Protecting sensitive data and staff on-site is crucial. But companies with multiple offices struggle to do this, especially when staff members hold different access levels and travel among many locations. As businesses grow, this can become a serious problem. But there’s a solution. Access control systems help protect companies by allowing them to decide who can access their facilities and how. By leveraging the power of technology, businesses can solve the access issues altogether. I reviewed the best access control systems available today, and narrowed my list to the top five. Read on to discover the best option for your business needs. The Top 5 Best Access Control Systems
Those are my top picks. Let’s dive a bit further into them. #1 – Honeywell — The Best for Large Teams
The larger your team, the more chance there is for sensitive data to go missing or end up in the wrong hands. Honeywell offers a solution to this with its access control system that doesn’t mess around. ![]() There are multiple pieces of excellent software on offer here, but one of particular note is the WIN-PAK integrated security software. This system offers access control, video surveillance, and intrusion detection through a single and unified interface. It’s an intuitive browser-based interface that enables users to perform access control actions wherever and whenever. For large teams, the best thing is that WIN-PAK can be scaled how you want, from a single site up to a multi-region operation. There isn’t a limit on what you can do here, no matter the size of your team, making it an ideal enterprise-level solution but still practical for everyone else of all shapes and sizes. I like the ability to integrate third-party solutions such as BioConnect Suprema and Morpho Biometric—two notable biometric multi-factor authentication options. Honeywell offers dedicated support for its products too and includes an online portal and knowledge base, as well as phone support when you need it. No prices are publicly listed, so it’s best to contact Honeywell for a custom quote. #2 – SALTO — The Best for Wireless Access Control
If you need wireless access control above all else, SALTO is a top choice that won’t let you down. SALTO provides companies simple control access systems that don’t require wiring or external power. Essentially, this is wireless access control without needing anything else, and it’s one of the most straightforward solutions on this list to use. ![]() With SALTO, you’ll have access to wireless locks, readers, and battery-operated access control systems. The system integrates with everything from card readers to electronic locks, and access is configurable on a granular level through a local server. In other words, you pick the security you need and then easily control it from afar. I especially like the system’s ability to accept access via mobile apps—not all access control systems provide this—removing the need for keycards and key fobs that more often than not get lost. People are much less likely to lose, misplace, or forget their phone, and it feels like a system that’s forward-looking as a result. For wireless simplicity and robust access control, you can’t go far wrong here. Like most access control systems, no prices are available, so it’s best to contact SALTO for a custom quote. You can do that right here. #3 – Envoy — The Best for Custom Health Checks
Envoy offers a host of access control solutions that help to keep your employees safe and secure. There’s never been a more important time to ensure your team is fit and healthy. The pandemic has highlighted how essential it is to prevent infections in the workplace, and Envoy, as timely as ever, offers an immediate solution to this in the form of Envoy Protect. ![]() Envoy Protect focuses explicitly on the health side of things. It offers custom health checks where you can confirm that employees are healthy before they even arrive at the workplace. You’ll be able to set capacity limits so you can safely determine how many people should be on-site at any one time. There’s the ability to set criteria for who is allowed on-site based on their responses to questionnaires, which integrates directly with the access control system. Effectively, you can ensure only healthy employees show up to the office or job site, while those that are ill can stay home and join the team remotely. That’s without mentioning the option for touchless sign-ins, a complete employee log so you can plan for the week, and workplace contract tracing. Workplace contract tracing allows you to see who got exposed to an unwell employee based on sign-in data alone, and from there, you can act accordingly. Even better, Envoy transparently lists its prices in four tiers: ![]() The first tier is entirely free and, although it comes with limited features, it will be a great starting place for small workplaces. The higher levels naturally offer more advanced features, including capacity limits, visitor photos, and directory integrations. The second tier comes in at $99 per location per month and up to 50 employees per location. You’ll be able to try it and the third tier for free. #4 – ISONAS— The Best for Single Users
Access control systems can be confusing, but ISONAS wants to change that with its IP access control system that works on your existing network. The aim here is to keep the installation as straightforward as possible. You get to pick between either cloud-based access or local access when using the system. Essentially, ISONAS does away with the need for complex installations because it converts your old set up into IP systems compatible with its software. It sounds more complicated than it is, but suffice to say, it takes away a lot of the fuss with these systems. ![]() You’ll be able to pick from readers for ID cards, fobs, badges, or even PIN-based entry—whatever you need, there’s a security solution here for it. The software lets its users access the readers using their mobiles or simple proximity scanners and then integrates with the broader system. For single users, it’s a great choice due to its ease of use and flexibility. ISONAS comes in one to five-door installations. It’s important to point out there are two software options here: Pure Access Cloud and Pure Access Manager. The former gets hosted with controllers configured to the cloud, while the latter is on-premises software that allows you to manage access control from any device in the network. Both are good options, but Pure Access Manager does give you access from anywhere, making it a compelling choice. No prices are publicly available, and you’ll have to contact ISONAS for a custom quote. #5 – Bosch Access Control — The Best for Scalability
The need to have a system that effortlessly scales with your company is a common one, and Bosch’s access control solution offers that through and through. Bosch offers a system you can count on for almost any project, no matter how small you start or how big you get. Users begin with the Access Management System (AMS) and can upgrade to the BIS Access Engine (BIS-ACE) when required. We’re talking about a small company that needs airport-grade security down the line—effectively, Bosch provides that level of scalability, but the hardware stays the same. ![]() Most access control systems claim to offer scalability, but Bosch truly delivers it in a more than impressive fashion. The best bit is that it isn’t complex: the software merely evolves with your company. That scalability gets backed up by other great features, including 15 configurable threat levels, instant updates of events at doors, and powerful visitor management. Bosch’s system can also be integrated with other video management systems like BVMS and Milestone XProtect. For this powerful access control system, you’ll have to contact Bosch for a custom quote based on your exact requirements. How To Find the Best Access Control SystemsAccess control systems are complicated even at the best of times, so picking one can feel even harder. The core of what an access control system provides—protection and control of access for employees—largely remains the same across most pieces of software, though. With that said, the technology behind these systems varies significantly. Some, for example, are easy to install and operate wirelessly, while others will require a complete and complex installation. To make things easier, we’ve listed some of the most critical areas to think about before you dive into picking the right system for you. InstallationFirst of all, it’s fair to say that all access control systems will need professional installation, regardless of how simple they are on the surface. The supplier will take care of the installation of each system, but you must find out how long and involved the installation is beforehand. Be sure to ask your supplier who does the installation, how it’s carried out, the scope of the project, and reliable estimation of the total costs. The installation affects all buyers and, therefore, I think it’s one of the most important considerations when buying an access control system. In short: know what you’re getting involved with before you rush in—these are complex systems that favor those that plan ahead. SecurityIn essence, an access control system is all about security and how you maintain it, so it’s therefore vital you know the technology powering it. Ideally, you’ll want to look for the systems with the latest technology, systems that replace physical locks with a much higher level of protection. Examples here include door readers and tamper alarms that make breaking in much harder. Ultimately, think about what level of security you need to provide for your employees, and go from there. Access CardsSimilar to the above, access cards are an essential consideration. Be sure to look for a supplier that provides the printer for the cards and the consumables needed to create them. Some advanced access systems even use security features such as holograms and encrypted signals. If you need the next level of security, prioritize these instead, but be wary of the costs for such technology. ScalabilityYou need to think about how well they scale for the future. It’s tedious to find yourself frequently changing software, and access control systems are no different. When you contact your supplier, be sure to ask about the number of employees the system serves and the number of door openings covered. Some access control systems scale with you, while others will be much more limited. Consider the scalability of the system and how it relates to your company carefully. Reporting AccessWhile not the most crucial area to consider, it’s nevertheless worth thinking about how you access the reporting interface in your access control system. For example, is access granted locally or via the cloud? Cloud access allows you to start the system on any browser from wherever, so it’s a better option if it’s available from the start. Reporting interfaces allow you to see where employees are within a building and help with things like attendance tracking, so be sure to find out how easy it is to access them before you commit. SummaryIn the modern world, access control systems are vital. They help protect sensitive data and, of course, ensure employees are safe while they work. If you have a large team, it’s smart to opt for Honeywell, while SALTO is a strong choice for easy wireless access. Envoy offers a great solution for custom health checks, and the best choice for single users is ISONAS. For companies worried about scalability, Bosch Access Control more than delivers. Be sure to consider the installation of your system, as well as the security technology powering it, the ease of access to reporting functionality, and the scalability. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-access-control-systems/
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Working remotely is the norm today. You can work from anywhere in the world as long as you have a decent internet connection. However, there are a few “real world“ considerations you simply cannot ignore, namely, an address for your business to receive your mail. While this would’ve been a serious restriction a few decades ago, this isn’t the case anymore—all thanks to virtual mailboxes. A virtual mailbox gives you an online gateway to scan and forward your mail. Whether you’re a digital nomad, startup, or ex-pat, you can use the service to manage your postal mail from anywhere you live. I studied the options on the market today and narrowed it down to the five best. Read on to find out which virtual mailbox service is right for you. The Top 5 Best Virtual Mailboxes
Keep reading as I discuss each service in more detail to give you a better idea about which tool would be a better fit for you. #1 – Anytime Mailbox – Best for Businesses Operating Outside the United States
![]() Anytime Mailbox is a cloud-based virtual mailbox service that offers flexible, low-priced services in over 1,251 locations, including the USA, Canada, Australia, UK, and Asia. No joke. Anytime Mailbox makes it incredibly easy to get a virtual post office box, thanks to its partnership with an online notary platform called Notarize. All you have to do is fill in and submit a notarized form, and everything will be done in a few minutes. Depending on the plan and location you choose, you get access to several amazing features, such as virtual mailbox, mail forwarding, mail scanning and storage, and virtual business addresses. What’s more, you also get additional offers like mail and package forwarding, check deposit, open and scan mail, and secure document shredding. Anytime Mailbox takes the security of your mail seriously. It accepts packages from leading delivery companies, including FedEx and DHL, and also has physical locations from where you can pick up your mail. Let’s not forget it also offers a handy mobile application for iPhone and Android devices, allowing you to keep up with your mail on the go. PricingAnytime Mailbox is hands down one of the cheapest virtual mailbox services. However, it has confusing pricing tiers since its fees are different for different locations. Monthly plans start as low as $6.50. That said, be warned if you opt for that lower-priced option, charges could quickly shoot up if you go over your allocated incoming mail quota. #2 – PostScan Mail – Best for Multi-User Functionality
![]() PostScan Mail gives you total control over your online postal mail. You can view, scan, forward, recycle, and shred your mail—it’s your call. It also lets you add multiple users to a single account, where every user has individual access with their own secure password. This virtual mailbox offers unlimited cloud storage, along with the option for you to walk into any of their physical locations to pick up your mail delivery. The mail and package forwarding system is incredibly robust with real-time shipping rates and shipment tracking to over 400 national and international locations. It sends email and push notifications to users instantly, ensuring you never miss an important mail delivery. Plus, PostScan Mail accepts mail from all mail carriers like UPS, USPS, and FedEx. Designed for personal and business use, its features include unlimited cloud storage for online mail management, discounted mail receiving, planning and forwarding, and package forwarding. You can also shred personal documents for free, which, in turn, adds another layer of security to prevent identity theft. The fact that PostScan Mail is responsive is another plus. The service works great on most mobile devices and tablets, with the mobile app available for download on Google Play and the App Store. PricingPostScan Mail offers three membership plans to suit different customer requirements:
The service charges extra if you exceed your monthly limit in addition to some additional fees, Such as mail storage, mail forwarding, and local pickup. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try the virtual mailbox risk-free. #3 – Traveling Mailbox – Best for Third-Party Integrations
![]() Traveling Mailbox ticks off most requirements of a good virtual mailbox service. It’s feature-rich, reliable, and enjoys a stellar reputation for its quality mailbox management assistance. You get an online postal mailbox, addresses, mail forwarding, post mail scanning, mail storage, mail filtering, document shredding, and check deposit services across its 30+ US-based addresses. The service lets you convert your emails, correspondences, invoices, and checks into digital documents to allow remote viewing. What’s more, all your documents are processed through an OCR (optical character recognition) software before being converted into searchable PDF documents. This is one of Traveling Mailbox’s biggest USPs, as not all competing services offer this facility. There’s also a unique ScanPAK feature, where the service sends you a prepaid envelope to fill in important papers that you don’t want to lose. Send the envelope back to the Traveling Mailbox, after which they will scan everything you send and upload it—all within a day of you receiving the mail. Direct integrations with third-party software like Evernote, Dropbox, Bill.com, and Google Drive can make things very convenient for you by building a more fluid workflow. PricingTraveling Mailbox’s pricing tiers is largely dependent on your quota amounts, but it’s definitely on the expensive side. Currently, you can choose from three different membership plans:
Enterprise plans are also available starting from $99 per month if you’re looking for customized solutions to handle higher mail volumes. However, it doesn’t offer users a free service or trial. #4 – Earth Class Mail – Best for Businesses Dealing With Sensitive Documents
![]() Earth Class Mail is a very renowned virtual mailbox service and arguably the highest regarded. If you’re looking for an alternative to the traditional post office box, this is all you need. You get online postal mailboxes and postal mail scanning services, as well as useful features like mail forwarding services, content scan, and secure document shredding. The CheckStream feature, for one, lets you automate your check deposit securely to improve your workflow and save time. Although more suitable for SMBs, I highly recommend it for businesses dealing with confidential data. You see, this virtual mailbox ensures all your mail is received, organized, and stored safely by the company’s HIPAA-certified professionals. Mails are scanned in high resolution and processed using OCR software to make them readable and searchable within the application. Plus, you’ll have to log into their website to download, recycle, trash, or destroy your mail—or have it sent to a third person. All this ensures the greater safety of all your documents. Earth Class Mail has more than 80 U.S. addresses on its list but doesn’t work outside the country. It can also integrate with services like QuickBooks Online, Xero, Bill.com, Google Drive, and Box, among others. PricingEarth Class Mail’s tariff plans are more steeply-priced than its competitors. They’re divided into two categories: MailBox Plans (for individuals and small offices) and MailRoom Plans (for businesses and enterprises). MailBox Plans
MailRoom Plans
A free Earth Class Mail trial is also available to test-drive features. #5 – iPostal1 – Best for Extensive Address Ranges
![]() iPostal1 has steadily improved its range of services to become one of the leading names in digital mailbox technology today. It has expanded its infrastructure considerably since its launch in 2007 and is now one of the largest networks of digital mailbox locations. Yep, you read that right. iPostal1 is one of the biggest international virtual mailbox services that gives you over 2000 locations to choose from—and this includes virtual offices, office buildings, and workspaces on the global level. The service works similar to all good virtual mailbox services and has partnered with DHL, USPS, FedEx, and UPS for delivery. It offers many features like mail scanning and forwarding, check depositing, package forwarding, and a permanent street address. Other than this, you can manage your mails from anywhere and at any time via your phone or online. You can’t register your business or receive deliveries from carriers when you only have a PO box. It’s why you need a real street address. The good news is iPostal1 offers both a PO Box as well as a real street address. You can get your mail and package handled, received, and stored at the mailing address of your choice. Choosing how your mail is handled is another interesting feature. You can get it opened, scanned, forwarded, shredded, discarded, or stored for later pick up—whatever you want. PricingiPostal1 offers tons of plans and sub-plans, so you’re sure to find the right match as per your requirements and preferences.
