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"Forget useless desktop apps and piles of paperwork: there are now thousands of small and medium-sized businesses managing all their affairs with online applications.  After an exhaustive hunt this week, we've rounded up more than 230 of the leading online applications for super-productive companies.\nAccounting, Billing, Invoicing, Estimating &amp; Contracts\n\n\n \n\n\nBillingOrchard - Online billing software that maintains hourly billing time as well as flat fee or recurring billing.\nBill My Clients - A hassle-free way to create and print invoices (you can email them too) and send them via the USPS.\nBlinksale - Create elegant invoices using professionally designed templates (or create your own) and send them to anyone with an email address.\nCashboard - Estimating, invoicing and time tracking for you, your employees and subcontractors.\nDocuSign - Electronic signature services that allow you to get legally binding electronic signatures on your contracts.\nEchoSign - A fast &amp; easy way to get electronic contracts signed.\neSignForms - Online signature platform to make getting signed contracts easier.\nFluttervoice - Create invoices and send them to anyone with email.\nFreshBooks - Online invoicing and time tracking that's easy to use and free to try.\nHoneypitch - A proposal automation solution that combines CRM and business productivity tools to allow you to quickly combine a presentation, proposal, estimate and contract that can be negotiated online.\nInvoice Genie - Online invoicing, time tracking, contact management, scheduling and financial management software that's simple and intuitive to use.\nInvoices Made Easy - A free invoicing service that allows you to send invoices and have them paid online.\nInvoicePlace - Invoicing, payment tracking and quoting from any computer with an internet connection.\ninvotrak - Track the invoices you send to clients for free.\nLessAccounting - Ridiculously simple, intuitive accounting program that is just for accounting and nothing else.\nSaasu - Complete online accounting suite with invoices, payroll, purchases, time sheets, inventory, customers, suppliers, prospects &amp; employees.\nSantexQ - Time reporting, task management and billing all handled from one place.\nSertifi - Electronic contract delivery and signing.\nsimplifythis - Invoice your customers and get paid online.\nSimplybill - Simplified invoice management without extra features that nobody uses anyway.\nSimply Invoices - The simplest way to invoice your time from Basecamp.\nThe Invoice Machine - Create PDF invoices for free, without having to register or store information (unless you want to).\nTime:59 - Web-based billing that includes time and expense tracking, as well as invoicing and accounts receivable.\nVebio - Online accounting designed for freelance professionals, independent contractors, and self-employed people.\nYozons Technology - Electronic signature service.\nXero - Online accounting that's accessible from anywhere 24/7, with free upgrades, automated bank fees, and no minimum subscription period.\nCalendars &amp; Scheduling\n\n\n \n\n\nAcuity Scheduling - Allow your clients and customers to schedule appointments with you online.\nCalendar Hub - Create an online calendar and either keep it private or publish it. You can also search published calendars to find new events to add to your own.\nepointment - Online scheduling that can be used by any professional whose business involves appointments, as well as for personal use.\nCollaboration &amp; Workgroups\n\n\n \n\n\nSee also: 60+ Collaborative Tools for GroupsCampfire - Password protected group chat rooms that can be created in seconds.\nCentralDesktop - Simple project collaboration platform for business teams.\nComapping - Create mind maps that you can share with your colleagues using your browser.\nCopper - Web-based project and task management that allows for commercial team collaboration.\nCoventi Pages - Create documents and invite others to give you feedback.\nCozimo - Online collaboration on digital media, including images and video; archives a complete record of all content related communications, and has the ability to host live online review sessions.\ncyn.in - A web platform for building, collaborating, managing and publishing content that offers solutions for knowledge management, document management, secure online file storage, group collaboration, digital asset management and more.\neProject - Project management software that integrates with Outlook.\nHiveLive's Hive Community 2.0 Platform - Allows your company or workgroup to manage and share information and allows for quick adaptation as needed.\nHuddle - Share documents and ideas, plan projects, collaborate with others and manage multiple projects from one interface.\ninventionDB - Project-blogging platform that allows anyone to build an online project portfolio and connect with multiple team members, project resources and more.