced in the cloud. This makes it easy to refer back to that one customer's issue or the action items from a past team meeting.

Since TeamViewer is a remote access tool, the whole process starts with at least one meeting participant handing control of their computer to another. This isn't ideal for all screen sharing purposes, but TeamViewer also has a dedicated presentation mode (which doesn't start with remote access by default) that's able to be tested in full on the free plan. When starting a session, just choose the Meeting option from the sidebar instead of Remote Control.

Businesses that already use TeamViewer for support and need remote collaboration tools don't have to look much further.

TeamViewer Pricing: Free for personal use; from $49/month (billed annually) for a single business user.

Slack (Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android)

Best screen sharing software for collaborative internal meetings

Slack is probably where you and your team already hang out. With so many integrations with the other apps you use at work, it's like a dashboard and universal activity feed. Since so much is already going on inside Slack, why not use the same tool to host and record your meetings?

For internal collaboration, there's no need to pay for another screen sharing tool if you're already paying for Slack. Sessions can be held privately or kept open for the members of a channel to hop in and out of. Each session is recorded and kept archived in the channel—and it's searchable, like the rest of your communication logs. Plus, using Zapier, you can automate your Slack screen sharing tasks.

Slack's screen sharing includes host switching, collaborative annotation, and the ability for each participant to use their own cursor on the host's screen. The host simply clicks the cursor icon while sharing their screen to allow access.

However, teams that need a solution for mobile and Linux will find these features restricted: Screen shares with a video element aren't supported on mobile, and the Linux desktop app doesn't support remote access or others annotating the screen.

Slack Pricing: From $6.67/user/month (billed annually) for a plan that includes screen sharing.

Zoom (Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android)

Best screen sharing software for interactive presentations

Zoom is considered one of the best video conferencing apps for handling team meetings, sales demos, and webinars. As long-time users, we can personally vouch for its reliability.

Even over choppy networks, Zoom manages to maintain a video connection by adjusting quality depending on bandwidth. This is especially useful for screen sharing, which is something Zoom makes easy, no matter the circumstances.

Zoom provides a lightweight installer for practically every operating system, Linux distribution, and mobile OS, so hosting a screen sharing session for a non-Zoom user isn't likely to cause compatibility issues or awkward waiting periods. Plus, you can automate your screen share workflows for an even more seamless process.

Zoom users can host screen sharing meetings from apps for desktop or mobile. On the mobile apps, participants can take control of the presentation tools to share documents or co-annotate.

Since Zoom is a sophisticated video conferencing tool with screen sharing built in, the calling and meeting features are enough to support businesses of any size: 50 people can join a room on the free plan, and paid plans allow up to 500 participants. This is great for putting on a webinar with multiple hosts who each need to access the same presentation screen to annotate.

Zoom Pricing: Free with a 40-minute limit on group meetings; from $14.99/user/month for unlimited time.

Upscope (Web)

Best screen sharing software for SaaS teams offering in-app support

Upscope is a screen sharing tool that lives inside your website or SaaS app. It lets customers request support or sales sessions with an agent on the other side. Customers can click from inside your app to request screen sharing through one of Upscope's integrations with other SaaS like Intercom, Drift, and Zendesk. Agents get a dashboard that allows them to connect to any active user, and it includes information about the user's browser and OS, to give context to the support.

Unlike video-based screen sharing tools like Slack, Zoom, and TeamViewer, Upscope works by sharing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript from the client's browser instead of a constant stream of compressed image files. This is known as co-browsing.

This technological difference can cause a disconnect between what the user and agent each see—the same way a site can behave differently in different browsers—but it guarantees that common SaaS features like modals (e.g., when you open a Trello card) or slide-out sidebar menus will work, which is notoriously not the case with traditional video-based screen sharing.

The support for SaaS-specific features comes at the price of speed. While co-browsing, cursor speed is slower and latency feels higher than when viewing a participant's screen using a tool like Zoom or GoToMeeting.

Upscope Pricing: From $15/user/month (billed annually) with a three-user minimum.

Surfly (Web)

Best screen sharing software for high-touch customer onboarding

Surfly is a co-browsing tool for remote support and sales that can be embedded into a website or SaaS app. It integrates with support widget tools like Intercom, Zendesk, and Olark to offer an easy way for users to connect with support agents.

Once connected, agents can highlight the elements on the page the user should click—and you can use it to video conference too. It's an interactive way to train a customer using screen sharing, and it's lower-friction, too, because you aren't directing your user outside of your website or app.

