Last year, I reviewed Xodo, an excellent online PDF editor well worth checking out (you can read my review here). But did you know Xodo also offer a desktop version of their service for Macs, Windows and Linux?
After testing some of the best PDF editors and best free PDF editors, I was keen to see how the downloadable Xodo PDF Studio desktop version compares to its online counterpart, as well as other big players in the PDF space like Acrobat.
Xodo PDF Studio: Pricing & plans
A choice of subscription or perpetual licence is always welcome, and should be praised. The free trial is very short, so run the tests you need quickly to decide if it’s worth paying for
Whether you opt for Xodo’s online service or its desktop version, it’ll cost you the same if you opt for a yearly contract (which would be the equivalent of around $10 a month per license). Choose to pay on a month by month basis, and the value changes to $13 online, and $20 for the desktop version.
If you’re sick to the back teeth of subscriptions, Xodo have you covered, offering you a perpetual licence for the Desktop app, for $240 per seat.
Curious about the service but don’t want to financially commit just yet? Then grab their 3-day free trial. All its features are unlocked and hopefully three days should give you enough time to check out the software, and decide if it’s right for you or not.
You can check it out over on the official Xodo website by clicking here.
Pricing & plans: 4/5
Xodo PDF Studio: Interface
(Image credit: Xodo // Future)
Offering multiple ways of accessing the same tool is a very good thing… only the way the app’s menubar is setup could be given a little more love
Launch Xodo and you’ll find the interface to be… fine. It doesn’t scream ‘modern design’, nor does it bask in unwanted 90s nostalgia. It’s just… ok. All the tools and icons you need are located at the top of the window, in a basic black and blue minimalist style. It’s fine, really. It’s just not… that appealing.
What is a nice touch however, is that the first time you launch the app, it will automatically open a PDF which explains what its interface does. and where to find what you need. Full marks for that.
You’ll find the tools are accessible in multiple ways. For instance, by default, those you see are from the ‘Home’ menu, and pretty much all the ones you need are there, from selecting text, to searching inside the document, adding a comment, highlighting a section, even editing the PDF’s content, and adding shapes, among others.
However, above these large icons is a thin menu bar, which lets you focus on specific categories of tools, even though you can also access most of them from ‘Home’ already. For instance, if you want to add a comment, in ‘Home’, click on the ‘Comment’ icon to reveal a drop down list bearing multiple options. But if you were to click on ‘Comment’ in the thin menu bar instead, those icons are replaced with a new set, showing you all those that were in that drop down list we just saw.
It’s all the same tools, just available in different ways. It can get a tad confusing, especially as the selected menu in that thin menu bar only has a subtle blue line underneath it, which can be easy to miss, which can make you wonder why the icon you’re after isn’t displayed… until you realise you’re in the wrong menu.
Mac users have a third option, through the system’s own menu bar, from which you can also select all the tools you need. Don’t get me wrong: options are good, and being able to access the same tool in different ways is a good design decision… I just wish the app’s selected menu was at least more prominently highlighted to reduce possible confusion.
Interface: 4/5
Xodo PDF Studio: Tools
(Image credit: Xodo // Future)
Numerous tools, all incredibly easy to use, even if their layout at first can feel awkward
To start using the tools, take a quick trip to the ‘File’ menu to open an existing document, either from your computer, or directly through one of various online storage services, such as OneDrive, DropBox, GoogleDrive, or Xodo’s very own XodoDrive. This is also the place where you can create a new document, either from scratch, or by importing various files, like images, a scanned file, collate multiple files into one, or convert docs from MS Office or AutoCAD.
Once you’ve got a document loaded up, you’re free to annotate and alter it to your heart’s content. It’s actually pretty easy to make notes, highlight, draw on the PDF itself, add shapes to mask areas (although redaction is a much better tool for that should the info be sensitive and not to be divulged - Xodo supports this feature too).
Reordering pages and deleting some is a cinch and done through the left sidebar, but perhaps the most exciting option is the ability to edit the very existing content of a PDF.
Some tools, like Extract, do allow versatility, letting you reorder and rotate pages (Image credit: Xodo // Future)
This is not a feature that is available from all PDF applications - in fact, it’s usually seen as one of the most advanced features, and not every app that includes it does a good job of it, making editing more of a chore than it should be.
I’m pleased to report that the Xodo Desktop App excels at editing existing content. When that tool is activated, you’ll see a faint blue rectangle surrounding the various text and image boxes in your document. Click on one to select it and move it around, or once selected, click inside the text box to alter its existing content, using the exact same font and size as the original. Now it doesn’t work like a word processor or a desktop publishing application: you can’t link text boxes together and make your copy flow from one to the next. This is for minor edits, and changes that don’t require having to go back to the original document and make alterations from there instead. But with those limitations in mind, for a PDF editing tool, it works fantastically well.
(Image credit: Xodo // Future)
The only tool I thought was superfluous was the Snapshot, which as its name suggests, allows you to take a screenshot of a selected part of the PDF you’re working on. Sure, you have the option of selecting its format (PNG, JPEG, TIFF or GIF), or send it straight to a printer - which is novel - but every computer has screenshotting capabilities built-in, so why bother using that one? But that’s a minor quibble.
All in all, despite its icon design or tool organisation which could do with a little love, the Xodo Desktop App is an excellent PDF editor which makes it easy to perform even tricky tasks.
Tools: 4.5/5
Should I buy the Xodo PDF Studio desktop app?
(Image credit: Xodo // Future)
Buy it if...
You’re looking for a desktop PDF editor (ideal for increased security over an online service), with a boatload of tools that are easy to use, and includes well implemented, powerful advanced features.
Don't buy it if...
You only need to make a few changes to a PDF, like delete a page, or reorder another, but all the other tools Xodo has is just overkill for your needs.
The best word processors are essential tools for both personal and corporate use. They make it easy to type and edit everyday documents, from contracts to memos, articles, letters, resumes, and many more.
You can download an offline word processor or use an online version like Google Docs. This free tool, provided by Google, allows you to create and edit documents with ease. You can collaborate with other people on the same document and share or download the final work to your device.
I’ve used Google Docs for a while and can attest to its features, pros, and cons. I thoroughly tested and reviewed it to help you decide if it’s ideal for your personal or business use. Read on to learn what Google Docs offers and how it fares against alternatives.
(Image credit: Google)
Google Docs: Plans and pricing
Google Docs is free for personal use. Some restrictions exist, as each Google account is limited to 15 GB of storage across all services. However, 15 GB is more than enough for the average person to create and store all their texts.
However, if you surpass the 15 GB limit, you can purchase a Google One subscription to increase your storage capacity. $20 annually unlocks 100 GB of storage, $100 offers 2 TB, and $250 annually unlocks 5 TB. This storage space can be shared between you and friends or family (whom you invite to join your Google One plan).
Companies can use Google Docs to collaborate and create documents. A Google Workspace subscription provides access to robust storage capacity and numerous Google services, including Docs.
Google Workspace offers three pricing plans – Starter, Standard, and Plus – that unlock 30 GB, 2 TB, and 5 TB of storage per account, respectively. The Starter plan costs $7 per user per month, the Standard plan costs $14 per user per month, and the Plus plan costs $22 per user per month.
A 14-day free trial is available for a Google Workspace subscription. During this trial period, employees can test the ins and outs of Google Docs, although they can also do that by using Google Docs for free from their personal Google accounts.
Google Docs: Features
Google Docs is similar to any document editor you may have worked with. It’s essentially an online version of Microsoft Word, designed for real-time collaboration. The text pane is the most prominent part of the Google Docs interface, and the features are highlighted across the top menu.
Real-time collaboration is the defining feature of Google Docs. Multiple people can work on the same document simultaneously, and every user’s changes can be monitored in real-time.
Every user working on a document has an icon displayed at the top, and their cursor is highlighted on the document. This way, as a document owner, you’ll know exactly who is working on a document and which part they’re working on.
Collaborators can highlight specific words and leave comments and suggestions for each other. When someone creates a suggestion, such as deleting a paragraph or adding a new sentence, you can click the accept button to automatically implement the suggested change or the reject button to ignore the suggestion. You can also reply to a suggestion to provide context.
Likewise, when someone leaves a comment, you can reply to the person and create a back-and-forth conversation thread if needed. Everything is displayed on the same dashboard, and you can view all comment history. This way, you can track all changes made to a document by specific users.
The version history feature allows you to view all previous versions of a document, including its original state. If you don’t like the changes that have been made, you can restore a document to a previous version at a specific date and time.
As a document owner, you control who can access a document and what they can do with it. For instance, you can allow collaborators only to view but not edit or suggest changes. You can enable collaborators to suggest changes but not make final edits.
On the corporate version, you can prevent any user outside your organization from accessing a document. Outsiders with non-organizational email addresses would need explicit permission before accessing a document in this case.
To say I enjoyed the smooth collaboration of Google Docs is an understatement. It’s the best part of using Google Docs – the ability to work together on the same document, despite being physically far apart. It felt like being in the same room with my collaborators.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is raging in this era, and any product that doesn’t incorporate it risks getting left behind. Google has integrated AI features into Google Docs, bringing noticeable improvements compared to when I last reviewed the app.
If subscribed to Google Workspace, employees can switch on the Gemini AI assistant while using Google Docs. This assistant functions as a writing companion, suggesting new words, correcting errors, and refining a document to make it easy to read.
(Image credit: Google)
Gemini can generate text based on your prompts, although the text often felt robotic during my test. The good thing is that you can make the final edits to make the generated text sound more human. I enjoyed Gemini’s suggestions and corrections of mistakes I initially overlooked. I can attest to it being a productivity boost when creating and editing texts.
Creating business documents from scratch can be hectic. Often, users don’t know where to begin, but Google Docs provides help. It features a collection of templates that can serve as the foundation of your document. Examples include meeting notes, product roadmaps, project proposals, and sales quotes.
The free version has these templates, albeit in limited numbers. Google Workspace subscribers have access to a much larger template collection. Another advantage for Google Workspace subscribers is the ability to append e-signatures to documents. These signatures are just as legally binding as manually appended ones, so you can use them to sign contracts, invoices, vendor agreements, and other crucial corporate documents.
Google Docs is integrated with many other Google tools, including Drive, Meet, Chat, Tasks, and more. For instance, you can create new Google Docs files directly from Google Drive or upload existing documents into Google Drive and edit them with Google Docs. Any changes you make to Google Docs will be automatically saved to Google Drive.
I earlier mentioned that Google Docs’ collaborative features made me feel like I was in the same room with other people working on my document. It gets even better with the Google Meet integration, which allows you to host video meetings directly within the Docs interface.
You can create a new meeting and invite other collaborators, or join existing meetings created by others. This way, you can pass across vital information while editing a document.
Similarly, you can chat with collaborators in real-time, thanks to the Google Chat integration. If video-conferencing isn’t convenient, chat is a reliable alternative to exchange vital information during collaborative edits.
Another standout feature is Voice Typing, which allowed me to dictate text into my document instead of typing endlessly. This feature is based on Google’s advanced speech-to-text technology. However, don’t expect perfection. It’ll make some mistakes when converting your speech to text, which you’ll have to correct afterwards.
Language translation is also available, based on Google Translate. You can translate text into over 100 languages, but don’t expect perfect translation. When I translated several texts, the system often struggled with context and translating uncommon words. It works for basic use cases, but it isn’t as good as a professional translator.
I’ve discussed a lot about Google Docs’ internal features, but it doesn’t end there. Google Docs notably has “add-ons,” which are third-party integrations created by other developers. Some of these add-ons are free, while others require payment.