How to Find the Best Virtual Mailbox For YouNow that we’ve covered my top virtual mailbox recommendations, let’s take a look at how you can decide between them based on your needs. Instead of discussing vague, broad criteria, I’ll focus on the crucial questions you must consider before making a call. What actions does the virtual mailbox allow you to take on your mail?You should have the option to see and try out a product demo. Any good virtual mailbox service should offer this facility to give you a better idea about their scope of functionalities and let you get the most out of the service. If you don’t get a demo, be sure to ask the following questions:
What locations and addresses fall under the purview of the virtual mailbox?Depending on your requirements, you’ll need different virtual addresses. For instance, if you’re a freelancer, you’ll want a street address that can then be used to register your business. On the other hand, having a PO Box is more than enough for an ex-pat. The good news is there are plenty of options. Your job is only to ensure you sign up for a service that operates in all the locations you desire—nationwide and internationally. What kind of physical and network security does the virtual mailbox offer?This is incredibly crucial and should be things on your to-do list. Ask the provider what security measures they take to safeguard their customers’ private information. You can consider the following questions to get a better understanding of the security levels.
Does the virtual mailbox offer satisfactory features in their plans?In addition to knowing how much you’re paying, you should also know exactly what you’re paying for. Make a list of all the features you need (forwarding, document shredding, mail storage, and so on) from a virtual mailbox, and cross-check whether your selected prospects offer them. Follow this up by understanding the pricing structures associated with these plans and features. Be sure you proceed with only those companies that provide the services—basic and additional—you need. Does the virtual mailbox make it easy for you to access information?The whole point of signing up with a digital mail and document solution is to access information quickly and on the go, preferably in usable formats. To make the right choice, you should think about how long it takes for the service to give you your mail contents once you request them to be scanned. Other considerations include how long mail forwarding takes and whether there’s an option to automatically scan all the content. In my experience, it’s best to choose virtual mailboxes that let you access your mail on a mobile device. It’s much more convenient. SummaryI hope this guide helps you identify the best virtual mailbox for you and your business. Out of all the tools, I personally recommend Anytime Mail and PostScan because of their extensive capabilities. However, you can also opt for Earth Class Mail if you deal with documents of a more sensitive nature. Nevertheless, regardless of your choice, you’re assured of an astonishingly easy and fast way to handle your postal mail on the go. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-virtual-mailbox/ App development has historically been a complex, time-consuming, and expensive process. Learning to code is far from easy, and the costs associated with hiring an app development team can quickly add up. Mobile app development software makes it possible for non-technical users to create an app from scratch without writing code or hiring a developer. This drastically reduces your costs and shortens the development timeline. I researched the best mobile app development software on the market today. This guide covers the five best, and provides a framework to use in your decision-making process. Read on to learn everything you need to know. The Top 5 Best Mobile App Development Software
After extensive research and testing, we’ve narrowed down our list to five mobile app development tools that we can confidently recommend. The following in-depth reviews will help you find the best app development software for your specific needs and use cases. #1 – Zoho Creator — Best Low-Code Development Software For Business Apps
Zoho Creator lets you create custom multi-platform applications for your business. Anything from a simple call log to a complicated ERP system can be built using Zoho Creator’s ecosystem of prebuilt templates, visual builders, and code editors. ![]() While you don’t need a complete coding background to use Zoho Creator, you need to understand a bit of business logic to have success with this tool. It’s an excellent way to automate business workflows with mobile and fill the gaps in your existing system. Zoho Creator even has pre-built solutions for things like vendor management, logistics, inventory management, fleets, distribution, order management, and more. The software has been used to create more than six million apps, making it one of the most popular options on the market for internal business solutions. The entry-level Professional package starts at $25 per user per month and supports up to five apps. The Ultimate plan, starting at $400 per month, supports unlimited apps and comes with ten users included. Try Zoho Creator for free with a 15-day trial. #2 – BiznessApps— Best White Label Mobile App Reseller Program
BiznessApps is built for small businesses. That’s one of the many reasons why it’s ideal for agencies and app resellers. ![]() You can use this software to create apps for businesses in any category. The no-code platform supports real estate apps, restaurant apps, education apps, health and beauty apps, community apps, and so much more. So there’s no shortage of potential clients. The reseller package is a turnkey solution that includes niche-specific marketing materials and sales training. You’ll also get a dedicated mobile marketing advisor who will coach you through everything during one-on-one training sessions. BiznessApps lets you create native iOS apps, native Android apps, and progressive web apps (PWA) for your clients. There are three different reseller packages to choose from, starting at $300, $360, and $400 per month, respectively. The $400 Platinum package offers the most value, and the extra $100 is marginal compared to the recurring revenue you’ll generate from selling apps. All plans support 20 apps and unlimited PWAs. #3 – BuildFire — Best Custom No-Code Development Software For iOS and Android
BuildFire has been used to create over 10,000+ mobile apps across every possible category. It’s trusted by big names like Cisco, Travelers, Pepsi, and Pandora. ![]() BuildFire’s no-code platform allows non-technical users to create iOS and Android apps from scratch with ease. But what really makes BuildFire unique compared to other no-code platforms is its limitless customization. With other tools in this category, you’ll be restricted in terms of what can be built with the platform. That’s not the case with BuildFire. Let’s say you have a custom feature request that can’t be achieved with one of BuildFire’s plugins or built-in functionality. You can reach out to BuildFire’s team, and they’ll create the function for you. If you have an in-house developer, the BuildFire SDK allows them to create a custom plugin as well. You’re getting all the benefits of a no-code tool but without any restrictions. Here’s a quick overview of BuildFire’s plans and pricing:
All plans support iOS, Android, and PWA. You can try it free for 14 days. #4 – Appy Pie — Best Beginner-Friendly Mobile App Development Platform
Appy Pie is one of the most well-known names in the no-code development space. The software has been used by over seven million users across the globe. ![]() The simplified solution lets anyone create an app in three simple steps without writing a single line of code:
It’s that easy. Appy Pie is ideal for DIY users on a tight budget that want to create simple apps for iOS and Android. The apps are fast, secure, and compliant. Appy Pie also helps you get your apps published to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store without any hassle. Appy Pie’s entry-level plan starts at just $16 per app per month. This plan only supports Android, so it’s not ideal for mass consumption. To create an app for iOS and Android, you’ll need the Platinum plan—starting at $60 per app per month. Try it free for seven days. #5 – MobiLoud — Best Software For Turning Websites Into Mobile Apps
MobiLoud makes it easy for anyone with a website to create a mobile app in days. It’s easy to use and arguably the fastest path to development on the market today. ![]() The concept behind this solution is really simple. You just need to sync your site with the software, and MobiLoud will take care of the rest. As you update your website, the app will update automatically. This holds true regardless of your CMS. MobiLoud works with WordPress, Shopify, Laravel, and more. Once your app goes live, you can send push notifications to users and even monetize your app with ease. Compared to other app development solutions, MobiLoud falls a bit short with custom capabilities. But it’s perfect for anyone with a website who wants to enhance their mobile presence immediately. Plans start at $160 per month and increase based on your active user base and additional features. There’s an additional $500 charge for app store submission as well. All plans are backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee. How to Find the Best Mobile App Development Software For YouMobile app development software is a broad category with dozens of options to choose from. While all of the tools create apps, the type of apps they create and the development path vary from platform to platform. Each is made with a specific use case or end-user in mind, so just blindly picking one from a Google search or a list likely won’t yield positive results. You can use the following criteria as a buying guide for mobile app development software. These factors will help you narrow down your options as you’re shopping around and comparing tools in this category. App ComplexityThe type of app or apps that you want to create will have a significant impact on your decision here. Creating a simple calculator or flashlight app as a hobby is very different from developing an app for internal business process automation. Things like using GPS functionality, social media login credentials, and connecting users in real-time also add to the complexity of your app. End users and how they’ll engage with your app have a direct impact on its complexity as well. Are you trying to build the next Uber or Facebook? Or are you looking to solve a business problem with a mobile app? For large-scale apps intended for mass consumption (like the next Uber, Facebook, Tinder, etc.), mobile app development software will only get you so far. In these scenarios, you’ll be better off with custom development. The same goes for gaming apps—these are typically too complex for app development software to handle. Technical Expertise and Coding ExperienceThe vast majority of mobile app development tools fall into one of two categories—no-code development software and low-code development software. As the name implies, no-code software doesn’t require any coding knowledge or technical expertise. If you can navigate the internet, then you can build an app using this software. Think of no-code app software like a website builder. Similar to Wix or Squarespace, you’re just turning on features, adding plugins, and leveraging drag-and-drop functionality to customize your app. All of the capabilities are already built into the tool—you’re just deciding which ones to enable for your app. No-code tools are perfect for small business apps, gym and fitness apps, restaurant apps, and even ecommerce apps. The features required across the board for these use cases are fairly similar, and the no-code platforms can accommodate your needs. You’ll end up with a beautifully designed and highly functional app when it’s all said and done. Low-code apps require a bit of a technical background. You don’t necessarily need to be a coding expert, but you’ll need a basic understanding of the subject to use these platforms. For example, internal IT teams and web developers can use low-code solutions to create custom apps for business process automation. This isn’t quite as simple as just enabling a pre-built feature, as processes will vary significantly from business to business. Operating System AvailabilityOne of the biggest benefits of using mobile app development software is the ability to create an app for multiple operating systems simultaneously. You don’t have this option when you’re coding an app from scratch. For example, let’s say you were to hire a development agency to create an app for your business. It’s safe to assume you’d want the app available on both iOS and Android, as your customers are likely using both types of devices. In this scenario, the agency would have to create two completely separate apps—one for Apple and one for Android. That’s one of the many reasons why traditional app development is so costly and time-consuming. But the best app development software allows you to create an app for iOS, Android, and PWA (progressive web app) with a single build. This feature isn’t as important for internal business apps where all users will be using the same operating system. But it’s crucial for any app built for general consumers. App Store Publishing AssistanceBeyond the ability to create an app for multiple platforms, you’ll also need to get those apps live on the app store and available for download. Again, this isn’t a deal-breaker if you’re keeping the app in-house and distributing it to your employees. But this is crucial for all consumer apps. The best mobile app development software will assist you with the publishing process. Getting your app published on your own is much easier said than done. The Apple App Store and Google Play Store each have their own rules and publishing guidelines. If you submit an app and it gets denied, it’s not only frustrating but also impacts your business. Any delay getting your app to market is a missed opportunity for generating profits. In some scenarios, it can even hurt your chances of acquiring new customers and retaining your existing ones. Look for a solution with one-click publishing to avoid these headaches. The support team associated with the software you’re using will help make sure your app gets approved by both app stores and published as quickly as possible. White Label and Reseller CapabilitiesThere are only two scenarios when you should be looking for this feature in mobile app development software:
The first scenario is the intended use for white label app software. Whether you have an existing agency or you’re starting one from scratch, this allows you to re-brand the software as your own when you’re developing apps for your clients. In short, your clients will never see the name of the software you’re using. It’s a great way for your agency to generate recurring revenue, and you’ll get a significant discount for bundling multiple apps into a reseller plan. Reseller plans have everything you need to sell app development services as your own. You can create custom pricing plans, manage users, and provide post-launch support as well. These plans are also appealing to anyone who wants to build multiple apps for themselves. If you’re building 5-10+ apps, it will likely be much cheaper to do this under a reseller plan as opposed to signing up for a traditional package—even if you’re not actually reselling the apps to another business. SummaryWhat’s the best mobile app development software? It depends on what you’re looking for. Zoho Creator is the best low-code development solution for business apps. If you’re running an agency and want to be a white label reseller, BiznessApps will be the best option for you. For those of you who want to build a custom app for iOS and Android without writing a single line of code, go with BuildFire. If you’re a beginner that wants to create a simple app, Appy Pie has you covered. MobiLoud is an easy way to take your website and turn it into a mobile app. Use these recommendations and buying guide to help narrow down your options and take advantage of any free trials offered when you’re getting started. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-mobile-app-development-software/ If you deliver employee training without monitoring the outcome, you can end up with employees who only know half of what you think they do. This ends up costing your company twice as much time and money to retrain. The good news is that training software can help eliminate this issue. Training software allows you to monitor your employees as they progress, assign learning content as desired, and upload custom courses. All of this helps ensure your workers know exactly how to do their jobs. With so many options on the market today, picking the best solution for your needs can be a challenge. I’ve reviewed the most popular options and selected the five best. Keep reading to discover which is most suitable for your business needs. The Top 5 Best Training Software
Now you know my top picks, let’s get started. #1 – Litmos — The Best for Employee Accessibility
SAP Litmos is the best training software for employee accessibility. From motor dealers such as Arnold Clark to the leading dementia charity Alzheimer’s Society, SAP Litmos trains employees—of all skill levels—in customer-focused businesses day in, day out. ![]() Litmos is a cloud-based learning management system (LMS) that lets you launch and track on-demand training sessions whenever you wish. What stands out is the accessibility on offer with easy and automated user onboarding, the support for over 35 languages, and its suitability for learners of all different abilities and roles. Its user-friendly nature backs this up, with a clear and simple visual design created for maximum use for as many different users as possible. When you need to train up employees, the Litmos platform allows you to fully automate specific course assignments and quizzes to make sure learners receive their training and retain it. You can even offer this training from another integrated environment like a CRM—a place they may well spend a great deal of time anyway. That’s without mentioning customizable UI branding and dashboards, the built-in content authoring for bespoke courses, and the analytics that allow you to view exactly how each employee is doing with their training. There’s a lot on offer here. Two key pricing packages are available for SAP Litmos: LMS Only and LMS + Courses. The first package includes the online course builder and content management system, including reporting and tracking, custom branding, and instructor-led training modules. The second package includes all of that plus access to more than 2500 courses, videos, supplemental learning materials like infographics, and new courses added every month. No prices are listed, and you’ll have to request a quote directly. A 14-day free trial helps to make up for this. #2 – iSpring Learn — The Best for Developing Courses