Screen sharing is enabled browser-to-browser without either party needing to download a tool. Since it's confined to the browser, you can be sure that you're only showing your website or software, instead of your personal photo library, bookmarks, and iMessage notifications.

Surfly Pricing: From $21/user/month for basic features.

join.me (Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, Web)

Best screen sharing software for annotation and whiteboarding

join.me is enterprise-grade video conferencing software that we rated best for screen sharing in our video conferencing app roundup.

Its collaboration features are more advanced than most screen sharing tools. join.me features an interactive whiteboard, screen region sharing, and a variety of annotation tools including a pen, highlighter, and laser pointer.

Group presentations with join.me are easy: It's trivial for participants to switch between the role of presenter and viewer, regardless of whether they're on the desktop or mobile apps. All the host has to do is select the name of the participant they'd like to pass host rights to, and click Pass presenter. Like Zoom, join.me is a mature video conferencing tool with great screen sharing features packaged in as a bonus. It also integrates with Zapier, so you can automate your screen sharing meetings.

But when it comes to whiteboarding, join.me is the best in the game. It offers unique tools on iOS for inserting and annotating images on a canvas, using pre-made icons to create diagrams, and more. This means you can seamlessly switch between your whiteboard and desktop screen when making a presentation to your team or a customer.

join.me Pricing: From $9.99/user/month (billed annually) for up to five participants per meeting.

USE Together (Mac, Windows, Web)

Best screen sharing software for free creative collaboration

USE Together is a beta product that's currently available for free.

It's designed with activities like pair programming and designing in mind. All USE Together screen sharing session participants get a cursor they can use to control the host's screen, so multiple users can simultaneously work in different parts of the same screen while on a voice call.

Right now, the Mac or Windows desktop app is required to host a screen sharing session or participate with your cursor, but viewers can watch from their web browsers with a secret link the host generates when starting a call. Users can restrict what others can see and do on their screen by sharing just one application instead of the whole desktop, and a host can take back control at any moment, preventing any abuse.

The beta restrictions mean you can only collaborate with three people at a time, but there are options: You can contact USE Together's team for a custom deal or on-premises installation.

USE Together Pricing: Free.

CrankWheel (Web)

Best screen sharing software for embarrassment-free sales demos

CrankWheel combines lead generation and screen sharing in one sales-focused tool. Unlike the other two external-facing screen sharing apps in this list (Upscope and Surfly), CrankWheel is built as an extra sales channel for SaaS products rather than in-app support.

CrankWheel uses traditional screen sharing technology instead of co-browsing. This means that your exact screen is broadcast, not an HTML and CSS-rendered representation. It also means that CrankWheel isn't as suited to support or customer success because the screen sharing can go only go in one direction.

Users browsing your website can use the CrankWheel Demo request button to connect with a sales rep and get a live screen share demo of the product. And reps can opt to share just a single tab of their browser to keep the demo 100% focused on the product and free of distracting screen clutter.

Viewers never need to install software: The browser handles the whole process. This makes it frictionless for leads in the vital early moments where a shaky experience could have them turning to the competition.

CrankWheel Pricing: Free for 25 meetings per month; from $75/user/month for 100 meetings per month.

Skype (Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS)

Best screen sharing software for Office 365 users

A lot of people already have Skype installed on their PCs or as part of Office 365. Its audio and video calling features may have been the first contact you had with such space-age technology, way back in 2003.

When it comes to screen sharing, Skype's features aren't as rich as other dedicated video conferencing tools. It has a shared whiteboard with a variety of annotation tools, but you can't use these tools on a live stream of a participant's screen, just on the whiteboard itself.

However, if you're often presenting from PowerPoint when you share your screen, you can take advantage of some Microsoft integration magic to broadcast a slideshow and annotate it with a variety of tools—even from your web browser. Presentations and annotation inside the browser is a rare find in the world of screen sharing, and guests can join by downloading a browser extension instead of the full Skype app.

If your team lives inside the Microsoft ecosystem, often presents with PowerPoint, and already pays for Office 365, then Skype could be a brilliant option. But be wary if you collaborate with people outside of your org or on the go: It doesn't allow screen sharing from mobile apps or support the PowerPoint integration on any platform other than Windows.

Skype Pricing: Free; or part of your Office 365 subscription.

