Tools

Tools of Choice for Your Small Business

Originally published 2011, updated 2026: These survey results are from a 2011 survey of 550 startup staffers, so the specific numbers are historical. What's interesting is how many of the winners still dominate their categories 15 years later — a testament to how quickly these tools cemented themselves.

I came across an article showing results from a survey of 550 startup staffers — all in companies with 100 or fewer people, mostly in technology, digital media, and professional services. Small businesses run on tight budgets, so seeing what software people actually chose was fascinating.

Here are the highlights — and a quick 2026 note on where things stand today.

Company Email: Google (Gmail/Workspace) — 57%

The gap between first and second place was striking. Outlook came in second at just 13%. 2026 update: Google Workspace is still dominant for small businesses. Microsoft 365 has grown in enterprise, but Gmail remains the default for most solopreneurs and small teams.

Accounting: QuickBooks — 77%

A near-runaway winner. Excel was the next closest at only 5%. 2026 update: QuickBooks Online remains the standard. Wave (free) is now a solid option for very small businesses, and FreshBooks is popular with freelancers.

Web Analytics: Google Analytics — 70%

Another dominant winner, with competitors at 1-2%. 2026 update: Google Analytics (now GA4) is still universal. Some smaller businesses have shifted to Plausible or Fathom for simpler, privacy-focused analytics.

CRM: Salesforce — 59%

Second place was Sugar CRM at just 6%. 2026 update: HubSpot has become a major force in the small business CRM space, often preferred over Salesforce for its free tier and ease of use.

Storage/Backup: Dropbox — 39%

Amazon was second at 10%. 2026 update: Google Drive has grown significantly and is now arguably more dominant among small businesses. Dropbox still has loyal users but has lost ground.

Other Notable Results

Project Management: Basecamp (now largely replaced by Notion, Asana, and Monday.com for most teams). Note Taking: Evernote (now competing heavily with Notion and Apple Notes). Email Marketing: Mailchimp (still strong, but MailerLite has grown significantly in the small business space).

What this survey confirmed: the tools that win early tend to stick around. Most of the 2011 winners are still recognizable names today — even if the competitive landscape has shifted considerably.