Software alternatives for solo businesses, compared

	WordPress (self-hosted)	Carrd
Price	Free software. Hosting and a domain are extra and depend on the provider you choose.	Pro Lite $9 a year (3 sites); Pro Standard $19 a year (10 sites, custom domains); Pro Plus $49 a year (25 sites).
Free plan	The software is free and open source. You need web hosting and a domain, which you pay for separately.	Free one-page sites (up to 3) on a carrd.co address, with "Made with Carrd" branding. Your own domain needs Pro Standard or higher.
Best for	Bloggers and businesses that want full control, any plugin and room to grow.	Freelancers and creators who need a one-page site, cheaply.
Works on	Web browser	Web browser
Open source	Yes	No
Pros	No platform fee and no lock-in Can grow into almost any kind of site	Your own domain for $19 a year Very fast to build
Cons	You're responsible for updates, backups and security Hosting costs money, even if the software doesn't	One page per site only Not suited to blogs or shops
Key features	Thousands of free themes and plugins Blog, pages and online shop (with WooCommerce) Full ownership of your content Moves between hosting companies	One-page sites and landing pages Templates for portfolios and link-in-bio Forms and embeds (Pro) Custom domain (Pro Standard)
Links	Alternatives WordPress website	Alternatives Carrd website

Scheduling and booking

Booking pages so clients can pick a time without the back-and-forth emails.

Calendly

Free plan

The best-known booking-page tool: share a link and clients pick a slot that fits your calendar.

Price: Standard from $10 per seat a month; Teams from $16. Calendly's page didn't say whether these are monthly or yearly-billing rates.
Free plan: One event type, one connected calendar, one-on-one meetings, a customizable booking page and the browser extension.
Best for: Consultants whose clients already know and expect a Calendly link.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android, Browser extension

Compare Calendly alternatives

Cal.com

Free planOpen source

An open-source scheduling app with a free plan aimed squarely at one-person businesses.

Price: Teams $12 per user a month and Organizations $28, both billed yearly. 14-day trial.
Free plan: 1 user, unlimited event types and calendars, email and SMS notifications, 100+ integrations, Stripe and PayPal payments. Cal.com says there are no usage limits.
Best for: Solo consultants and coaches who want paid bookings and several meeting types for free.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android, Browser extension

Compare Cal.com alternatives

TidyCal

Free plan

A simple booking-page tool from AppSumo that you can buy once instead of subscribing.

Price: Individual Lifetime $29 one-time (sold on AppSumo); Pro $12 a month or $99 a year, which removes branding and platform fees.
Free plan: Unlimited booking types and 1 connected calendar. Paid bookings carry a 1% TidyCal platform fee on top of Stripe's fees.
Best for: Freelancers who want paid bookings without another monthly subscription.
Works on: Web browser

Compare TidyCal alternatives

Zoho Bookings

Free plan

Zoho's appointment scheduler, with a free plan for one user and low-cost paid tiers.

Price: Basic $6 per user a month billed yearly ($8 monthly); Premium $9 billed yearly ($12 monthly).
Free plan: Forever free for 1 user: online meetings, email notifications and reminders, two-way sync with Zoho, Google and Microsoft 365/Outlook.com calendars.
Best for: Anyone already using Zoho apps, or who wants the cheapest paid scheduler.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Zoho Bookings alternatives

Acuity Scheduling

Free trial

Squarespace's appointment scheduler, built for service businesses that take bookings and payments every day.

Price: Starter $16 a month billed yearly ($20 monthly); Standard $27 ($34); Premium $55 ($69).
Free plan: No free plan. 7-day trial, no credit card needed.
Best for: Coaches, therapists, trainers and salons that sell sessions, packages or gift certificates.
Works on: Web browser

Compare Acuity Scheduling alternatives

Google Calendar appointment schedules

Free plan

Booking pages built into Google Calendar, so there's no new account to set up.