\nitensil - An online process modeler, wiki, document manager, process executer, content manager, collaboration tool, and more with a 100% web-based user interface that requires no plug-ins or desktop components.\nJoyent Connector Collaboration Suite - Collaboration application suite that features search, tagging, and RSS feeds.\nKayuda - Allows businesses to collaborate on projects.\nletsproveVO - A project management and team collaboration web application.\nLooseStitch - Online outliner that allows you to share outlines you create.\nmind42 - Collaborative web-based mind mapping.\nMindQuarry - On-demand, open-source team collaboration platform.\nNetcipia - A blog and wiki package designed for workgroup collaboration.\nOctopz - Allows collaboration on a range of document types (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, video, audio, animations, Flash files, and more).\nOpenTeams - Online hosted collaborative wiki aimed at creating a more entrepreneurial spirit at your company.\nPytagor - Online desktop and web collaboration platform that allows you to access your documents, bookmarks and more online from anywhere.\nSynthetron - Brainstorming tool for large organizations that lets up to 1000 participants take part in structured collaborative sessions.\nTeamspinner - Online collaboration platform that allows you to create a custom environment for your projects.\nTeamWork Live - Secure web-based project management and collaboration that's intuitive and promotes accountability among team members.\nTheOpenDoc - An online collaboration space that allows registered users to create multiple workspaces (each can contain multiple text documents) and then invite multiple users to work on those documents.\nTotoExpress - Online content delivery for creative professionals that enables collaboration on documents with clients.\nUhuroo - Online application for teams to share information and collaborate while keeping information secure but still available.\nVyew - A next-generation collaboration and web conferencing service.\nWhoDo.es - Online project management that includes a workspace, document repository and journal.\nwridea - Create categories to organize your ideas and create online brainstorming sessions.\nConferences, Presentations &amp; Meetings\n\n\n \n\n\nauthorSTREAM - Share your PowerPoint presentation online, and discover presentations that others have created.\nConfabb - Confabb is a huge online database of conferences all over the world that allows you to search, track, discuss and review any conference, speaker or session.\nDemofuse - Create website tours online, with seamless integration into your site.\nDimdim - Free open source web conferencing platform that allows you to show presentations, applications and your desktop to others over the internet.\nGaboogie - A conference call platform that calls you and your attendees so no one is late again.\nPPTExchange - A marketplace where all of your PowerPoint presentations can be shared, exchanged and sold.\nPreZentit - Create presentations online and then share and show them.\nScreencast-o-Matic - Create a video recording of your screen and host it for free (great for website or software demonstrations).\nSlide Aware - PowerPoint presentation lifecycle management.\nSlideBurner - Online slideshow sharing.\nSlideShare - Publish your slideshows for the world to see, and find &amp; download other people's slideshows that are of interest to you.\nSpresent - Free alternative to PowerPoint that's web-based and built with Flash.\nThumbstacks.com! - Make and share presentations online.\nViewbook - Online platform for hosting slideshows, presentations, photo albums and portfolios.\nYugma - Free online collaboration with real-time desktop sharing, virtual meetings and more.\nZentation - Upload your presentation videos as well as the accompanying PowerPoint presentations.\nCrowdsourcing, Networking, &amp; Community\n\n\n \n\n\ncompanyloop - Professional networking service that's only open to people at your company; use it to share ideas and information with your co-workers.\nIconnectE - Network with start-ups, small business owners, entrepreneurs, and others to create more business opportunities for yourself.\nintroNetworks - Create and manage private business communities with world-class, easy-to-use tools that display relationships between people, companies and products visually.\nPartnerUp - Find potential business partners, employees or employers; network with other business people; and find resources for your business and your career.\nReferral Key - Create your own referral network of trusted business associates that can provide each other with qualified customer referrals.\nSpoke - An open network for business people with access to over 35 million people at more than 900,000 companies; allows you to discover other business people and leverage your professional network to reach your targets.