Compare Business Software

Helping You Find the Best Software for Your Business

SourceForge's mission is to help businesses find the best software to fit their needs and their budget. There are a variety of software tools available to businesses, and there are tools in almost every category and niche, each serving a slightly different purpose. Trying to figure out which ones are best for your business can be overwhelming and challenging. It can be tough to narrow down a list of quality products that will actually help you. We're here to help you choose the most beneficial services for your unique needs. Our team does the legwork for you by analyzing each service's key qualities and offerings and providing you with the essential information you need to make a decision.

We help you compare these services by providing you with details about functionality, pricing, available integrations, supported geographies, and supported OS platforms. Use the comprehensive filters you can find on the left-hand side of your screen (on desktop), or tapping "Filters" on mobile. Using the filter tools, you can drill down extremely granularly and find the software that perfectly fits the criteria you input. Need software that works in a specific country? No problem, our comparison engine can help. Need a certain category of software that integrates specifically with the software you're already using? Easy, just punch it in the left sidebar under "Integrations." Want to filter only by small business software? Go ahead, we can handle it.

Our comparison engine can even tell you which industries the software is best suited for. We also give you a well-researched, objective list of each product's pros and cons, helping you be aware of any potential issues. In addition to our experienced reviewers, we also use our own powerful algorithms to suggest and compare software, as well as real verified user reviews to give you a comprehensive picture of a product's user experience.

Guide to Buying SaaS Software and Business Software

SaaS stands for Software as a Service. It's software you use to run your business but that you don't download it onto a computer. Instead, you access the software online through the other company's service. You typically pay a monthly fee. That fee covers your use of the software, but also covers the storage and management of the software. You get the benefits of the software without having to worry about upkeep. You may also see these SaaS applications referred to as web-based software, on-demand software, or hosted software. This guide will help you determine the features you need in an SaaS product and the factors you need to consider before making a decision. SaaS software makes up the bulk of business software, but SourceForge also includes on-premise and installed business software including software for Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and Android.

Who We Help

Our reviews and comparison tools are designed to help:

• Small businesses, startups, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and freelancers who are looking to increase efficiency
• Medium to large companies, enterprises, and multinational corporations wanting to become more efficient, improve collaboration, and boost productivity

Business Software Categories

There are several different types of SaaS software available to businesses.

• ERP Software: Enterprise Resource Planning software helps manage several aspects of your business like efficiency, communication, workflow, and productivity. It also lets you analyze these factors to make adjustments.
• CRM Software: CRM, or Customer Relationship Management software helps target your marketing, keep track of customers and manage your sales funnels.
• Email Marketing Software: Email marketing software lets you automate what you send to your list and helps you boost your email strategy.
• Project Management Software: Project Management software lets you manage large projects within your company. Everyone involved can keep in touch, note changes, and track deadlines to streamline the process.
• Task Management Software: Task management software enables teams to manage, track, and assign tasks. Task management software increases company productivity by providing transparency on what every team member is working on.
• Collaboration Software: Collaboration software is designed to help your employees work together on projects and communicate more effectively.
• HR Software: HR software creates a one-stop place for HR to manage all the tasks of their department, including payroll, hour tracking, and hiring.
• Vertical Market Software: Vertical application software can help with specific types of business. It's usually industry specific, such as for medical practices, law offices, drycleaners, yoga studios, pet grooming, etc.
• Billing and Invoicing Software: This software helps you make the billing and payment process easy for you and your customers. It can also reduce mistakes and cut down on the time spent on invoicing.
• Web Hosting and eCommerce: These tools help you get your business online. You can manage your website and online stores with features like message boards and shopping carts.
• Payment Processing: Payment processing software lets you receive online payments in a number of ways, such as through bank transfers, credit cards, bidding, and more. You can also manage coupons and loyalty programs.
• Accounting Software: Accounting software helps you manage anything to do with money, even if you aren't an accountant.
• Public Sector and Compliance: If your business is under certain mandated regulations, this type of software can help you manage these standards and make sure everyone is in compliance.
• Marketing Automation Software: Marketing automation software is software that's built specifically for automating and streamlining digital marketing campaigns.
• Membership Management Software: Membership management software allows organizations, clubs, or businesses to manage their membership database.

And many, many more. Our software comparison engine and directory contains over 800 software categories. The software comparison engine above is extremely powerful, and can sort through tens of thousands of software products based on the filters you select in a matter of seconds.