Examples of add-ons I used include an AI-based video generator, a plagiarism checker, and a tool for creating detailed diagrams. Depending on your personal or organizational needs, you can select relevant add-ons from the Google Workspace marketplace.
I could spend all day talking about Google Docs’ features, but that would be tiresome. Clearly, Google Docs offers a robust feature set on both the free and personal tiers. It’s one of the best tools you can use for document editing and creation.
(Image credit: Google)
Google Docs: Interface and in use
Google Docs has a user-friendly interface that I think anyone can navigate. If you’ve ever used a word processor like Microsoft Word, it feels exactly the same. Even as a new user, the features are neatly arranged in a way you can quickly grasp.
All formatting buttons are arranged across the top menu, and you’ll type in the main body below. The buttons have distinct icons that let you understand them at a glance.
If clicking buttons gets tiring, you can use keyboard shortcuts to achieve the same functionality as many of the buttons. However, these shortcuts can be a steep learning curve, so don’t expect to know them all within a short time. Similarly, Google Docs’ extensive features can present a steep learning curve, but you can understand the advanced features with time.
Google Docs is accessible from your web browser or mobile app. The mobile app allows you to edit documents offline, and you can also enable offline editing on the web browser version. When you reconnect to the internet, any changes made in offline mode will be automatically synced.
Google Docs: Support
Google provides decent support for free users. You won’t have access to direct help, but Google’s help center contains extensive user guides, tutorials, and solutions to common issues encountered on Google Docs.
When I faced any challenges with Google Docs, I consulted the help center and always found a solution. It helps that Google Docs is an intuitive tool that didn’t give me many problems in the first place.
If subscribed to Google Workspace, you have access to significantly more support resources. You can speak directly with a Google support representative to resolve issues. Support reps are available via email or live chat. Companies subscribed to the Enterprise plan have a dedicated account representative who provides swift support.
You can also seek help in Google’s official support forum. This website has fairly active users who exchange solutions to each other’s issues. You can post a question on this forum and receive answers.
Google Docs: The competition
Competition is intense in the document editing software niche. Consumers have endless options when seeking document editing software, but how do they fare against Google Docs?
The main competitor I’d like to highlight is Microsoft 365 (Word Online). Microsoft Word is the most popular offline word processor with which most people are familiar. Under Microsoft 365, you can access an online version of Microsoft Word with similar features to Google Docs.
From my perspective, Google Docs fares better in real-time collaboration than Microsoft Word Online. The latter has collaborative features, but doesn’t feel as smooth as that of Google Docs.
However, Microsoft Word Online beats Google Docs in advanced formatting. It offers a broader range of document editing features than Google Docs, and it supports a wider variety of text file formats.
From my perspective, the strengths of each boil down to Microsoft Word being designed first for offline use, before an online version was later developed. Hence, it excels more at text formatting and features designed for offline use.
In contrast, Google Docs was built as an online collaborative platform from its inception. The developers have honed the collaborative editing features to deliver the smoothest experience.
Google Docs: Final verdict
Google Docs is an excellent choice for document editing. In particular, the free version offers many features that competitors charge money for.
The business version, part of Google Workspace, offers a good bang for your buck when considering the numerous other Google apps you gain access to. Google Docs is one of the best online word editors I recommend for personal and business use.
The best video conferencing software is essential in every workforce now. It fosters seamless communication and collaboration between employees regardless of their location. It’s a must-have for companies in 2025, but choosing the right videoconferencing platform in a sea of options can be daunting.
Google Meet is one of the options you’ll likely encounter when researching videoconferencing software. It’s offered by Google, a company best known for its search engine and a host of other software tools. Google Meet is an intuitive platform that’s directly integrated with other Google apps, and it has its unique pros and cons.
I’ve thoroughly tested and reviewed Google Meet to help you decide whether it’s an ideal tool to adopt. Read on to learn about Google Meet’s features, pros, cons, and how it compares to the competition.
(Image credit: Google)
Google Meet: Plans and pricing
Google Meet is free for personal use, but the personal version lacks some of the features available in the paid business plans. I used the free Google Meet version to hold video calls, and it worked excellently. However, it became limiting when using it as a group.
On the free plan, group meetings are limited to a maximum of 100 participants and a 60-minute duration. Some helpful group meeting features, including recording, attendance tracking, and admin controls, aren’t available on the free plan.
The paid version of Google Meet isn’t offered as a standalone plan. Instead, it’s part of a Google Workspace plan that unlocks access to Meet and many other tools. There are three standard Workspace plans: Starter, Standard, and Plus.
The Starter plan costs $7 per user per month. Under this plan, Google Meet is restricted to 100 participants and a 60-minute meeting duration, similar to the free plan. However, it offers additional features not available on the free plan, such as live captions.
The Standard plan costs $14 per user per month. Under this plan, the maximum number of meeting participants increases to 150, and the meeting duration is extended to 24 hours. It also unlocks enhanced features, such as polling, Q&As, and meeting recordings, which are saved to Google Drive. Each account has 2 TB of storage, so there’s ample space to store recorded meetings.
The Plus plan costs $22 per user per month. Here, a maximum of 500 participants can hold video meetings for up to 24 hours. It has advanced capabilities, including attendance tracking and the ability to dial into meetings by calling a designated phone number.
There’s an Enterprise plan with no specific pricing, but it’s best suited for companies with large workforces (500+). If you represent such a large organization, you can contact Google’s sales team to negotiate a deal.
A 14-day free trial is available for Google Workspace plans, during which you can test Meet’s features before making your final decision.
Google Meet: Features
Google Meet is designed for videoconferencing between many participants. A major appeal of Google Meet is that you don't need to download any app to use it, although a mobile app is available for convenient access. You can run Google Meet and utilize all its features on your web browser.
I enjoyed Google Meet’s intuitive interface, which made starting and managing meetings a seamless process. Unlike several other videoconferencing tools I’ve tested, new users can grasp Google Meet’s interface without needing much help.
To start a new video meeting, users can click the "New meeting" button, which is prominently displayed on the Google Meet landing page. You can create instant video meetings or schedule them for a later time.
After scheduling a meeting, you can create a unique link for other participants to join. If needed, you can set a passcode to add an extra layer of security. One of the best features I tested was the ability for participants to join meetings by dialing a phone number – Google will create a unique phone number for each meeting.
I’ve discussed the limitations of the free version, including the number of participants and meeting duration. This free version works well for personal use, but a Workspace subscription is what unlocks the full value of Google Meet and its features.
A key feature is the ability to record meetings, which is available on the Standard plan or above. Recording meetings is standard practice in many organizations, as it lets you review content for mistakes and share information with colleagues who couldn’t attend the original meeting.
Meeting recordings are saved on Google Drive, from which they can be easily accessed. With the Standard plan providing 2 TB of storage per user and the Plus plan offering 5 TB, there’s sufficient space to store many meeting recordings. However, if you run out of storage space, you can upgrade to a higher plan for additional storage or delete old recordings that are no longer useful.
I enjoyed using the polling and Q&A features, which make video meetings more interactive. As the meeting administrator, you can create polls to gauge participants’ opinions on topics related to the meeting.
For example, if debating on a corporate decision, you can make a poll for participants to vote on the direction to take. Technically, the poll could be about anything, but it’s mainly used for topics relevant to the meeting.
(Image credit: Google)
The Q&A feature enables meeting participants to ask questions and receive feedback. These questions can be addressed during the meeting or later. After the meeting concludes, the host and moderator receive a detailed report of all questions asked, providing them with ample time to prepare detailed answers.
Attendance tracking is a valuable feature that Google Meet provides. With this feature, meeting hosts can track which invited participants attend their meeting and which do not. After a meeting, the host will receive an email report summarizing the attendance and duration, including participant names, join/leave times, and the total time each participant spent in the meeting.
If your meeting has a large number of participants, you may need to split participants into smaller groups to discuss relevant topics. It’s similar to how large conferences have smaller meetings that take place between main sessions. Google Meet offers a Breakout Rooms feature that makes this easy.
With Breakout Rooms, you can divide participants into smaller groups that hold distinct video meetings. These breakout meetings work exactly like the main one, with the same Q&A, polling, and attendance tracking features, among others. During a breakout meeting, participants can leave at any time and return to the main session.
From my observation, Google Meet’s audio quality is much better than that of most videoconferencing apps. I think there’s a simple explanation: Google Meet was relatively late to the videoconferencing game, having launched in 2017, compared to competitors like Zoom, which was launched in 2012 and Skype (now discontinued in favor of Microsoft Teams), which launched in the early 2000s.
To differentiate itself amid intense competition, Google’s engineers invested heavily in audio quality. Google Meet offers adaptive audio, which automatically tweaks audio settings to fit your environment, and noise cancellation powered by artificial intelligence (AI). I tested these features and they worked very well, hence my observation of Google Meet’s enhanced sound quality compared to other videoconferencing platforms.
I liked that I could share my screen with other participants during meetings. Screen sharing helps users communicate clearly and address problems in real-time. For example, you can teach a colleague how to use a software tool by demonstrating it live on your desktop, and they’ll view each step you take.
Live captioning is another helpful Google Meet feature, especially during group meetings. When turned on, every spoken word is automatically translated into text you can read. When testing the live captioning feature, it worked well most of the time, but occasionally made mistakes, which is the typical experience with transcription tools.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the talk of this era, and Google Meet doesn’t disappoint in this sector. I used the “takes notes for me” feature powered by Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, which can listen in on meetings and summarize the meeting notes for you. Meeting notes are saved in Google Drive, from which you can access them.
Like with most AI-based features, the meeting notes weren’t perfect. I noticed a few mistakes here and there, but they were decent, although not yet as good as taking the notes manually.
(Image credit: Google)
Google Meet: Interface and in use
I won’t mince words to say that Google Meet has a stellar interface. User-friendliness is an area where it outshines most competitors. Features are arranged neatly on the dashboard, with minimal background colors and prominently displayed buttons that make the interface easy to grasp.
Even as a first-time user, you’ll likely not have any problem understanding Google Meet’s interface. First-time users have on-screen tutorials to guide them, and a few minutes can be enough to understand the features.
Google Meet is accessible through a web interface or mobile app (iOS and Android). Both offer the same intuitive interface, functionalities, and extensive integration with other Google tools.
Google Meet: Support
Google offers decent customer support, although the available resources depend on your pricing tier.
Free users have access to Google’s Help Center, which contains detailed user guides and tutorials on Google Meet. All Google Meet features are covered in this Help Center, and it’s ideally the first place to visit for troubleshooting problems.
Free-tier users can also visit Google’s official forum and ask questions. Other users provide valuable help, and you can reciprocate by answering questions too. In my experience, Google Meet didn’t give me problems in the first place, so I didn’t need to consult the forum. The slight challenges I faced were quickly resolved by consulting the Help Center.
Expectedly, paid users have access to more support resources than free-tier users. As a paid user, you can contact Google's support team directly to help resolve any issues. You can do this via email, live chat, or telephone and get quick help. Support is generally fast, but users on the highest paid plans are prioritized more than others.
Google Meet: The competition
Videoconferencing is one of the most competitive software niches. Google Meet has many rivals, and the main ones I’d like to highlight are Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Zoom is a standalone videoconferencing software that blossomed during the Covid pandemic circa 2020 and has remained atop the industry ever since. I’ve extensively tested Zoom to note its pros and cons compared to Google Meet.
Zoom has more advanced functionalities and customization options. It supports a larger number of meeting participants, which can include up to thousands on standard plans. Suppose you want to host a large webinar with over a thousand participants– Zoom is the better choice because its standard plans can host this audience volume, unlike Google Meet.
The drawback is that Zoom isn’t as user-friendly as Google Meet. Zoom’s interface appears more cluttered, partly due to its broader feature set, and it takes longer to become accustomed to the interface than Google Meet’s.