Price: Included with your Google account; premium features come with Google One or Google Workspace plans (priced separately by Google).
Free plan: Personal Google accounts can create basic booking pages. Some features need an eligible Google One or Google Workspace plan; taking payments (through Stripe) is not included with Google One Premium but is with Workspace Individual and Business plans.
Best for: People who already pay for Google Workspace and need simple booking pages.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Google Calendar appointment schedules alternatives

E-signature

Send contracts and proposals for a legally recognised electronic signature.

DocuSign eSignature

The most widely recognised e-signature service, priced by the number of envelopes you send.

Price: Personal $11 a month billed yearly ($132 a year, 5 envelopes a month); Standard $30 per user a month billed yearly (100 envelopes per user a year).
Free plan: No free plan. Annual plans can be refunded within 30 days of purchase.
Best for: Businesses whose clients or industry expect DocuSign specifically.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare DocuSign eSignature alternatives

Dropbox Sign

Free plan

Dropbox's e-signature service (formerly HelloSign), with unlimited signature requests on paid plans.

Price: Essentials $15 a month billed monthly (less when billed yearly; the yearly figures on Dropbox's page were inconsistent when we checked); Standard $25 per user a month.
Free plan: 3 signature requests a month, renewing every 30 days; templates aren't included.
Best for: Dropbox users who send contracts every week.
Works on: Web browser

Compare Dropbox Sign alternatives

SignWell

Free plan

A straightforward e-signature tool with unlimited documents on its cheapest paid plan.

Price: Light $10 a month billed yearly ($12 monthly), unlimited documents; Business $30 billed yearly ($36 monthly) with 3 senders.
Free plan: 3 documents a month, 1 sender, 1 template.
Best for: Freelancers who send a handful of contracts a month and want the lowest price.
Works on: Web browser

Compare SignWell alternatives

PandaDoc

Free plan

Proposal and quote software with e-signature built in, rather than e-signature alone.

Price: Starter $19 per seat a month billed yearly; Business $49 per seat a month billed yearly.
Free plan: Free eSign plan with no card required. PandaDoc's own pages give different document limits (60 a year on one page, 5 a month on another); the free plan leaves out analytics, branding, bulk send and integrations.
Best for: Consultants who send proposals with pricing tables and want them signed in the same document.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare PandaDoc alternatives

Documenso

Free planOpen source

An open-source e-signature platform you can use hosted or run on your own server.

Price: Individual $300 a year (about $25 a month) with unlimited documents; Teams $480 a year.
Free plan: 5 documents a month, up to 10 recipients per document, no card required.
Best for: Technical solo founders who want an open-source or self-hosted option.
Works on: Web browser

Compare Documenso alternatives

Password managers

Store and fill your passwords, and share logins with a client or assistant safely.

LastPass

Free plan

A long-running password manager with a free plan limited to one type of device.

Price: LastPass's own blog (updated May 13, 2026) lists Premium at $3 a month and Families at $4 a month for up to 6 people, both billed yearly. Its pricing page didn't display prices when we checked.
Free plan: Unlimited passwords, autofill, dark web monitoring and basic sharing, but on one device type only: desktop or mobile, not both. Premium has a 30-day free trial.
Best for: People who only ever log in from a computer, or only from a phone.
Works on: Browser extension, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare LastPass alternatives

1Password

Free trial

A polished paid password manager with apps for every major platform.

Price: Individual $3.99 a month billed yearly; Families $5.99 a month billed yearly for 5 people. New customers get a first-year promotion ($2.99 and $4.49 when we checked). 14-day free trial.
Free plan: No free plan. 14-day free trial.
Best for: People who want the smoothest apps and are happy to pay a few dollars a month.
Works on: Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and iPad, Android, Browser extension

Compare 1Password alternatives

Bitwarden

Free planOpen source

An open-source password manager whose free plan works on unlimited devices.

Price: Premium $1.65 a month ($19.80 billed yearly); Families $3.99 a month for up to 6 people; Teams $4 per user a month.
Free plan: Unlimited passwords on unlimited devices; share items with one other person.
Best for: Anyone who wants a capable free password manager on both computer and phone.
Works on: Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and iPad, Android, Browser extension

Compare Bitwarden alternatives

Proton Pass

Free planOpen source

Proton's password manager, with built-in email aliases to hide your real address.