iSpring Learn is the best training software for developing courses. Specifically, it features a powerful course editor that allows you to create custom courses however you desire. While other training software tools do allow you to create bespoke courses, iSpring Learn goes much further with its dedicated iSpring Suite. ![]() iSpring Suite works within PowerPoint, and with it, you can quickly develop courses, quizzes, interactions, and even dialogue simulations for training. You can also add video narration to your courses and can shoot a screencast if required. You’ll be able to publish your training from PowerPoint to your portal in a single click. On top of that, iSpring Suite features 14 ready-to-go question templates, branching scenarios, feedback slides, and you can easily record video lectures and tutorials. If you need to edit videos, you can do so with a built-in video studio, enhancing videos with music, effects, and text. You don’t need additional software to use any of these features. The software enables a course developer with little to no experience to build high-end interactive eLearning, making it a great choice for all sorts of businesses. iSpring offers its course developer via two main plans: iSpring Suite and the upgraded iSpring Suite Max. iSpring Suite costs $770 per author per year and includes the whole eLearning authoring experience but with no additional extras. iSpring Suite Max costs $970 per author per year and includes the entire suite, along with 68,000 content templates, online space for teamwork, and 24/7 technical support. Volume pricing exists for multiple authors: ![]() If you need a custom number of authors, you can contact iSpring for a personalized quote. A 14-day free trial is also available. The top-notch iSpring Learn LMS itself includes at least one license for the iSpring Suite and prices itself based on an active-user pricing model: ![]() It costs $3.66 per active user per month for 100 users and costs $2.82 per user per month for 500 users. If you need more users, you can contact iSpring for a custom plan. #3 – TalentLMS — The Best for Gamified Learning
Gamification is a popular part of training software as it encourages users to progress with their learning in a fun, game-like environment. TalentLMS goes further than others in the market as it allows users to adjust and tweak the gamification settings directly. ![]() With the platform’s gamification engine, you can add gaming and other competition elements and configure them for specific scenarios. For example, you may want to create hidden bonus content that only learners who have reached a certain level can access. It’s about providing additional content and rewards for those that have worked hard during their training. You can take this further in the form of achievable points and badges to keep employees on track. Employees can view their achievements at any time to see how far they’ve progressed. There are even leaderboards to encourage some healthy and friendly competition among your trainees. Outside of the gamification features is an intuitive content-builder that allows you to create courses in a few clicks, a dedicated certification management tool to provide accreditation as part of online training, and you can automate tasks such as grading tests and assignments. TalentLMS gives you a choice when it comes to pricing. You’ll be able to choose between paying for the total number of registered users or active users per month instead. It costs $59 per month for 40 registered learners and goes up to $429 per month for 1000. If you want to pay by active users, 40 active users cost $129 a month, and a thousand active users come in at $479 per month. TalentLMS also offers a free plan for five registered users and 10 courses on the learning portal—a great way to try before you buy. #4 – Raptivity — The Best for Interactive Training
Raptivity is the best training software for interactive learning. It’s software designed for today’s learning preferences with visual interactions the core focus. While TalentLMS boasts great gamification features, Raptivity is far more about making exercises as responsive as possible. There’s a keen emphasis on visual flair. ![]() Microlearning experiences are the aim of the day that help train up employees in specific areas over short bursts. For instance, users will find themselves playing a game of darts while being asked questions on a particular topic. Alternatively, they may be climbing a mountain as they answer questions. Each correct answer allows them to progress further. Unlike TalentLMS, there’s far less focus on things like acquiring badges, achievements, and leaderboards—the core gamification experience. Ideally, then, this is software aimed at highly visual learners that enjoy minigame scenarios. The learning content itself is accessible on desktops, mobiles, and tablets—you won’t have to worry about making it compatible across devices. On top of that, Raptivity offers advanced online training, access to the Raptivity community, and premium phone and email support on the higher plans. In terms of prices, there are four main subscription plans. The first is the free plan available for 14 days with access to almost everything other than premium support, offline access, and advanced online training. After that, there are three plans based on subscription length: monthly, quarterly, and annual. Monthly costs $30 per month, quarterly costs $60 per quarter, and annual costs $149 per year. The critical difference between the plans is the amount of storage space you receive for interactions and media assets—it’s 2GB on the free plan, 10GB on the monthly plan, 50GB on the quarterly plan, and 200GB on the annual plan. Sign up for the free plan today. #5 – LearnUpon — The Best for Customer Support
LearnUpon is the best training software for customer support. While LearnUpon is a great LMS all around, it’s the customer service that shines the most. ![]() LearnUpon’s customer support is available on a global basis 24/7, no questions asked. The support consists of expert and friendly “Technical Support Reps” for various needs, from solving technical issues to knowledge-based requests. The “Customer Success” team is available to help with anything from implementation to enhancing training itself. Indeed, the customer support is so good the software has become known through it alone. It’s a recognized leader in the area, so if that’s a key consideration of yours, don’t hesitate. Moving away from customer support, this is an LMS that’s beautifully presented and easy to use. It’s a customer-focused piece of software from start to finish, with complete employee onboarding, leading sales training, and automated workflows. You’ll be able to build attractive courses without the need for technical expertise and can access reports to track employee training at each step. That’s without mentioning the excellent training videos and knowledge base to improve your training even further. The pricing is available through three plans which all start with a free trial. The basic plan costs $663 per month for up to 50 active users, and you can upgrade this to the second plan providing 250 active users and two learning portals for $1106 per month. The final plan offers 500 active users and three learning portals for $1873 per month. The Enterprise plan is also available if you need more active users, but you’ll need to request a quote. How To Find the Best Training Software for YouFinding the best training software options, known as learning management systems (LMS), can be challenging. Not only is there a wide range of software available, but each tends to offer something a little bit different from the rest. To understand the software as a whole, think of it as a group of similar services that ultimately specialize in different areas. For instance, my list features LMSs that are stronger in critical areas. When it comes to course creation, iSpring Learn provides a comprehensive suite. LearnUpon is an LMS that delivers top customer service, while Litmos is great for employee accessibility. These specialist areas are a good starting point. Think about what area you need an LMS to concentrate on and go from there. After you’ve thought about that, here are some other key criteria to consider: Learning Content CompatibilityEveryone learns differently and has particular preferences. The LMS you pick will provide learning materials and courses in a variety of different ways. Naturally, you need to think about which content will be a better fit for your employees. For instance, do you need to use PowerPoint presentations or PDFs for your learning materials? If so, does the LMS allow you to use these materials in the way you want? Maybe you’re a business that prefers using videos or webinars for staff training. In that case, focus on an LMS that can provide that. Content compatibility is an important area to think about because your training will be more successful overall. LMS Pricing StructureWhile price is a consideration for everything you buy, the pricing structure for each LMS can vary significantly and is, therefore, an important point of consideration. The main LMS pricing models are pay-per-learner, pay-per-active-user, pay-as-you-go, lifetime licensing, and annual or monthly subscription plans. Sometimes there’s a mix of models, which can get confusing and trip you up. It may be cheaper for a large business, for example, to opt for an annual subscription rather than choose an LMS with a per-learner pricing model. This scenario, of course, depends on the number of employees you need to train. You also need to identify the hidden costs and extra charges that LMSs come with, so take your time to research and try and go for a straightforward pricing model. Mobile-Friendly Learning ContentMobile usage is more popular than ever. You need to ensure your LMS offers mobile-friendly learning content consistently. Some LMSs will have a more substantial offering here than others, but it’s fair to say neglecting mobile learning formats isn’t an approach I’d recommend in this day and age. After all, your employees don’t just learn on desktops all the time. Nowadays, they’ll need to view the content out and about or when they don’t have access to a computer. Some even prefer learning away from the computer via mobile formats. Ideally, opt for an LMS with mobile-friendly content designs. Those in which the content is viewable across multiple devices. It’s a move that will pay off in the long run for both you and your employees. SummaryEmployee training software helps take your training to the next level with a host of great features. If you need software that’s great for employee accessibility, go for Litmos. iSpring Learn more than has you covered for bespoke courses, while TalentLMS is perfect for gamification options. If visual learning is more of a requirement, opt for Raptivity and its focus on interactivity. Or, if you want a first-rate LMS with leading customer support, LearnUpon won’t disappoint. Whatever you go for, be sure to think about the content compatibility and pricing model of each, as well as considering the need for mobile-friendly learning content. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-training-software/ Want to jump straight to the answer? The best free web host is Wix. So you need web hosting, and you’re on a budget. Free web hosting might seem like a good idea…but, there’s a catch: Even the best free web hosting only makes sense for a very narrow scope of websites. If you are going to run a business or build an online presence you want to grow, I recommend paying for hosting. Some of the best web hosting services start for as little as $4/month. For the price, you’ll get increased functionality, more reliability, and better customer support. It’s an investment I think is worth it for just about every site. I also have a guide on the best cheap hosting plans, which is much better than many of the free options. But if your needs are simple and you don’t want to lay out any money for your website, then free hosting is the way to go. I’ve compiled this shortlist of the best free web hosting services on the market today. Compare The Best 6 Free Web Hosts
Educators and nonprofits often qualify for free (or deeply discounted) hosting by some truly excellent providers. Jump here to read more. So which free web host is best for your needs? Read my reviews below to decide which is right for you. The 6 Best Free Web Hosts#1 – Wix — Best Free Hosting With Easy Website Builder
Wix is one of the best website builders out there. With their builder, they also offer free web hosting. It’s one of our favorites. In fact, we recommend them to any beginner starting out with a blog or ecommerce store. Their highly intuitive UI makes it easy for anyone to create an attractive website to meet their needs. They also come with 24/7 customer support. That’s downright essential when it comes to hosting a website. However, their offerings are limited when it comes to their free plan. Expect half the storage and bandwidth of some of the other offerings on this list. You also won’t get a custom domain and your site will have Wix ads throughout it. Overall, though, it’s a top choice if you’re looking for free hosting. More Wix specsOnline payments not included, Google Analytics not included. Get started with Wix right now. #2 – Awardspace — Best Free Web Hosting With No Ads
Awardspace is well-known for their fantastic free web hosting. For more than a decade, they’ve provided a great hosting service. They stand out for offering a full gig of storage (more than most others). We personally spoke to a rep at Awardspace and they said they also offer up-to-date versions of PHP and MySQL. Awardspace also offers the Zacky drag-and-drop website builder, plus an easy-to-use WordPress and Joomla installer. Note: If your site receives no traffic for 12 months, it will automatically be set to inactive. After two more weeks of notices, it will be deleted. More Awardspace specsPHP 7.2, MySQL 5.7, 30MB database storage, 1 email account, no SSL #3 – Atspace — Best For Unlimited Bandwidth and 24/7 Customer Support
Atspace has nearly identical stats to Awardspace. The difference? Atspace offers unlimited bandwidth (as opposed to Awardspace’s 5GB) and a claim of 24/7/365 support. Digging deeper, though, Atspace lists that support as “limited 24/7/365 support” so take that with a big fat grain of salt. Atspace also uses the Zacky website builder and app installer for apps like WordPress and Joomla. More Atspace specsPHP 7.2, MySQL 5.7, 30MB database storage, 1 email account, no SSL #4 – Freehostia — Best For Fast Site Speed
Freehostia offers free cloud hosting on its Chocolate plan. That means it should be faster than most of the other options on the list. But the Chocolate plan is also very small: only 250MB of disk space and 10MB of database storage. Don’t expect to be hosting a ton of media on your website anytime soon. That said, it does include a free self-signed SSL certificate, a site builder with free templates, and the promise of a response to help tickets in under one hour — pretty much unheard of. If you have a small enough site, the customer service promise alone makes Freehostia a compelling pick. More Freehostia specsPHP 4 / 5 / 7, MySQL 5, 10MB database storage, 3 email accounts, self-signed SSL #5 – Agilityhoster — Best Free Web Hosting Plus Free Email
Agilityhoster’s free tier is similar to what’s offered from Awardspace and Atspace: only 1000MB of storage and one 20MB MySQL database. It also lacks any sort of website builder, which is nice to have but not necessarily a deal breaker. It does have a simple WordPress and Joomla installer to get you up and running quickly though. Good option if you need to get something up ASAP on the cheap. A sales rep confirmed that it runs up-to-date PHP and MySQL. More Agilityhoster specsPHP 7.2, MySQL 5.7, 20MB database storage, 1 email account, no SSL #6 – Byethost — Best For Hosting Unlimited Sites
Byethost is by far the most generous free web host with unlimited sites, storage, and bandwidth; and five email accounts. It also provides an automatic SSL on all domains, and includes a free site builder with templates. But there’s a catch: Byethost is one of the least professional-looking hosts I’ve seen. They also have a poorly written website and enough vagueness that I wonder how unlimited its unlimited offerings actually are. Unless you think you need a lot of database space, I recommend going with a different free host. More Byethost specsPHP 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 7.0; unlimited database storage; 5 email accounts; self-signed SSL Free Hosting for Ecommerce SitesLet’s make one thing clear: If you’re serious about starting a business online, you need to run your ecommerce with Shopify. It’s the only contender in this space, and the subscription cost is well worth it. Most free sites don’t support ecommerce, and when they do, the experience is pretty limited. Strikingly
I was actually pretty surprised to find Strikingly, a website builder that also offers built-in ecommerce on its free plan. The catch here is pretty big: You’ll be limited to selling one single product, and you’ll be limited to using a Strikingly.com subdomain. So, it’s ecommerce but it’s definitely no place to build an ecommerce business. If that’s what you’re doing, you should head over to our guides How to Create an Ecommerce Website in 9 Easy Steps and How to Start an Online Store That Drives Sales in 2019. You won’t regret it. ![]()
Though selling only one product on a subdomain is super limiting, it’s very rare to find a free option that’ll let you sell anything at all. That’s why I included it at all. But, you already know how I feel about subdomains. (They are instant trust breakers for people who aren’t already convinced to buy from you.) Free online stores are a little easier to come by. The difference? Online stores are just the stores, without the bells and whistles of a full-fledged website. That means no blog, no additional content — just products. Square
Square is typically known for their point-of-sell credit card swipers found at every farmers market and craft fair. But they also offer a great ecommerce website builder that gives you hosting for free. As you can imagine it works very well with Square’s POS system. So you can keep your system all centralized and working together.