Apache OpenMeetings (Web, Windows, Mac, Linux)

Best screen sharing app for free self-hosting

Apache OpenMeetings is a free and open source remote meetings tool that features video conferencing, IM, collaborative whiteboarding, and, of course, screen sharing.

OpenMeetings users can create and join meeting rooms that have pre-defined rules, such as a one-on-one room with automatic recording for training or interviews, or a presentation room for 25 people with a whiteboard. Once you've set up your OpenMeetings server, go to the server's URL in your browser to access your organization's meeting rooms, calendar, and IM.

OpenMeetings is built to be self-hosted, so while it is free, it requires the company that uses it to run their own servers and have an IT department that can administer the software. For businesses that want to avoid extra tech maintenance, a tool from a SaaS provider like Zoom or GoToMeeting would be a far more convenient option.

However, some enterprises require on-premises software. Those with developer resources can make improvements to the OpenMeetings project, both to build the platform in the way that suits or expand it with plugins that provide native integrations with tools like Confluence and Moodle.

Apache OpenMeetings Pricing: Free.

Windows Quick Assist (Windows)

Best screen sharing software for quickly supporting Windows users

Image via Computerworld

Windows Quick Assist comes bundled with Windows 10 as a way for Windows users to quickly launch remote access and screen sharing sessions.

After starting up Quick Assist, you can choose to connect to another computer and remotely control it, or get assistance and share control of your keyboard and mouse.

The person giving assistance can view their partner's screen, use the cursor, or make annotations to guide the way. Quick Assist isn't practical for screen sharing in the traditional collaborative sense, but it's ideal for quickly connecting to another Windows machine for remote support and seeing exactly what the other user is seeing.

If you're on Windows 10, there's no need to download anything extra to get started: Just share the six-digit pin with your partner, and the session can be established. Quick Assist doesn't feature audio or video calls, though, so you'd have to run a parallel conference call to get the same effect as a more fully-featured tool like TeamViewer.

Windows Quick Assist Pricing: Free with Windows.

GoToMeeting (Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)

Best screen sharing software for mobile

GoToMeeting does everything you'd expect one of the most well-developed video conferencing tools on the market to do: group calls with audio and video, scheduled meetings, presenter switching, screen sharing, collaborative annotation, and remote access.

But the thing that sets GoToMeeting apart is its intuitive and stable mobile screen sharing. GoToMeeting seems to be built with mobile-first users in mind, offering apps for Android and iOS that retain screen sharing features, and an iPad app that supports screen sharing, document sharing, and whiteboard collaboration.

Mac, Windows, and Android app users can record screen sharing sessions, which can be automatically uploaded to cloud storage, sent to Slack, or linked in a CRM record using Zapier.

GoToMeeting's desktop apps for Mac and Windows feature a wide range of annotation features, including the ability to zoom in on the screen, share a region, and use about as many drawing tools as you'd find in a graphic design tool.

GoToMeeting Pricing: From $14/user/month (billed annually) for up to 10 participants.

Which App Should I Use?

Because screen sharing needs vary so much based on use case, you need to determine your deal breakers and nice-to-haves when it comes time to share your screen. Do you need remote access? An in-app support tool? Just a quick solution for sharing your screen with distributed team members? Each of the options above offers a unique angle in the screen sharing category.

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Related reading:

• The Best Video Conferencing Apps for Teams
• Tools for Remote Software Development and Pair Programming

Title image by HipChat via GetVoIP. Microsoft Quick Assist image via Computerworld.

source https://zapier.com/blog/best-screen-sharing-software/

The Best Accounting Software in 2019

Accounting is a taboo word in some offices. And it makes sense why: We think of financial management as a complex beast. But as the days of paper ledgers and clunky spreadsheets fade away, things are changing.

Accounting software simplifies the whole process. It often links directly to your business or bank accounts, and it can automate tedious tasks like invoice generation and payment tracking. Here, we'll present the 15 best accounting apps on the market for growing businesses.

What Makes for Great Accounting Software?

Accounting software ranges from basic invoice creation and expense-tracking to full-on tax preparation, advanced financial reporting, and inventory management. Which software you choose will depend on your business goals, but there are certain criteria you should always keep your eye out for.

The best accounting apps offer, at the bare minimum, basic accounting and bookkeeping functions: invoice creation, expense tracking, record of banking transactions, and financial report generation. They also provide accurate, in-depth, and easy-to-use dashboards. And they should be tied together with an intuitive user interface that allows you to complete actions efficiently.