Microsoft Teams offers similar videoconferencing features to Google Meet. However, it provides more complementary features and is integrated with the Microsoft 365 suite of business tools. It offers more customization and third-party integration, both with Microsoft tools and external platforms.
However, I found Google Meet much easier to use– its interface is less cluttered and feels more interactive. Microsoft Teams has extensive features, but there’s a steep learning curve to get used to them.
Google Meet: Final verdict
I’ll recommend Google Meet for personal use and for small to medium-sized businesses. It’s an intuitive platform with robust features and integration with other Google tools.
Google Meet isn’t the best for large enterprises with many hundreds or thousands of employees. It’s also not ideal for companies that are locked into other business software ecosystems like Microsoft 365. Rather, it’s best suited for small to medium sized businesses that want to adopt Google Workspace as their collaborative software suite.
Real-time chat is as important in the business world as it is in our personal lives. It enables information to flow smoothly within organizations, as colleagues can communicate with each other quickly when needed. Save for real-time chat, colleagues can also hold group video and audio calls to share ideas and receive feedback.
Google Chat is a real-time communication platform geared for business use. Its features facilitate effective collaboration among employees, and Google Chat is used by many companies worldwide.
However, what are Google Chat’s key features and what features are missing? How does it compare to its main rivals? I tested Google Chat extensively to help you answer these questions. Read to learn what Google Chat offers and how it compares against competitors, and then you can decide if it’s the best choice for your business.
(Image credit: Google)
Google Chat: Plans and pricing
Google Chat isn’t a standalone solution. Instead, the business version is offered as part of a Google Workspace subscription, which includes Chat and many other business tools.
Google Chat also has a free version for personal use. This version enables real-time communication between individuals but lacks the collaborative features offered in the business version.
There are three Google Workspace plans: Starter, Standard, and Plus. The Starter plan costs $6 per user per month, the Standard plan costs $14 per user per month, and the Plus plan costs $22 per user per month.
There’s not much difference in the three Workspace plans regarding Google Chat’s core functionalities. The differences are pronounced in other areas, including storage space, AI features, and videoconferencing, but Google Chat’s core features remain the same. For example, the Starter plan provides 30 GB of storage per user, while the Standard plan increases this to 2 TB, and the Plus plan increases it to 5 TB.
There’s an Enterprise Plus plan available to large organizations, but it does not have standard pricing. It’s reserved for large companies (usually 500+ employees) who want to negotiate custom deals with Google’s sales team.
Google offers a 14-day free trial for its Workspace plans. You can use this free trial to test the features before making your final decision. Google doesn’t have a precise refund policy, so ensure you’re comfortable with your plan before making a payment. A refund is possible, but it’ll take hectic back-and-forth conversations.
Google Chat: Features
Real-time chat is the core feature of Google Chat, as the name implies. It enables employees to chat and share important information, much like friends and family do through instant messaging apps.
Like typical instant messaging apps, Google Chat supports both individual chats and group chats. Users can create chat rooms called Spaces and collaborate, share files, and assign tasks to each other. Google Chat supports threaded replies, which makes it easy to keep up with a conversation.
By default, your chats are stored for 24 hours, but you can enable chat history to save them for up to 30 days. The storage time can be longer if you’re subscribed to the Plus plan, which unlocks Google Vault, a data retention service. You can set chats to be stored for your desired period on Google Vault, e.g., 180 or 365 days.
You can search through your chat conversations in detail, helped by Google’s powerful search algorithms. Google is best known as a search engine, so it’s no surprise that Google Chat incorporates a powerful search algorithm. In my observation, it’s much easier to search for specific information from your Google Chat history compared to other chat apps.
This feature may seem trivial, but I almost didn’t expect Google Chat to have read receipts, like typical messaging apps. I’m glad I encountered this feature, which let me know when recipients had read my messages.
Many business messaging apps purposely don't have read receipts, with the rationale that it creates pressure to respond immediately and can be a privacy intrusion. I understand this rationale, but I also find read receipts useful sometimes. However, I didn’t like the fact that Google Chat doesn’t allow users to turn off read receipts; I think users who aren’t comfortable with read receipts should have the option to do so.
You’ll be pleased to know that Google Chat offers much more than chat, thanks to its integration with other Google tools.
If your business is subscribed to Google Workspace, employees will have access to various Google tools, including Gmail, Google Meet, Docs, Slides, and more. It’s the integration with these tools that separates Google Chat from the competition.
For instance, I appreciated that I could initiate chat sessions directly from the Gmail dashboard, rather than having to open a separate Google Chat tab every time. An employee could be scrolling through their emails and notice an important piece of information to share with a colleague. In that case, they can quickly open the chat interface on the same Gmail dashboard and message the colleague.
Google Docs is another helpful integration. When employees are editing documents on Google Docs, they can open Google Chat on the same page and communicate with each other. This way, everyone working on the same document can share their ideas and suggest changes. There’s no need to juggle separate dashboards for document editing and real-time chat; Google delivers both on the same dashboard.
(Image credit: Google)
The above integration also applies to Google Sheets, which employees use to create spreadsheets. When multiple people are working on the same spreadsheet, they can use Google Chat to communicate without needing to open a separate tab.
Google Chat can be integrated with Google Calendar, which employees use for scheduling meetings and other events. Thanks to this integration, I could create and share calendar invites right on Google Chat. I also got automatic notifications in Google Chat whenever someone added a new event to the shared calendar.
The Google Drive integration lets users share files directly within chats. If you’ve previously uploaded the file on Google Drive, you can search for it and share it with a colleague, reducing the friction involved in sharing corporate files.
Earlier, when discussing the Spaces (group chat) functionality, I mentioned an example of colleagues assigning tasks to themselves. Google Chat is integrated with Google Tasks, which makes this process seamless. You can create a task directly within the chat menu and assign it to someone; the person will be immediately notified, and the task will be added to their dashboard.
A key feature I haven’t yet touched on is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into Google Chat. AI is rapidly advancing in the technology industry, and Google is one of the companies leading the charge in the AI race. It operates Gemini, a generative AI chatbot that has been integrated into various Google tools, including Chat.
Gemini helped me compose messages when using Google Chat, and I particularly liked its quick reply suggestions. Whenever someone sent a routine message, Gemini suggested several replies, which I could easily pick from. The chatbot also suggests the next words and phrases as you type a message.
I’m not suggesting depending entirely on Gemini when chatting, as it has some flaws, but it saves significant time you would have spent typing mundane responses and thinking of what to write next.
Notably, Google Chat isn’t only integrated with Google tools. It’s integrated with many third-party apps, and you can access these integrations on the Google Workspace app marketplace.
For example, businesses can integrate Google Chat with Jira, a popular project tracking and management platform. With this integration, employees can receive Google Chat notifications about any changes made on Jira. Suppose the due date for a Jira task changes; the people assigned to that task will be notified via Google Chat. This is just an example of many valuable integrations I tested on Google Chat.
(Image credit: Google)
Google Chat: Interface and in use
I’ve tested many Google tools, and user-friendliness is a criterion where they perform excellently. Google Chat is no exception. It has a simple interface that I think anyone can find easy to navigate. It doesn’t take much to get used to the interface, thanks to its neat arrangement of features and the use of minimal colors that make navigation easy.
Google Chat’s intuitive interface is in contrast to some business messaging apps I’ve reviewed. While these apps offer more functionalities, their interfaces are often cluttered and require more time to get used to. Google Chat stands out by not having a steep learning curve.
Google Chat is accessible from your web browser or mobile app. Employees can access all features conveniently from their web browser or download the mobile app to chat on the go.
A drawback is that Google Chat lacks a desktop app, unlike some of its rivals. For example, Slack offers a desktop app that I enjoyed using even more than the web version.
Google Chat: Support
Google Chat has decent customer support. If you’re on the free, personal tier, there’s no direct support from Google’s team, but you can consult Google’s Help Center to troubleshoot issues. The Help Center contains user guides and manuals to troubleshoot all Google Chat features.
If you’re a paid Google Workspace subscriber, you can get direct help from Google’s support team. The team is available via email, live chat, or telephone and provides help to resolve problems that you can’t solve yourself.
On the bright side, Google Chat has a user-friendly interface that didn’t give me problems to resolve in the first place. The few hiccups I faced were related to learning how to use some features, and I quickly resolved them via the Help Center.
Google Chat: The competition
Slack and Microsoft Teams are the two main competitors to Google Chat that I’d like to highlight.
Slack is a versatile communication tool with many functionalities. It has an interactive and smooth workflow that makes business messaging enjoyable. It’s highly customizable, for example, by allowing users to receive notifications when someone mentions a specific keyword in a group chat. It has advanced search functionalities similar to what’s available on Google Chat.
I wouldn’t say there’s a clear better choice between Slack and Google Chat; it depends more on your needs. Slack is ideal for large companies due to its extensive customizability and third-party integrations. Google Chat is ideal for smaller companies needing a simple solution or for companies already subscribed to Google Workspace that don’t want to pay extra for a communication tool.
Microsoft Teams isn’t a standalone chat app, but rather one that combines Chat and many other functionalities. It’s similar to having a Google Workspace subscription that unlocks access to many features, including chat, document editing, file storage, and videoconferencing.
Microsoft Teams offers more features and has better customizability than Google Workspace. Regarding chat, Google is a streamlined, lightweight option, while Microsoft provides more advanced features for large organizations.
However, Google Workspace beats Microsoft in user-friendliness. I found it far simpler to navigate than Microsoft Teams, which has a steep learning curve. If you choose Microsoft Teams, expect employees to spend more time getting used to its features.
Google Chat: Final verdict
I recommend Google Chat for companies that already use Google services and need a simple chat tool for employees. The seamless integration with other Google apps makes Google Chat a wise choice in this case.
However, I don’t think Google Chat offers much as a standalone alternative against rivals like Slack. If you’re adopting Google Chat, it should be because you’re adopting the whole Google Workspace ecosystem, not just the chat tool.
For a long time, Microsoft Excel has been synonymous with the idea of spreadsheets, owing to its status as the best spreadsheet software. You’d think Microsoft Excel invented spreadsheets, but that’s not the case. The first spreadsheet program was developed several years before Excel.
Excel’s dominance has spawned many competitors seeking to eat into its market share. Google Sheets is one of the leading competitors and, as the name implies, is offered by Google, the company best known for running the most popular search engine.
Google Sheets is a formidable Excel rival designed with a focus on collaboration. It works primarily online, enabling multiple people to collaborate on the same spreadsheet. It has a free tier and paid business plans with advanced features.
I extensively tested Google Sheets so that you don’t have to go through the same stress. This review dives into Google Sheets’ features, pros, cons, and how it fares against Excel and other rivals. Read on to learn what Google Sheets offers and whether it’s the best choice for your business.
(Image credit: Google)
Google Sheets: Plans and pricing
Google Sheets has free and paid plans. The free plan is notably versatile, although the paid Workspace plans come with extra features. On the free plan, you can edit documents together with other users and access all core Google Sheets features. The free tier’s drawback is that the collaborative features are limited, and it lacks the extensive integration with other Google tools.
Google Workspace has three plans: Starter, Standard, and Plus. At $7 per user per month, the Starter plan unlocks 30 GB of storage for each corporate account and Gemini, Google’s advanced artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. However, Gemini isn’t integrated directly with Google Sheets on this plan; you have to use it as a separate app.
At $14 per user per month, the Standard plan unlocks a sizable 2 TB of storage per corporate account and direct integration with Gemini. On this plan, you can use Gemini directly on Google Sheets, for example, by asking it to create visualizations with the data on your spreadsheet. Gemini adds much more resourcefulness to Google Sheets, which we’ll dive into later.
