# Tool Selection Guide

Budget-aware tool recommendations across five operational categories for solo developers and early-stage founders. This reference file powers the tool selection workflow in the operating-business skill.

**Output path:** When the skill generates a personalized tool stack for the user, write the result to `devforgeai/specs/business/operations/tool-stack.md`.

**Disclaimer:** Tool pricing may change at any time. Always verify current pricing on the vendor's website before committing to a plan. Each tool entry includes a last-verified date to indicate when pricing was last confirmed.

---

## Categories

This guide covers five tool categories:

1. CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
2. Payment Processing
3. Analytics
4. Communication
5. Project Management

## Budget Tiers

Recommendations are organized into four budget tiers:

- **Free** - No monthly cost
- **Under $50** - Up to $49/month
- **$50-$200** - Mid-range monthly spend
- **Over $200** - Premium/enterprise tier

---

## How to Add New Tools or Categories

To extend this reference file:

- **New tool:** Append an entry under the appropriate category and tier section following the existing table format. Include all required fields: name, pricing, features (3-5 bullets), best-for summary, and last-verified date.
- **New category:** Add a new top-level category section with the same tier subsections and table structure used by existing categories.

No restructuring of existing content is required when adding entries.

---

## Free Tier

### CRM - Free

| Tool           | Pricing | Best For                     |
|----------------|---------|------------------------------|
| HubSpot CRM    | Free    | All-in-one starter CRM       |
| Bitrix24       | Free    | Team CRM with tasks           |
| Zoho CRM Free  | Free    | Simple lead tracking          |

**HubSpot CRM** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Contact and deal management
- Email tracking and templates
- Meeting scheduler built in
- Reporting dashboard included
- Best for: Solo founders wanting a full-featured free CRM

**Bitrix24** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Unlimited contacts in free plan
- Built-in task management
- Team chat and video calls
- Best for: Small teams needing CRM plus collaboration

**Zoho CRM Free** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Up to 3 users on free plan
- Lead and contact management
- Basic workflow automation
- Best for: Solopreneurs with simple sales pipelines

### Payment Processing - Free

| Tool           | Pricing | Best For                     |
|----------------|---------|------------------------------|
| Stripe         | Free*   | Developer-first payments      |
| Square         | Free*   | In-person and online sales    |
| PayPal Business| Free*   | Quick global payments         |

*Transaction fees apply; no monthly platform fee.

**Stripe** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- No monthly fee, pay per transaction
- Extensive API and documentation
- Supports subscriptions natively
- Global payment methods supported
- Best for: Developers building SaaS or marketplaces

**Square** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Free point-of-sale app
- Online store included at no cost
- Invoice and payment links
- Best for: Businesses with both online and offline sales

**PayPal Business** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- No monthly fee for standard account
- Buyer trust and recognition
- International payment support
- Best for: Quick setup with global buyer reach

### Analytics - Free

| Tool              | Pricing | Best For                  |
|-------------------|---------|---------------------------|
| Google Analytics 4| Free    | Web traffic analysis       |
| Plausible CE      | Free    | Privacy-first analytics    |
| PostHog Community | Free    | Product analytics          |

**Google Analytics 4** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Event-based tracking model
- Audience and conversion reports
- Integration with Google Ads
- Machine learning insights
- Best for: Comprehensive web analytics at no cost

**Plausible CE** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Self-hosted, privacy compliant
- Lightweight script under 1KB
- No cookie consent required
- Best for: Privacy-focused founders who self-host

**PostHog Community** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Product analytics with funnels
- Session recording included
- Feature flags built in
- Best for: Product-led startups tracking user behavior

### Communication - Free

| Tool           | Pricing | Best For                     |
|----------------|---------|------------------------------|
| Slack Free     | Free    | Team messaging                |
| Discord        | Free    | Community building            |
| Google Meet    | Free    | Video conferencing            |

**Slack Free** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Searchable message history (90 days)
- Up to 10 integrations
- One-on-one video calls
- Best for: Small teams needing async communication

**Discord** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Unlimited message history
- Voice and video channels
- Community server features
- Best for: Building customer communities and support