\nVisible Path - Search for things you have in common with the people you want to meet in order to form stronger relationships.\nCustomer Relationship Management &amp; Contact Management\n\n\n \n\n\n24SevenOffice - The #1 CRM in Europe featuring sales management, group calendaring, document management and reports.\nBigContacts - A web-based contact manager that's ideal for small teams and features a shared calendar, shared contacts, notes, history and more.\nClientScribe - Keep track of all the activity between you and your clients, from phone calls to faxes, proposals and email.\nEntellium - CRM software with award-winning design, free support, no annual contracts and 99.7% uptime guaranteed.\nHeap - A simple CRM system with messaging, calendars and contacts that works well with email.\nHighrise - Track communication and conversations with customers, prospects and others; also has integrated email and allows you to share contact information with co-workers.\nKeepm - Create, manage and search an unlimited number of contacts, share contacts and export information about your contacts for free.\nPipeline Deals - A CRM tool with an easy-to-use notebook format that allows you to organize your files, notes, documents and more as well as manage your deals and prospects.\nPlaxo - Plaxo offers toolbars for major email clients and web browsers (at least in Beta release) to keep your address book updated across all the applications that you use.\nProjectStat.us - Keep your customers updated on their project status and allow them to see updates at their convenience.\nRelationals - The leading CRM and sales force automation tool for the media industry that's easy to use and increases productivity.\nRelenta CRM - A CRM with full email integration that's easy to use and also has group calendar and newsletter marketing features.\nSalesForce - On-demand customer relationship management that's very full-featured and scalable to your organization's size.\nSalesGenius - Allows salespeople to track how prospects are responding to email with no programming required.\nSugarCRM - Commercial open source CRM application that helps drive sales performance and marketing effectiveness.\nvtiger - An open source CRM that's focused mainly on small to medium sized businesses and features sales force automation, customer support &amp; service, marketing automation, inventory management, and more.\nZoho CRM - An easily customizable on-demand customer relationship management application.\nDatabase, File Storage and Information Management\n\n\n \n\n\nBubbl.us - Brainstorm online, create colorful mind maps, and even share and work with others.\nCebase - A database featuring point-and-click form design and easy data entry, plus sharing and other features you'd expect in a web-based application.\ncogmap - Organization chart wiki that lets you create company organization charts online.\nConfluence - An enterprise wiki platform that's made for sharing knowledge and collaboration.\nDabbleDB - Easy to use, flexible, and powerful database builder and hosting.\nDomain Log Book - Keep track of the domains you own and view their Google Rank, Alexa Rank and more.\neUnifyDB - Create databases for whatever your company needs, whether it's inventory tracking, customer management, development tracking or project management.\nFile123 - Keep records of all of your electronic and paper files by faxing, scanning, uploading or emailing.\nFLEXlists - Create simple databases and lists with all the fields you need.\nFluxiom - Digital asset management for your company that allows you to host your media assets, marketing materials, contracts, images and more.\niOutliner - Online outlining program for managing your tasks, ideas, projects and more in structured lists.\nLazybase - An online database that's easy to use and doesn't require a login (instead they give you a \"secret URL\" to access your database).\nMyownDB - Another online database that's multi-user, easy to configure &amp; use, and has an integrated help feature.\nOrgPlus Live - Create online organizational charts for your company.\nQuickBase - A web-based database solution from Intuit that you can use for project management, sales management and other applications.\nShareMethods - Centralized document creation and sharing that's secure and available from anywhere, anytime.\nSocialText - Another enterprise level wiki platform that's built to be secure, scalable and easy to use.\nStarterBase - Easy to use database that allows you to create your own web applications and also allows sharing of your data via XML or RSS.\nTeamDesk - Hosted web-based database application system that comes with predefined solutions.\nTrackivia - A powerful, easy-to-use database that includes starter databases, filtering &amp; search capability, and one-click Excel export.\nTrueShare - Secure online file sharing and file backup.\nEmail\n\n\n \n\n\n9cays - Group email that creates a conversation between people, and archives that conversation on an easy to read web page.