23 of the best business apps for entrepreneurs that help with organization, connectivity, and mindfulness

• Digital tools such as apps have become a crucial part of running a business, founders told Insider.
• Many of these apps are free and help with tasks like organizing project timelines or meditation.

As Sydney Schiff's public-relations firm, Sydney on the Scene, was growing last year, she knew she needed help scaling the business. She looked to hire remote employees and interns to outsource some of the tasks she was too busy to complete.

"Delegating tasks to my remote team, making sure things don't fall through the cracks, and making a plan for the week when we're all on different time zones is super helpful," she told Insider.

Founders like Schiff rely on digital tools to run their businesses, they told Insider. For example, Schiff uses note-taking apps like Notion to help her stay on track. Many of these apps are free or low-cost and help entrepreneurs with tasks like organizing project timelines, connecting with customers, and finding time for themselves.

Insider asked Schiff and 67 other founders about the top apps they used to run their businesses. Here are 23 of their answers.

Apps for organization

1. Notion

Schiff isn't the only founder who relies on Notion, which allows users to collaborate on notes, calendars, and project life cycles.

"Notion keeps everything organized for me," Paige Enslow, the founder of the sustainable-clothing line Stewart Enslow, said, "from daily to-do lists, ideas I want to keep track of, inspiration, and calendars."

2. Trello

Trello is a tool for workflow task management.

"My firm uses Trello with clients on a daily basis to keep track of marketing content across an array of channels," Suki Mulberg Altamirano, the founder of Lexington Public Relations, said.

3. Google Suite

Google Suite includes emailing systems, document sharing, and video calls.

It's an "amazing suite of products both for business and personal collaboration," Marjorie Radlo-Zandi, the founder of the food-safety-diagnostics company VICAM, said.

4. Monday.com

Monday.com is "the best organizational board for project-based teams," Brittaney Elise, the founder of the interior-design company BE by Brittaney Elise and Home by BE.

"Every task for every interior-design project we are working on is easily tracked, communicated, and we meet our deadlines without confusion," she said.

5. Todoist

"I'm a to-do-list junkie, and this helps me organize tasks and, more importantly, stay on top of them," Valerie Seid, the founder of the healthcare-technology platform Paradigm, said.

6. Notes

The Notes app on the iPhone is Shane Heath's most used tool.

"Every morning, I create a new note, beginning with the date, what I'm grateful for, and the most important things I want to accomplish," the founder of the coffee alternative drink Mud\Wtr said. "As the day goes on, I add reminders, reflections, affirmations, and it's all hosted in the cloud and available from my computer or phone."

7. Superhuman

Superhuman is an email-support platform that includes features like artificial intelligence, undo send, insights from social networks, and read statuses. It's the most important app for Rishi Bhargava as he runs the software development business Descope.

Apps for connectivity

8. Curio

"Curio curates the latest information, trends, and discussions, and condenses and contextualizes it into daily ideation," Henry Murray, a cofounder of the wellness and beverage brand Waterdrop, said.

9. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is used by multiple founders for connecting with fellow entrepreneurs, growing their network, and finding clients.

"It's where I incubate ideas, test theories, study the industry, observe and interact with my target audience," Lola Bakare, the founder of the marketing consultancy Be/Co, said. "It's also where my publisher, all my new 2022 clients, and event organizers for paid speaking engagements found me."

10. Slack

Slack is used by multiple founders to facilitate internal communications with their teams.

"It allowed for seamless, real-time messaging between our team, which can be scattered across the globe," Shaun Veran, the founder of the scrubs company Ouragins, said.

11. TikTok

"I love TikTok for both life and business," Daphne Chen, the founder of the sexual-healthcare company TBD Health, said. "I've learned so many things from TikTok that make my life better. For business, it's been a great platform for experimenting with storytelling and connecting with TBD's audience in a more immersive and naturalistic way."

12. Instagram

Instagram is the preferred tool for Gayle Yelon, a cofounder of the clothing and jewelry brand Montserrat New York.

"Being able to showcase all of our beautiful pieces and creative imagery on our Instagram into a living, breathing catalog is great for the brand's messaging," she said.

13. Signal

Signal is a secure method of sharing text, voice messages, photos, videos, and files without using your personal phone number.

"Signal is used for professional, safe messaging within the security industry," Ganesh Pai, the founder of the cybersecurity company Uptycs, said.

14. Twitter

"I have made so many business connections over Twitter," Hans Schrei, a cofounder of the direct-to-consumer cookie brand Wunderkeks, said, adding that the supportive network helped him feel less lonely as a founder.

15. Gorgias

Gorgias helps businesses improve customer service by creating a central hub for all customer questions and inquiries on the app.

"It saves you so much time to have pretty much all of the interactions with your customers in one place," Wunderkeks' Schrei said. "It makes it easier to keep track and provide a way-better customer-service experience."

16. Flodesk

Flodesk is an email-marketing platform that Alyssa Nguyen, a graphic designer and the founder of ATNN Design, uses to communicate with prospective clients. She also sends out a company newsletter with the platform.

Apps for mental health

17. Headspace

Headspace is a mental-health, meditation, and sleep-support app.

"A few minutes of meditation is very grounding and helps me with all of the switching gears that need to happen in one day as a founder," Michelle Larivee, the founder of the wellness company Wthn, told Insider.

18. Open

Another guided-meditation platform, Open, is used by Payton Nyquvest throughout the day.

"Having access to a helpful meditation or breath work when you have a five-minute break gives founders an anchor to their day," Nyquvest, who runs the psychedelics-based wellness company Numinus, said.

19. Othership

Nyquvest also uses Othership, which offers guided breath work and meditation sessions.

20. Calm

Diego Osorio, the founder of the tequila brand Lobos 1707, prefers the Calm meditation app for 20-minute meditations and stress management.

21. Spotify

Founders use Spotify to stream both podcasts and music, they told Insider. Some listen to music for inspiration, like Carolina Cordon-Bouzan, a cofounder of Montserrat New York.

"I gain a lot of inspiration for my designs from music, and music also energizes and motivates me," she said.

22. Wim Hof

Jonathan Zacharias, a cofounder of the advertising business GR0, uses the mental-health app Wim Hof to facilitate breathing exercises when dealing with tense situations as a founder, he said.

23. Growth Day

Growth Day is a self-improvement app offering classes and life coaching.

Dee C. Marshall, the founder of the leadership-development platform Diverse & Engaged, said, "It helps me with discipline and to focus on my exponential-growth activities, while balancing how I show up and go up as a leader."