Some accounting software offers extended functionality that can add value to many businesses—things like inventory management, native CRM, and eCommerce management. We took those above-and-beyond features into consideration as we selected the best apps.

The Best Accounting Software for Growing Businesses

• QuickBooks Small Business (Web, iOS, Android) for tax management
• FreshBooks (Web, iOS, Android) for creating and managing invoices
• Wave (Web, iOS, Android) for a free solution to start
• Xero (Web, iOS, Android) for advanced insights and reporting
• Zoho Books (Web, iOS, Android) for tech stack integration
• Sage Intacct (Web, iOS) for financial- and accounting-savvy users
• ZipBooks (Web, iOS) for visually-oriented users
• FreeAgent (Web, iOS, Android) for businesses that bill for their time
• AccountingSuite (Web) for mass inventory, shipping, and logistics
• GoDaddy Bookkeeping (Web, iOS, Android) for eCommerce businesses that sell from multiple sites
• OneUp Accounting (Web, iOS, Android) for all-in-one value, including accounting, CRM, and ERP
• SlickPie (Web) for micro businesses
• Akaunting (Web, On-Premise) for an open-source solution
• Kashoo (Web, iOS) for easy transaction entry and tracking
• Billy (Web, Android) for novices who value simplicity

QuickBooks Small Business (Web, iOS, Android)

Best accounting software for tax management (especially TurboTax users)

For businesses that already use Intuit tax products like TurboTax, QuickBooks Small Business is a logical choice for accounting and bookkeeping. QuickBooks Small Business is equipped for business entities who handle payroll and employees, such as Limited Liability Corporations (LLC) and S-Corporations—at a much lower cost than the QuickBooks Enterprise edition.

QuickBooks Small Business covers all the basics: You can easily connect your bank accounts to the system, invoice customers, track expenses, and perform other basic bookkeeping functions. But you can also easily pay workers, manage 1099s (contractor tax forms), and track payroll. And because it integrates with Zapier, you can automate all these processes.

QuickBooks Small Business also lets you know how much sales tax you owe the government at any given time, automatically calculating it based on sales and invoicing data. The stand-out feature is that QuickBooks will automatically sort and categorize expenses based on potential tax deductions like office overhead, travel expenses, and equipment maintenance. That's really what makes it the most tax-efficient accounting software on the market.

Come tax time, financial and company data can be imported into TurboTax from QuickBooks. This effectively creates a one-stop shop for both accounting and taxation solutions. Plus, you can add your own independent tax preparer and/or accountant for collaboration purposes.

QuickBooks Small Business Pricing: From $20/month for the Simple Start package. From $60/month for the Plus package that includes all the features we listed above. Add-ons are available a la carte.

FreshBooks (Web, iOS, Android)

Best accounting software for creating and managing invoices

FreshBooks is one of the leading finance applications for small and mid-sized businesses, and that's largely due to its simplicity and easy-to-navigate user interface. For businesses with basic invoicing and expense tracking needs, FreshBooks offers a complete solution. Plus, you'll get the additional functionality of estimating, time-tracking, and project management.

Reporting functionality is relatively new to FreshBooks, and it's divided into four categories: Invoice & Expense, Payments, Accounting, and Time Tracking. Within these categories are more granular reports such as Expenses, Aged Accounts, Profit & Loss Statement, and Balance Sheet. FreshBooks reports stack up quite well with similarly priced competitors in terms of visual presentation, ease of date range customization, and ability to export via CSV or share with team members. FreshBooks can also help automatically reconcile any bank accounts you connect, and you (or your accountant) can easily access, view, and sort through your chart of accounts.

But where FreshBooks really stands out is invoice management. Simply click the clearly marked, green New Invoice button, and you'll be taken to the invoice composition screen where you can do things like drag and drop your company logo onto the header, select an existing customer from a dropdown menu, or set the invoice to be recurring with just a few clicks. You can also toggle various payment methods (e.g., credit/debit card, direct deposit, or PayPal) on and off with a single click from the invoice composition screen. When the invoice is ready, click Send, confirm the email of the customer (or enter a different one), and the process is complete.

Plus, FreshBooks' Zapier integration includes a number of triggers and actions for invoice management—among other things—so you can streamline your workflows even further.

FreshBooks Pricing: From $15/month for the Lite plan that includes up to 5 clients. The Plus plan is $25/month, and offers a richer set of features and up to 50 clients.

