21 Best SaaS Tools Most Popular for Startups in 2025 

Ask any successful startup what keeps them going, and out comes the response: a tech stack made up of strategic SaaS tools.

And why not? SaaS tools are affordable. They’re easy to use, often requiring just a few clicks to accomplish tasks. And they streamline the way you communicate, handle tasks, and improve teamwork. Reportedly, 70% of businesses leverage SaaS tools, and 78% store sensitive data within them:

But the trouble is, there are too many options available today. After in-depth research and insights from industry experts, we’ve curated a list of 21 essential SaaS tools to kickstart your growth journey.

What Are SaaS Tools? 

SaaS tools are cloud-based apps in which your service provider makes the app available to you using the internet. In that, as a user, you get to access software on demand. With SaaS tools, you don’t need to install the software physically. SaaS management platforms (SMPs) help optimize software usage and costs, while SaaS providers play a crucial role in streamlining business operations and improving customer engagement.

These tools:

• Are only accessible online
• Do not need to be installed physically
• Work with a subscription-based pricing model

SaaS Tools Categories: Overview

Category	Best SaaS Tools
Project management	Nifty, Jira, Asana
Team collaboration	Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom
HR management	PeopleForce, GoCo, Workday
Accounting	FinancialCents, Xero, Freshbooks
Customer support	Olark, Zendesk, Intercom
Time-tracking	Clockify, Hubstaff, Toggl Track
Data analytics	Mixpanel, Google Analytics, Tableau

Leading SaaS tools and SaaS applications play a crucial role in enhancing business operations, improving team collaboration, and streamlining processes across diverse sectors.

21 Best SaaS Tools for Businesses in 2025

Below is a comprehensive breakdown of each SaaS tool, highlighting its key features:-

Popular SaaS tools for Project Management 

SaaS tools help businesses run smoothly by making it easier to manage projects. To stay efficient, companies need a clear way to track progress on each task. That’s why many cloud-based SaaS tools now include project management features. These tools often offer project reporting and session monitoring capabilities, which help teams analyze productivity, manage time efficiency, and ensure accountability. Here are some popular ones that help teams stay organized and get work done.

1. Nifty: Best for combining tasks, docs, goals, and team chat.

Nifty is a project management-based SaaS tool that allows teams to connect instantly with each other. The SaaS tool is great for remote workers, small business owners, and larger enterprises due to its robust collaboration features and messaging capabilities.

Key Features:

• Task management: Break down complex projects by allowing you to add subtasks within primary tasks. This way, everyone on your team can link and visualize task dependencies quickly as a part of a larger project goal.
• Multiple views: Nifty offers multiple view types, from Kanban Boards to Gantt Charts, to help you view tasks in the format you prefer. You can visualize short- and long-term project goals through Roadmaps, Milestones, and Workfload features.
• Discussions space: The Discussions space includes collaboration features such as instant messaging, task tagging, and creating action items directly within your chats!
• Time-tracking: The most useful feature is the tool’s built-in time-tracking feature, which helps you track time spent on tasks and projects, and view detailed time logs and timesheets over an extended period. Remember, not every project management SaaS tool offers time tracking. 
• Personalization options: You can organize task columns, customize board views, create custom settings, and set up automations. Naturally, every project board feels unique to every team and individual user’s needs.
• Pre-made project templates: If you’re new to project management, Nifty’s AI-powered pre-made project templates will be your guiding light. You can access templates for design, marketing, customer support, etc. and fine-tune it to your heart’s content using a single prompt with Nifty AI Project Template Builder.

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2. Jira: Best for Sprint planning & issue tracking

Want your cross-functional teams to work better together? Jira is not only useful for software teams. Teams like marketing, design, program management, etc., can use it to their advantage, too. It helps teams plan, track, and deliver work across various project types, supporting every stage from planning to delivery.

Key Features:

• Teams can break down goals into tasks, assign responsibilities, and structure work using list, board, calendar, and timeline views.
• Agile teams benefit from sprint and backlog management, with visual timelines to highlight dependencies and progress.
• Project boards provide visibility into task status, and real-time updates help teams stay aligned.
• Task details in Jira track progress with real-time data, making it easier to manage both ongoing work and issues.
• Automation and no-code workflows streamline tasks like approvals, keeping work moving smoothly.