Ecwid
Ecwid is a really interesting option. While it offers a free online store like Square (Ecwid calls it a “Starter Site”), Ecwid also offers a free online store widget with code you can insert into pretty much any platform your site is on from Wix to WordPress to Tumblr just like you’d insert a YouTube video. That widget also means you sell simultaneously on multiple sites.
The 2 Free Website Builders with Free Hosting
Hands-down the easiest way for most people to get a website up and running is using a website builder, where you can drag-and-drop content blocks and tinker around with customizable templates. Most website builders are only free if you use a subdomain (for example, our URL on a Wix subdomain would look like: quicksprout.wix.com), which is a dealbreaker for anyone who wants to run a professional-looking site. I don’t like it one bit.
I have great news, though. There are two builders that host websites for free and connect to a custom domain. They are super simple and have limited functionality — but since super simple, limited websites are the only ones I recommend hosting for free, that’s not really a problem. The two that meet these criteria are Ucraft and Google Sites. If all you need is a super simple page — AKA the only kind of site that should run on a free host anyway — I recommend you try a free website builder that hosts custom domains, like Ucraft or Google Sites. Design limitations are probably the biggest downside to using a free website builder. If the templates available on Ucraft and Google Sites aren’t what you’ve envisioned for your site, the next easiest free option is to find a free template you like and pair it with a free web host. I may be beating a dead horse, but the best web hosting services aren’t that expensive. We’re talking around $4/month for the initial contract. I think the price more than pays for itself in customer service, security, and speed. Ucraft Review
Ucraft has a free plan for a single-page website that’s built with what it calls “elements.” An element is any individual piece of content: a title, a text block, a video, an image, an image gallery, a button. Ucraft’s free tier supports up to 50 basic elements, so that single-page website can hold a decent amount of content — just nothing too snazzy.
Google Sites Review
Google Sites is your other option for a super simple free site. And when I say “super simple,” I mean it. There are only six versions of the same template to choose from, and a limited number of layouts to work in. It’s super basic. In fact, lots of Google Sites are used for basic things like internal wikis. ![]() Google Sites offers one basic template in six simple themes. That said, Google Sites hosts as many pages as you want at no cost. It connects to your custom domain. It integrates with every other Google service, like Docs, Forms, and Slides. And it’s absurdly simple to use, especially if you’re used to working in Google products. If you already have a Google account, or are paying for GSuite for email hosting (which I wholeheartedly recommend), it’s a no-brainer. Free Web Hosting Alternatives for Subdomain SitesIf you’re okay with a subdomain (as opposed to a custom domain) your options for free hosting increase. That’s because lots of great website builders offer freemium versions of their platforms when you use a subdomain — for example, our URL would be quicksprout.wordpress.com or quicksprout.wix.com. Obviously, a subdomain lacks the professionalism of a custom domain, and free versions of any website builder product or platform tend to be pretty stripped down. But if you’re interested in launching content quickly, subdomains offer a really low barrier of entry. Most can launch in just a few minutes. Even better, if you envision a more robust web presence in the future, starting for free on the platform you ultimately want to use means you’ll have everything already built. You’ll just need to upgrade. At the free level, these 3 are pretty comparable. They’ve all got an assortment of free templates or themes, an easy-to-use editor, limited storage, and ads for their service floating near the footer or in a bottom corner of the site. If you may eventually upgrade to a paid plan, check out our review of website builders. I go into a lot more detail than I do here. Weebly
The free version of Weebly includes ads and a Weebly subdomain. You’ll be limited to 500MB of storage, but will have the full drag-and-drop builder plus templates. You can always start with the free version and upgrade later, though Weebly’s ads are pretty obvious. Wix
Wix’s free plan is a lot like Weebly’s — you’ll get 500MB of storage and a drag-and-drop builder with templates. But you’ll subsidize your free plan with ads and one of the most eggregious subdomains out there, username.wixsite.com/siteaddress. You have the option to start for free and upgrade at a later time. WordPress.com
I love WordPress, but typically recommend people go with WordPress.org, the self-hosted version. The fully hosted version does have a free subdomain plan with free themes, but you’ll be using a subdomain and displaying WordPress ads. To get rid of those elements, it’ll be $4 a month, or about the price of some of the best web hosts. I think it’s better to go the self-hosted route at that point. Best Free Web Hosting for Nonprofits and EducatorsThere are excellent — and extremely robust — free hosting options available for nonprofits and educators. These typically aren’t stripped-down versions, but full-blown shared hosting plans that are available for free, including custom domains, full technical functionality, and attentive customer support. For nonprofits, I recommend DreamHost.DreamHost offers one free Unlimited shared hosting plan (which includes email hosting) for 501(c)(3) organizations, plus a 35% discount on its suped-up DreamPress managed WordPress hosting. Both are killer deals. DreamHost is a really big name in web hosting. It’s one of our top picks for best web hosts for small businesses and is one of three recommended hosts by WordPress itself. Most of the other free web hosts for nonprofits don’t have nearly as strong of reputations, nor offer as robust free plans. This plan has unlimited bandwidth, unlimited storage, and you can host an unlimited number of sites. Read more about the company in my Dreamhost web hosting review. Best Free Web Hosting for EducatorsSome of our favorite web hosts provide free or deeply discounted services for teachers and university administrators. SiteGround Hosting for Educators
SiteGround, one of our picks for best web host, has some of the most robust shared hosting technology available — and arguably the best reputation in an industry of hundreds. SiteGround offers all the features and functionality of its StartUp Plan (including 24/7 support on chat, phone and ticket) to teachers for free with a SiteGround subdomain. SiteGround also discounts its hosting for students. Learn more about SiteGround plans and features in my SiteGround hosting review. InMotion Hosting for Educators
InMotion Hosting, our pick for best web host for beginners and another standout in the world of shared hosting, gives its mid-tier Power plan to educators for free. Check out my InMotion hosting review for more info on the hosting company. Weebly for Educators
Weebly has a eductor-focused arm of its website builder business. It works just like Weebly for any small business or personal website, but is geared for educators. The edu-version of Weebly gives the option of publishing content to a custom domain, not a Weebly subdomain. It also skips all Weebly advertising. If you like the sound of Weebly and a website builder, check out WordPress’s version, Edublogs. Similarly, it offers an ad-free environment with class and student management functionality, edu-focused plugins, and an Edublog subdomain. The Cons of Free HostingI’m not going to dance around the fact that there are plenty of downsides to free web hosting. To make my recommendations for the best free host, which is definitely a title that’s relative to the niche, I took the following six criteria into consideration. AdsSome free web hosts stay afloat by selling ad space. We wanted to avoid those providers — no one wants random ads appearing in the middle of their content — and opted for hosts that support their free tier from sales of their paid hosting plans. Email hostingMy recommendations offer at least one custom email address and free email hosting since that is one of the glaring things lacking from a free website builder. (Ucraft doesn’t offer email hosting at all and Google Sites only offers a custom email address if you pay $5/month for GSuite.) An email that’s attached to your website and domain name is great to have for one-off correspondences (plus looks pro on a business card), and a free web host provider’s email hosting is perfect for that. Beware that your legit emails may be flagged as spam. Why? Free hosting is a hotbed for less-than-savory online activity, and your site might get lumped into a server of bad actors. In other words: spam filter activated. If you’re going to use your email a lot or for anything important — say for sending out a newsletter or for marketing promotions — we recommend upgrading to email hosting through a service like GSuite or even a domain registrar like Namecheap, which sells email hosting starting at $10/year. Storage and bandwidthFree web hosting has infamously low limits for both disk space and bandwidth. If you go over your limit, your site may get suspended or you may be automatically upgraded to a paid service. Even when providers like Byethost offer unlimited bandwidth and storage, it’s not infinite. Just like with a paid service, unlimited storage and bandwidth only last until you start negatively impacting the other sites on your server. All hosts are vague about how much traffic or storage is too much traffic or storage. Have a negative impact, and your site may still be suspended or auto-upgraded. PHP and MySQLPHP is one of the most popular programming languages. It’s what apps like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal run on, and therefore what a lot of websites use. MySQL are databases those apps store information on. Your web host needs to support up-to-date versions of both. The problem: Most hosts don’t disclose the exact version of the PHP or MySQL they run. And even if these apps do work, there is a high likelihood that with any free host they are going to load slowly — a PHP application requires a lot more lift from what is probably a burdened server. If you’re worried at all about page load time (and you should be — Google takes it into account), we recommend limiting anything you build on a free host to a simple static HTML/CSS site. Another thing to keep in mind is database limitations. Every piece of software you want to use on your site requires a database to store its information. If you are running WordPress, it needs a database. If you’re running another app, it’s going to need its own database. Most free hosts impose a limit on the number of databases your site can access, and the amount of storage available in that database. SSL certificateSecure Sockets Layer encryption is what confirms a website is secure enough to receive sensitive data like credit card data and passwords. SSL certificates are the only way a site can do any sort of ecommerce at all, but Google also considers it a factor for where any site, ecomm or not, shows up in search rankings. Most free web hosts don’t offer a free SSL certificate; the ones that do tend to offer a “self-signed” SSL. Self-signed SSLs are issued by servers, not by a certificate authority (Comodo, Digicert, Let’s Encrypt, etc). They offer the same level of encryption, but it’s not the standard version, so web browsers will still flag your site and issue a security warning to visitors. ![]() Customer supportWith any free host, customer support is going to be limited, slow to respond, and not all that helpful. That’s just the way it is.