Price: Pass Plus $2.99 a month billed yearly ($35.88); Pass Family $4.99 a month billed yearly.
Free plan: Unlimited devices, 2 vaults, 10 hide-my-email aliases, and vault sharing with 2 other people. The built-in 2FA authenticator and sharing single items need Pass Plus.
Best for: Privacy-minded users, especially anyone already using Proton Mail.
Works on: Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and iPad, Android, Browser extension

Compare Proton Pass alternatives

Email marketing and newsletters

Collect subscribers, send newsletters and automate welcome emails.

Mailchimp

Free plan

The best-known email marketing platform, now owned by Intuit, priced by number of contacts.

Price: Essentials from $13 a month, Standard from $20 (introductory prices shown when we checked; the price rises with your contact count).
Free plan: Up to 250 contacts and 500 emails a month (250 a day). Mailchimp branding stays on, and marketing automation flows aren't included.
Best for: Small shops that want email, landing pages and e-commerce integrations from one well-known brand.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Mailchimp alternatives

Kit (formerly ConvertKit)

Free plan

An email platform for creators, with a free plan that goes up to 10,000 subscribers.

Price: Creator $39 a month for up to 1,000 subscribers, or $390 a year (2 months free); Creator Pro $79 a month. Prices rise with your subscriber count.
Free plan: Free while you stay under 10,000 subscribers: unlimited forms, landing pages and broadcasts, tagging and A/B tests. Visual automations and email sequences need a paid plan.
Best for: Writers and creators building a newsletter who don't need automations yet.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Kit alternatives

MailerLite

Free plan

A low-cost email marketing tool with automations included on its free plan.

Price: Comfort from $12 a month and Power from $25 a month at the lowest subscriber tier; about 10% less billed yearly.
Free plan: Up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, 2 seats, 3 active automations (up to 5 steps each), 1 website and 1 landing page, and up to 3 active forms. Removing the MailerLite logo needs a paid plan.
Best for: Small businesses that want a welcome sequence without paying yet.
Works on: Web browser

Compare MailerLite alternatives

Brevo

Free plan

An email and SMS platform (formerly Sendinblue) that prices by emails sent rather than contacts.

Price: Starter from $9 a month for 5,000 emails a month.
Free plan: Up to 300 emails a day with no end date. Brevo's own pages give different contact limits for the free plan, so check its pricing page.
Best for: Businesses with a large but quiet contact list who email it occasionally.
Works on: Web browser

Compare Brevo alternatives

beehiiv

Free plan

A newsletter platform with a website, podcast hosting and a recommendation network built in.

Price: Lite $49 a month billed yearly ($59 monthly) for up to 1,000 subscribers; Pro $95 billed yearly ($109 monthly).
Free plan: Up to 2,500 subscribers, 1 publication, unlimited sends, a website and a podcast with up to 5,000 downloads a month.
Best for: Newsletter-first creators who want a publication website as well as email.
Works on: Web browser

Compare beehiiv alternatives

Invoicing and accounting

Send invoices, get paid and keep the books tidy for tax time.

QuickBooks Online

Free trial

Intuit's cloud accounting software, the default choice of many US accountants.

Price: Simple Start $38 a month for 1 user; Essentials $85 (3 users); Plus $140 (5 users). A 50%-off-for-3-months offer was showing when we checked.
Free plan: No free plan. 30-day free trial.
Best for: Businesses whose accountant works in QuickBooks, or that will need payroll and inventory later.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare QuickBooks Online alternatives

FreshBooks

Free trial

Invoicing-first accounting software built around service businesses and their clients.

Price: Lite $23 a month (5 billable clients); Plus $43 (50 clients); Premium $70 (unlimited). An 80%-off-for-4-months offer was showing when we checked.
Free plan: No free plan. 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
Best for: Freelancers and consultants who bill a small number of clients.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare FreshBooks alternatives

Wave

Free plan

Free invoicing and bookkeeping, paid for mainly through card-processing fees.