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3. Asana: Best for visual project management

Asana is one of those tools people keep coming back to because it keeps things simple. You can manage tasks, share files, check updates, and plan all without jumping between different apps.

Key Features:

• You can set up your task process using the workflow builder. It’s easy to use and helps your team stay in sync without needing to ask around.
• The goals feature is useful if you’re leading a team. It helps you stay focused and track how everyone’s doing.
• The timeline view shows you who’s working on what and when things are due. It’s clear, simple, and helps you spot delays relatively early on.

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Top SaaS Tools for Team Collaboration

Working as a team doesn’t mean chasing people down for real-time updates. The right SaaS tools bring your teams closer, by way of in-the-moment conversations, one-click file uploads, instant progress tracking, all where you need them. You don’t have to dig through hundreds of emails or ping five people for the same answer.

These platforms support co-authoring functionality, enabling multiple users to collaborate on a file simultaneously, and offer unlimited message history, allowing users to search and access past conversations effortlessly.

These platforms keep teams moving together. Here’s a roundup of tools that actually make collaboration feel smooth.

4. Slack: Best for organized channel-based chats

Slack streamlines communication within and across teams. It organizes conversations into channels and offers clear, searchable discussions. Teams can stay in touch in real-time or work independently, checking in at their convenience. Companies of all sizes use Slack to keep projects, updates, and conversations in one place.

Key Features:

• Create public or private channels for specific teams, projects, and topics.
• Send private messages for quick check-ins and confidential updates.
• Replies can stay grouped under the original message, keeping topics easy to follow.
• Find past messages, documents, or links in seconds with Slack’s powerful search function.
• Connect with Nifty, Google Calendar, Jira, Salesforce, and over 2,000 other tools.

5. Microsoft Teams: Best for collaboration at scale

Microsoft Teams has evolved significantly since its introduction in 2016, transforming the way Microsoft employees collaborate across remote, hybrid, and in-office settings. From facilitating real-time communication to automating business processes, Teams has become a central hub for productivity, inclusivity, and collaboration.

The product continues to innovate, integrating new features and technologies to improve the user experience and adapt to changing work environments.

Key Features:

• Features like “Front row” view, AI-powered cameras, and interactive tools like “raise hand,” emojis, and GIFs enhance meeting inclusivity.
• Active Teams channels increased by 200% after integrating Yammer and Power Platform to improve team collaboration.
• The integration of Microsoft Power Platform and Power Apps helps automate workflows and boost productivity.
• Microsoft Viva integration supports employee learning, training, and well-being insights within Teams.
• Microsoft Mesh will soon offer immersive collaboration experiences using mixed reality.

6. Zoom: Best for high-quality video meetings

Zoom’s AI-powered collaboration platform, Zoom Workplace, enhances teamwork and productivity within the trusted Zoom experience. It includes new AI Companion features across Zoom Phone, Team Chat, Events, and Contact Center as well as expanded capabilities to improve workflow efficiency.

Key Features:

• AI Companion integration for Zoom Phone, Team Chat, and Zoom Meetings to improve productivity and streamline workflows.
• Ask AI Companion helps users prepare for meetings, summarize chats, and draft agendas.
• Zoom Phone features AI-driven post-call summaries and voicemail prioritisation.
• Zoom Team Chat enables smart scheduling, sentence completion, and multi-language support.
• Zoom Whiteboard utilizes AI for creating flowcharts and mind maps to boost creativity.
• Customisable Zoom app with four color themes, virtual meeting backgrounds, and a refreshed UI for improved user experience.

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Best SaaS Tools for HR Management

HR management becomes enjoyable with the right SaaS tool (you read that right). You can recruit faster, onboard employees seamlessly, set up payroll, and track employee performance with the same tool. Effective human resource management is crucial for streamlining these processes, and these tools also excel in managing employee onboarding workflows. If your HR team is struggling to stay organized and lower opportunities for human error, try these top SaaS tools:

7. PeopleForce: Best for employee lifecycle automation

PeopleForce is an all-in-one HR system designed to handle hiring, employee management, performance management, time tracking, feedback, and internal communications all from one dashboard. It’s built for growing teams that want flexibility.