Wave (Web, iOS, Android)

Best free accounting software

For the most robust free plan of any accounting software on the market, try Wave. Unlike most other apps on this list, the free version of Wave provides basic features for invoicing, expense tracking, reporting, and basic payroll. And there's no sacrifice on user experience: It's sleek and easy to navigate, and the dashboard provides a handy cash flow snapshot, as well as real-time banking balance for the main account you have connected to Wave.

Other functions you'd have to pay for in other apps but will get for free with Wave: accepting credit card payment, account reconciliation, and a fairly robust suite of reporting. You can create essential accounting reports like the cash flow statement, balance sheet, and profit and loss, and you can even get a bit more granular with reports like income by client and expense per vendor. Plus, as part of the free plan, on both iOS and Android devices, you can scan receipts that are then automatically recorded in the system as an expense.

You'll need to upgrade if you want to include payroll, but it's still relatively inexpensive compared to most other solutions.

Wave's integration with Zapier will let you automatically record sales, create new invoices, and create new customers based on trigger events in the other apps you use most.

Wave Pricing: Free for basic accounting, invoicing, and reporting. From $20/month plus $4 per employee for payroll functionality.

Xero (Web, iOS, Android)

Best accounting software for advanced insights and reporting

The slogan for Xero's accounting software is "beautiful business," and their no-nonsense approach to user experience and functionality is a clear reflection of this philosophy. Xero has one of the most simplistic (but modern) designs while still managing to provide a robust suite of accounting and financial management capabilities.

But where Xero separates itself from the pack is in its report generation capabilities. Users can generate up to 14 pre-built financial statement reports, including everything from a standard income statement to a statement of shareholder's equity. And that's on top of the 50+ other reports that Xero provides in the following areas: sales, purchasing, inventory, taxation, payroll, asset management, and accounting.

Xero's accounting-specific reports include 16 pre-built reports, including a list of bank account transactions and the general ledger. Each report created in Xero is also easily customizable by date range, with a dropdown for monthly, yearly, quarterly, or custom. Xero provides everything you'd expect from accounting software, and it's perfect for those who want detailed financial insights without a cluttered UI.

Xero's Zapier integration allows you to automatically create sales invoices, contacts, bills, payments, purchase orders, and credit notes based on activity in the other apps in your tech stack.

Xero's highest tier plan, which clocks in at $60/month, also comes with project management functionality. Users can set milestones, assign team members to projects, and track income/expenses associated with various tasks.

Xero Pricing: From $9/month for the Early plan that has limits on number of invoices, bills, and bank transactions.

Zoho Books (Web, iOS, Android)

Best accounting software for tech stack integration

As a standalone accounting and financial management app, Zoho Books covers the basics. You can connect a bank account, send invoices, create estimates, and manage expenses. Under the Accounting tab, you'll be able to create/edit transactional journals manually, adjust currencies, and access your chart of accounts. Plus, Zoho takes a global approach to payment processing, offering a wider array of payment gateways than most other accounting apps.

But Zoho isn't just a standalone app—it's part of the Zoho suite. The company takes a unique a la carte approach to apps, allowing users to pay for the bits they need and ignore what they don't. If your business needs accounting and project management, but doesn't need payroll, you won't end up paying for features you don't use.

The Zoho family of apps includes everything from email and form creation to a full-fledged CRM. So if you want a one-and-done solution, you'll only need to log into Zoho for everything: lead generation, sales, project management, accounting, and everything in between. Of course, for those who are set on using Zoho Books as a standalone app, the Zapier integration still helps you automate most of your accounting tasks, connecting Zoho Books to your email marketing, CRM, and eCommerce platforms.

Zoho Books Pricing: From $9/month for the Basic plan that allows for one user and one accountant and basic accounting features.

Sage Intacct (Web, iOS)

Best accounting software for financial- and accounting- savvy users

Sage Corporation is one of the longstanding names in business and financial software, including SagePay for payments and Sage Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). So it's no surprise that Sage's business accounting app, Sage Intacct, is a reliable accounting solution that manages everything from invoicing and expenses to complex financial report generation.

Intacct offers pre-built industry setups for your accounting needs, with over ten templates from hospitality and healthcare to distribution and non-profits. If you run a health clinic, for example, Intacct's healthcare setup will include financial dashboards and reports that track expenses and income for each physician. Intacct's financial services template comes with reports that drill down into the performance of specific investment funds, and is actually certified as the preferred software of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Plus, Intacct's industry-specific setups are tailored to facilitate easy compliance with any relevant regulatory frameworks (HIPAA and GAAP, for example).