Recap: The Best Free Web Hosting (If It Makes Sense for You)If you’re after free web hosting, you might really want the simplicity and ease of a free website builder. I’m impressed with both Ucraft and Google Sites which provide easy-to-use drag-and-drop templates and support custom domains. Yes, you’ll be limited in design and there will be some sort of “Powered by” ad in the footer on both. If those are deal-breakers, you probably do want web hosting. Any free host will have similar drawbacks: limited storage and bandwidth, the potential for spam-flagging email, and limited customer support. Go with Awardspace for more storage (1GB), Atspace for 24/7/365 help, or Freehostia if your site is really small (under 250MB). If you’re an educator or nonprofit, you have a lot more — and better — options. SiteGround and InMotion Hosting, two of our very favorite web hosts, have excellent free plans for educators. So does website builder Weebly. And Dreamhost, another of our favorite web hosts, doesn’t charge nonprofits for one free Unlimited shared hosting plan. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-free-web-hosting/ Contrary to popular belief, telemarketing is still an active and viable marketing strategy for many businesses. The best telemarketing services offer so much more than cold calling random numbers to sell something the person has never heard of. The right services assist with lead generation, campaign management, and other essential services to make sure you’re generating a high ROI. Some telemarketing services even have complete call center solutions, from answering services to call forwarding and more. If you’re looking for the best telemarketing service for your business, I’ll help you find one that fits your needs. Compare Quotes From The Best Telemarketing Services Get matched up with a telemarketing service that fits your specific needs. The 10 Best Telemarketing Services of 2021
This guide contains an in-depth review of each service. We’ll cover the features, benefits, and other factors to consider during your search. Best Telemarketing Services Reviews#1 – DialAmerica
>> Compare Quotes With DialAmerica, you get more than just telemarketing. It’s a full-service sales and marketing organization. They offer more than 60 years of experience with 19 call centers located within the United States. Each year, DialAmerica makes 100 million calls. The best part: Call center agents at DialAmerica don’t read scripts. Instead, they learn active listening skills for establishing rapport with customers. These sales skills help them use personalized and persuasive techniques. By adding a human touch to these calls, customers are much more engaged than they would be from listening to a script. The marketing campaigns from DialAmerica are based on data and advanced reporting. These are highly customizable and always accessible. The analytics used by the DialAmerica representatives make it possible for them to adjust and improve campaigns on the fly. Common industries that use DialAmerica’s telemarketing services include:
DialAmerica has call center services for lead generation, appointment setting, customer acquisition, customer retention, and customer service. They even offer direct mail fulfillment. #2 – Flatworld Solutions
>> Compare Quotes Flatworld Solutions offers a wide range of outsourcing services along with telemarketing services. In addition to call centers, this company provides photo editing, software development, design, data entry, transcription services, and more. They also have call centers all over the world including the US, India, and the Philippines. Flatworld Solutions have the infrastructure and everything you need for telemarketing at scale. Here’s a quick overview of the telemarketing services that they offer:
Flatworld Solutions leverages Zendesk, HubSpot, Five9, LiveAgent, Salesforce, and more for their services. With a roster of tools like that, you know you can trust them. Let’s take a look at the affordable pricing rates for the call center services offered by Flatworld Solutions:
Rates vary based on factors like volume, call complexity, and other contract terms. But with telemarketing services as low as $8 per hour, it’s a great way to get a high ROI. #3 – Squeeze Media
>> Compare Quotes Squeeze Media is a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm based in Utah. Launched in 2009, they’re newer on the scene. However, that results in a more personal relationship with your telemarketing service provider—which is great. B2C telemarketing is one of the many specialty services offered at Squeeze Media. With a mix of inbound and outbound calling, the Squeeze Media agents can sell your products and services. They also offer services such as:
For those of you who want to work with a smaller US-based telemarketing service, Squeeze Media will be a top option for you to consider. As a full-service BPO firm, they have the resources and tools you need for success. #4 – Callbox
>> Compare Quotes Callbox specializes in lead generation and appointment setting for B2B organizations. That’s what sets them apart from the others on the list. If you’re looking to grow your sales and target high-value prospects, this is the solution for you. They don’t close the leads themselves. Instead, they qualify those leads and set appointments for you. So your sales team will still need to make the sale, but Callbox makes it easier for them by providing qualified leads with confirmed appointments. Big companies like HP, Forbes, ADT, Motorola, and DHL all trust Callbox with their B2B telemarketing needs. Callbox also provides services for things like account-based marketing, customer profiling databases, and event marketing. More than 7,000 businesses have used Callbox for B2B lead generation. This service provider has set up 520,000+ appointments for its clients. #5 – Quality Contact Solutions
>> Compare Quotes Quality Contact Solutions is a PCI Level 1 service provider. Businesses that process $1 to $6 million in credit cards per year need to use a Level 1 PCI call center to remain PCI compliant. This ensures that any credit card information captured over the phone is completely secure. Quality Contact Solutions provides B2C outsourced telemarketing and B2B outbound marketing services. They also have solutions for consulting and outsourced telemarketing quality assurance. Their B2C telemarketing services is perfect for existing customers:
The list of B2B telemarketing services is a bit more extensive. Common solutions include:
Pricing for Quality Contact Solutions telemarketing services typically falls into three separate categories—hourly, performance-based, or hourly plus performance. The majority of these fees fall somewhere between $2,500 and $10,000. You can request a quote based on the needs of your business. #6 – Go4customer
>> Compare Quotes Go4customer has one of the most extensive product and service offerings on our list. That’s because they provide things like strategic consulting, data management, debt collection, online reputation management, app marketplace promotion, HR outsourcing, and more — along with a great telemarketing service. And those are just a handful of the dozens of services that Go4customer handles. That’s why I recommend Go4customer for any business looking for a feature-packed, all-inclusive telemarketing service. For example, if you’re using Go4customer for telemarketing, you might also want to consider taking advantage of the inbound call center services. They provide customer support, help desk solutions, tech support, product information requests, inquiries, and toll-free services. Here’s an overview of the industries that Go4customer commonly works with:
If you fall into one of these categories and you’re interested in other services beyond telemarketing, Go4customer will be a top choice for you. #7 – Strategic Calls
>> Compare Quotes Strategic Calls offers telemarketing services that target C-suite and executive-level decision-makers. If you’re a B2B organization that wants to target CEOs, CTOs, CFO, CMOs, and other executives, Strategic Calls will be the best option for you. You can also run campaigns to target mid-level management or cold calling services direct to customers. Campaigns from Strategic Calls take place over a five-day period. Here’s a quick overview of what happens each day.
Strategic Calls charges $1,000 for three rounds of calls (over five days) to 50 C-level prospects. The rate for three rounds of calls to mid-level management is $750. For those of you interested in telemarketing to individual customers, Strategic Calls charges $250 for one round of calls attempts to 500 prospects. Bottom line: Their services are optimized and streamlined for anyone looking to target senior-level company members. #8 – Worldwide Call Center
>> Compare Quotes With locations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Philippines, India, Pakistan, and Africa, this provider has the biggest global presence on our list. The benefit of using a telemarketing service in one of these countries is the cost. Using call center services outside of the US and Canada will give you access to the cheapest rates. If you’re comfortable using a traditional scripted approach to telemarketing to save some money, Worldwide Call Centers is perfect for things like:
For 20+ years, Worldwide Call Centers has been an industry leader in outsourced telemarketing services. Contact them today for a custom quote. You can choose your call center and get a rate based on your monthly call volume. #9 – SAS
>> Compare Quotes SAS specializes in call center answering services. They also has exceptional telemarketing solutions. SAS is 100% US-based. All of the reps are native English speakers that live and work in the United States. SAS puts a strong emphasis on quality control, with QA teams screening 2,000+ calls per month. The telemarketing services at SAS primarily focus on lead generation. In addition to traditional outbound telemarketing, SAS has a few specialty lead generation categories that include appointment making, insurance appointment setting, and janitorial appointment setting. With SAS, you’ll pay based on usage (per minute). Rates start as low as $31 per month + $1.19 per minute, which is ideal for low volume telemarketing. These rates go as high as $7,749 per month for 10,000 minutes. It’s safe to say that SAS has a plan for everyone. You can try their services for free with a 14-day trial. #10 – Superhuman Prospecting
>> Compare Quotes Superhuman Prospecting is a division of Pereus Marketing. This Pennsylvania-based agency is an outsourced sales team. All of the call center representatives have a background in sales at the B2B level. This makes them perfect candidates for selling to your prospective clients. Superhuman Prospecting takes the time to understand your business and its needs. As experienced sales men and women, they have been thoroughly trained in the art of pitching to yield higher conversions. The services offered by Superhuman Prospecting can be segmented into three main categories:
They also offer inbound call center services, in addition to the telemarketing options listed above. Superhuman Prospecting has experience working with industries like small business, law firms, property management, construction, real estate, tech, security, education, automotive, food service, consulting, and more. Contact them today for a free quote on telemarketing rates. How to Choose the Best Telemarketing Service For Your BusinessNot every telemarketing service will be the best option for your business. There are certain factors that you must take into consideration when you’re evaluating prospective choices. This is the methodology that we use and recommend. I’ll give you a brief overview of each element below. Call Center LocationThe location of call centers is important for a couple of different reasons. For starters, this has a significant impact on the rate you’ll pay. If you outsource telemarketing overseas to countries like India or the Philippines, you’ll pay much less than you would if you’re using a US-based call center. With that said, some companies would rather pay a premium to use call centers with native English speakers. But if you’re on a tight budget, outsourcing to a global telemarketing center would be better for your business. Business Type and IndustrySome telemarketing services specialize in certain industries, whether it’s law firms, retail, financial services, or something else. One firm might excel in sales, while another is better for something like appointment setting. Your target market will impact the decision on which service you choose as well. For example, there are telemarketing services that specifically target CEOs and other C-level executives, whereas other services are better for cold calling general consumers at scale. Additional ServicesIn most cases, telemarketing won’t be the only service offered by the provider you’re considering. The majority of the options on our list also provide a wide range of additional services. From inbound call center solutions to full-service BPO providers, you can benefit from packages that go beyond the phone. Check out those other offerings. It’s easier to get these all under one roof instead of outsourcing to multiple agencies. ReputationTelemarketing can be a tough business. Somewhat unfairly, it’s developed a negative reputation over the years. But that’s largely due to service providers cutting corners when it comes to quality. Take the time to conduct due diligence before you sign a contract. Some of the service providers on our list have been in the industry for 60+ years. I typically lean towards working with well-established companies boasting a credible reputation. ConclusionWhat’s the best telemarketing service for your business? It depends on your specific needs. Here’s a recap of the top ten telemarketing services reviewed in this guide:
Compare Quotes From The Best Telemarketing Services Get matched up with a telemarketing service that fits your specific needs. Whether you’re a small business targeting general consumers or a B2B company targeting executive-level decision-makers, there’s a telemarketing service for your organization on this list. For all budgets and call center needs, use this guide to make an informed decision. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-telemarketing-services/ Want to jump straight to the answer? The best electronic medical record system is AdvancedMD. Read on to find out why. No matter the size of your practice, you need a good electronic medical record (EMR) system. Having digital, searchable, and instantly accessible information about each patient in your practice helps medical professionals quickly make the best healthcare decisions for their patients. Protecting this sensitive data is important. So is HIPAA compliance. The best EMR systems keeps data safe, while making it easily accessible to the people who need it. Proper documentation also leads to a more efficient billing system and reduces time spent on paperwork. Compare Quotes From The Best Electronic Medical Record Systems Get matched up with a EMR system that fits your specific needs. But with so many options on the market, which solution is right for you? I’ve taken the guesswork out of the equation by reviewing currently available products and narrowing it down to my top ten choices. Read on to discover the right system for the needs of your particular practice. The 10 Best Electronic Medical Record SystemsThe 10 best EMR systems are:
Keep reading to find our in-depth reviews of each one. #1 – AdvancedMD
>> Compare Quotes Regardless of whether you need basic or advanced features in your EMR, AdvancedMD has you covered. It is versatile enough to fit the needs of many different practices. The primary dashboard available through AdvancedMD does require some work to learn to use well, but once you figure this system out, you’ll be able to do some impressive things to help your practice operate more efficiently. Pros
Cons
#2 – Athena Health
>> Compare Quotes Small and average sized practices often need an easy-to-use EMR system, as they may not have the time or personnel required to do a deep drill down into a complex piece of software. The AthenaHealth EMR fits this need. It’s fully web-based, so it will work for the practice where personnel use a variety of types of input devices. Pros
Cons
#3 – CareCloudThe CareCloud EMR interface gives you the ability to clearly determine how the patient flows through your practice. This helps spot potential bottlenecks, making your processes more efficient in the process. They’re also web-based, so you can use them with any input devices. The interface is highly adaptable too. That’s perfect for the ever changing world of laws and regulations. Pros
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#4 – Greenway Health Intergy
>> Compare Quotes Greenway Health’s Intergy EMR is a very flexible system. That’s because it’s highly customizable—which makes it perfect for large medical practices that handle a wide variety of cases and patients. It may take you awhile to figure out all of the different aspects of Intergy, but it’s definitely worth the time spent. Pros
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#5 – Kareo
>> Compare Quotes Kareo EMR is very easy to use. This system’s interface is a little older than some others, but it still will work nicely for small and average sized practices. Those working at your practice will be able to pick up the basics of the EMR quickly, allowing for you to be up and running with very little time spent. Pros
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#6 – NextGen Healthcare
>> Compare Quotes For average and smaller sized practices, NextGen has the kind of customer support that these practices often need. A practice of this size may not have the tech staff required to run training and other services, but the NextGen customer service and training capabilities are extremely strong. NextGen EMR is also very customizable. You’ll be able to tailor their service to your practice’s exact needs and specifications. Pros
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#7 – Sevocity
>> Compare Quotes The Sevocity EMR has great features for small and mid-sized practices, but it likely will not be powerful enough to meet the needs of larger practices. The interface in this EMR is extremely easy to use, and you can perform basic customization features. The customer service people are available 24 hours a day. Pros