At $22 per user per month, the Plus plan unlocks 5 TB of storage per account and the same integration with Gemini as the Standard plan. The storage allowance is important because spreadsheets can get voluminous, and so can other files from other Google services, such as videos, photos, and text documents, which also share the same storage space.
With 2 TB to 5 TB of storage on the Standard and Plus plans, respectively, there’s ample space to store many spreadsheets and other essential corporate files. The Starter plan has a lower 30 GB storage allocation, but it can work well for small to medium-sized businesses if managed well.
Notably, there’s an Enterprise Plus plan targeted at large organizations, usually 500+ employees. This plan has no standard pricing. If you represent such an organization, you can contact Google’s sales team to directly negotiate a sales deal.
Google offers a 14-day free trial for its Workspace plans. The free version of Google Sheets also lets you test the features before making a payment.
Google Sheets: Features
If you’ve used Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet tools, you wouldn’t have issues adjusting to Google Sheets. It has similar mathematical functions and advanced formulas for manipulating data. You can visualize data with charts and graphs, and with the help of the Gemini AI assistant if you’re subscribed to the Standard plan or higher.
Before diving deeper into Google Sheets’ features, it’s crucial to point out its competitive edge: collaboration. Google Sheets was late to the spreadsheet software market, having launched in 2006, compared to Microsoft Excel, which launched way back in 1985 and cemented itself as the go-to spreadsheet software provider.
To compete with Excel, Google tuned its focus to collaboration and shared editing. It made the process of collaborative editing as seamless as possible. Many people can collaborate on the same spreadsheet and monitor each other’s changes.
The owner of a spreadsheet document can invite collaborators and control their access to the document (Viewer, Commenter, or Editor). A Viewer can only scroll through and monitor the changes made on a spreadsheet.
A Commenter can’t implement changes, but they can leave comments on specific parts and suggest changes. For example, they can suggest changing a figure, and the suggestion will be highlighted for the document owner. If the document owner agrees with the suggestion, they can click on “Accept” and implement it with a single click.
Alternatively, the document owner can reject a suggestion from a Commenter. The document owner can accept or reject each suggestion individually, or accept or reject all suggestions at once.
Editors have the same rights as a document owner. They can implement changes without the original owner's prior approval. Google Sheets logs the changes made by every user, so collaborators can always know when and which user implemented specific changes.
You might wonder, “What if an editor makes a change I’m not comfortable with? Can I revert?” Yes, you can quickly resolve this issue with the Version History feature.
Google Sheets automatically saves each version of a document at different points in time. Hence, you can view past edits and restore previous versions of a document. For example, if you don’t like the changes someone made yesterday to a shared document, you can revert the document entirely to the version made the day before yesterday.
(Image credit: Google)
The Version History feature maintains the integrity of shared documents. It incentivizes accountability from each collaborator, knowing that any change they make can be traced back to them and reverted if needed.
I’ve discussed the collaborative features, but Google Sheets also offers much more. A noteworthy feature is the integration with Gemini, the Google AI assistant unveiled in 2024.
Gemini is a valuable AI assistant that’s similar to the popular ChatGPT. In this case, Gemini is integrated directly with Google Sheets, so you can ask it to perform tasks on your spreadsheet. For example, if you have a spreadsheet listing the salaries of all employees in your organization, you can tell Gemini to calculate the average and median salary from the data. You can also ask it to visualize the salaries in a chart, enabling you to know which teams or levels the salaries are skewed towards.
Gemini has endless more applications. It can create templates for various spreadsheets, generate summaries of spreadsheet data, write formulas for specific calculations, and extract insights from raw data. Gemini cut down the time I would have spent manually handling tasks, and it made using Google Sheets much more convenient.
In this era, a tool like Gemini might seem common, but it wasn’t the case as recently as five years ago. The AI boom, kick-started by ChatGPT in late 2022, has brought many benefits in a relatively short time. Though Google Sheets has many upsides, Gemini was my main highlight. The drawback is that direct Gemini integration is only available on the Standard plan or upwards.
As mentioned, Google Sheets has similar built-in mathematical functions and advanced formulas as Excel. You can apply these formulas to your spreadsheet data and extract insights. If you have an existing spreadsheet made with Excel, you can upload it to Google Sheets and share it with colleagues for collaborative editing.
However, I noticed a flaw when working with Google Sheets. It often slowed down when working with vast spreadsheets, think thousands of columns and rows. The same also occurred when running complex formulas or third-party add-ons to manipulate the spreadsheet data.
However, “slow” is relative. When working with these large datasets, Google Sheets was still very much usable, but it wasn’t as lightning-fast as when working with smaller datasets.
Google Sheets mainly works online, although it has an offline mode that lets you edit spreadsheets without an internet connection. The dilemma is that you need an internet connection to open the spreadsheet in the first place. Another issue is that the collaborative features can’t work without an internet connection, defeating the main benefit of using Google Sheets. The offline version is very limited; Google Sheets is built for collaborative use with an active internet connection.
(Image credit: Google)
Google Sheets: Interface and in-use
Google Sheets is an intuitive tool that I had no complaints about using. The interface is arranged neatly, making it easy to find the features you need at a specific time. It’s like a typical spreadsheet, with the formatting features at the top and the body below.
When multiple users work on the same tool, you’ll see an icon representing each account currently working on the document. Each account has a unique highlight market, and you can easily monitor every user’s changes.
A slight hiccup is that Google Sheets has a steep learning curve, especially on the keyboard shortcuts, but that’s a general characteristic of spreadsheet tools and not limited to Google.
You can access Google Sheets on your web browser or download the mobile app for Android or iOS. Either way, Google Sheets offers a smooth interface that you can easily familiarize yourself with.
Google Sheets: Support
Google provides sufficient support to Google Sheets users. Its Help Center contains abundant informative resources, including user guides, tips, and tutorials. If you’re new to Google Sheets and need help in familiarizing yourself with its features, this Help Center is the go-to resource because it offers extensive assistance for free.
If you’re a paid Google Workspace subscriber, you can get direct help from Google’s team via email, live chat, or telephone. Support is available 24/7, expectedly for a company as large as Google with global customers.
The good thing is that Google Sheets is a well-designed, user-friendly app, so it wouldn’t give many problems in the first place. The little issues I encountered were in learning how to use key features, but I resolved them via the Help Center. Google Sheets’ numerous features constitute a steep learning curve, so expect some time to get used to its ins and outs.
Google Sheets: The competition
Microsoft Excel is undeniably the main competitor to Google Sheets. Whenever people hear about spreadsheets, Excel is the first platform that comes to mind, and Google Sheets is often an afterthought, but it has some pros compared to Excel.
Google Sheets is cloud-based and highly leans towards collaboration. It’s much easier for multiple people to work on the same document on Google Sheets than on Excel.
Another benefit is that Google provides a completely free version of Google Sheets that includes all core features, unlike the free version of Excel, which has very limited features compared to Excel's full capabilities.
That said, Google Sheets isn’t as advanced as Excel when it comes to analyzing complex, vast datasets. It doesn’t have as many formulas and third-party add-ons to analyze massive datasets. As I mentioned earlier, Google Sheets also often slows down when working with huge datasets, while Microsoft Excel handles these datasets more smoothly.
In summary, Google Sheets excels more (no pun intended) in collaboration and accessibility, while Excel outshines Google Sheets in data analysis and computations.
Google Sheets: Final verdict
Google Sheets has its benefits and drawbacks. If you need a tool that enables seamless collaboration when editing everyday corporate spreadsheets, Google Sheets is a perfect choice. It’s intuitive, easily accessible, and has the typical features you’ll expect in a spreadsheet.
On the other hand, if you need a tool to analyze massive and complex spreadsheets, Google Sheets may not be the best choice. Though advanced, it’s not as sophisticated as Microsoft Excel. Google Sheets’ biggest strength lies in collaborative, real-time editing.
PowerPoint has been the go-to presentation software for decades, but competition has gradually eaten into its market share, although PowerPoint remains dominant.
Google Slides is one of the main competitors that are grabbing some market share from PowerPoint. It’s a cloud-based presentation software whose strengths lie in collaboration, an intuitive interface, and advanced features.
Google Slides is a formidable PowerPoint competitor, but is it the best presentation software for you? I tested the app extensively to help you answer this question. Read on to learn about Google Slides’ features, pros, cons, and how it fares against PowerPoint and other rivals.
(Image credit: Google)
Google Slides: Plans and pricing
Like most Google tools, Slides has a free version available to anyone with a Google account. This free version gives you access to the core presentation creation features. However, storage is limited to 15 GB, and the free plan doesn’t offer advanced collaborative features that the paid plan does.
The paid version of Google Slides isn’t a standalone subscription. Rather, it’s offered as part of a Google Workspace subscription, which includes Slides, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and many other tools. A Google Workspace subscription gives you access to numerous tools that help your business run smoothly; Slides is one of these tools.
You can choose from one of three Google Workspace plans: Starter, Standard, and Plus. The Starter plan costs $7 per user per month and unlocks 30 GB of storage for each account. It also unlocks access to Gemini, Google’s artificial intelligence chatbot, which assists you in creating the best presentations on Google Slides. However, you can only use Gemini as a separate app on this plan; it’s not directly integrated with Google Slides.
The Standard plan costs $7 per user per month. It provides a sizable 2 TB of storage for each corporate account, enough to store a massive volume of presentations made on Google Slides. The Standard plan unlocks direct Gemini integration with Google Slides. Instead of using Gemini as a separate app, you can interact with it directly on your Google Slides dashboard, which is more convenient than constantly switching between Slides and Gemini tabs.
The Plus plan costs $22 per user per month. It unlocks a whopping 5 TB of storage per account, which covers presentations and other files created with Google apps. Like the Standard plan, it includes Gemini integration, which enables you to ask the AI assistant for direct help when creating presentations. For example, you can ask Gemini to create a presentation template or give you ideas for what to include in your presentation.
There’s also an Enterprise Plus plan, albeit reserved for large corporations. This plan has no standard pricing, so interested companies have to contact Google’s sales team to negotiate a deal. It has the most advanced security features, making it ideal for large corporations (think 500+ employees) with high security needs.
Each Google Workspace plan includes a 14-day free trial, which you can leverage to test the features before making your final decision. The free version of Google Slides, which includes access to the core features, also gives you a hint of what to expect on a paid plan.
Google Slides: Features
Google Slides offers tools that enable you to create visually appealing, informative presentations. If you’ve used PowerPoint, the interface feels very similar. You have access to dozens of pre-built templates covering various topics, which you can edit to create your presentations. Otherwise, you can start from scratch and add different elements (shapes, images, videos, text boxes, etc.) to create your presentation.
Collaboration is Google Slides’ main competitive edge. It makes it easy for multiple people to work together on the same presentation. Under Google Workspace, team members have access to Google Chat, so they can hold real-time conversations on the same dashboard as they create presentations.
Team members can leave comments on specific parts of a presentation, for example, to recommend new information to add. They can also directly suggest changes, and the document owner can decide whether to accept or reject their suggestions. If a suggestion is accepted, it’ll be automatically implemented.
When multiple people work on the same presentation, each person will have a unique icon displayed at the top. These icons let others know who is currently on the same presentation document. Each person will also have a live pointer indicating where their cursor is positioned on the presentation.
You might be wondering who controls access to a presentation during collaborative editing. The answer is you, or the person who created the presentation originally. As a document owner, you decide how to share a document and what others can do with it. When sharing a presentation, you can set one of three permissions for other users: Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.