One of the knocks on Intacct (and Sage in general) is that the user interface feels a bit busy and outdated. An updated user interface (pictured above) is a big improvement over the previous Intacct UI, but it can still be overwhelming for those who don't have much experience with accounting or finance.

But for businesses with strong internal finance and accounting capabilities, Intacct represents a powerful tool for reporting, financial statement generation, and overall insights into the financial health of your business. And no other system is more "audit ready" than Intacct, should the IRS become involved.

Sage Intacct Pricing: Intacct functions on a custom, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscription model, where pricing is determined based on the functions and features desired. Per Sage, this typically ranges from $5,000/year for small businesses to $30,000/year for large enterprises with complex needs.

ZipBooks (Web, iOS)

Best accounting software for visually-oriented users

ZipBooks was one of the easiest apps for us to set up: You can set up your company, upload your branding assets, and connect your bank account in a matter of minutes. Plus, you can get started on ZipBooks with a free plan that allows for unlimited invoicing, customers, and bookkeeping.

The ease of use is likely due to the visual nature of the app: Everything is easy on the eyes and intuitive, even for accounting novices. You'll navigate ZipBooks through a side and top navigation, and each click makes sense. Click on Transactions, for example, and you'll be taken to a list of transactions in chronological order, color-coded green for income and red for expenses. Clicking on Reports will bring you to an overview, where categories such as Sales, Financial Reports, and Expenses are clearly displayed and color-coded.

While the sheer number of reports and dashboard options is fewer than some other apps, they can be generated in one click from that Reports screen by clicking Go next to the report name and description. And the reports themselves are also visually-oriented (e.g., line-item color coding).

Of course, it's not all about looks. ZipBooks offers some unique features, like the option to connect business review sites (e.g., Facebook and Yelp), and monitor reviews and reputation from within the application.

Finally, ZipBooks comes equipped with an automated "Invoice Quality Score" that rates each invoice from 1-100 as it's being drafted. You'll be alerted to things like missing addresses, lack of line item description, and other factors that might adversely affect your customers paying on time. The invoice score is clearly displayed on the right side, with colors corresponding to the quality of the score. A poor invoice quality score (25, for instance) would be displayed in red, while a near perfect one indicated in green. Users can instantly see if their invoice is missing information or needs improvement, preventing errors from slipping through the cracks.

ZipBooks Pricing: Free for unlimited invoicing, bookkeeping, and customers. From $15/month for the Smarter package that enables unlimited bank account connections, advanced bookkeeping, and the ability to add team members.

FreeAgent (Web, iOS, Android)

Best accounting software for businesses that bill for their time

FreeAgent is an accounting app designed specifically for freelancers, sole proprietors, and very small businesses. FreeAgent provides the basic necessities for accounting and financial management, including invoicing, expensing, and project time-tracking. While FreeAgent doesn't offer a complex suite of advanced functions, it performs very well for businesses that bill for their time. And because it integrates with Zapier, you can use it with all the other tools in your tech stack.

A graphic design business, for example, can create a website redesign project in FreeAgent and set hourly rates for various tasks (e.g., initial consulting, mockup proposals, or HTML). You also have the option to create a weekly timeslip that you'll invoice the customer for, or even set a live timer that can be started, stopped, or paused as you work on any given task. When it comes time to invoice, simply select the client and project, and FreeAgent will automatically import each timeslip as a line item on the invoice.

Project estimates and recurring invoices are also possible in FreeAgent, and unlike most other apps, there's a separate menu tab and page dedicated strictly to the 1040C part of your tax returns where you might need to itemize income, expenses, and deductions. The tax timeline on the FreeAgent dashboard also lets you quickly see what tax filing deadlines are on the horizon.

FreeAgent Pricing: FreeAgent has only one package: It's currently priced at $12/month for the first six months and $24/month for every month after that.

AccountingSuite (Web)

Best accounting software for for mass inventory, shipping, and logistics

When it comes to our top accounting apps, AccountingSuite is the ultimate in not judging a book by its cover. Although AccountingSuite's user interface may appear somewhat dated, once you peel away the layers, you'll find that it's a powerful application for businesses that manage large amounts of inventory, ship thousands of products on a daily basis, and need an accounting system that can sort and process the many transactions that type of business entails.