Price: Pro $19 a month or $190 a year: automatic bank imports, receipt capture and late-payment reminders.
Free plan: Starter is $0: unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records, plus mobile invoicing. Card payments cost 2.9% + $0.60 (Amex 3.4% + $0.60).
Best for: Freelancers who want free invoicing and simple books.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Wave alternatives

Zoho Invoice

Free plan

A completely free invoicing app from Zoho, with no paid tier to upsell.

Price: Free. (Zoho's full accounting product, Zoho Books, is sold separately.)
Free plan: Forever free: up to 500 invoices a year, 2 users, 3 projects and up to 2 organizations.
Best for: Freelancers who need invoices, quotes and payment reminders but not full accounting.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Zoho Invoice alternatives

Xero

Cloud accounting software that's especially common with accountants in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Price: US: Early $27 a month (20 invoices and quotes, 5 bills); Growing $59; Established $97. A 90%-off-for-6-months offer for new US customers ends November 2, 2026.
Free plan: No free plan.
Best for: Businesses whose accountant uses Xero, or outside the US.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Xero alternatives

Card payments

Take card and bank payments online, by invoice or in person.

Stripe

No monthly fee

Online payments with no monthly fee, plus invoices, payment links and subscriptions.

Price: US: 2.9% + 30¢ per domestic online card payment; 2.7% + 5¢ in person; ACH Direct Debit 0.8% capped at $5. International cards +1.5%, currency conversion +1%. Stripe Invoicing adds 0.4% per paid invoice (Starter).
Free plan: No monthly or setup fee; you pay per transaction.
Best for: Online businesses and freelancers who invoice by card.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Stripe alternatives

PayPal

No monthly fee

The payment brand most clients already have an account with.

Price: US: PayPal Checkout 3.49% + $0.49; card processing 2.99% + $0.49; invoice Pay by Bank 1% capped at $10; QR code 2.29% + $0.09. International +1.5%.
Free plan: No monthly fee for standard payments; you pay per transaction.
Best for: Selling to clients who prefer paying with a PayPal balance or account.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare PayPal alternatives

Square

Free plan

Card payments for in-person and online sales, with a free point-of-sale plan.

Price: US Free plan: 2.6% + 15¢ in person; 3.3% + 30¢ online and on invoices; 3.5% + 15¢ manually keyed; invoice ACH 1% ($1 minimum). Cards issued abroad +1.5%.
Free plan: Square Free plan: no monthly fee, you pay per transaction.
Best for: Businesses that take payments face to face as well as online.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Square alternatives

SEO tools

See what people search for, fix technical problems and get your pages into Google and Bing.

Google Search Console

Free plan

Google's own free dashboard showing which searches bring people to your site and whether your pages are indexed.

Price: Free. Google describes it as "a free service offered by Google".
Free plan: Completely free. You verify that you own the site, then get search queries, clicks, rankings, indexing reports, sitemap submission and URL inspection.
Best for: Every site owner. Set it up before any other SEO tool.
Works on: Web browser

Compare Google Search Console alternatives

Bing Webmaster Tools

Free plan

Microsoft's free equivalent of Search Console for Bing, which also feeds results to other search and AI tools.

Price: Free with a Microsoft, Google or Facebook account.
Free plan: Free. Import verified sites and sitemaps from Google Search Console (up to 100 at a time), then see Bing search performance, site scans and backlinks.
Best for: Site owners who already use Search Console: you can import your sites from it in a few clicks.
Works on: Web browser

Compare Bing Webmaster Tools alternatives

Ahrefs Free (formerly Ahrefs Webmaster Tools)

Free plan

A free version of Ahrefs for sites you own: site audits, backlinks and the keywords you rank for.

Price: Free for verified sites. Researching competitors' sites needs a paid Ahrefs subscription (see Ahrefs' pricing page).
Free plan: Free for an unlimited number of sites you verify: Site Audit with 5,000 crawl credits per project a month, up to 1,000 backlinks and keywords visible at once, and web analytics up to 1M events per project.
Best for: Bloggers who want backlink and keyword data on their own site without paying for Ahrefs.
Works on: Web browser

Compare Ahrefs Free alternatives

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Free plan

A desktop crawler that finds broken links, redirects, missing titles and duplicate pages across a site.