**Google Meet** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- 60-minute group meetings free
- Screen sharing included
- No software install required
- Best for: Quick client calls without paid plans

### Project Management - Free

| Tool           | Pricing | Best For                     |
|----------------|---------|------------------------------|
| Trello Free    | Free    | Visual kanban boards          |
| Notion Free    | Free    | All-in-one workspace          |
| Linear Free    | Free    | Developer project tracking    |

**Trello Free** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Unlimited cards and members
- Built-in automation (Butler)
- Power-Up integrations
- Best for: Visual thinkers who prefer kanban boards

**Notion Free** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Unlimited pages and blocks
- Database and wiki features
- Templates for every use case
- Best for: Solo founders wanting docs, tasks, and wiki in one

**Linear Free** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Fast keyboard-driven interface
- Cycles and roadmap views
- GitHub integration built in
- Best for: Developer-founders who value speed and focus

---

## Under $50 Tier

### CRM - Under $50

| Tool            | Pricing | Best For                |
|-----------------|---------|-------------------------|
| Pipedrive       | $14/mo  | Visual sales pipeline   |
| Freshsales      | $9/mo   | AI-powered lead scoring |
| HubSpot Starter | $20/mo  | Marketing plus CRM      |

**Pipedrive** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Drag-and-drop sales pipeline
- Email integration and tracking
- Activity-based selling approach
- Customizable reporting
- Best for: Sales-focused founders with deal pipelines

**Freshsales** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- AI-powered contact scoring
- Built-in phone and email
- Workflow automation included
- Best for: Founders wanting AI-assisted lead management

**HubSpot Starter** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Remove HubSpot branding
- Email marketing included
- Simple automation workflows
- Best for: Marketing-driven businesses upgrading from free

### Payment Processing - Under $50

| Tool           | Pricing   | Best For                   |
|----------------|-----------|----------------------------|
| Stripe Plus    | $0/mo*    | Advanced payment features   |
| Paddle         | $0/mo*    | SaaS billing simplified     |
| Gumroad        | $10/mo    | Digital product sales        |

*Higher transaction rate or usage-based pricing applies.

**Stripe Plus** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Radar fraud protection
- Revenue recognition tools
- Advanced subscription billing
- Tax calculation add-on
- Best for: Growing SaaS needing billing automation

**Paddle** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Merchant of record model
- Handles global tax compliance
- Subscription management built in
- Best for: SaaS founders avoiding tax complexity

**Gumroad** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Simple digital product sales
- Built-in audience and email
- Affiliate program support
- Best for: Creators selling digital products or courses

### Analytics - Under $50

| Tool            | Pricing | Best For                   |
|-----------------|---------|----------------------------|
| Mixpanel        | $28/mo  | Advanced product analytics |
| Hotjar Basic    | $39/mo  | Heatmaps and recordings    |
| Plausible Cloud | $9/mo   | Hosted privacy analytics   |

**Mixpanel** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Funnel and retention analysis
- User segmentation
- A/B testing support
- Custom event tracking
- Best for: Product teams optimizing conversion funnels

**Hotjar Basic** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Session recordings
- Heatmaps for every page
- Feedback widgets and surveys
- Best for: Understanding how users interact with your UI

**Plausible Cloud** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Hosted, no self-hosting needed
- GDPR compliant by default
- Lightweight page analytics
- Best for: Privacy-first analytics without self-hosting

### Communication - Under $50

| Tool           | Pricing   | Best For                   |
|----------------|-----------|----------------------------|
| Slack Pro      | $8/mo     | Full team messaging          |
| Zoom Pro       | $13/mo    | Reliable video meetings      |
| Crisp Basic    | $25/mo    | Live chat for websites       |

**Slack Pro** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Unlimited message history
- Unlimited integrations
- Group video calls up to 50
- Best for: Teams needing full search and integrations

**Zoom Pro** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- 30-hour meeting duration
- Cloud recording included
- Breakout rooms supported
- Best for: Frequent client or team video meetings

**Crisp Basic** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Live chat widget
- Shared inbox for support
- Basic chatbot automation
- Best for: Startups adding live chat to their website