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Like I said, I recommend them for most small to mid-sized businesses. It’s limited in its feature and tool offerings. If you need a more robust EMR system, look elsewhere. >> Compare Quotes#8 – TheraNestFor practices that need to be able to access the EMR interface using multiple types of devices, TheraNest is a smart choice. They offer two ways to do so: You can use a traditional computing system to run TheraNest, or you can access it with smartphone apps. It even has a client portal to allow clients to schedule their own appointments or to submit forms. Pros
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#9 – Virence Health Centricity
>> Compare Quotes For small to medium sized practices, Centricity from Virence Health is an ideal option. It has multiple features that give smaller practices the ability to track data in a similar manner to what a larger practice traditionally has been able to do. Centricity also has a mobile app, so personnel at a medical practice can use it in the manner that makes the most sense to them. Pros
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#10 – WebPT
>> Compare Quotes Specialize in outpatient services like occupational, speech, and physical therapy? WebPT has a platform that’s ready to use. This is a web-based solution, so personnel at the practice can access it using a multitude of devices. It has a strong customer service reputation, offering access to support at any time. Pros
Cons
How to Choose The Best EMR System For YouChoosing the best electronic medical records system depends on the specific needs of your practice. Figure out which areas of your practice need the most help, then focus on an EMR system that excels in those areas. Here are 10 of the areas we weighed when creating our list of the best EMR systems. 1. Automatic RemindersA big part of managing a patient’s care is maintaining a regular schedule of appointments. With certain EMR systems, you can set up an automatic reminder system that alerts the patient about upcoming appointments or about reminders to set an appointment. The EMR system could send a text message, make an automated call, or send an email to the patient, depending on the patient’s preference. Automatic reminders will save time for the staff at the practice, freeing them up for other tasks. These reminders also reduce the number of appointments that patients forget about and miss, which makes your practice more efficient. 2. Scanning DocumentsBy selecting an EMR system that allows for document scanning, you will be able to match whatever needs your billing system requires for supporting documentation for claims. Rather than submitting these documents via fax, printout, or email, you can simply digitize them and add them to the patient’s EMR. Should the billing service need these documents for an insurance claim, they will be readily available, eliminating wasted time and the potential for lost documents. 3. Sending PrescriptionsWithin the majority of EMR systems, you will have the option of submitting patient prescription drug orders electronically to the pharmacy, using an e-prescription system. Sending prescriptions electronically is safe and efficient, ensuring that the order for controlled substances travels only to the patient’s pharmacy of choice, eliminating the chance of the patient losing a handwritten prescription. With an e-prescription, you also eliminate the chance of an error at the pharmacy because of unreadable handwriting on the part of a doctor. 4. Specialty PracticesIf your practice has a specific area in which it operates, you may need to track atypical data about patients. You may need an EMR system that gives you the ability to customize data fields and to adjust how the system stores the data. A vendor may need to help you customize the system after installation, so if you have special needs for tracking data, always ask the vendor about how it handles this type of situation. In other cases, the vendor may have a specialty specific EMR system or add-on service that will perfectly meet your needs. Tracking this type of information can be a significant hindrance to your practice when you must do it by hand, so having an EMR system that can match your specific needs is incredibly important. 5. Systems IntegrationIf your EMR system has the ability to integrate with multiple systems already in use at your practice, this streamlines record keeping. This feature is especially important for meshing the EMR system with the billing system you have in place, for example. Whether your practice sends its billing information to an outside service or does billing in-house, having integration between the EMR system and the billing system saves quite a bit of time and reduces coding errors. Should your practice have an affiliation with a larger network, such as a hospital, integrating your EMR with the hospital’s system simplifies the patient care process. The EMR vendor can help you figure out how its system may be able to integrate with other systems you already have in place. 6. Task RemindersEvery medical practice has hundreds, if not thousands, of mundane tasks to perform on a daily basis. Whether you’re awaiting results from tests sent to an off-site lab or you need reminders to check with other colleagues about a patient’s status, effective EMR systems make this process easier. With timestamp deadlines attached to the various reminders, a doctor can be certain to have all of the required tasks finished regarding a certain patient’s case before it’s time for the patient’s appointment. With tasks finished promptly, the doctor will not waste time searching for information while the patient sits idle in the exam room. 7. Template CreationSay your practice sees a certain type of disease or condition on a regular basis in the community. With the right EMR system, the medical team could create a template that contains information about treating the particular condition, ensuring that all of the doctors and nurses follow the same steps. This saves time in treating this common condition, while also reducing the possibility of mistakes. 8. Tracking Patient FlowSomething that you may not think about when comparing EMR systems is the way they can track patients flowing through your office. For example, you don’t want patients occupying exam rooms waiting for a doctor who isn’t yet available. Scheduling miscalculation creates a backup that affects patients, staff, and doctors. Your EMR system may be able show exactly where bottlenecks are occurring in the patient flow in your office, helping you become more efficient. However, this is not a feature that all EMRs will provide in an easy-to-understand manner. 9. Tracking PrescriptionsWhen you have patients who take multiple prescription drugs, tracking potential side effects and drug interactions is time consuming. Before the advent of EMR systems, the patient may have given a hand-printed list of drugs to the doctor for inclusion in the patient file. The list may or may not have been accurate or up to date. By selecting an EMR system that allows prescription drug tracking within the patient’s records, spotting drug interactions is easier and faster. Doctors can see the patient’s drug history to review poor drug responses, allergies to certain classes of drugs, or unwanted side effects. In short, the digitized patient record smooths out the prescription process. No longer will the doctor need to rely on a patient’s memory, which may lead to errors. 10. Vendor ResponsivenessPicking the right vendor is an extremely important part of choosing the EMR system as well. Even if the EMR system is great, it will be nothing but a headache for your practice if the vendor support is not up to par. Some practices need more responsiveness from the vendor than others. Some practices want to be able to access help or to ask questions of the vendor any day of the week and any time of the day. Others may be able to live with a vendor that’s only accessible during normal working hours. If your practice does not have a person or department that handles IT, you may be able to hire a vendor that can deliver these features for you. Summary: Finding the Best EMR SystemsAlthough you will find some vendors attempting to use the terms EMR and EHR (electronic health records) interchangeably, they technically have a few differences that you should understand.
The EMR system simplifies the ability of a single practice to care for the patient, helping the practice send out reminders to the patient for upcoming tests or health screenings. Finding just the right EMR system will produce significant benefits for patients and for those working in your practice, making the process of caring for patients more streamlined and more successful in the long run. Compare Quotes From The Best Electronic Medical Record Systems Get matched up with a EMR system that fits your specific needs. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-emr-systems/ Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Want to jump straight to the answer? My top pick for the best business checking account is Novo Bank or Axos. A good checking account can elevate your business’ finances. Whether you’re running a large company or a side hustle, you’ll need to separate your business transactions from your personal finances. For the most part, a business checking account functions like a personal checking account. However, business checking accounts typically have extra fees, minimum balance requirements, and monthly transaction limits. So before you open a new account, it’s important you find a bank that meets your specific business needs. Top 8 Best Business Checking Accounts For 2021There are hundreds, if not thousands, of business checking accounts on the market today. From small local banks to large national chains and online-only banking, there are really only twelve accounts that I would consider.
The majority of these are free business checking accounts. Some do have a monthly fee, but it’s fairly easy to get those waived by meeting reasonable requirements. I’ll give you an in-depth review of the top business checking accounts below. We’ll cover the top features, benefits, prices, and any potential drawbacks that should be taken into consideration. The Best Business Checking Account Reviews#1 – Novo – Best Online-Only Business Checking Account For Freelancers and Entrepreneurs
Novo is an online-exclusive business checking account intended for freelancers and entrepreneurs. They have transparent pricing and no hidden fees. You can apply for a Novo account in less than ten minutes online. These are some of the notable highlights for Novo business checking: ![]()
Novo lets you open a new business checking account with just $50. This is a modern banking solution. You can integrate your account with Zapier, Xero, Slack, and other tools that your small business is currently using. Since it’s online, you can’t walk into a physical branch. So if your business has in-person banking needs, then Novo isn’t for you. However, Novo will reimburse you for ATM fees imposed by other banks. So you’ll still be able to access cash from anywhere without paying an extra fee. #2 – Axos Business Interest Checking – Best Online-exclusive bank with competitive returns
Axos Business Interest Checking offers an excellent online-only checking service with no annual fees. ![]() Some great features of the account:
The online and mobile banking solutions from Axos are exceptional, as you would expect from an online-exclusive bank. You can deposit a check from anywhere using your mobile device. Overall, Axos Business Interest Checking is suitable for small business owners with modest banking needs. #3 – Mercury –Best business bank for tech startups
Mercury is an online financial service providing free business checking and savings accounts, aimed directly at tech startups. With free accounts, free domestic and international wires, no minimum balances, and automatic cash management tools, Mercury is a great option for tech-focused small businesses and startups. Mercury works with FDIC-insured banks to store all deposits, and all accounts are insured up to $250,000. To make your online business bank account as useful as possible, Mercury has integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, Gisto, Shopify, Stripe, PayPal, and more. ![]() One significant perk is that all Mercury business accounts are free. And if you hold a balance of $250,000, you get invited to the Mercury Tea Room, which gives you exclusive perks like discounts on other online tools and services, credits for free ads, discounts on developer tools, a free tea now and then, and more. You’ll also get access to Mercury Treasury, an automatic cash management account that puts money into securities and money market funds. An important note is that Mercury is not currently available to sole proprietors, despite being marketed to startups. Despite this and the lack of cash deposits, Mercury has a broad knowledge base and tools well-suited to tech startups. Apply for an account now. #4 – Chase Business Complete BankingSM – Best Checking Account For Small Businesses
Chase Business Complete BankingSM is a great checking solution for small business owners due to their lucrative bonuses, excellent customer support, and different ways to waive monthly fees. They also have a great payment processing option that allows you to accept payments on the go. ![]() Top benefits and highlights of Chase Business Complete BankingSM include:
Chase also offers 24/7 customer service for customers. This is fantastic for those any issues, big or small, that might come up. They offer the tools you need to manage your growing business, including some of the best business credit cards on the market today. Overall we find that Chase Business Complete BankingSM is one of the best checking accounts for small businesses. #5 – LendingClub Bank Tailored Checking – Best Online Business Checking For Unlimited Cash Back and Transactions
LendingClub Bank Tailored Checking offers a very lucrative online business checking account that offers unlimited cash back. You’ll also be able to immediately start earning 1%+ cash back on “signature-based” credit transactions that you make using their debit card. It takes just minutes to open an account too and you can get started as soon as you do. ![]() Couple that with their unlimited transactions along with their ATM fee reimbursement, and this makes LendingClub Bank’s Tailored Checking a very good option for bootstrap businesses and entrepreneurs. Here’s a more comprehensive list of their standout features:
Overall, LendingClub Bank offers a very solid digital business checking account. Get started in less than 10 minutes today. #6 – BlueVine – Best Business Checking For Bootstrappy Entrepreneurs
BlueVine Business Checking offers great accounts tailored to entrepreneurs. Seriously, just take a look at their features:
No monthly fees or minimum deposits or insufficient funds fees should be music to any entrepreneur’s ears. ![]() Easily set up one-time or recurring payments through their dashboard. Also, you’ll be able to easily pay vendors via ACH, wire, or check. As for downsides, there aren’t many. They have a 38,000 ATM network—though it might be difficult to find an ATM within network depending on your location. BlueVine also gives you live support, though advisors are only available during office hours. That’s Monday through Friday 8am – 8pm ET. #7 – TD Business Convenience Checking Plus – Best Checking Account With up to 500 Free Transactions a Month
You can open a TD Business Convenience Checking Plus account with just $100. However, you’ll need to maintain a $1,500 daily balance to waive the $25 monthly maintenance fee. If you link a personal checking account to your Business Checking Plus account, TD Bank counts your combined balance between the two accounts toward the daily minimum. So this is a great choice for business owners who already have an account at TD Bank. ![]() Let’s review some of the account benefits:
While TD Business Convenience Checking Plus does have a high maintenance fee, you’ll benefit from more free monthly transactions. For comparison purposes, Chase Total Business Checking has a $15 fee for just 100 free transactions each month. Plus, it’s easy to waive TD’s $25 fee by maintaining a low combined balance between two accounts. Even though you’re limited to $5,000 free cash deposits each month, you’re only charged $0.25 per $100 thereafter. So an additional $5,000 cash deposited in a cycle ($10,000 total) would cost you $12.50. That’s just 0.13% of your deposits, which is next to nothing. TD Bank gives you access to other services, like merchant solutions, business loans, and business lines of credit. #8 – Huntington Unlimited Business Checking – Best Business Checking For Large Businesses With High Cash Flow
Huntington Unlimited Business Checking is a top option for larger organizations. If you have a higher monthly transaction volume, some of the other accounts on our list won’t fit your needs. ![]() The top features and benefits of Unlimited Business Checking from Huntington include:
Huntington does charge a $20 monthly maintenance fee for this account. But it’s waived with a $10,000 combined balance between all of your eligible Huntington Bank accounts. With an Unlimited Business Checking account, Huntington Bank allows you to choose one of the following bonus services as well:
This bank also has a tool called “The Hub” for business checking accounts. It comes with several digital tools for things like cash positioning and cash flow forecasting. The Hub is a great resource for managing your revenue and expenses. How to Find the Best Business Checking Account For YouAll business checking accounts are not created equally. The best choice for one business might not be ideal for yours. This is the methodology that you should use when you’re evaluating business checking accounts. I’ll explain each feature in greater detail below. FeesService fees and monthly maintenance fees are common for business checking accounts. In most cases, these fees fall somewhere in the $10 to $50 range. But there are still plenty of free business banking solutions. In fact, seven of the eleven accounts on our list don’t have monthly fees. Balance RequirementsSome banks require a minimum opening deposit. So choose a bank with a reasonable opening deposit minimum based on your situation. If you’re launching a startup and don’t have a ton of cash on hand, you can open some accounts with as little as $50 or $100. Some banks don’t require a minimum opening deposit at all. In addition to the opening deposit requirement, some accounts will charge for you falling below a certain minimum daily balance. Make sure that your cash flow is enough to maintain your minimum requirements without getting penalized. Transaction LimitsPersonal checking accounts will rarely, if ever, cap the number of transactions you can make in a billing cycle. But that’s not the case for most business checking accounts. Depending on the bank, activities like deposits, withdrawals, and transfers count toward a monthly limit. Some banks will restrict the number of in-person transactions you can make while offering free unlimited electronic transactions. For the most part, free monthly transaction limits start at 100. TD Business Convenience Checking allows for 500 free transactions per month. Other banks give you unlimited transactions, with a few contingencies. You’ll pay a small fee for each transaction over your monthly limit. This is usually somewhere in the $0.25 to $0.50 range. Mobile Banking and Online AccessibilityEvery bank offers some way to access your account online or through a mobile app. But with that said, some of these digital solutions are definitely better than others. Choose a business checking account that lets you deposit checks remotely, set up account alerts, and pay invoices automatically. I do nearly all of my business banking from a mobile app, and I’m sure you’ll want that convenience as well. Branch LocationsSome banks are region-specific, while others are large national chains. It’s important to choose a bank near your business location if you need to access a branch for anything. However, there are several business checking accounts that are online-exclusive. These banks don’t have any physical locations, and can be a huge advantage if your transactions are exclusively digital. Online-only banking is very popular for freelancers and entrepreneurs working remotely. But those solutions aren’t for everyone. For example, if your business accepts cash, you’ll definitely need access to a physical branch for in-person deposits. Additional Banking ServicesThis may not be important to you immediately, but it’s nice to have a bank that will provide you with additional services as your business grows. Whether it’s merchant services for credit card processing, additional accounts, or a business loan or line of credit, it’s easier to get these from a bank where you have an existing relationship. Always look at what else a bank has to offer beyond your immediate checking account needs today. ConclusionEvery business owner needs a business checking account. But everyone has different banking needs, which is why finding the best business checking solution can be difficult. These are the eight best business checking accounts on the market today:
There’s an account for every type of business on this list. From freelancers and startups to small businesses and larger organizations with high transaction volumes, I’m confident that you can find a checking account from one of the options above. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-business-checking-accounts/ Transcribing exam notes is a necessary part of running a medical office, even after a long day of seeing patients. Unfortunately for small practices, hiring an on-site transcriptionist may not be practical—especially when needs change from week-to-week. The best (and most affordable) option for these situations is to outsource medical transcription needs to a third-party. By using a trusted medical transcription service, you gain flexibility and save money. You also get the benefits of a professional transcriptionist. Compare Quotes From The Best Medical Transcription Services Get matched up with a medical transcription service that fits your needs. The 8 Best Medical Transcription Services
For your patient notes, you may consider using a voice to text software package that attempts to automatically transcribe your spoken word. However, you need a human to go over the automatically generated transcription and make editing changes to make sure it’s really accurate. Here are the transcription services we believe will give you the most accurate transcriptions every time. #1 – Acusis
>> Compare Quotes Acusis is one of the best medical transcription services out there. Not only do they give you accurate transcriptions, they’re also very popular. In addition to reliability, this service has flexible usage options. Use the features that are right for you and don’t worry about the rest. You can upload your audio files through a traditional telephone line or through an iPhone app. Acusis provides the highest possible levels of security, protecting your sensitive medical data all the way through the transcription chain. Pros
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#2 – Aquity Solutions
>> Compare Quotes Aquity can handle a big volume of work with quick turnaround. How? Simple: They have a good amount of talented transcriptionists to handle big worklaods. They’re also one of the largest medical transcription services on the market. For those who need the transcription service to fit into a particular budget, Aquity can help you, as it offers multiple price points, levels of accuracy, and turnaround times. Pros
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#3 – EHR Transcriptions
>> Compare Quotes EHR provides one of the easiest medical transcription services to access and use, so medical personnel who want to keep things simple will appreciate it. However, it must sacrifice advanced customization features to maintain an easy-to-use interface, so it’s not the best option for those who have advanced needs for their transcripts. EHR does provide an excellent level of accuracy and file security, so you can trust the service you’ll receive. Pros
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InSync Healthcare Solutions
>> Compare Quotes The InSync service is one of the best medical transcription services out there. They offer excellent service, well-rounded features, and multiple add-on options. Customize the offering to match your medical practice’s needs. InSync even allows audio uploads using whatever method makes it easy for clients, including telephone, digital file, or mobile app. Pros
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#4 – Med-Scribe
>> Compare Quotes Med-Scribe offers one of the fastest services. They guarantee your transcription in less than an hour. As an added bonus, this service does not charge extra when you need to take advantage of its fastest turnaround times. Unfortunately, Med-Scribe has some above average setup fees for the majority of new clients, unless they commit to providing a high level of work. Its overall pricing is also above average versus other services, so unless you need extremely fast results, this service probably is overkill for you. Pros
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#5 – MTBC
>> Compare Quotes This is a no-brainer if your practice is already leveraging MTBC. If you are a customer of the MTBC practice management software or the MTBC EMR software, you will receive a significant discount in pricing with the MTBC medical transcription service. In fact, your cost is reduced to half if you use them already. For those who don’t use other MTBC products, you can use the MTBC transcription service at the regular price rate. This service requires no contracts, but it also doesn’t provide a lot of information about how it achieves its projected accuracy rate. Pros
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#6 – SmartMDSmartMD strength is in its pricing flexibility and in its offerings. One of our favorite services they offer is an online archive of your transcriptions in a secure cloud account. That lets you access them from anywhere and at any time. Of course, it costs a little extra for these cloud storage services — but it’s well worth it in our opinion. SmartMD uses a workforce of American-based transcriptionists, which gives it a higher level of accuracy than some other services that rely on transcriptionists where English is not their first language. Pros
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#7 – World Wide Dictation
>> Compare Quotes World Wide Dictation offers maximum flexibility from a transcription service. You do not have to commit to contracts, and you can provide varying levels of work for the company without penalty. Even though World Wide Dictation offers transcription services for multiple types of industries, when it takes on a medical practice as a client, it guarantees that you will receive a dedicated medical transcriptionist for your work. Pros
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How to Choose The Best Medical Transcription Service For YouWhen you’re in the market for the best medical transcription service, there are a few key factors to consider. Your options are not all the same. If you pay attention, you can find a solution that satisfies your regulatory requirements with less work and fits better with the natural workflow of your practice. Because of the expense involved in this type of work, you want to be absolutely certain the transcription service’s offerings truly match what your medical office needs, so you aren’t paying for services you won’t use. HIPAA CompatibilityHIPAA, short for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a set of regulations health care providers must follow for protecting the medical information of their patients. Failure to abide by these regulations results in significant fines and penalties. If you are using a best medical transcription service, and this service will be transcribing notes regarding patient care, it is vital that the service is able to protect this information, while following all HIPAA guidelines. For services based in the United States, HIPAA compatibility should be easy to find. But for services located outside the United States, finding those that follow HIPAA guidelines may be more difficult. Understand that some services will have American addresses, but they may use transcriptionists based in other parts of the world. The transcription service needs to spell out exactly how it protects this sensitive health information in a case like this, while following HIPAA guidelines and protecting your medical office from potential violations. Software System CompatibilityWhen you have EMR or EHR software in use at your medical practice, you’ll be using this software to store your patient records. To simplify the process of keeping your records organized and safe, you’ll want to link the transcription to the correct patient record. Some medical transcription services will offer compatibility with numerous EMR/EHR software packages, allowing them to transfer the transcription files into your software, linking them to the right patient. This will save your staff from having to organize the transcription files once they arrive from the transcription service, giving them more time to handle other tasks. Audio File CompatibilityWhen recording patient notes, the medical personnel in your practice probably have a certain system they like to use. Depending on the preferences of the doctors in your practice, you may use multiple audio file formats. Any medical transcription service you select must be able to handle whatever audio file formats you want to use. This should be a relatively easy process, as the majority of medical transcription services will handle many file formats. However, if your medical practice uses an uncommon audio file format, you may have to search around to find a compatible service. Some medical transcription services allow you to record your patient notes directly through a telephone call to the service, which some doctors prefer. Turnaround TimeMedical transcription services will use a term called TAT, which is short for turnaround time. This refers to the amount of time it will take the service to deliver your transcription after it receives the audio file. The majority of services require a day or two, but they may offer “rush” jobs, where they can return the transcript within an hour or two, usually for a higher cost. Some services allow you to select the exact TAT you want to use. Some services even promise to turn around the audio files you send at 6 p.m. by 6 a.m. the following day. When you have particular needs for TAT, you may need to shop around to find the service that will offer what you require at the price you’re seeking. Quality AssuranceAny medical transcription service needs to have multiple layers of quality checks in place to ensure accuracy. You need an accurate transcript, or you run the risk of making a mistake in treating a patient by having inaccurate information in the patient’s file. Some transcription services will let you select what level of accuracy you would like to have, as more layers of fact checking and editing will cost more than one or two levels of editing. Be wary of any service that says it can guarantee 98% to 100% accuracy with just one level of fact checking. Most services will offer a minimum of three levels. Matching Your Specialized TerminologyIf your medical practice frequently uses non-standard terminology during the care of your patients, or if you have a particular specialty that you emphasize in your practice, the medical transcription service you select must be able to accurately handle it. The transcriptionists must recognize the uncommon terms you’re using and be able to spell them correctly. Many of the best medical transcription services will include particular specialty area endorsements in their marketing materials. Pay attention to these when shopping for a service. FeesMedical transcription services will charge for their work in a variety of ways, including:
This can be extremely confusing, especially when you’re trying to compare the fees of various services who don’t use the same method of charging you. It’s hard to compare one service that charges by the minute to one that charges by the character. Additionally, some services that charge by the character will charge you for spaces between words, while others will not. Services that do not charge for spaces base their fees on VBCs (visible black characters). You may have to pay extra if you have a particularly difficult or unusual type of medical terminology in the exam notes that you need transcribed. Contract TermsWith some medical transcription services, you can just submit jobs whenever you want with no contract required. However, for the best level of service, you will want to sign a contract. Why? With a contract in hand, you will be a priority for the service. Without it, you may find that your jobs are not a priority. Additionally, with a contract in hand, you can specify that you need a certain level of accuracy and a certain TAT. Without a contract, you may receive verbal promises about accuracy and TAT, but the transcription service has no consequences for failing to meet its promises. With a written contract, there is a clear outline of the potential penalties for missing promised levels of performance. Some services offer month to month contracts, while others require a 12-month contract. Some offer other lengths of contracts. Don’t be afraid to request a certain contract length, as this is an area transcription services often will bargain with you. Customer ServiceIf you have an issue with your transcript, you want to be able to contact the transcription service immediately and have the problem resolved. Some services are only open during normal business hours, while others provide around-the-clock service. Additionally, some services have phone, email, or direct messaging customer service options. Others may limit you to one type of communication. Look for a customer service option that matches how you want to use the service. ConclusionHaving accurate patient notes, as generated with a medical transcription service, will create a cost to your practice. But you’ll receive significant benefits with these patient notes, including allowing your medical professionals to work more efficiently. The best medical transcription services I recommend are:
By having highly accurate previous exam notes in the patient file, doctors and nurses will have the information they need at hand without having to take extra time to search for information from past exams, creating efficiency. A more efficient office can see more patients during the day, resulting in an improved bottom line. We can’t guarantee using the best medical transcription service will pay for itself over time, but it’s also hard to put a financial benefit on the efficiency you’ll gain. Compare Quotes From The Best Medical Transcription Services Get matched up with a medical transcription service that fits your needs. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-medical-transcription-services/ Want to jump straight to the answer? The best marketing automation software for most people is definitely HubSpot. Marketing automation makes it easier to generate leads, build customer relationships, and drive conversions at scale. It frees up time and resources from repetitive tasks that are essential to a successful campaign. Automation creates a better experience for your employees, who get a broader reach and better visibility with less work. And it provides a more engaging customer journey that’s consistent across all of your digital marketing channels. By leveraging marketing automation software, you can personalize the customer experience by providing accurate information and targeted promotions to customers with different needs. The Top 9 Best Marketing Automation Software
After conducting extensive research, I’ve narrowed down the top marketing automation solutions on the market today, and provided an in-depth review of each one on my list. #1 – HubSpot — Best Overall Marketing Automation Software
HubSpot is one of the most well-known names in the marketing world. This inbound marketing software has everything you need to automate dozens of tasks at scale. It allows you to customize sophisticated and highly targeted workflows using a visual editor. You can use this tool for simple follow-up messages or even complex campaigns with multiple touch-points throughout the customer journey. HubSpot also gives you pre-set triggers, conditions, and customer actions. This makes it easy to automate your emails with drip campaigns. ![]() The HubSpot Marketing Hub starts at $50 per month. However, that package doesn’t give you the full automation benefits. Pricing for marketing automation features from HubSpot starts at $800 per month, billed annually. It’s a bit pricey, especially for smaller businesses with lower budgets. But when you buy a product from HubSpot, you’re getting more than just software. You’ll also benefit from HubSpot’s exceptional customer support team. If you’re a startup, you might be eligible for up to 90% off through the HubSpot for Startups Program. Contact the HubSpot sales team to request a free demo. #2 – Constant Contact — Best for Warming Up Leads