As the name implies, a Viewer can only view a presentation and monitor the editing process, but they can’t comment or suggest their own edits. A Commenter can leave comments or suggestions for the document owner; it’s up to the owner to accept or reject the suggestions.
In contrast, an Editor has the same permissions as the document owner. They can directly make changes without the owner’s prior approval. These precise permission levels let you assign different roles to people working on the same presentation. For example, you can assign a colleague as an Editor and your supervisor as a Commenter. The colleague can make direct changes, and the Supervisor can suggest ideas without making direct changes.
I liked the Version History feature, which let users restore previous versions of a document if the current one isn’t ideal. For example, when someone edited a presentation in a way I didn’t like, I quickly reverted to a previous version that existed before their edits.
As collaborators edit a document, Google stores each version at different time instants. On the Version History menu, you can view all the previously stored versions and restore any of them. With the Version History feature, you’re confident that any accidental mistakes can be undone. This feature also fosters accountability among collaborators, as everyone knows their changes can be tracked and undone if needed.
(Image credit: Google)
Gemini integration was a major highlight when using Google Slides. I used Gemini in many ways that made creating presentations more fun and convenient. For example, I used Gemini to generate images for presentations. The images weren’t always the best (some looked too unnatural), but they were suitable for use in real presentations.
I instructed Gemini to provide ideas for new presentation slides, and it excelled at this task. It gave valuable ideas and helped me rewrite or generate new text when needed. However, Gemini isn’t perfect. Its text often sounded robotic, requiring further editing to make it sound human-like.
Other ways you can use Gemini include asking it to summarize existing presentations or creating templates for a unique topic you’re about to present. The drawback is that direct Gemini integration is only available on the Standard plan or above. If you’re subscribed to the Starter plan, you can use Gemini as a separate app but not directly in Google Slides, which is less convenient. Gemini isn’t available on the free Google Slides plan.
Google Slides has a wide range of pre-made templates. You can use these templates as the foundation of your presentations instead of creating them from scratch. The pre-built templates cover everything from status reports to case studies, project wireframes, book reports, and many more.
If you don’t find a suitable template in Google’s pre-built library, you can create your own and reuse it many times. As I mentioned earlier, Gemini provides valuable help in creating your templates.
I liked Google Slides’ versatility regarding presentation files. You can upload files created on rival platforms, such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Canva, and edit them on Google Slides.
For example, you may have created a presentation with PowerPoint but need others to help you refine it. In that case, you can upload the PowerPoint file to Google Slides, then take advantage of the collaborative features to edit it together with your colleagues. Note that you may observe some formatting inconsistencies after importing presentations from other apps, but you can easily correct them.
Although it’s primarily built for online use, Google Slides has an offline mode where you can edit a presentation without an internet connection. Once your internet connection returns, every change made offline automatically syncs online.
Google Slides has a network of third-party add-ons that provide extra functionality, from translation to custom fonts, stock images, icons, and more. All in, Google Slides is a reliable presentation platform with many valuable features. If you need a tool for employees to collaboratively create and edit presentations, it’s the go-to choice. Google Slides outshines most competitors in collaborativeness and intuitiveness.
(Image credit: Google)
Google Slides: Interface and in use
It may just be my personal observation, but Google tools usually excel in user-friendliness. Google Slides is one of the most intuitive tools I’ve used. Its interface is easy to grasp even for first-time users.
If you’ve used any presentation software before, Google Slides feels very similar. The homepage displays some templates and a button to begin a new presentation, as well as previews of the presentations you’ve previously created. When you tap the button to create a presentation, you’ll be taken to the main page where you can begin working on it.
With formatting options and other features arranged neatly at the top and the main body below, Google Slides is as easy to grasp as it gets. However, some complex features may require time to get used to.
Google Slides: Support
Google Slides users have access to significant support resources. When facing issues, the first place to consult is the Slides section of the Google Workspace Learning Center. This section includes detailed user guides, cheat sheets, and manuals for troubleshooting issues. It also includes tips for creating and sharing the best presentations.
The Learning Center has extensive details and is sufficient to solve most issues. But if you need further help as a Google Workspace subscriber, you can contact Google’s support team via email, live chat, or telephone. Free-tier users don’t have direct access to the support team, but the Learning Center provides ample resources to resolve issues.
Google Slides: The competition
PowerPoint and Canva are the two main Google Slides competitors I’d like to highlight. PowerPoint is the most widely used presentation software, and Google created the Slides app to grab a slice of PowerPoint’s market share.
Google Slides outshines PowerPoint in collaboration and accessibility. It’s a cloud-based tool that enables many people to work on the same presentation seamlessly. PowerPoint also has a cloud-based version that enables collaboration, but it doesn’t feel as seamless as using Google Slides.
However, PowerPoint outshines Google Slides with its advanced features and offline capabilities. If you want to create the most complex presentations full of rich visual elements, PowerPoint is a better choice. It has a broader collection of templates, visual elements, and add-ons that provide functionalities not natively available on PowerPoint.
Canva is similar to Google Slides as it emphasizes seamless collaboration and the ability to create visually appealing presentations. It’s a decent tool for creating presentations, but the drawback is the relative cost.
A Canva Teams subscription isn’t as economical as a Google Workspace subscription, considering that the latter gives you access to not just Slides but many other tools like Google Docs, Sheets, Meet, and more. In contrast, you’ll be paying only for a design tool with a Canva subscription, unlike Google Workspace that kills multiple birds with one stone.
Google Slides: Final verdict
Google Slides has its unique strengths and drawbacks, but it’s a presentation tool I’d recommend to anyone. It’s cost-effective, considering the other tools a Google Workspace subscription also unlocks, and enables seamless collaboration to create presentations. Google Slides might not be a PowerPoint killer, but it’s a reliable alternative for personal and business use.
Pineapple Builder is an AI-powered website creator that promises to generate professional business websites in minutes rather than hours. Founded by solopreneur Peter Kowalczyk, this platform targets small business owners, entrepreneurs, and freelancers who need an online presence but don't have the coding expertise.
TechRadar reviewers have spent hundreds of hours testing more than 80 website builders, from our best website builder pick Wix to niche solutions like Framer and Webflow.
Pineapple Builder stands apart for its AI-first approach, which carries on past the initial results. Once the AI is done building your site, you can rely on it again for design, content generation, and SEO. We don't think it's groundbreaking, but perhaps it's the modern equivalent of straightforward entry-level tools like Google Sites.
Pineapple Builder: 2-minute review
Pineapple Builder keeps it simple, delivering on its core promise of rapid website creation, generating functional business sites in under 5 minutes through its AI platform. It combines automated design with practical business features like SEO optimization, analytics, and mobile-responsive templates. You simply describe your business and its target audience, then watch as the platform creates a customized website complete with content and styling.
In many ways, Pineapple Builder feels like the AI-powered iteration of simple no-code builders like Google Sites and Weebly. While it doesn't match the template variety of established players like Wix or Squarespace, it can potentially carve out a niche as a fast website builder for busy professionals. Its pricing starts competitively at $15/month, with features like unlimited pages, custom domains, and widget integrations.
What is Pineapple Builder?
Pineapple Builder is an AI-powered website creation platform designed for businesses, freelancers, and professionals who need to establish an online presence quickly. Think of it as having a personal web designer, copywriter, and developer all rolled into one AI assistant that works at lightning speed.
Instead of spending weeks learning the ropes of an advanced no-code platform like Bubble or Webflow, you can simply tell the platform about your business so it automatically generates a complete website tailored to your industry and goals.
Pineapple eliminates the traditional complexities of website building by using AI to handle all the technical aspects automatically. You don't need to understand coding, web hosting, or search engine optimization. What you get is a professional-looking website that includes everything from branded design elements to search-optimized content, even if some of the customization choices are pretty barebones.
Features
(Image credit: Pineapple Builder)
Pineapple Builder offers a suite of AI-powered features to simplify the website creation and management process. It creates customized business sites from simple descriptions, offering access to over 10 million template variations across 7 design styles. Beyond basic site creation, you also get built-in SEO optimization, AI-powered copywriting assistance, mobile-responsive designs, SSL certificates, and integrated hosting.
The AI SEO assistant automatically optimizes site structure, content, and metadata for search engines, while the drag-and-drop editor with AI assistance makes customization intuitive. Integration capabilities include popular tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and various payment processors, plus support for widgets, forms, and newsletter subscriptions.
Plus, the platform also includes multilingual support for 99+ languages and a built-in blogging system with AI-powered content generation. It will appeal to small business owners, startups, and freelancers, but has limited scalability for growing organizations or high-end professionals.
Pricing appears reasonable given the feature set, with plans starting at $15/month. You get unlimited pages, custom domain, and core business features. For users prioritizing speed and simplicity over extensive customization options, we think the feature-to-price ratio represents solid value overall.
Tools
(Image credit: Pineapple Builder)
Pineapple Builder provides an integrated suite of AI-powered tools designed to handle every aspect of website creation and management from a single platform. These tools work together to eliminate the need for multiple separate services or technical expertise.
AI website generator
Pineapple's core AI website generation tool creates complete business websites from simple text descriptions, analyzing your input to select appropriate templates, colors, layouts, and content structure. It draws from over 10 million template variations to ensure each generated site feels unique and tailored to your industry and audience.
Copywriting assistant
The built-in AI copywriter generates website content, blog posts, and marketing copy that aligns with your business goals and brand voice. This tool helps users who struggle with writing by automatically creating SEO-optimized text that speaks directly to their target customers without any copywriting expertise.
SEO optimization suite
Pineapple Builder's AI SEO tools automatically optimize website structure, meta descriptions, headers, and content for search engine visibility. It handles technical SEO elements like site speed optimization, mobile responsiveness, and schema markup, ensuring your website meets modern search engine requirements without manual intervention.
Drag-and-drop editor
Their visual editor combines traditional drag-and-drop functionality with AI assistance, allowing users to customize layouts, add sections, and modify design elements intuitively. The AI provides real-time suggestions for improvements while maintaining design consistency and mobile compatibility across all changes.
Analytics and integration hub
Pineapple includes built-in analytics tools and seamless integrations with popular services like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, payment processors, and email marketing platforms. This eliminates the complexity of managing multiple third-party connections while providing insights into website performance and visitor behavior.
Blogging platform
AI-powered blogging helps users create and manage content marketing efforts through automated blog post generation, SEO optimization, and content scheduling. While more basic than dedicated CMS platforms, it provides sufficient functionality for small businesses looking to establish thought leadership and improve search rankings.
Ease of use
(Image credit: Pineapple Builder)
Pineapple’s AI-powered website generation tool requires only basic business information to create fully functional sites, eliminating the traditional learning curve associated with website building. But while it gets the basics right, Pineapple does show several limitations in advanced customization compared to more established competitors like Wix or Squarespace.
Those searching for deep design control or complex functionality may find it very restrictive. And the AI blogging features remain basic compared to dedicated CMS tools, while some marketing integrations are only available on higher-tier plans.
Pricing
(Image credit: Pineapple Builder pricing)
Pineapple Builder offers a straightforward three-tier pricing structure designed to accommodate businesses at different stages of growth.
The platform starts with a free Starter plan that includes up to 3 pages and a Pineapple subdomain, making it perfect for testing the waters. The Basic plan costs $12 per month ($15 when billed monthly) for unlocking unlimited pages, custom domain support, badge removal, widgets, and code embeds—ideal for small businesses establishing their online presence.
The top-tier Grow plan at $24 per month adds blogging, advanced analytics, and enhanced membership features for up to 1,000 members.
This pricing structure represents solid value in the AI website builder market, particularly when considering the comprehensive feature set and AI automation capabilities included at each tier. While the Basic plan at $12/month is comparable to other business-focused builders, the inclusion of unlimited pages, AI copywriting tools, and SEO optimization makes it a compelling option despite the limited feature-set.