Price: Licence £199 a year (about £16.58 a month); £169 per licence for 20 or more. The page showed pounds; a dollar price is available by switching currency.
Free plan: Free download that crawls up to 500 URLs per crawl. A licence removes the limit and unlocks saving crawls and advanced features.
Best for: Small sites (under 500 URLs) that want a full technical check on the desktop.
Works on: Windows, Mac, Linux

Compare Screaming Frog SEO Spider alternatives

Yoast SEO

Free planOpen source

The most installed WordPress SEO plugin: titles, meta descriptions, XML sitemaps, schema and breadcrumbs.

Price: Yoast SEO Premium $118.80 a year (ex VAT) for one site, about $9.90 a month.
Free plan: Free plugin with meta title and description controls, XML sitemaps, schema.org structured data and a breadcrumbs block. AI features and extra schema need Premium.
Best for: WordPress bloggers who want the SEO basics handled automatically.
Works on: Web browser

Compare Yoast SEO alternatives

Social media and design

Schedule posts, answer messages and make graphics without a designer.

Buffer

Free plan

A simple social media scheduler with a free-forever plan for up to three channels.

Price: Essentials $5 a month per channel billed monthly, or $60 a year per channel.
Free plan: Free forever: up to 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time (refill as they go out) and 1 user.
Best for: Solo businesses posting to a few networks who want a calm, simple scheduler.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android, Browser extension

Compare Buffer alternatives

Metricool

Free plan

A social media planner and analytics tool with a free plan for one brand.

Price: Starter from €16 a month billed yearly or €20 billed monthly (the page showed euros when we checked).
Free plan: 1 brand, up to 20 scheduled posts a month, one connection per network. LinkedIn and X (Twitter) aren't included on the free plan.
Best for: Creators who want scheduling and analytics for one brand in a single dashboard.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Metricool alternatives

Meta Business Suite

Free plan

Meta's free tool for scheduling Facebook and Instagram posts and answering messages from one inbox.

Price: Free. You pay only for any ads you choose to run.
Free plan: Free. Schedule posts and stories, reply to Facebook, Messenger and Instagram messages in one inbox, and see insights.
Best for: Businesses that market mainly on Facebook and Instagram.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Meta Business Suite alternatives

Canva

Free plan

A browser-based design tool with templates for social posts, presentations, flyers and more.

Price: Canva Pro is priced per person on Canva's pricing page, which blocked our check. Third-party trackers reported changes in 2026, so check the official page.
Free plan: Free plan for one person with templates and basic design tools. Premium templates, background remover and brand kits need Canva Pro.
Best for: Anyone who needs good-looking graphics without design software or a designer.
Works on: Web browser, Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Canva alternatives

Hootsuite

Free trial

A full social media management suite aimed at teams and agencies.

Price: Standard from $99 a month; Hootsuite says displayed prices are based on annual billing and exclude taxes.
Free plan: No free plan. 14-day free trial, no credit card required (with daily posting limits during the trial).
Best for: Businesses that need approval workflows, social listening and reporting across many accounts.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Hootsuite alternatives

Website builders

Get a professional site or landing page online, from a one-page link-in-bio to a full blog.

WordPress (self-hosted)

Free if self-hostedOpen source

The free, open-source software behind a large share of the web. You install it on hosting you pay for.

Price: Free software. Hosting and a domain are extra and depend on the provider you choose.
Free plan: The software is free and open source. You need web hosting and a domain, which you pay for separately.
Best for: Bloggers and businesses that want full control, any plugin and room to grow.
Works on: Web browser

Compare WordPress alternatives

WordPress.com

Free plan

Hosted WordPress: start a site or blog with no setup and upgrade for your own domain.

Price: Personal $4 a month billed yearly, or $9 billed monthly ($2.75 a month billed every 3 years).
Free plan: Free plan with a WordPress.com subdomain and 1 GB of storage. Visitors see WordPress.com ads, and you can't use a custom domain or install plugins.
Best for: Bloggers who want WordPress without managing hosting.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare WordPress.com alternatives

Carrd

Free plan

A builder for simple one-page sites: landing pages, portfolios and link-in-bio pages.