\nBlueTie - Free and pro plans available; offers web-based email (with domain support), calendaring and file sharing.\nDropSend - Send files up to 1GB in size, and back up all your files online.\nBreeze - Create and send email campaigns and then track their results.\niContact - Email marketing application that allows for the creation, publishing and tracking of newsletters, surveys, autoresponders and more.\nmailbigfile - Send email attachments of up to 100MB.\nSend6 - Send large files in a branded system with delivery tracking.\nSproutit Mailroom - Simple email management that allows teams to manage customer inquiries that come in through your website.\nEmployee Management, Payroll and Human Resources\n\n\n \n\n\n1time - Timesheet recording that also includes email reminders for employers who haven't entered their timesheets, as well as project management with Basecamp integration.\nCATS - A free, open source applicant tracking system that helps streamline your hiring process.\nClickTime - Timesheet and expense tracking accessible from anywhere (including your mobile device) with flexible reports and exportable data.\nClockspot - Web based time clock that allows employees to clock in and out from the internet or phone.\nHarvest - Track what your employees are doing with their time and get graphical reports, all from a simple and usable interface.\nKudos - An employee recognition system that helps you recognize, reward, and retain good employees.\nmindsalt - Easy to use time tracking and expense tracking online.\nPacific Timesheet - Web-based timesheets with an array of features to meet your requirements.\nPayCycle - Paycheck calculations, instant checks, direct deposit, taxes, and more are all handled from one place.\nPerquest - Easy to use payroll system that's simple to learn and is ideal for small to medium sized businesses.\nTeleTimecard - Call-in timecard system for employees that can be managed in real-time online.\ntimeXchange - Manage the entire time-reporting process for your company online.\nWhosOff - Free online staff vacation scheduler.\nZed Office - Online time sheet and expense report tracking that's built to work with QuickBooks.\nMail Handling\n\n\n \n\n\neSnailer - Write a letter and have it sent via the U.S. Postal Service free of charge; you just have to accept one of their free offers (ads).\nStenographr - Write a letter online and they'll mail it to whoever you want for only $2.\nEasyPost.ca - A mail service that will send to any address in Canada, and it's free for a limited time.\nPostful - Send letters using email for only $.99 (for one full-color page).\nMarketing &amp; Publicity\n\n\n \n\n\nClearSMS - Web-based application for sending bulk SMS messages to your customers and contacts.\nConfirmIt - Survey software for feedback management and market research (including community panels).\nembracemobile - Enables you to create market research surveys that can be presented over mobile phones.\nHeadlight - Define, plan, execute and measure how effective your marketing efforts are online and offline.\nMarketo - Pay per click advertising management software that helps increase revenue and accountability. Also landing page testing and optimization.\nMobivity - Affordable mobile marketing solutions.\nMyMediaRoom - A platform that allows organizations to publish their press releases, event announcements, blog and more on a dedicated website.\nvflyer - Create a standardized classified ad that can be used online or in print.\nZoomerang - Create online surveys, invite people to participate and analyze the results to improve your marketing efforts.\nMoney Making &amp; eCommerce Solutions\n\n\n \n\n\nblinkcart - Shopping cart software that allows you to put a shopping cart on any page that supports html links or javascript code.\nE-Junkie - Shopping cart &amp; buy it now buttons that can be put on any website for selling downloads or tangible goods.\nFlyingCart - Online store hosting that's free, accepts all major credit cards, and is search engine optimized.\nKagi - A complete set of services for online business transactions.\nNear-Time Premium - Set up commercial collaboration spaces, set your price, and then invite new members to pay for your knowledge and expertise.\nuShops - Online channel for selling creative and niche products.\nVendio - Complete multi-channel online merchandising solution for eCommerce success.\nVolusion - Complete ecommerce solution that includes product management and administration, shipping tools, credit card processing, live updates, and more.\nWeSquare - Use Skype to market your time and make money with your knowledge.\nZazzle - Create your own online store and sell your own unique designs for T-Shirts, mugs, and more.\nOffice Applications\n\n\n \n\n\nApprover - Create documents and then invite colleagues to view them and provide feedback; you receive an alert whenever the document is edited.