### Project Management - Under $50

| Tool           | Pricing   | Best For                   |
|----------------|-----------|----------------------------|
| Linear Plus    | $8/mo     | Dev team project tracking   |
| Asana Premium  | $11/mo    | Cross-functional projects   |
| Basecamp       | $15/mo    | Simple team collaboration   |

**Linear Plus** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Triage and auto-assignment
- Custom views and filters
- API and webhook support
- Best for: Engineering teams scaling issue tracking

**Asana Premium** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Timeline and Gantt views
- Custom fields and rules
- Forms for request intake
- Best for: Teams managing cross-departmental projects

**Basecamp** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- All-in-one project hub
- Message boards and to-dos
- Hill charts for progress
- Best for: Small teams wanting simplicity over features

---

## $50-$200 Tier

### CRM - $50-$200

| Tool                  | Pricing | Best For             |
|-----------------------|---------|----------------------|
| HubSpot Professional  | $100/mo | Marketing automation |
| Salesforce Essentials | $75/mo  | Enterprise-grade CRM |
| Close CRM             | $59/mo  | Inside sales teams   |

**HubSpot Professional** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Advanced automation workflows
- A/B testing for emails
- Custom reporting dashboards
- Predictive lead scoring
- Best for: Growing businesses with marketing and sales teams

**Salesforce Essentials** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Industry-standard CRM platform
- AppExchange marketplace
- Einstein AI analytics
- Best for: Businesses planning for enterprise scale

**Close CRM** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Built-in calling and SMS
- Email sequences automation
- Pipeline reporting
- Best for: Inside sales teams focused on outreach

### Payment Processing - $50-$200

| Tool           | Pricing   | Best For                   |
|----------------|-----------|----------------------------|
| Chargebee      | $99/mo    | Subscription management     |
| Recurly        | $99/mo    | Recurring billing            |
| FastSpring     | $0/mo*    | Global SaaS commerce        |

*Revenue-share pricing model applies.

**Chargebee** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Revenue recognition and SaaS metrics
- Dunning management
- Multi-currency and tax support
- 100+ integrations
- Best for: SaaS companies with complex billing needs

**Recurly** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Smart dunning recovery
- Plan and coupon management
- Revenue optimization tools
- Best for: Subscription businesses reducing churn

**FastSpring** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Full merchant of record
- Global tax and compliance
- Localized checkout experience
- Best for: SaaS selling globally without tax headaches

### Analytics - $50-$200

| Tool            | Pricing | Best For                 |
|-----------------|---------|--------------------------|
| Amplitude       | $61/mo  | Product-led growth       |
| Heap            | $100/mo | Auto-capture analytics   |
| Mixpanel Growth | $89/mo  | Advanced analytics suite |

**Amplitude** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Behavioral cohort analysis
- Experimentation platform
- Revenue and engagement charts
- Predictive analytics
- Best for: Product-led companies optimizing engagement

**Heap** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Auto-captures all user events
- Retroactive analytics
- Session replay included
- Best for: Teams wanting analytics without manual tagging

**Mixpanel Growth** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Unlimited saved reports
- Data modeling and lookups
- Group analytics for B2B
- Best for: B2B SaaS tracking account-level behavior

### Communication - $50-$200

| Tool             | Pricing | Best For                    |
|------------------|---------|-----------------------------|
| Intercom Starter | $74/mo  | Customer messaging platform |
| Zendesk Suite    | $69/mo  | Omnichannel support         |
| HelpScout        | $55/mo  | Email-based support         |

**Intercom Starter** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Live chat and messenger
- Product tours and tooltips
- Help center included
- Basic automation bots
- Best for: SaaS companies wanting in-app messaging

**Zendesk Suite** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Ticketing across channels
- Knowledge base builder
- Reporting and analytics
- Best for: Support teams needing omnichannel ticketing

**HelpScout** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Shared inbox with collision detection
- Docs knowledge base
- Beacon chat widget
- Best for: Customer-first teams preferring email support

### Project Management - $50-$200

| Tool                | Pricing | Best For                  |
|---------------------|---------|---------------------------|
| Jira Standard       | $82/mo  | Agile development teams   |
| Monday.com Standard | $60/mo  | Visual work management    |
| Shortcut Team       | $67/mo  | Product dev collaboration |