Key Features:

• Stores all employee info, including leave, projects, salary history, and documents
• Lets you post jobs, screen candidates, assign test tasks, and send job offers
• Tracks progress with goals, KPIs, 1-on-1 meetings, and peer feedback
• Sends out anonymous surveys to measure engagement and get honest input
• Tracks work hours, time off, and team availability automatically
• Gives staff access to calendars, directories, and goal tracking in one place
• Allows you to create custom leave types and automate approvals

8. GoCo: Best for custom HR workflows

GoCo is HR software that helps small to mid-sized businesses automate tasks like hiring, onboarding, time tracking, payroll, and employee management. It’s especially useful for teams that want to set up custom processes.

Key Features:

• Automates onboarding with checklists, task tracking, and reminders
• Lets you create your workflows for hiring, offboarding, promotions, and equipment or travel requests
• Includes performance reviews and employee surveys, you can schedule and track
• Offers time tracking with automatic PTO and overtime calculations
• Syncs with your current payroll system and lets you use its built-in payroll option
• Employees can e-sign documents, request time off, check pay stubs, and view company info

9. Workday: Best for enterprise-grade HR analytics

Workday is a unified platform for HR, finance, and planning that helps businesses automate hiring, payroll, and performance management while reducing time to close books by 60% and improving HR operations by 74%.

Key Features:

• Built-in AI agents using Workday Illuminate for faster insights and smarter workflows
• Consistent data structure that enables real-time updates and innovation across all customers
• Tools for finance, HR, payroll, and planning in one connected system
• Fast rollout of new features thanks to a uniform platform design
• Ecosystem powered by Workday, partners, and customer-built apps
• AI and automation that reduce manual work across HR, accounting, and finance

SaaS Tools for Accounting Management 

Accounting shouldn’t eat up your time. SaaS tools designed for accounting use cases help take the pressure off by handling day-to-day tasks, such as sending invoices, logging expenses, and generating reports. The right tools keep data clean, clear, and under control. Effective financial management and inventory management are also crucial, with various SaaS applications excelling in these areas to streamline business operations. Here are some standout picks that make accounting feel less like a chore.

10. FinancialCents: Best for Workflow tracking for accounting firms

Financial Cents is a cloud-based practice management software for accounting firms that helps teams track client work, automate workflows, and stay organized. It centralizes communication, documents, and deadlines so nothing falls through the cracks. 

Key Features:

• Track project status, deadlines, and team workload in one view
• Secure, passwordless client portal with automatic reminders
• Automate follow-ups, document requests, and task notifications
• Centralized storage for emails, notes, files, and client info
• Time tracking and billing tools integrated into workflows
• Templates and automation for tax, payroll, and onboarding

11. Xero: Best for real-time financial dashboards

Xero is online accounting software that helps businesses automate daily tasks, manage cash flow, and stay on top of their finances from anywhere. With tools for invoicing, payments, payroll, and reporting, Xero simplifies accounting so you can focus on growth.

Key Features:

• Send invoices and set automatic payment reminders
• Accept card and direct debit payments to get paid faster
• Connect to 21,000+ banks for real-time feeds and reconciliation
• Track expenses, submit claims, and manage approvals
• Pay bills and monitor cash flow in one place

12. Freshbooks: Best for user-friendly invoicing

FreshBooks helps you create accurate and professional invoices and get paid faster with its integrated online payment options. The software connects seamlessly with popular apps like Stripe, Shopify, PayPal, and G Suite to save you even more time.

Key Features:

• Create professional, accurate invoices for clients.
• Track time spent on tasks and projects effortlessly.
• Accept payments quickly via integrated solutions like Stripe and PayPal.
• Automate payment reminders to streamline invoicing.
• Integrate easily with apps like Shopify and G Suite, and others.

Also read: Best Project Management software for accountants

SaaS Tools for Customer Support

Great software means nothing if people can’t get help when they need it. If your customer support is slow and inconsistent, your customers will take notice. To make matters worse, this reflects badly on your entire product. That’s why strong customer support SaaS tools matter.

These tools not only assist your support team in managing customer queries and prioritizing tasks but also play a crucial role in driving customer success by enhancing customer experiences and outcomes.

Below, you’ll find some of the most reliable SaaS options built to keep your customers supported.

13. Olark: Best for live chat with real-time visitor insights

Olark makes it simple to chat with your website visitors in real time. It’s all about connecting quickly and personally, helping you resolve issues or answer questions while your customer is still on the page.