Price: Pro Lite $9 a year (3 sites); Pro Standard $19 a year (10 sites, custom domains); Pro Plus $49 a year (25 sites).
Free plan: Free one-page sites (up to 3) on a carrd.co address, with "Made with Carrd" branding. Your own domain needs Pro Standard or higher.
Best for: Freelancers and creators who need a one-page site, cheaply.
Works on: Web browser

Compare Carrd alternatives

Wix

Free plan

A drag-and-drop website builder with hosting, templates and add-ons for bookings and shops.

Price: Light from $17.77 a month, billed yearly (Wix says prices vary by location).
Free plan: Free plan on a username.wixsite.com address with Wix branding. Connecting your own domain and removing branding need a Premium plan.
Best for: Local service businesses that want a full site with bookings, without touching code.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Wix alternatives

Google Sites

Free plan

Google's simple, free site builder that works like editing a Google Doc.

Price: Free. Buying a domain through Google requires a Google Workspace plan, priced separately.
Free plan: Free with a Google account. Sites live on a sites.google.com address, or you can connect a domain you already own.
Best for: A quick free site, client portal or internal page, especially if you already use Google Drive.
Works on: Web browser

Compare Google Sites alternatives

Squarespace

Free trial

A polished website builder known for design-led templates, with commerce built in.

Price: Basic $19 a month billed yearly, or $25 billed monthly.
Free plan: No free plan. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
Best for: Creators and consultants who care most about a premium look.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Squarespace alternatives

Productivity and projects

Notes, to-do lists and project boards to keep client work on track.

Notion

Free plan

An all-in-one workspace for notes, documents, databases and simple project tracking.

Price: Plus $10 per seat a month billed monthly; Notion says yearly billing saves up to 20%.
Free plan: Free for individuals: pages and databases, 7-day page history, 5 MB file uploads and a trial of Notion AI.
Best for: Solo businesses that want notes, client wikis and project tracking in one place.
Works on: Web browser, Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Notion alternatives

Trello

Free plan

Kanban boards for tracking work as cards that move from to-do to done.

Price: Standard $5 per user a month billed yearly, or $6 billed monthly.
Free plan: Free for up to 10 collaborators per Workspace, up to 10 boards per Workspace, unlimited Power-Ups and 10 MB per file.
Best for: Visual thinkers who track client projects or content as stages.
Works on: Web browser, Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Trello alternatives

Todoist

Free plan

A fast, clean to-do list app that understands dates typed in plain English.

Price: Pro $5 a month billed yearly ($60 a year), or $7 billed monthly.
Free plan: Beginner plan is $0: 5 personal projects, 3 filter views, 1 week of activity history and 5 MB uploads.
Best for: Anyone whose main need is a reliable personal task list on every device.
Works on: Web browser, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and iPad, Android, Browser extension

Compare Todoist alternatives

ClickUp

Free plan

A project management app with tasks, docs, goals and time tracking in one tool.

Price: Unlimited $7 per user a month billed yearly, or $10 billed monthly.
Free plan: Free Forever plan with unlimited members and 60 MB of file storage (only attachments count).
Best for: Freelancers juggling several clients who want tasks, docs and time tracking together.
Works on: Web browser, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and iPad, Android, Browser extension

Compare ClickUp alternatives

Obsidian

Free plan

A private notes app that stores everything as plain Markdown files on your own device.

Price: App free. Sync $4 a month billed yearly ($5 monthly); Publish $8 per site a month billed yearly ($10 monthly); optional commercial licence $50 per user a year.
Free plan: Free without limits, including for work. Sync between devices and publishing a site are optional paid add-ons.
Best for: Writers and consultants who want fast, private notes they fully own.
Works on: Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Obsidian alternatives

AI writing and assistants

Draft, edit and brainstorm faster with AI chat assistants and writing checkers.

ChatGPT

Free plan

OpenAI's AI assistant for drafting, rewriting, brainstorming and answering questions.