**Jira Standard** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Scrum and kanban boards
- Advanced roadmaps
- Release tracking
- 3000+ marketplace apps
- Best for: Engineering teams using agile methodologies

**Monday.com Standard** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Timeline and calendar views
- Automations and integrations
- Guest access for clients
- Best for: Non-technical teams managing visual workflows

**Shortcut Team** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Stories, epics, and milestones
- Write and docs integration
- Developer-friendly API
- Best for: Product teams balancing planning and execution

---

## Over $200 Tier

### CRM - Over $200

| Tool                    | Pricing | Best For                   |
|-------------------------|---------|----------------------------|
| Salesforce Professional | $250/mo | Full enterprise CRM        |
| HubSpot Enterprise      | $300/mo | All-in-one growth platform |
| Zoho CRM Ultimate       | $220/mo | Customizable enterprise    |

**Salesforce Professional** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Complete sales cloud
- Customizable objects and flows
- Advanced forecasting
- AppExchange ecosystem
- Best for: Scaling sales teams needing full customization

**HubSpot Enterprise** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Predictive lead scoring
- Custom behavioral events
- Advanced permissions and teams
- Best for: Large teams unifying marketing, sales, service

**Zoho CRM Ultimate** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Zia AI assistant
- Advanced analytics
- Sandbox testing environment
- Best for: Enterprises wanting deep customization at lower cost

### Payment Processing - Over $200

| Tool           | Pricing   | Best For                   |
|----------------|-----------|----------------------------|
| Stripe Scale   | $0/mo*    | High-volume processing      |
| Adyen          | $0/mo*    | Global enterprise payments  |
| Braintree      | $0/mo*    | PayPal ecosystem payments   |

*Volume-based transaction pricing applies.

**Stripe Scale** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Volume discounts on fees
- Custom reporting and data pipelines
- Dedicated support
- Advanced fraud prevention
- Best for: High-volume businesses optimizing transaction cost

**Adyen** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Single platform, global reach
- Unified commerce (online and POS)
- Risk management suite
- Best for: Enterprise businesses with global payment needs

**Braintree** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- PayPal, Venmo, credit cards
- Drop-in UI components
- Vault for recurring payments
- Best for: Businesses wanting PayPal ecosystem integration

### Analytics - Over $200

| Tool                 | Pricing | Best For                  |
|----------------------|---------|---------------------------|
| Amplitude Growth     | $250/mo | Enterprise product insight |
| Pendo                | $300/mo | Product adoption platform |
| FullStory Enterprise | $299/mo | Digital experience intel  |

**Amplitude Growth** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Unlimited cohorts and charts
- Experiment analysis suite
- Portfolio analytics
- Data governance tools
- Best for: Product orgs running experiments at scale

**Pendo** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Product analytics and guides
- NPS and feedback collection
- Roadmap prioritization
- Best for: Product teams driving adoption and retention

**FullStory Enterprise** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Full session replay at scale
- Frustration signal detection
- Conversion funnel analysis
- Best for: UX teams diagnosing user experience issues

### Communication - Over $200

| Tool                  | Pricing | Best For                 |
|-----------------------|---------|--------------------------|
| Intercom Professional | $250/mo | Full customer platform   |
| Zendesk Professional  | $249/mo | Enterprise support suite |
| Freshdesk Enterprise  | $215/mo | AI-powered support       |

**Intercom Professional** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Advanced automation and bots
- Custom reporting dashboards
- Multilingual support
- Team performance analytics
- Best for: SaaS companies scaling customer communication

**Zendesk Professional** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Skills-based routing
- Custom analytics dashboards
- Multilingual content
- Best for: Large support teams with complex routing needs

**Freshdesk Enterprise** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Freddy AI agent assist
- Sandbox for testing changes
- Audit log and compliance
- Best for: Support orgs wanting AI-powered ticket handling

