Best Of 2026

Best Productivity Companies

Notes, tasks and focus

Figma

1

Browser-based interface design tool where a whole team can work in the same file at the same time.

Notion

2

Documents, databases and wikis in one workspace, where any page can also be a structured table with multiple views.

Note-taking on local Markdown files, with links between notes and a plugin ecosystem that reshapes it into almost anything.

Task manager built around fast natural-language capture, available on effectively every platform.

Answer engine that searches the web and responds with a written answer carrying citations to its sources.

AI

Self-hosted toolkit performing around fifty PDF operations locally, so documents never leave your infrastructure.

Developer Tools NewOpen Source

Email client built around keyboard speed and deliberate triage, for people who spend hours a day in their inbox.

A keyboard-first launcher for macOS that replaces Spotlight with extensions, snippets and window management.

Project tool that does nearly everything, with docs, goals and views layered on a generous free tier.

Gamma

10

AI presentation tool that turns one prompt into a near-finished deck, built from flexible blocks that stay easy to edit.

AI New

Handwriting-first note app for iPad, the standard choice for students and anyone who thinks better with a pen.

Free, instant capture notes tied to your Google account, built for short lists rather than long documents.

Writing assistant that follows you into every app and text box, catching mistakes and flagging unclear sentences.

AI New

Free browser tool that highlights the sentences nobody will finish reading, plus passive voice and weak verbs.

AI New

Jasper

15

AI writing platform for marketing teams, holding brand voice and style centrally so several people write consistently.

AI New

Jira

16

Atlassian issue tracker built for software teams working at scale, powerful and heavy in equal measure.

Lex

17

Clean document editor where the AI waits to be asked, built for writers who find constant suggestions distracting.

AI New

Free, open source office suite with a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation tool that read Microsoft formats.

Productivity NewOpen Source

AI built into PowerPoint, Word and Excel that drafts from your own files and keeps everything inside your tenancy.

AI New

Colourful, highly visual work platform that adapts to projects, sales pipelines or anything else you configure.

More “Best Of” Lists