\nDocly - An online word processor that has built-in copyright protection, and lets you set a price for others to purchase your work.\nBuzzWord - Buzzword is a new full-featured online word processor.\nGreenDOC - A simple online text editor with an environmental slant.\niNetWord - Another full-featured online word processor.\nSmartSheet - Combination spreadsheet, email and file sharing platform with task assignment, history tracking, and more.\nSolodox - Collaborative document creation and editing as well as project management.\nWriteboard - Sharable web-based text documents that allow you to roll back to previous edits and compare changes.\nwritewith - Group writing online that also features chat, task assignment and tracking.\nxcellery - Allows multiple people to edit the same Excel file simultaneously for free.\nYourDraft - An online word processor that allows you to create and share drafts without the need for registration.\nOrganization &amp; Management\n\n\n \n\n\nFlowChart - Create flowcharts online with no software or plugins to install.\nfoldera - Create, organize, and share your documents from anywhere, anytime.\nFunctionFox - Time and project tracking for creative professionals.\nMy Milemarker - Keep track of your mileage by telling them whenever you fuel up your car. You can also input your data from your phone of with Twitter.\nsendPO - Purchase order tracking for any accounting system that provides confirmation that your PO was received.\nSide Job Track - Job tracking, invoicing, project management and reporting that's completely web-based and made specifically for part-time independent contractors.\nSkemma - Business Process Management tool that allows companies to automate communications between departments and others, along with other tools.\nPhone &amp; Voicemail\n\n\n \n\n\nCallwave - Have your voicemail converted to text without changing your phone number.\nGizmo Call - Free browser-based phone service.\nGrandCentral - One phone number that will ring all of your phone lines and organize all of your voicemail into one mailbox.\nJajah - Save up to 98% on your long distance, and calls between members are free.\nPacket8 - Offers a complete hosted business phone system.\nSKY-click - Create a call center for your business to take orders for only $10 per operator per month.\nvia:talk - Internet phone service that features e911, voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding and more.\nPlanning\n\n\n \n\n\nPlanHQ - Business plan collaboration application that allows you to create, update and track your business plan.\nStartup Business School - Online business planning tool that includes video tutorials, easy-to-update sections and an exportable format.\nTime Management &amp; Tracking and Project Management\n\n\n \n\n\n88 Miles - Unobtrusive time tracking that allows you to punch in and out of projects as you're working, and includes on-screen timers that show you how much time you've clocked.\nActionThis - Web-based team management app that includes a centralized project management system as well as a way to keep track of work assignments and key business information.\nCeloxis - Task tracking, scheduling, project management, business process tracking, time &amp; expense tracking, and collaboration.\nClarizen - Collaborative project management.\nClocking IT - Time and task tracking in one, with tagging, search, milestones, an integrated wiki, and activity log.\nEmergent Task Timer - The Emergent Task Timer that follows David Seah's The Printable CEO; includes a timer and breaks down tasks into fifteen minute bubbles.\nfourteenDayz - Time tracking for teams that includes project management and reports.\nintervals - Time tracking with the ability to centralize projects and manage tasks.\nProject Insight - Mid-range web based project management and collaboration software that's intuitive and easy to use.\nProWorkflow - Web based project management, time tracking, and task management to increase efficiency and individual accountability.\nPunchyTime - Time tracking tool for creative companies that allows time tracking as you work instead of after the fact.\nRescueTime - Increase your own productivity by seeing exactly how you spend your time.\nRotaboard - Organize and track employee work schedules.\nSlimTimer - Create tasks and track your time on each one, and then share them with coworkers or your boss.\nTiktrac - Time management that also includes the ability for clients to login and view how the time they're paying for is being used.\nTimepost - A project timer that will automatically get all your projects and to-dos from different web project managers, saving you the hassle of having to re-enter things.\nTime IQ - Track internal project, freelance &amp; contractor time, and get daily, weekly &amp; monthly reports.\nTimmyOnTime - IM-based time management tool that works with MSN, AIM, GoogleTalk, and others and features reminders (it'll even nudge you if you're not working when you're supposed to be).