Key Features: 

• Communicate with visitors through real-time chat
• Gain insights into customer conversations with detailed chat reports
• Set up automatic chat triggers to engage users at the right time
• Integrate with CRM and helpdesk tools for seamless customer management
• Customize chat widgets to match your brand’s look and feel

14. Zendesk: Best for omnichannel support with ticketing

Zendesk is a powerful platform for managing customer support. It pulls all your communications, email, chat, and social media into one place so you can stay on top of things and respond faster.

Key Features:

• Keep all your customer messages in one spot
• Automate responses and workflows to save time on routine tasks
• Use insights and reports to figure out where you can improve
• Let customers find answers themselves with a self-service portal
• Customize your support experience to fit your team’s needs

15. Intercom: Best for conversational support with automation

Intercom’s all about helping you engage with customers right when it matters. Whether it’s through live chat, messaging, or even bots, it gives you the tools to offer quick support and keep people happy.

Key Features:

• Send automated messages based on how users interact with your site
• Manage all customer conversations in one place, even on different platforms
• Get real-time feedback from customers using surveys
• Set up workflows to handle requests faster, without needing to intervene manually
• Integrate with your favorite tools, like Slack or Salesforce

Best SaaS Tools for Time-Tracking

Time-tracking tools show exactly where your team’s hours are spent. Sure, they clock hours, but at the same time, they demonstrate how well your work flows. You get actionable insights into where things are slowing down and what needs your immediate attention.

In addition to time-tracking, various SaaS management platforms provide valuable insights that can enhance customer support and optimize your operations.

Here are some solid options that make it easier to get more out of your day.

16. Clockify: Best for free time tracking

Clockify is ideal for teams who want to easily monitor how their time is spent across different tasks and projects. You can get an accurate picture of productivity with minimal effort.

Key Features:

• Easy-to-use time tracker with options for both manual entry and timer-based tracking
• Generates professional timesheets that can be exported for clients or payroll
• Create custom reports that highlight the time spent on specific tasks, projects, and clients.
• Supports integration with tools like Nifty, Trello, Asana, and Jira for automatic time tracking
• Provides team-level productivity reports to assess performance

17. Hubstaff: Best for time tracking with GPS

Hubstaff takes time tracking a step further with powerful features for productivity and team management. It’s great for businesses looking to combine tracking with payroll, invoicing, and detailed reporting to keep everything in sync.

Key Features:

• Tracks time, location, and activity levels in real time, giving managers an overview of team performance
• Automatically calculates payroll based on tracked hours, simplifying billing and payment
• Offers optional screenshot capture for ensuring task focus during work hours
• GPS tracking for field teams, keeping tabs on movements and time spent at various locations
• Detailed reports on productivity trends, project timelines, and client billing

18. Toggl Track: Best for beautiful interface with one-click tracking

Toggl Track offers a clean and intuitive interface that makes time tracking easy for both freelancers and teams. It helps you understand exactly where your time is going and provides insights into how to improve efficiency.

Key Features:

• One-click time tracking or manual entry for quick and flexible tracking
• Organize time entries by client, project, and tag to track billable hours more precisely
• Visual reports show where most of your time is spent
• Syncs seamlessly with project management tools to maintain a smooth workflow

SaaS Tools for Data Analytics

If you’re running a SaaS business, you can’t afford to guess your way through data. You need clear insights to know what’s working and what needs fixing. If your analytics is not in place, you’ll miss out on the bigger picture and consequently, make the wrong decisions. Solid analytics tools help track key metrics, spot trends, and empower you to stay in control of your growth.

Business intelligence is crucial for organizations to harness the power of their data effectively. Tools that enable you to create reports can significantly enhance productivity and efficiency.

In this section, you’ll find some of the top SaaS tools built to make data easier to understand and act on.

19. Mixpanel: Best for real-time funnel insights

Mixpanel is a user analytics tool that helps product teams track and analyze user engagement and behavior within digital products. It provides deep insights into user interactions and enables data-driven improvements to products.

Key Features:

• Gathers and stores data from multiple sources for real-time analysis
• Uses machine learning to extract insights from user data
• Tests different product variants to optimize user experience
• Allows creation of refined user segments based on custom properties and behavior
• Tracks user journey stages to pinpoint drop-offs and conversion issues

20. Google Analytics: Best for audience segmentation

Google Analytics helps track website traffic, user behavior, and marketing performance in one dashboard. It’s a free tool that shows where visitors come from, what they do on your site, and how to improve engagement.