### Project Management - Over $200

| Tool           | Pricing   | Best For                   |
|----------------|-----------|----------------------------|
| Jira Premium   | $210/mo   | Enterprise agile at scale   |
| Asana Business | $245/mo   | Portfolio management        |
| Monday.com Pro | $225/mo   | Enterprise work OS          |

**Jira Premium** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Advanced roadmaps (cross-team)
- IP allowlisting
- Unlimited storage
- Priority support
- Best for: Large engineering orgs with multi-team planning

**Asana Business** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Portfolio-level reporting
- Goals tracking with progress
- Workload management
- Best for: Enterprises managing strategic portfolios

**Monday.com Pro** - Last-Verified: 2026-03-03
- Advanced time tracking
- Formula and dependency columns
- Chart and workload views
- Best for: Large orgs needing visual project dashboards

---

## Side-by-Side Comparison Template

Compare two tools side-by-side using the format below.
Covers pricing, features, free trial, API access,
and known limitations.

**Example: Stripe vs Paddle**

| Aspect          | Stripe             | Paddle             |
|-----------------|--------------------|---------------------|
| Pricing         | 2.9% + $0.30/txn   | 5% + $0.50/txn      |
| Key Features    | APIs, subs, radar   | MoR, tax, subs      |
| Free Trial      | No (free to start)  | No (free to start)   |
| API Access      | Extensive REST API  | REST API available   |
| Limitations     | Tax add-on extra    | Higher per-txn fee   |

**Example: HubSpot CRM vs Pipedrive**

| Aspect          | HubSpot CRM        | Pipedrive           |
|-----------------|--------------------|---------------------|
| Pricing         | Free / $20/mo+     | $14/mo+             |
| Key Features    | CRM, email, forms   | Pipeline, email, AI  |
| Free Trial      | Free plan avail     | 14-day trial         |
| API Access      | Full REST API       | REST API available   |
| Limitations     | Paid for automation | No free plan         |

Tables use pipe-and-dash ASCII format, 80-char max.

---

## Tool Stack Output Template

When the user completes their tool selections, generate the output file at the path below using this template structure.

**Output path:** `devforgeai/specs/business/operations/tool-stack.md`

```markdown
# Tool Stack

## Selected Tools

### CRM
- **Selected Tool:** {tool_name}
- **Pricing Tier:** {tier}
- **Monthly Cost:** {cost}
- **Integration Notes:** {notes}

### Payment Processing
- **Selected Tool:** {tool_name}
- **Pricing Tier:** {tier}
- **Monthly Cost:** {cost}
- **Integration Notes:** {notes}

### Analytics
- **Selected Tool:** {tool_name}
- **Pricing Tier:** {tier}
- **Monthly Cost:** {cost}
- **Integration Notes:** {notes}

### Communication
- **Selected Tool:** {tool_name}
- **Pricing Tier:** {tier}
- **Monthly Cost:** {cost}
- **Integration Notes:** {notes}

### Project Management
- **Selected Tool:** {tool_name}
- **Pricing Tier:** {tier}
- **Monthly Cost:** {cost}
- **Integration Notes:** {notes}

## Cost Summary

| Category            | Tool        | Monthly Cost |
|---------------------|-------------|--------------|
| CRM                 | {tool}      | {cost}       |
| Payment Processing  | {tool}      | {cost}       |
| Analytics           | {tool}      | {cost}       |
| Communication       | {tool}      | {cost}       |
| Project Management  | {tool}      | {cost}       |
| **Estimated Total** |             | **{total}**  |
```

---

## Budget Tier Selection Logic

When the user provides their budget range, filter recommendations as follows:

1. **Free** - Show only tools with $0 monthly platform fee
2. **Under $50** - Show tools priced below $50/month
3. **$50-$200** - Show tools priced $50-$200/month
4. **Over $200** - Show tools priced above $200/month

If no tools exist at the user's selected tier for a category, show the closest paid options with minimum pricing and note the budget mismatch.

---

## Progressive Disclosure

1. Present one category at a time (do NOT show all five at once)
2. After each category table, prompt user for their tool selection
3. After selection, proceed to the next category
4. Repeat until all 5 categories are selected or skipped

<!-- Rationale: Reduces cognitive load by focusing on one decision at a time -->