SaaS: Important Features to Help Your Business

1. Cut Down on Costs: SaaS companies usually offer monthly or yearly subscriptions, making it easy to see what will fit into your budget. You won't have unexpected costs come up at random points. Most also usually allow you to change or end your subscription if your needs change. You won't have to worry about any of the costs associated with hosting your own software, like an IT staff, infrastructure, or storage. You also don't have the upfront costs like installation and implementation. You'll only pay for what you need, when you need it, and can avoid heavy licensing costs.
2. Better Security: When you go with web-based software, everything is backed up consistently. You don't have to worry about losing secure information if one of your employees loses their equipment. These companies do all the legwork to keep your data secure.
3. Saves Time and Effort: While you can develop or purchase solutions on your own, SaaS is already designed to fit your needs and is set up and ready to go. You simply sign up for a package, create an account, and the application is ready for use. If you do everything yourself, you'll have to go through the steps of installing and implementing the software yourself, which can be time-consuming and challenging.
4. Can Be Scaled: As your business grows, it's so much easier to scale your applications if they're provided as a service. You won't have to go through the process of buying new servers or investing in different software to meet your needs. SaaS programs are designed to grow with your business.
5. Easy to Use: SaaS programs are designed with the user in mind. Interfaces are usually intuitive and simple. Since you access the app through the internet, you can use it on any device, wherever you are. Most SaaS companies offer educational material to help you use their software.

Advantages of SaaS Software

Easy to Upgrade

The company providing SaaS handles any updates or upgrades to the software. You software is always up-to-date, and you don't have to install anything. When or if your needs grow, the company handles all of that as well. You don't have to worry about spending many on additional products to increase your capacity.

Increased Adoption Rates

Since SaaS applications are web-based, you can use them from almost anywhere - a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Since these apps are so accessible, they tend to have high adoption rates and people find them easy to use.

Seamless Integration

Most of the products we review offer multitenancy in order to keep up with demand. Some will even work with you to make customizations to fit your business's unique needs. To integrate their software even further, some companies offer APIs so that you can use their software with other software you use.

Explore Software Through Free Trials

As you try to find the best product for your business's needs, we suggest reading through some of our reviews and generate a list of the most promising services. You can then register for free trials to see if any are a good fit. Our software reviews can help you to see exactly what a SaaS company offers before you make a commitment. You may also find user reviews to be helpful. Try to find people in your industry and with a business of a similar size to what solutions worked for them.

You also have the option of exploring free or freemium products that are available. You can familiarize yourself with the product for no charge, and can then move to a paid plan if it's a good fit for your business. The majority of SaaS software vendors will provide a free trial of some sort, or at the very least, a money-back guarantee.

Recent SaaS Trends

The Integration of Various Mobile Apps

There are millions of apps available. While your company may use one set of apps, your client or partner companies may use another set. This can make it challenging to communicate and collaborate with one another. You can find SaaS apps that allow for integration between your apps so that you can work productively, communicate effectively, and don't have to worry about security issues.

The Emergence of DaaS

Many companies are now offering DaaS, or Data as a Service. Businesses of all sizes now have more data than they can manage without a dedicated IT department. DaaS products can save money by offering cloud-space for data storage and management.

Companies Are Struggling to Keep Their Data Secure

BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device, is becoming increasingly popular in businesses. Businesses allow employees to use their own device, which can be a problem as these devices are accessing sensitive data, but are not secure. One solution is to use SaaS for data storage and management so that the data itself is always part of a secure system.

Drawbacks of SaaS Software

Internet Dependence

You may have issues with SaaS products if your business doesn't have dedicated internet access. If you have a simple ISP, then you have the potential to service drops, lags, and 

sluggish services when too many users are online. Instead, you should have individual service to avoid sharing bandwidth. You should also have a backup in case your primary service goes down.

Look for Hidden Costs

You'll often see one price advertised on a SaaS company's website, but it isn't always the final price you'll pay. It's important to read through the Terms of Service. There are often hidden fees such as getting set up with the service, use of technical support, or overage fees if you go over a certain cap. Make sure you know about these fees and are willing to pay them before signing up for a service.

Overspending

For the most part, the costs of most SaaS services is pretty straightforward. Good companies will reveal exactly what you'll pay and any extra fees you may incur. You can still wind up spending more than necessary if you don't take advantage of discounts on longer payment plans. If the service is something you'll be using for a while, it's best to go through each of the payment options and choose the one that's the best value.