Key Features:

• Track total visits, bounce rate, and session duration
• Segment users by source, location, device, and behavior
• Monitor the performance of landing pages and campaigns
• Use automated insights to spot trends and anomalies
• Set up goals and conversions to track key actions
• Build custom dashboards and detailed reports
• Visualize data with charts, maps, and comparison tools

21. Tableau: Best for drag-and-drop visual data exploration

Tableau is a powerful data visualization tool that helps businesses turn complex data into clear, interactive visual insights. It allows users to create dynamic, real-time dashboards for data analysis.

Key Features:

• Drag-and-drop interface for creating custom visualizations
• Connect to multiple data sources, including spreadsheets, databases, and cloud services
• Create interactive dashboards for real-time data monitoring
• Advanced analytics features like forecasting and trend analysis
• Share insights securely with team members via web or mobile
• Data blending and powerful filtering capabilities
• Integration with machine learning tools for predictive analytics

Key Benefits of Using SaaS Tools for Startups

Typically speaking, popular SaaS tools come free trial. This empowers you to experience the tool first-hand and assess if it is useful for your business.

SaaS solutions play a vital role in financial technology and data analytics, enhancing risk management, payment processing, and customer service. Additionally, understanding saas expenditures can help organizations track and optimize their spending on software as a service, identifying cost-saving opportunities and managing their SaaS budgets effectively.

The best SaaS tools offer wide-ranging benefits for startups, such as:

• Streamlining workflows and delivering specific, problem-centric solutions like improving conversion rate, marketing campaigns, productivity levels, and so on
• Adapting to your business’ growing needs and scaling operations
• Adding innovation to your value propositions with newly launched AI-powered features
• Integrating with other tools and boosting productivity
• Helping the team to work more intuitively with an easy-to-use interface
• Offering insights on how the business is performing with actionable reports and statistics

Nifty: One of the Top SaaS Tools for Growing Startups

Organizations make the mistake of investing in a SaaS tool with a cookie-cutter approach. For growing startups, this leads to inefficiency on a gigantic scale.

Introducing a comprehensive saas stack and leveraging saas discovery can significantly enhance the management and optimization of your software ecosystem. These processes help in identifying and cataloging software applications, tracking expenditures, optimizing licenses, and ensuring compliance with industry standards.

Irrespective of the SaaS tool you choose, follow these tips:

• Invest in one intuitive platform that brings multiple functions together based on your pain point
• Probe into whether the tool offers flexible features that scale with your business
• Evaluate its integration capability to ensure the tool fits into your existing tech stack.
• Assess onboarding and user experience, especially for lean teams with limited training bandwidth.
• Prioritize transparency in pricing and usage limits, so you’re not caught off guard as your needs evolve.

While many SaaS tools serve a single function, Nifty offers an all-in-one workspace to reduce tool clutter, save time, and improve visibility across every stage of your workflow. For startups that need to do more with less, Nifty doubles up as a strategic advantage.

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FAQs

What are the top SaaS tools?

Some of the most popular SaaS tools include:

• Nifty for end-to-end project management
• Slack for collaboration and instant communication
• Google Workspace for productivity
• Microsoft 365 for office apps
• Zoom for video conferencing
• Salesforce for CRM

There are thousands of SaaS tools available today. The right pick depends on what your organisation needs to boost customer experience, product quality, sales, revenue, and more.

What are SaaS tools?

SaaS tools are cloud-based applications that you can access online. This means you don’t need to install the app on your local device. You pay a subscription for the software either every month or every year.

These tools power a wide range of business operations such as:

• Internal messaging
• Document editing
• Customer support
• Marketing automation

SaaS tools like Nifty help centralize these functions with user-centric features such as Gantt charts, document storage, collaborative task boards, and AI-enhanced project tracking.

What are the most widely used SaaS tools?

The most adopted SaaS tools solve core business needs with simplicity and scale. For example, Slack drives instant team messaging, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 help with collaborating on documents, and Zoom offers unparalleled video conferencing functionalities. If you want to manage complex workflows, Nifty combines task tracking, team communication, milestone planning, and reporting into one powerhouse SaaS tool.

Are SaaS tools still in demand?

Absolutely. If anything, they’re more critical than ever. Companies of all sizes use SaaS platforms to stay agile, reduce infrastructure costs, and collaborate across locations, particularly in remote and hybrid work environments.