The free Starter plan offers genuine functionality rather than just a trial, allowing you to build and publish basic websites without any upfront investment. For businesses requiring features like blogging and detailed analytics, the Grow plan provides substantial value compared to paying for separate services for CMS functionality and SEO optimization.
Security
(Image credit: Pineapple Builder)
Pineapple Builder prioritizes website security through comprehensive protection measures built into every plan. All websites created on the platform automatically receive SSL certificates that ensure encrypted connections between users and websites, protecting sensitive data during transmission.
Also, the platform implements regular security updates and monitoring to safeguard against emerging threats, with automatic backup features that protect user content against data loss and allow restoration of previous site versions when needed.
Beyond basic security protocols, Pineapple Builder also maintains a secure hosting infrastructure and pushes out regular system updates that keep websites protected without user intervention.
Support
(Image credit: Pineapple Builder)
Pineapple Builder provides 24/7 customer support across all plans, including the free Starter tier, so users can access assistance whenever needed during their website building process. It includes multiple channels such as email, live chat, and a knowledge base designed to address both technical issues and general website building questions.
Support quality appears consistently high based on user feedback, with the team providing personalized guidance tailored to specific website needs and challenges rather than generic responses. The support extends beyond basic troubleshooting to include custom advice on design decisions, SEO optimization, and platform feature utilization, effectively serving as an extension of users' technical teams. Notably, even free plan users receive the same level of support access as paid subscribers, which is uncommon in the website builder space and demonstrates the company's commitment to user success regardless of plan tier.
However, users should note that while support is available 24/7, response times may vary depending on query complexity and current support volume. The platform's emphasis on AI automation means that many common issues are resolved automatically, but more complex customization requests may require escalation to technical specialists, potentially extending resolution timeframes.
Alternatives
Pineapple Builder competes with the best AI website builders rather than traditional drag-and-drop systems, positioning itself as an alternative to manual website creation for time-constrained entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Its main competitors include Squarespace as the overall market leader, Wix AI for AI-assisted building, Durable for comprehensive AI business solutions, and emerging players like Gamma, 10Web, and Butternut AI that focus on different aspects of automated website creation.
Pineapple Builder: Summary
Pineapple Builder delivers on its promise of rapid AI-powered website creation for business users, combining intelligent automation with practical features at competitive pricing. While it lacks the customization options of established competitors like Wix or Squarespace, its generous free plan with round-the-clock support is sure to be a draw for many users.
FAQs
How quickly can I build a website with Pineapple Builder?
Pineapple Builder can generate a complete business website in under 5 minutes using its AI technology. You simply provide a business description and target audience information. The AI creates a customized website with appropriate design, content, and SEO optimization.
Do I need coding experience to use Pineapple Builder?
Pineapple Builder is specifically designed for users without any coding background. It handles all technical aspects automatically, from hosting and SSL certificates to SEO optimization and mobile responsiveness.
Can I use my own custom domain with Pineapple Builder?
Yes, custom domains are supported on both the Basic ($12/month) and Grow ($24/month) plans, allowing you to use your own branded web address rather than a Pineapple subdomain. The free Starter plan includes only a Pineapple-branded subdomain (yoursite.pineapplebuilder.com), but upgrading to any paid plan enables custom domains.
What happens to my website if I cancel my subscription?
While the specific details of cancellation policies aren't explicitly covered on the website, you can contact Pineapple Builder's support team 24/7 for detailed information about data retention, export options, and grace periods before making any subscription changes.
How does Pineapple Builder compare to other AI website builders?
While platforms like Wix AI website builder offer broader customization options, Pineapple Builder specifically targets business users who need functional websites quickly rather than extensive design flexibility. It's also very competitively priced, with a generous free plan that offers quality support to reflect their commitment.
Freshworks is a multiproduct, scalable software solution that offers total support for commercial businesses. Its five products provide customer relationship management (CRM) support for customer service, sales and marketing, as well as software support for IT and HR.
With this Freshworks review, we go over every aspect of the Freshworks product suite, compare its products with the competition, and tell you everything you need to know to decide if Freshworks is the best CRM software solution for your business.
Freshworks review: Snapshot
The Freshworks software suite offers a comprehensive CRM solution for commercial businesses. There are five products available to users: customer support, sales, marketing, HR, and IT.
Budget-sensitive users can benefit from Freshworks’ generous free offering, which provides enough functionality to meet the needs of a solopreneur or small business. Freshworks also boasts a very short setup time—around 48 hours. Conversely, most competitor products can take weeks or months to set up.
On the other hand, Freshworks has a smaller range of customization options relative to its competitors. Some users, especially larger organizations, may need to make major changes to the UI or create very specific custom fields, and might be better served by Salesforce (US-only link) or HubSpot in this regard.
Despite the limited amount of customization, though, we consider Freshworks to be a well-rounded software suite that is best suited for small business users.
Score: 4.5/5
Read on for the full review.
Freshworks: Key features
Freshworks offers five products, each with four levels of pricing depending on your needs and the size of your organization. Each product is a fully functional platform that provides support for a specific business need: customer service, sales, marketing, human resources, or IT.
Freshdesk
Freshdesk is a CRM focused on customer service across all channels. Its core function is to provide a ticketing system that converts customer inquiries from all channels into one inbox. From there, tickets are automatically processed and forwarded to the relevant agent. Users can customize which agent receives each type of ticket and which tickets are considered a priority. Read our full Freshdesk CRM review for more.
Freshsales
Freshsales is a CRM designed to maximize the effectiveness of users’ sales teams. Its key features include a visual sales pipeline and a system for automatically prioritizing and qualifying leads. It also has configurable automation settings for repetitive tasks, such as sending follow-up emails to clients. To learn more, read our Freshsales CRM review.
Image 1 of 5
Freshdesk is Freshworks’ full featured customer service CRM (Image credit: Freshworks)
Image 2 of 5
Freshsales is a CRM designed to maximize the efficiency of sales teams (Image credit: Freshworks)
Image 3 of 5
Freshmarketer is a CRM that facilitates robust email marketing campaigns (Image credit: Freshworks)
Image 4 of 5
Freshservice is a total IT support solution for businesses (Image credit: Freshworks)
Image 5 of 5
Freshteam is an HR management service provided by Freshworks (Image credit: Freshworks)
Freshmarketer
Freshmarketer is a CRM for streamlining and automating marketing activities. You can use Freshmarketer to run email marketing campaigns, optimize your website for maximum conversion, and communicate directly with customers via email and chat. Find out more in our detailed Freshmarketer CRM review.
Freshservice
Freshservice is Freshworks’ IT support CRM. It’s functionally similar to Freshdesk, in that it is primarily a CRM for optimizing support tickets. It contains the same basic features, such as aggregating inquiries from multiple channels into a single ticket inbox. However, unlike Freshdesk, it is ITIL compliant and therefore suitable for IT support. It also adds IT-specific functions for incident management handling, change, problem and release management, and asset management. For more, take a look at our Freshservice review.
Freshteam
Freshteam is an HR management service that provides paperless onboarding, automation for repetitive tasks like resume screening and follow-up emails, and a system for tracking employee time off. It also aggregates staff information into one employee database. Employees can access the system to request time off, browse internal job openings, and connect with other members of the organization easily within the CRM.
Freshworks: What’s new?
Freshworks continues to update its total business CRM suite on a monthly basis, and 2021 saw numerous changes. A particularly noteworthy feature is CRM migration. It is now possible to migrate CRM data from competitors, such as HubSpot, directly into the Freshworks suite with just a few clicks.
In terms of cross-platform features, Freshworks has implemented full Slack integration in its sales CRM, Freshsales. Users can create a private chat channel specific to a particular deal, and chat directly from an integrated window in the Freshsales web app.
Another change is the ability to reorder sections of the page in Freshworks. The Freshworks UI features multiple sections. For instance, in Freshsales, some sections show recent conversations, recent activities, and related accounts. These sections can be hidden or unhidden, and rearranged as needed. Although customization still remains limited, this change gives users more options than they had before.
Freshworks pricing
Freshsales' pricing plans
Plan type/feature
Free
Growth*
Pro*
Enterprise*
HubSpot* Sales Starter
Salesforce Essentials*
Cost per month
$0
$15
$39
$69
$22.50
$25
Cost per year
$0
$180
$468
$828
$270
$300
Customer database
✓
✓
✓
✓
X
✓
Mobile app
✓
✓
✓
✓
X
✓
24x5 support
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
X
Limited pipelines
X
✓
X
X
X
✓
Unlimited pipelines
X
X
✓
✓
✓
X
Custom modules
X
X
X
✓
X
✓
Freshworks offers four different pricing tiers across each of its five products: Free, Growth, Pro, and Enterprise. Overall, we find its pricing to be quite competitive, especially for the lower-end plan options.
Billing is flexible, with monthly and annual options available. Compared to the monthly option, the annual pricing is discounted 17% across the board for all of Freshworks’ pricing plans. Below is a comparison of one of Freshworks’ most popular offerings, Freshsales, against comparable offers by key competitors.
*Prices are per user. HubSpot pricing is $45 for a minimum of two users, so one user is priced at $22.50.
Freshworks competitors
How does Freshworks compare to the competition?
Freshworks
HubSpot
Salesforce
Score
4.5/5
4.5/5
5/5
Pros
- Wide range of products - Robust free offering - Quick setup
Decent free offering - Over 300 customizable apps
Very wide range of tools - Large community with active peer support
Cons
Less customization than competitors - Premium plans are expensive if all five products are purchased
Free plan lacks telephone support - Setup takes eight to 12 weeks
No free plan - Can be expensive compared to competitors
Verdict
Freshworks is great for small businesses seeking a CRM at an affordable price, with a quick and easy setup.
HubSpot is powerful CRM software, with many customization options that are relatively easy to use.
Salesforce offers unparalleled customization options for mid- to large-sized businesses with the time and capital to implement it effectively.
Salesforce and HubSpot are Freshworks’ closest competitors in the CRM market.
Salesforce is an established total CRM solution. At its core, it functions similarly to Freshworks, providing CRM products to fit specific business needs. The difference is in the scope: where Freshworks offers five products, Salesforce offers 14. It also offers near total customization to the user.
Implementation is a two-to-eight week process, during which the user works with the Salesforce development team to create a CRM experience that is uniquely tailored to their needs. The software is priced accordingly, being significantly more expensive than a Freshworks subscription.
Salesforce is most suitable for an organization with a large budget and CRM needs that go beyond what a basic product package can provide. Read our Salesforce review to find out more.
HubSpot is also a total CRM solution, offering products for sales, customer service, and marketing. Unlike Freshworks, HubSpot does not offer HR and IT support. Also, we found that HubSpot is a bit more expensive than Freshworks at each pricing tier.
On the other hand, all fields in the HubSpot CRM, as well as most of the UI, can be modified, rearranged, or removed as the user requires. Additionally, HubSpot’s app marketplace is larger than Freshworks’, with 900 apps to Freshworks’ 650. This means that overall, HubSpot provides more customization options than Freshworks. Read our HubSpot CRM review to learn more.
Freshworks is less expensive, offers IT and HR products, and is faster to set up. So unless the user places a huge amount of importance on customization, we consider Freshworks to be the best option for small commercial businesses.
For mid- to large-sized enterprises, it comes down to how much they want to tailor the software to their specific needs. If a default product that is ready to go quickly is sufficient, then Freshworks is again the best option. Otherwise, Salesforce is probably the best CRM solution.
Let’s see just how Freshworks compares to its primary competitors.