\nToggl - A free online timetracker that allows you to track your time anywhere and create team projects.\nVirtual Office Platforms\n\n\n \n\n\nActionize - Contact management and project management rolled into one that includes an address book, tasks, networking, milestones, task &amp; action tracking, and file management.\nAveriware - A business management application suite that includes customer relationship management, sales force automation, accounting &amp; financial management, ecommerce, supply chain management, and human resources.\nBusiness IT Online - Free online small business applications including CalendarOnline, CashflowOnline, ContactsOnline, DocumentsOnline, and MarketingOnline.\nclevertools - Project management, invoices &amp; estimates, timesheets, lead management, bug tracking and a whiteboard system rolled into one.\nContactOffice - Complete office data management, including email, contacts, documents, tasks, meetings, and more, in one centralized location.\nCreativePro Office - Online office management tools including a client manager, project manager, time tracker, invoicing &amp; expense tracking, and calendar.\nMyQuire - Networking and project tools in one environment that also includes online file storage, task management, group sharing, calendar and chat.\nNetSuite - An integrated system for managing your entire business that includes accounting &amp; back-office applications, customer relationship management and an ecommerce solution.\nOvoSuite - An online office suite that includes a calendar, document management, forums, user audits, file audits, voting, content management, RSS feeds and more.\nPanthius eBusiness Suite - A full-service business suite that includes accounting, customer relationship management, ecommerce solutions, task management, tracking, calendar management, inventory &amp; supply planning and more.\nSynapseLife - A suite of five free web-based applications that includes a calendar, contact manager, feed reader, bookmarking and lists &amp; ledger program.\nVeetro - A very full-featured office suite that includes billing &amp; invoices, document management, sales &amp; lead management, email marketing, electronic timesheets, project &amp; task management, blog publishing, customer help desk and real-time reporting.\nWebAsyst - File management, photo management, a simple CRM, email marketing and newsletters, project management, issue tracker, notes &amp; memos and pages for tutorials, manuals, etc. all in one centralized place.\nWebOffice - WebOffice from WebEx provides an entire platform for running your business, including a document manager, online calendar, meeting platform, email, task manager, database, discussion forum, contact list, expense reports, opinion polls, and more.\nIndustry-Specific\n\n\n \n\n\nBarracuda Suite - Retail management suite that handles inventory, order fulfillment, and more and allows you to manage your business from anywhere.\nProposalPath from Bluebuzzard - Hospitality sales management application that allows you to send, organize, and track your customer communications.\nFlyinside - A free online platform for creating real estate virtual tours using your own digital photos.\nPawtracker - Dog kennel management system that's completely web-based with real-time information, accounting, and more.\nPropertize - Rental property management app that keeps your information in an easy to use format.\nMiscellaneous\n\n\n \n\n\nkoolwire - Create PDF files via email.\nLightspoke - Create customized business applications in 15 minutes, including project management, sales automation, contact management, web forms, asset management and more.\nPDFescape - An online PDF creator and editor.\nShipwire - Complete product fulfillment application that will receive, store, and ship your products for you.\nuShip - List the items you need to ship and get bids from different shipping companies for the best price.\n\nSee also:\n30+ Tools to Turn Wordpress into a Personal HubSHOPPING SPREE: 18 Sites for Social Shopping &amp; DealsSOCIAL BOOKMARKING: 50+ Social Bookmarking Sites30+ WordPress Plugins for StatisticsINSTANT MESSAGING TOOLBOX: 90+ IM Tools40+ Free Blog HostsONLINE POLLING TOOLBOX: 40+ Online Polling SitesFLICKR TOOLBOX: 100+ Tools For Flickr AddictsHIGH SPEED DOWNLOADS: 60+ Download ManagersIPHONE TOOLBOX: 75+ iPhone Resources30+ WordPress 3-Column ThemesFreelancers\u2019 Toolbox - 30+ Online Freelance ResourcesEBAY TOOLBOX: 50+ Tools for eBay Buyers and Sellers30+ WordPress Plugins To Get More Blog ReadersDOWNLOAD EVERYTHING: 30+ Firefox Add-ons For Downloading Images, Videos &amp; FilesFacebook Powertools: 150+ Apps, Scripts and Add-ons for FacebookCMS Toolbox: 80+ Open Source Content Management SystemsMake Money Online: 100+ Tools and ResourcesQ&amp;A TOOLBOX: 30+ Tools For Questions and AdviceONLINE STORAGE: 80+ File Hosting and Sharing Sites\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2007/08/09/online-business/>