For starters, click on Sales Quotes in the Sales portion of the dashboard, create quotes, and convert them into orders when the sale is finalized. When items sold are ready to be shipped, you can then create a detailed shipping order, including a checkbox option for dropshipping. AccountingSuite will automatically do the math to see if there's enough inventory to fulfill the order, which warehouse it's best to ship from, and deduct the amount of inventory once it's shipped. The value of each sale will then be reflected in the accounting/banking portion of the system.

When it comes to reporting, AccountingSuite stands out in the area of inventory management. There are five granular inventory reports available, including things like Quantity on Hand by Location, Inventory Stock Status by Item, and Total Inventory Valuation. And for businesses that require an enterprise-scale CRM, a Zapier integration will automatically create a new company in AccountingSuite whenever new accounts are added in your CRM.

The rule of thumb here is that if your business involves a warehouse, tons of stock keeping units (SKUs), and mass shipping, then AccountingSuite should be a top consideration.

AccountingSuite Pricing: From $19/month for the StartUp plan that includes one user and basic features.

GoDaddy Bookkeeping (Web, iOS, Android)

Best accounting software for eCommerce businesses that sell from multiple sites

When you think of accounting software, web hosting giant GoDaddy probably isn't the first name that comes to mind. But for companies that conduct large volumes of eCommerce business on multiple sites like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy, GoDaddy Bookkeeping is a pleasant surprise.

While GoDaddy might not have the best reputation in its core hosting business, GoDaddy Bookkeeping does well serving a niche of eCommerce businesses looking for a cost-effective solution. Aside from core accounting and bookkeeping functionality, the app can automatically import sales data from eCommerce platforms like the ones mentioned above, as well as payment processing apps like PayPal.

GoDaddy Bookkeeping helps categorize income and expenses the way the government itemizes them on the Schedule C portion of tax returns. It can also show you a real-time eCommerce sales feed so you have visibility into the value of merchandise being moved at all times.

Reporting is fairly basic when it comes to pure accounting (only the P&L is readily available), but unique to GoDaddy Bookkeeping are more detailed sales and eCommerce reports. You'll be able to see things like sales by state, sales by top customers, and items most invoiced for.

GoDaddy Bookkeeping Pricing: From $4.99/month for the Get Paid plan that allows you to create invoices and estimates, accept payments, track mileage and time, and see current year business reports. From $9.99 for the Essentials plan that includes unlimited business reports, tax worksheets (Schedule C, sales tax, and more), and automatic import of your bank and credit card transactions as well as your sales data from your Amazon, PayPal, eBay, and Etsy.

OneUp Accounting (Web, iOS, Windows)

Best accounting software for all-in-one value, including accounting, CRM, and ERP

OneUp is a self-professed accounting app, but it's in the unique position of providing CRM, ERP, and inventory management functions at no extra cost. Unlike Zoho, where add-ons in these areas need to be carefully considered (and paid for), OneUp subscribers will automatically get these features.

With a CRM already integrated, you can follow the bulk of your customers' sales journey on one platform, from lead generation and quoting to invoicing and inventory management. Bank accounts can be automatically connected, or you can manually enter transactions via standard bookkeeping functionality. On the ERP and inventory management end, you'll be able to automate inventory ordering, track shipping, and even email delivery drivers directly from the platform.

For businesses that focus on inventory management and sales processes, OneUp might not be the best-of-breed, but it's certainly a great value and one of the few all-in-one ERP, CRM, and accounting solutions.

OneUp Accounting Pricing: From $9/month for the Self plan for one user. Functionality is the same across all price plans, with customers simply paying additional subscription fees for more users.

SlickPie (Web)

Best accounting software for micro businesses

SlickPie was designed with a simple purpose in mind: Provide micro business owners with an accounting system that's affordable, functional, and intuitive. Micro businesses tend to operate with less than $250,000 in annual sales and assets (combined) and fewer than five employees, including the owner. So if you do plan on growing your business, it's inevitable that you'll outgrow SlickPie.

But for businesses that intend on remaining small, SlickPie provides an easy-to-understand interface, with invoicing, expensing, vendor management, and basic inventory features. SlickPie users can accept payment via credit/debit card, PayPal, or Stripe, and connect their bank accounts for a live transaction feed. There are a total of 12 reports available, including core financials such as P&L, trial balance, and aged payable/receivables.