If you’ve spent any time in sales, you know that few leads are raring to go from the moment they’re acquired. It takes time and nurturing to get a lead warmed up for a sales interaction. Constant Contact’s email automation capabilities go a long way to helping you do just that. It’s a persistent question—once you have some good leads, what’s the best way to push them further along their sales journey? The stumbling block, for a long time, has been that not all leads respond the same way to the same messaging. Thus, personalization is paramount. Constant Contact’s drip campaigns give you surgical control over the emails that leads get and when they get them. ![]() It starts with setting up automated welcome sequences. Not only can you preschedule a set of emails for when someone joins your list, you can tailor these automated sequences based on demographics or custom attributes that you set. That means you can have individual welcome sequences for totally cold leads, local leads met in the field, senior VPs and C-suite leads… any way you want to slice it. From there, your drip campaigns allow you to keep segmenting audiences and tweaking the messages and timing. Constant Contact allows you to juggle as many campaigns as you need to get your targeting pitch perfect. Plus, you can even use dynamic content in your emails so that aspects are personalized to the recipient, based on qualities you set. In tandem with the platform’s behavioral triggers, you can create an elaborate web of automated sequences that are timed perfectly whenever leads show any interest towards a purchase. Everything can be set up ahead of time, for nearly any situation—so, you can create campaigns that are so well-segmented that all of your leads get warmed up equally well. These features are all in Constant Contact’s Email Plus plan. Pricing for that scales based on your number of contacts:
Pricing continues upward to 50,000 contacts for $335/month, plus Constant Contact can set up a custom plan for anything over 50,000. Boost your ability to warm leads for your sales team. Get with Constant Contact to build impressive, personalized, automated campaigns and so much more. #3 – Moosend — Best For AI-Powered Sales Campaigns
Moosend is an excellent—though understated—email marketing solution. They provide your business with all you need to set up automated email campaigns with ease. They have a great segmentation tool that helps you target your customers with the right products and campaigns. Their drag-and-drop email builder is also a standout feature since it’s great for beginners or those of you who don’t know how to code but want to make a beautiful email. Where they really shine is their ecommerce AI. It analyzes your customers using machine learning to target them with products and services they might like. The AI draws on your customers previous shopping habits as well as the shopping habits of similar customers to do this. ![]() They’re the only email automation service that I’ve seen do this. It’s an incredibly useful tool especially if you’re just starting out and want to learn how to segment and target better. They also have a pretty intuitive interface that shows you how to do the basics of email automation well. ![]() Pricing starts free with their basic plans. That comes with unlimited emails, sign up forms, and limited reporting. I highly recommend going for their Pro plan at $8/month. With that you’ll be able to set up landing pages and transaction emails. Well worth it in my opinion. Try Moosend for free today. #4 – GetResponse — Best Features For Marketing Automation
GetResponse is a powerful and affordable marketing automation solution. From capturing new leads to generating sales, recovering abandoned carts, and driving engagement from your site traffic, GetResponse offers tools to meet your needs. It’s easy to set up an automated customer journey by applying conditions, actions, and filters that will automatically trigger users through a pre-defined journey based on their behavior. ![]() You’ll benefit from advanced segmentation and lead scoring, which will ultimately improve the effectiveness of your campaigns. GetResponse helps you understand your customers’ buying habits, browsing behavior, and targets abandoned shopping carts. They automatically recommend relevant products too. Pricing for GetResponse starts at $15 per month. This comes with basic automation features like welcome emails, drip campaigns, click and open followups, and contact tagging. To get the most out of GetResponse marketing automation, you’ll need to sign up for the Plus package, starting at $49 per month. The upgrade gives you custom workflows, the automation builder tool, lead scoring, abandoned cart recovery, site tracking, event tracking, and automated segmentation. However, you’ll be limited to just five custom workflows at this rate. For those of you who need more than five workflows, you’ll have to upgrade to GetResponse Professional, which starts at $99 per month. It’s worth noting that the feature-rich automation software from GetResponse can be a bit difficult to navigate through. For anyone who is just looking for simple automation tools, you might find GetResponse to be a little overwhelming. But if you’re looking for as many automation features as possible at an affordable price point, look no further than GetResponse. Try it free for 30 days. #5 – OptinMonster — Best For Landing Page Lead Generation
OptinMonster is a bit different compared to some of the other options on our list. This software is not really a full-service or all-inclusive marketing automation solution. They offer a lead generation and customer acquisition tool for your website that leverages marketing automation to grow your email list, reduce cart abandonment, and increase sales. More than one million websites use OptinMonster, making it one of the most popular solutions on the market today. OptinMonster gives you tools to help you design high-converting landing pages, popups, and website campaigns designed to generate leads. Then you can create automated and campaigns for website visitors based on their behavior and actions. ![]() For example, you can create campaigns for new vs. returning visitors. Trigger a popup or offer based on the amount of time that visitor has spent on the site or the number of pages they’ve viewed. Their tools allow you to trigger landing pages based on user behavior. OptinMonster is undoubtedly one of the best lead generation tools on the web. But it lacks in other areas of marketing automation. You’ll need to integrate OptinMonster with your email or CRM software—it does not offer these features. But with prices starting as low as $9 per month, it’s a cheap add-on to your existing solution. Try OptinMonster risk-free 14 days. If you’re unhappy for any reason, you’ll get a 100% refund; no questions asked. #6 – ConvertKit — Best Marketing Automation Software For Beginners
ConvertKit is a very simple marketing automation software. If you’re a beginner to digital marketing, ConvertKit should be near the top of your list. ConvertKit is branded as an email marketing software, but its marketing automation features are much more advanced than just basic email functionality. Create powerful automated funnels that trigger after your subscriber does an action (e.g. downloads a file). It ensures that you send targeted content to the right audience at the perfect time. ConvertKit is simple to use. You can set up basic automation rules that trigger a specific campaign, without having to go through complex workflows and settings. The visual editor is easy for anyone to use, even if you have zero experience with marketing automation. ![]() Whether you’re running a content site, ecommerce business, or selling SaaS, ConvertKit has the marketing automation tools that you need to succeed. One of the best parts about ConvertKit is the pre-built automations. That means you don’t have to start from scratch. For example, they have automations for hosting a webinar, launching a new product, and surveying your subscribers. For new businesses, ConvertKit does a free forever plan for up to 500 subscribers. But that doesn’t come with any of the visual automation funnels. To access all of the features and benefits of ConvertKit, paid plans start at just $29 per month. You can get two months for free if you sign up for an annual contract. Try it free for 14 days. #7 – Sendinblue — Best For Supercharging Your Customer Messaging
Sendinblue is an excellent, all-purpose tool for adding automation to your regular interactions with customers and prospects. At its heart, Sendinblue is a powerful messaging platform to help you with emails, SMS texting and online chat. And its generous in its offerings—you get a platform for managing those three channels, plus unlimited contacts, advanced segmentation, real-time reporting, visitor tracking on your web pages, and a workflow automation builder all in its free forever plan. What’s even better is that Sendinblue’s workflow builder is visually appealing with a very gentle learning curve. That opens up the benefits of time saved and always-prompt responses to your whole team, even if they’re not already familiar and comfortable with automation tools. ![]() Sendinblue has really helpful walkthroughs on building both simple and complex workflows, quickly getting your people up to speed on everything from automating welcome messages to triggering events based on customer, subscriber, or web visitor actions. It’s worth noting that the Free and Lite plans will limit your automated workflows to apply to up to 2,000 contacts. At the higher tiers—Premium and Enterprise—you get unlimited automation as well as deep reporting, including heat maps, geolocation, device information, and more detailed open and click metrics. There are also potent conversion-boosting features, like a landing page builder, Facebook advertising tools, and customizable signup forms. Pricing for Sendinblue is eminently scalable. The free forever version is great for getting started and allows you to send up to 300 emails per day. Paid plans break down as follows: Lite
Premium
Enterpise
There’s a Sendinblue plan that can work for any organization of any size or need. Try out Sendinblue through its free forever version today. #8 – ActiveCampaign — Best For Small Business
More than 90,000 businesses trust ActiveCampaign for marketing automation. It’s arguably the best visual automation builder with drag-and-drop functionality on the market today. ActiveCampaign makes it easy for anyone, regardless of technical skill level, to set up both simple and complex marketing automations. They offer great features from site tracking to event tracking, attribution, split actions, and automation goals. I highly recommend ActiveCampaign for newer, small businesses. That’s because they take a complex subject and simplifies it with an easy to use dashboard and management tools. This is ideal for any new entrepreneurs out there looking to dip their toes into marketing automation. ![]() Pricing for ActiveCampaign Plus with CRM and sales automation starts at $49 per month. The price is based on the number of contacts in your list. This subscription comes with email marketing, lead scoring, ecommerce integrations, and more. If you want advanced features such as customer attribution, path to purchase, split automations, and machine learning capabilities like predictive sending, predictive content, and win probably, you’ll need to upgrade to ActiveCampaign Professional. This package starts at $129 per month. At both of these price points, ActiveCampaign is an affordable option for small businesses. Try it free for 14 days. #9 – Salesforce Pardot — Best For B2B Marketing
Salesforce is one of the most reputable and well known CRM solutions on the market today. So it’s no surprise to see Salesforce Pardot rank so high on our list of the best marketing automation software. This software is made with B2B companies in mind with features like streamlined lead management, smart lead generation, email marketing, and sales integration. Salesforce Pardot leverages the power of AI to improve your marketing efforts and sales strategy. You’ll also benefit from insightful ROI reporting to determine what campaigns are working and which ones need improvement. Here’s a quick look at the Salesforce Pardot pricing options: ![]() With plans starting at $1,250 per month, this software obviously isn’t the cheapest option on our list. But with that said, this type of pricing is expected for a B2B solution of this caliber. Pardot makes it easy for you to create data-driven campaigns with a powerful and flexible visual builder. Simply map out each touchpoint in your funnel to improve the customer experience and identify gaps in the process. Salesforce Pardot gives you detailed reports and analytics so you can improve automation campaigns based on real results as opposed to guesswork. For B2B organizations seeking marketing automation software, Salesforce Pardot is second to none. The biggest drawback is the price, especially considering that you need to commit to a one-year contract. But you won’t have to worry about performance. Salesforce Pardot has everything you could possibly need and more in terms of software in this category. Contact the Salesforce Pardot sales team to request a free demo. How to Find the Best Marketing Automation Software For Your BusinessUltimately, the best marketing automation software for you will depend on your specific needs. Finding the right marketing automation software for your business can be challenging if you don’t know where to look. Here’s an overview of the methodology I used to pick the options on our list. Take these factors into consideration when evaluating the needs of your business. Business Size and TypeMost marketing automation software is geared toward specific businesses. SMBs and enterprises will have very different needs. Smaller businesses and beginners should lean toward ActiveCampaign or ConvertKit, whereas a solution like HubSpot is better for mid to large-sized organizations. If you’re in the B2B space, Salesforce Pardot is the best option for your situation. For those of you who are running an ecommerce business, make sure that the solution you’re considering has ecommerce features and automations for sales built-in. The tool should also integrate with whatever ecommerce platform you’re using to power your website. Automation SetupThe initial set up should be easy and flexible. Regardless of the platform you’re using, you’ll have to create rules that will trigger a specific campaign or sequence. These are based on user actions, such as opening an email, subscribing on a certain landing page, returning to your website, or abandoning their shopping cart. The best marketing automation tools allow you to set up advanced automations for multiple actions throughout the customer journey. Visual automation editors make this easy for you to set up. But with that said, some of those editors are definitely easier to use than others. The best way to figure out how easy it is to set up an automation sequence is by starting a free trial or requesting a free demo. CRM and EmailNot every marketing automation software is an all-inclusive marketing solution. You need to determine if the tool you’re considering is a one-stop-shop for your needs. Lots of the options on our list as double CRM software and email marketing software. So you can handle everything from a single dashboard. However, other solutions won’t be as advanced. For example, OptinMonster is perfect for generating leads on landing pages using marketing automation. But you can’t use that platform to send emails or manage subscribers. You’ll need to integrate it with your existing email marketing software or CRM software. FeaturesChoose email automation software based on features that align with your goals. Exactly what are you trying to accomplish? Is it lead generation? Sales? Conversions? Is the software advanced enough to scale with you as your needs change? The best marketing automation solutions have advanced features for things like lead scoring, event tracking, sales integration, and more. It’s worth noting that lots of solutions will advertise lots of features, but don’t actually offer all of those features with every plan. So look carefully at the plan you’re interested in. Don’t assume that it comes with every feature advertised on the software’s homepage. If you’re looking for something simple, sometimes too many features can be overwhelming. It’s not worth paying extra for advanced features that you’ll never use. PriceIn most cases, the price for marketing automation software is based on the number of customers, subscribers, or leads in your contact list. But with that said, there is a wide range of price points in this space. Basic entry-level plans typically start around $30-$100+ per month. Prices on the lower end of that range might not come with all of the advanced marketing automation features that you’re looking for. Top of the line marketing automation software for mid to large-sized businesses and B2B organizations starts around $800-$1,200+ per month. In some instances, you can save money by committing to an annual contract. In other cases, an annual contract will be your only option. Month-to-month pricing isn’t available for every solution. ConclusionMarketing automation software can streamline your campaign strategies while making you money. We ranked HubSpot as the best overall because of its powerful features and intuitive layout. But its high price point is definitely aimed at businesses with substantial marketing budgets. However, startups can get up to 90% off a HubSpot plan. Smaller businesses and beginners should lean towards options like GetResponse, or ConvertKit or ActiveCampaign. Salesforce Pardot is the best choice for B2B companies. If you want to improve your lead nurturing, try out Constant Contact. Any business can consider using OptinMonster as an add-on for landing page lead generation. Looking for something to really boost your communication with customers, web visitors, or anyone else? Go with Sendinblue. Regardless of your business size, type, or needs, you can use this guide to find the best marketing automation software. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-marketing-automation-software/ |
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April 2023
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