AI & Tools
Software and tools for a small business: the CRM, the books, the email list, the website, the phone number, label printers, and the AI tools people use to build. Prices in the guides are taken from vendor pages and go stale, so check the date on each one. This hub also holds what used to sit under Build & Launch. How a guide is assembled is on How we review.
The guides
| Guide | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Best simple CRM | A CRM a one-person business will still update, and when a spreadsheet is enough |
| Accounting software | QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Wave and Xero, plus a UK note |
| Email marketing | Platforms for a small list, and what they cost as the list grows |
| AI website builders | Wix, Hostinger, Framer and the rest, plus how to make a landing page |
| AI coding tools | Builders, editors and agents for non-developers, and what to check after you build |
| Zapier vs Make vs n8n | Which automation tool fits a small business, and what to automate first |
| Business phone number (US) | OpenPhone, Google Voice, Grasshopper and Dialpad |
| Best label printer | Shipping, product and office printers compared by daily volume |
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CRM
Best simple CRMs for a small business
You don't have a sales team. You have follow-ups that die in a browser tab. The right CRM is the one still open in three months.
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Accounting
Accounting software for freelancers
FreshBooks, QuickBooks, Xero and Wave, with Wave vs QuickBooks, FreshBooks vs QuickBooks, and invoicing folded in. UK readers: the FreeAgent note is marked.
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Email
Best email marketing platforms
Kit, Beehiiv, MailerLite, Brevo and Mailchimp. The list is the audience you actually own.
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Websites
AI website builders for a small business
What the site costs at renewal, and a five-part landing page you can build without a designer.
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AI coding
AI coding tools for non-developers
In-browser builders, AI editors and agents, plus the checks that matter before anyone pays.
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Automation
Zapier vs Make vs n8n
Five automations with a real payback, and which of the three tools is the sane default.
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Phone
Business phone number for a small business (US)
A second number and call notes, not a phone system built for a call centre.
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Shipping
Best label printer for a small business
Rollo, DYMO, Brother and Zebra for shipping, product and office labels, split by how many you print a day.