Price: Go $8 a month and Plus $20 a month in the US; Pro $200 a month. Plus has no yearly billing option.
Free plan: Free tier available to everyone, with usage limits on the most capable models. OpenAI says it will test ads on the Free and Go tiers in the US.
Best for: General writing help, from emails and outlines to social posts.
Works on: Web browser, Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare ChatGPT alternatives

Claude

Free plan

Anthropic's AI assistant, often used for long documents, careful editing and writing in your own voice.

Price: Pro $17 a month billed yearly ($200 up front) or $20 billed monthly; Max from $100 a month.
Free plan: Free for everyone on web, desktop and mobile: chat, web search, file creation, memory and up to 5 projects. Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour window; the Opus model isn't included.
Best for: Long-form writing and editing, and working through long documents.
Works on: Web browser, Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad, Android, Browser extension

Compare Claude alternatives

Google Gemini

Free plan

Google's AI assistant, connected to Gmail, Docs and the rest of your Google account on paid plans.

Price: Google AI Plus $4.99 a month; Google AI Pro $19.99 a month; Google AI Ultra from $99.99 a month (US).
Free plan: Free with a Google account: chat, image generation and editing, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas and Gems, with 15 GB of storage.
Best for: People who live in Gmail and Google Docs.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Google Gemini alternatives

Grammarly

Free plan

A writing checker that fixes spelling and grammar wherever you type, with AI rewrites on paid plans.

Price: Pro $12 a month (the page didn't say whether that's billed yearly or monthly), with 2,000 AI prompts per member a month.
Free plan: Free spelling and grammar checks, tone detection and 100 AI prompts a month. Full-sentence rewrites and tone adjustment need Pro.
Best for: Anyone who writes client emails and proposals and wants a safety net for mistakes.
Works on: Web browser, Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad, Android, Browser extension

Compare Grammarly alternatives

Website analytics

Learn where visitors come from and what they do on your site.

Google Analytics 4

Free plan

Google's free web analytics: visitors, traffic sources, conversions and more.

Price: Free (Analytics 360 is a separate enterprise product).
Free plan: Free. Google says it gives you the tools "free of charge". The enterprise version, Analytics 360, is sold separately.
Best for: Sites that run Google Ads or need detailed conversion tracking.
Works on: Web browser, iPhone and iPad, Android

Compare Google Analytics 4 alternatives

Microsoft Clarity

Free plan

Free heatmaps and session recordings that show how visitors actually use your pages.

Price: Free. Microsoft says "Free forever" and "No limits on traffic".
Free plan: Free forever, with no traffic limits: heatmaps, session recordings and dashboards.
Best for: Finding out why visitors leave a page or don't click your call to action.
Works on: Web browser

Compare Microsoft Clarity alternatives

Plausible Analytics

Free trialOpen source

Lightweight, privacy-friendly analytics on one simple page, without cookies.

Price: Starter $9 a month for up to 10,000 monthly pageviews; yearly billing gives 2 months free.
Free plan: No free hosted plan: 30-day free trial, no credit card required. The code is public, and you can host it yourself for free if you're technical.
Best for: Bloggers who want simple, privacy-friendly stats and will pay a little for it.
Works on: Web browser

Compare Plausible Analytics alternatives

Umami

Free planOpen source

Open-source, privacy-focused analytics with a free cloud plan for one website.

Price: Pro $20 a month, with a 14-day free trial.
Free plan: Hobby plan: free for 1 website, up to 100K events a month, with 6 months of data retention. Self-hosting is free.
Best for: A small site that wants simple, privacy-friendly stats for free.
Works on: Web browser

Compare Umami alternatives

Matomo

Free if self-hostedOpen source

An open-source alternative to Google Analytics that you can host yourself for free.

Price: Cloud from $29 a month (ex tax). The pricing page also showed a conflicting yearly figure when we checked, so confirm there.
Free plan: Matomo On-Premise (Community) is free forever to download and host yourself. The hosted Cloud version is paid, with a free trial.
Best for: Site owners who want Google Analytics-style reports on their own server.
Works on: Web browser

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