SlickPie's MagicBot technology can automatically pull data from receipts and enter them into your bookkeeping transaction log. You'll upload pictures of your physical receipts to a specified Dropbox folder, provide MagicBot access, and let it do the rest.

SlickPie Pricing: Free for the Starter plan that includes up to ten company accounts and customer support via email. $19.95/month for the Pro plan that includes 50 company accounts and customer support via email and phone. Both packages are equal in terms of core micro business accounting capabilities.

Akuanting (Web, On-Premise)

Best open source accounting software

Akaunting is free, open source accounting software designed to help small-to-medium sized businesses manage finances, track cash flow, and perform bookkeeping functions. Like other open-source solutions, Akaunting was built (and is continuously upgraded) based on the input and coding of software developers around the world. And for something you'll never pay a nickel for, Akaunting covers all the core accounting functions.

You have the option of downloading the software to run on your own machine or accessing a cloud-based version like most other solutions. There's also a dedicated open source app exchange, where you can download and connect apps to extend the functionality of Akaunting. Some are free, while others like WooCommerce, Stripe, and Slack will have to be purchased on an annual basis.

There are six basic pre-built reports available through Akaunting: P&L, Income Summary, Expense Summary, Income vs. Expense, and Tax Summary. Overall, Akaunting is the best-of-breed in open source, compared with other options like Xtuple and GnuCash. It's great for businesses that want to conserve financial capital, but are willing (and able) to invest the internal IT resources and manpower configuring the app to their specifications.

Akaunting Pricing: Free. App extensions range from free to $70/year.

Kashoo (Web, iOS)

Best accounting software for easy transaction entry and tracking

Kashoo eliminates much of the jargon and complexity generally associated with bookkeeping. You can get up and running with Kashoo quickly, with easy access to invoices, bills, and an accounting journal.

As we tested, we found Kashoo was the easiest to use when recording multiple income and expense transactions. The home screen is presented more like a workbench interface, as opposed to a more standard dashboard or snapshot. On logging in, you're presented with two primary tab options: Enter Income and Enter Expenses. When entering income or expenses, a dropdown menu lets you choose where the money went or came from (e.g., bank account or cash). And for each line item, another dropdown menu helps you categorize each transaction for accounting purposes. This is especially useful when logging expenses, as standard categories like rent, advertising, and payroll are already pre-built into the Kashoo interface.

You can then access your lists of income and expenses via links on the right side. From either the income or expense reporting screens, you can view a list of transactions in chronological order and export a record via Excel, CSV, or Google Sheets spreadsheet.

With regards to payments, Kashoo connects with (and accepts transactions from) Stripe, Square, and Bluepay. Kashoo is a great app for beginners who are new to bookkeeping, and whose business doesn't require any advanced peripheral functions or reporting.

Kashoo Pricing: From $16.65/month, billed annually; includes core functions such as invoicing and expense tracking, as well as multiple currencies and the ability to add unlimited users.

Billy (Web, Android)

Best accounting software for novices who value simplicity

As you might expect from its name, Billy is of the so-easy-a-kid-could-use-it variety. The interface is colorful and simplistic, and performing any core function is simple.

For example, there are big, green Create invoice and Create bill buttons on the dashboard, or you can drag and drop bills directly onto the dashboard. Once you're on the invoice creation screen, you'll choose an existing customer (or create a new one), enter the line items, and send an approved invoice in a matter of seconds. Billy's quote-to-invoice feature is just as simple. Send your customers a quote, they'll approve it online, and then you just click the Convert to invoice button in the upper right to convert, approve, and send the invoice without having to make any changes.

Billy partners with Fundbox, which means that businesses that are seeking funding can request capital from Fundbox from within the Billy app, and potential funding sources can use financial data within Billy to determine the appropriate terms.

Billy Pricing: From $15/month for the Silver plan, with core accounting functionality and unlimited branded invoicing.

Which App Should I Use?

When choosing the right accounting app for your business, it's important to work backward in terms of your current processes, future goals, and budgetary constraints. If your needs are complex and you plan on growing, a solution like QuickBooks or Xero might be the right choice. If you're small (and plan on staying that way), then apps like Wave, FreeAgent, or Billy will do the trick. Whatever you choose, be sure to automate your accounting software for maximum efficiency.

Related reading:

• The Best Accounting Software for Freelancers in 2019
• Our Favorite Zaps: Turn Your Accounting App Into a Personal Assistant

source https://zapier.com/blog/best-accounting-software/