Getting started with Freshworkds
Getting Freshmarketer up and running was easy, and took less than five minutes (Image credit: Freshworks)
We tested setup time by downloading Freshmarketer, the marketing CRM, which was very easy to implement. After we input our login information, the system was ready to use in-browser, leading to a total setup time of fewer than five minutes.
With the help of Freshmarketer’s tutorial, it took another 10 minutes or so to import some contacts and create a basic marketing "journey". Journeys are Freshmarker's marketing campaigns. Our journey mapped out our cold email campaign and set follow-up dates.
Freshworks’ website features testimonials describing setup in less than 48 hours. Based on our own testing experience, this timeframe is realistic. It can be even shorter, depending on the user’s customization needs.
Some users will want customization beyond the default offering, so we decided to test just how much customization Freshworks offers.
Freshworks customizations
Freshworks features limited customization, allowing users to edit and move some fields while keeping most of the UI static (Image credit: Freshworks)
Customization is an important part of any CRM software. Every user has their own unique needs, and some tailoring of the software will inevitably be required. With this in mind, we tested exactly how much customization Freshworks offers to users.
The major features of the program UI, like sidebar layout and navbar position, are fixed, but there is a large amount of useful customization within the existing fields. For example, contacts in the database can be edited with up to 27 pre-set fields such as name, address, annual revenue, and territory. If none of those 27 options suit you, it is easy to create your own custom field in just a few clicks.
Moreover, Freshworks features one-click import from other CRMs and easy integration of apps from the Freshworks marketplace. Although Freshworks may not have the same level of customization as some of its competitors, the available options are more than sufficient for a client looking to make tweaks to the basic package.
How we test CRMs
Since Freshworks features five separate products, we chose to test features that are common across all of them: namely, setup time and customization. These features are particularly important to small business owners and solopreneurs, who may not be able to accept weeks of downtime while setting up a CRM service.
Freshworks: Final verdict
Freshworks is a powerful platform offered at a reasonable price. It offers comprehensive HR and IT support, something that is missing from many CRMs. It's great for empowering collaboration and boosting employee productivity.
It is also extremely straightforward to install. Many features, such as the Freshmarketer product, are ready to use almost immediately. Most CRMs can take several weeks to get up and running, while Freshworks can be online in less than 48 hours.
Its customization options are decent, with a growing marketplace of over 650 apps. But CRMs with a larger customization offering, like Salesforce or HubSpot, might be more suitable for companies with high customization needs.
Customer support is present 24/5 by live chat, phone, and email on all product tiers. At the highest pricing tier, Enterprise, users receive a dedicated support person for their account. This means that Freshworks support improves for premium users, but is still highly accessible for free and growth tier users.
Overall, thanks to its broad umbrella of software, Freshworks offers something for everyone. Its products are quick to get up and running, and are easy to use. They cover a wide range of use cases and offer limited but sufficient customization. Moreover, Freshworks is highly scalable and offers a robust free plan for all its products.
For these reasons, we consider it to be the perfect solution for budget-conscious users, or businesses that prioritize a quick launch and ease-of-use over extensive customization.
Freshworks FAQ
What sort of tools can Freshworks integrate with?
Freshworks CRM offers a number of native integrations with popular platforms, including Google Calendar, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp. It also provides an API for custom integrations.
What are Freshworks AI capabilities?
Freshworks' AI functionalities revolve around its AI tool, Freddy. Freshworks' AI assistant Freddy provides smart deal insights and a built-in AI chatbot, as well as email and sales sequences. IT can also score contacts based on historical data and engagement.
What features are not included in the Freshworks basic plan?
They say nothing in this life comes for free and certainly there are some Freshworks features that only become available the higher you move up the pay scale. Some essential features, for example, like custom reports, sales forecasting, and certain AI capabilities may not be included in the entry-level plans. If, say, you want multiple sales pipelines or access to Freddy AI, you'll need the Pro plan. However, it's worth bearing in mind that there is a 21-day free trial if you want to check out a pricing tier without committing.
Freshworks is a multiproduct, scalable software solution that offers total support for commercial businesses. Its five products provide customer relationship management (CRM) support for customer service, sales and marketing, as well as software support for IT and HR.
In the below Freshworks review, we go over every aspect of the Freshworks product suite, compare its products with the competition, and tell you everything you need to know to decide if Freshworks is the best CRM software solution for your business.
At TechRadar Pro, our business technology experts specialize in hands-on testing that cuts through the marketing speak. To review Freshworks CRM, we spent days navigating its Freshsales interface, setting up automated lead-scoring rules, and testing the Freddy AI assistant in real-world scenarios.
Our reviews are 100% independent. We never accept payment for product rankings, ensuring that our recommendations are based solely on a platform’s actual performance, scalability, and ease of deployment. When we evaluate Freshworks, we do so with the perspective of a growing business - checking to see if the software truly simplifies daily operations or just adds another layer of complexity.
Freshworks review: Snapshot
The Freshworks software suite offers a comprehensive CRM solution for commercial businesses. There are five products available to users: customer support, sales, marketing, HR, and IT.
Budget-sensitive users can benefit from Freshworks’ generous free offering, which provides enough functionality to meet the needs of a solopreneur or small business. Freshworks also boasts a very short setup time—around 48 hours. Conversely, most competitor products can take weeks or months to set up.
On the other hand, Freshworks has a smaller range of customization options relative to its competitors. Some users, especially larger organizations, may need to make major changes to the UI or create very specific custom fields, and might be better served by Salesforce (US-only link) or HubSpot in this regard.
Despite the limited amount of customization, though, we consider Freshworks to be a well-rounded software suite that is best suited for small business users.
Score: 4.5/5
Read on for the full review.
Freshworks: Key features
Freshworks offers five products, each with four levels of pricing depending on your needs and the size of your organization. Each product is a fully functional platform that provides support for a specific business need: customer service, sales, marketing, human resources, or IT.
Freshdesk
Freshdesk is a CRM focused on customer service across all channels. Its core function is to provide a ticketing system that converts customer inquiries from all channels into one inbox. From there, tickets are automatically processed and forwarded to the relevant agent. Users can customize which agent receives each type of ticket and which tickets are considered a priority. Read our full Freshdesk CRM review for more.
Freshsales
Freshsales is a CRM designed to maximize the effectiveness of users’ sales teams. Its key features include a visual sales pipeline and a system for automatically prioritizing and qualifying leads. It also has configurable automation settings for repetitive tasks, such as sending follow-up emails to clients. To learn more, read our Freshsales CRM review.
Image 1 of 5
Freshdesk is Freshworks’ full featured customer service CRM (Image credit: Freshworks)
Image 2 of 5
Freshsales is a CRM designed to maximize the efficiency of sales teams (Image credit: Freshworks)
Image 3 of 5
Freshmarketer is a CRM that facilitates robust email marketing campaigns (Image credit: Freshworks)
Image 4 of 5
Freshservice is a total IT support solution for businesses (Image credit: Freshworks)
Image 5 of 5
Freshteam is an HR management service provided by Freshworks (Image credit: Freshworks)
Freshmarketer
Freshmarketer is a CRM for streamlining and automating marketing activities. You can use Freshmarketer to run email marketing campaigns, optimize your website for maximum conversion, and communicate directly with customers via email and chat. Find out more in our detailed Freshmarketer CRM review.
Freshservice
Freshservice is Freshworks’ IT support CRM. It’s functionally similar to Freshdesk, in that it is primarily a CRM for optimizing support tickets. It contains the same basic features, such as aggregating inquiries from multiple channels into a single ticket inbox. However, unlike Freshdesk, it is ITIL compliant and therefore suitable for IT support. It also adds IT-specific functions for incident management handling, change, problem and release management, and asset management. For more, take a look at our Freshservice review.
Freshteam
Freshteam is an HR management service that provides paperless onboarding, automation for repetitive tasks like resume screening and follow-up emails, and a system for tracking employee time off. It also aggregates staff information into one employee database. Employees can access the system to request time off, browse internal job openings, and connect with other members of the organization easily within the CRM.
Freshworks: What’s new?
Freshworks continues to evolve its business suite with a focus on autonomous operations and unified data. While 2024 centered on assistive AI, late 2025 and 2026 represent a major leap into Agentic AI and centralized workspace management.
The most significant update is the transition from simple suggestions to Freddy AI Agents. Launched in late 2025, these autonomous agents can now resolve up to 80% of customer queries end-to-end - such as processing refunds or updating subscription plans - without human intervention. Through the new Freddy AI Agent Studio, admins can now build custom, no-code agentic workflows that allow the AI to "think" and "act" across third-party apps like Shopify, Stripe, and FedEx.
For teams using the full suite, the new Command Center (introduced in early 2026) acts as a unified hub for all customer interactions. It brings together conversations from email, chat, and social media into a single omnichannel view, layered with real-time Freddy AI Insights. This allows sales and support leads to see proactive alerts regarding SLA breaches or at-risk deals before they become critical issues.
Freshworks has also refined the Freshsales UI to combat tab fatigue. Users can now create role-specific workspaces that hide irrelevant sections and prioritize the most critical data for their specific job function. Furthermore, the CRM's Zero-ETL integration capability now allows for near-real-time data syncing with major platforms like HubSpot and Salesforce, making it easier than ever for large enterprises to maintain a "single source of truth" across multiple systems.
Freshworks' integration with Slack has also been deepened for 2026. Beyond just creating deal-specific channels, users can now @mention Freddy AI within Slack to pull live CRM reports or update lead statuses via natural language commands. This use of Slack as an OS approach ensures that sales reps can manage their entire pipeline without ever leaving their primary communication tool.
Freshworks pricing
Freshsales' pricing plans
Plan type/feature
Free
Growth*
Pro*
Enterprise*
HubSpot* Sales Starter
Salesforce Essentials*
Cost per month
$0
$15
$39
$69
$22.50
$25
Cost per year
$0
$180
$468
$828
$270
$300
Customer database
✓
✓
✓
✓
X
✓
Mobile app
✓
✓
✓
✓
X
✓
24x5 support
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
X
Limited pipelines
X
✓
X
X
X
✓
Unlimited pipelines
X
X
✓
✓
✓
X
Custom modules
X
X
X
✓
X
✓
Freshworks offers four different pricing tiers across each of its five products: Free, Growth, Pro, and Enterprise. Overall, we find its pricing to be quite competitive, especially for the lower-end plan options.
Billing is flexible, with monthly and annual options available. Compared to the monthly option, the annual pricing is discounted 17% across the board for all of Freshworks’ pricing plans. Below is a comparison of one of Freshworks’ most popular offerings, Freshsales, against comparable offers by key competitors.
It's also worth noting that in a recent update, Freshworks has changed its pricing structure to include more advanced automation features (like sequences and basic AI) in its lower-cost tiers, making it a much stronger competitor for small businesses that have outgrown HubSpot's free tools but aren't ready for Salesforce's complexity.
*Prices are per user. HubSpot pricing is $45 for a minimum of two users, so one user is priced at $22.50.
Freshworks competitors
How does Freshworks compare to the competition?
Freshworks
HubSpot
Salesforce
Score
4.5/5
4.5/5
5/5
Pros
- Wide range of products - Robust free offering - Quick setup
Decent free offering - Over 300 customizable apps
Very wide range of tools - Large community with active peer support
Cons
Less customization than competitors - Premium plans are expensive if all five products are purchased
Free plan lacks telephone support - Setup takes eight to 12 weeks
No free plan - Can be expensive compared to competitors
Verdict
Freshworks is great for small businesses seeking a CRM at an affordable price, with a quick and easy setup.
HubSpot is powerful CRM software, with many customization options that are relatively easy to use.
Salesforce offers unparalleled customization options for mid- to large-sized businesses with the time and capital to implement it effectively.
Salesforce and HubSpot are Freshworks’ closest competitors in the CRM market.
Salesforce is an established total CRM solution. At its core, it functions similarly to Freshworks, providing CRM products to fit specific business needs. The difference is in the scope: where Freshworks offers five products, Salesforce offers 14. It also offers near-total customization to the user.
Implementation is a two-to-eight-week process, during which the user works with the Salesforce development team to create a CRM experience that is uniquely tailored to their needs. The software is priced accordingly, being significantly more expensive than a Freshworks subscription.
Salesforce is most suitable for an organization with a large budget and CRM needs that go beyond what a basic product package can provide. Read our Salesforce review to find out more.
HubSpot is also a total CRM solution, offering products for sales, customer service, and marketing. Unlike Freshworks, HubSpot does not offer HR and IT support. Also, we found that HubSpot is a bit more expensive than Freshworks at each pricing tier.
On the other hand, all fields in the HubSpot CRM, as well as most of the UI, can be modified, rearranged, or removed as the user requires. Additionally, HubSpot’s app marketplace is larger than Freshworks’, with 900 apps to Freshworks’ 650. This means that overall, HubSpot provides more customization options than Freshworks. Read our HubSpot CRM review to learn more.
Freshworks is less expensive, offers IT and HR products, and is faster to set up. So unless the user places a huge amount of importance on customization, we consider Freshworks to be the best option for small commercial businesses.
For mid- to large-sized enterprises, it comes down to how much they want to tailor the software to their specific needs. If a default product that is ready to go quickly is sufficient, then Freshworks is again the best option. Otherwise, Salesforce is probably the best CRM solution.
Let’s see just how Freshworks compares to its primary competitors.
Getting started with Freshworkds
Getting Freshmarketer up and running was easy, and took less than five minutes (Image credit: Freshworks)
We tested setup time by downloading Freshmarketer, the marketing CRM, which was very easy to implement. After we input our login information, the system was ready to use in-browser, leading to a total setup time of fewer than five minutes.
With the help of Freshmarketer’s tutorial, it took another 10 minutes or so to import some contacts and create a basic marketing "journey". Journeys are Freshmarker's marketing campaigns. Our journey mapped out our cold email campaign and set follow-up dates.
Freshworks’ website features testimonials describing setup in less than 48 hours. Based on our own testing experience, this timeframe is realistic. It can be even shorter, depending on the user’s customization needs.
Some users will want customization beyond the default offering, so we decided to test just how much customization Freshworks offers.
Freshworks customizations
Freshworks features limited customization, allowing users to edit and move some fields while keeping most of the UI static (Image credit: Freshworks)
Customization is an important part of any CRM software. Every user has their own unique needs, and some tailoring of the software will inevitably be required. With this in mind, we tested exactly how much customization Freshworks offers to users.
The major features of the program UI, like sidebar layout and navbar position, are fixed, but there is a large amount of useful customization within the existing fields. For example, contacts in the database can be edited with up to 27 pre-set fields such as name, address, annual revenue, and territory. If none of those 27 options suit you, it is easy to create your own custom field in just a few clicks.
Moreover, Freshworks features one-click import from other CRMs and easy integration of apps from the Freshworks marketplace. Although Freshworks may not have the same level of customization as some of its competitors, the available options are more than sufficient for a client looking to make tweaks to the basic package.
How we test CRMs
Since Freshworks consists of multiple interconnected modules - such as Freshsales, Freshdesk, and Freshmarketer - our testing methodology focuses on the connective tissue of the suite. We prioritize three key pillars that directly impact the ROI of small business owners and solopreneurs: Time-to-Value, AI Agency & Accuracy, and Unified Workspace Customization.
In testing, we don't just look at how long it takes to create an account, we test Freshworks' CRM Migration Tool by importing live datasets from competitors like HubSpot and Salesforce. We measure the downtime required to map custom fields and verify that no data is lost in transition - a critical factor for businesses that cannot afford to pause operations.
Given that today, a CRM is only as good as its AI, we stress-tested Freshworks' Freddy AI Agents by feeding them complex customer inquiries and sales scenarios. We evaluated the Freddy AI Agent Studio for ease of use, ensuring that non-technical founders were able to build an autonomous workflow without needing a developer.
We also evaluated how effectively the CRM's UI can be stripped down. We tested the ability to create Role-Based Workspaces, checking if a solo founder can hide enterprise-level noise to focus strictly on their daily task queue and pipeline.
Ultimately, our testing process is designed to answer one question: Does Freshworks empower a business to grow, or does it become a bottleneck? By simulating the messy, real-world data of a growing company and pushing the autonomous limits of Freddy AI, we provide a verdict that moves beyond the spec sheet. We prioritize the user experience of the solopreneur just as much as the data integrity of the enterprise, ensuring that our final rating reflects the platform’s true ability to serve as a reliable, automated engine for your business.
Freshworks: Final verdict
Freshworks is a powerful platform offered at a reasonable price. It offers comprehensive HR and IT support, something that is missing from many CRMs. It's great for empowering collaboration and boosting employee productivity.
It is also extremely straightforward to install. Many features, such as the Freshmarketer product, are ready to use almost immediately. Most CRMs can take several weeks to get up and running, while Freshworks can be online in less than 48 hours.
Its customization options are decent, with a growing marketplace of over 650 apps. But CRMs with a larger customization offering, like Salesforce or HubSpot, might be more suitable for companies with high customization needs.
Customer support is present 24/5 by live chat, phone, and email on all product tiers. At the highest pricing tier, Enterprise, users receive a dedicated support person for their account. This means that Freshworks support improves for premium users, but is still highly accessible for free and growth tier users.
Overall, thanks to its broad umbrella of software, Freshworks offers something for everyone. Its products are quick to get up and running, and are easy to use. They cover a wide range of use cases and offer limited but sufficient customization. Moreover, Freshworks is highly scalable and offers a robust free plan for all its products.
For these reasons, we consider it to be the perfect solution for budget-conscious users, or businesses that prioritize a quick launch and ease-of-use over extensive customization.
Freshworks FAQ
What sort of tools can Freshworks integrate with?
Freshworks CRM offers a number of native integrations with popular platforms, including Google Calendar, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp. It also provides an API for custom integrations.
What are Freshworks AI capabilities?
Freshworks' AI functionalities revolve around its AI tool, Freddy. Freshworks' AI assistant Freddy provides smart deal insights and a built-in AI chatbot, as well as email and sales sequences. IT can also score contacts based on historical data and engagement.
What features are not included in the Freshworks basic plan?
They say nothing in this life comes for free and certainly there are some Freshworks features that only become available the higher you move up the pay scale. Some essential features, for example, like custom reports, sales forecasting, and certain AI capabilities may not be included in the entry-level plans. If, say, you want multiple sales pipelines or access to Freddy AI, you'll need the Pro plan. However, it's worth bearing in mind that there is a 21-day free trial if you want to check out a pricing tier without committing.
I've reviewed a significant amount of gear from Sihoo over the years. Sihoo is one of those companies that offer a wide range of prices, covering budget gear all the way to higher-end gear.
The Sihoo M56C-V2 favors the budget side, but it's not as budget-friendly as the Sihoo M76A-M101. However, it does remind me of it a lot. Where the M76A-M101 was very lightweight, making it feel a bit cheaper, the M56C-V2 feels a bit heftier, without significantly increasing the price tag. Is it one of the best office chairs around? I took it for a spin to find out.
Sihoo M56C-V2: Price and availability
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )
The Sihoo M56C-V2 can be purchased from the Sihoo website, Amazon, Best Buy, and several other retailers, and I'm sure that number will grow over time, as this is still a relatively new release chair. The chair costs just over $200, and depending on where you buy it from, you could get next-day delivery, pickup, or relatively fast shipping.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )
Sihoo M56C-V2: Unboxing and First Impressions
I've reviewed a significant amount of gear from Sihoo over the years. Sihoo is one of those companies that offer a wide range of prices, covering budget gear all the way to higher-end gear. The Sihoo M56C-V2 favors the budget side, but it's not as budget-friendly as the Sihoo M76A-M101.
Some users or businesses want a good chair with some ergonomics, but they don't want to spend an exorbitant amount of money. Sadly, when it comes to budget chairs, ergonomic features are often the first to be sacrificed. For this chair, however, the ergonomics are still present, providing good back support, albeit with the lumbar support a little too low for some users.
Assembly will depend on your comfort level with building chairs. If you know what you're doing and are fairly comfortable assembling items like this, you can probably build it in around an hour. However, those with less experience may take longer to build. Another thing that could help speed up the process of assembling this chair is an electric screwdriver.
Sihoo M56C-V2: Design & Build Quality
The Sihoo M56C-V2 has a firm mesh back with a self-adjusting lumbar system. It's designed to lean and adjust with you while you move in the seat, and for some, it will work great. For others, it may feel slightly lower than desired, although Sihoo aimed to support the true lower lumbar region, rather than the mid-to-low back, unlike many chairs.
The seat cushion, although not the best on the market, still provides a reasonably decent seat for the price. Lastly, the armrests and headrest provide enough flexibility and adjustment options to be helpful, without being ground-breaking and expensive.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )
Sihoo M56C-V2: In use
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )
I've had the Sihoo M56C-V2 in my inventory for 100 days at the time of writing this review. So far, this chair has held up nicely to everything we have thrown at it, including long working days.
All around, I'm impressed with just how good this chair is for the price. Granted, it has its ups and downs, but for around $200, it's pretty impressive that it offers any ergonomic features. There is a comfortable headrest, a great cushion that provides support without being uncomfortable, and it has good armrests.
While, for the most part, this chair is excellent, some users on my team have noted that the chair's lumbar is lower than they prefer. Additionally, the armrests cannot move inward, though that's usually a feature I only see on the more premium chairs, so no marks against the M56C in that regard.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )
The members of my team who felt like the lumbar was too low took matters into their own hands and added a DIY towel roll to the top of the lumbar support to help adjust the relief to the proper spot.
Other members of my team like the lowest part of the lumbar support because it feels like it properly holds their lower back.
Over the last 100 days of use, I've had one member use this chair far more than anyone else on my team. They have found that this chair is just about perfect for them. The armrests are great, the seat is comfortable, the lumbar support is helpful, the headrest is supportive, and the overall feel is wildly beneficial. This team member has suffered from migraines and tension headaches for quite some time, so having a chair that can give them a comfortable seat, a supported back, and a headrest makes all the difference.
Sihoo M56C-V2: Final verdict
The Sihoo M56C-V2 is not the fanciest chair, nor is it perfect, but it is a budget-friendly option that is well worth the money. If you are looking for a great budget chair for your home office or want to buy in bulk for a conference room or office bullpen, this chair is a great option to consider.
Should you buy a Sihoo M56C-V2?
Value
Good level of ergonomics for the price
4.5 / 5
Design
Simple design, clean, aggressive lumbar support
4 / 5
Hardware
Basic armrests, and adjust-less lumbar are simple. They work but are not for everyone
3.5 / 5
Performance
Great for budget buyers, also for average height to shorter users
4 / 5
Overall
Not perfect, but one of the better wallet-friendly chairs you can buy today if you like lumbar support
4 / 5
Buy it if...
You want a budget-friendly chair with lumbar support The Sihoo M56C-V2 is easy on the spending side and works well for most with the lumbar support. Simple and sweet.
You need to buy in bulk If you are buying chairs for a conference room or for a bullpen or general office use, this chair may just what you are looking forView Deal
Don't buy it if...
You want a super ergonomical chair While the M56C-V2 has good features, it's not the most adjustable and customizable chair
You are above average height This chair may still work for you, but there are other options that may be a better fit
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