The 21st century has seen a steady rise in software usage, and there are no signs this trend will die down anytime soon.
While this is great news for individuals and businesses relying on software tools to get things done, it can also be difficult to find the best options.
The solution: services that offer advice, reviews, and comparisons of the best business tools in the market.
Let’s take a look at four of the best software marketplaces online:
1. Capterra
Powered by a clutter-free but information-packed homepage, when you visit Capterra’s website, the first thing you’ll notice is a search bar, which is particularly useful if you know the software type you’re looking for, say, project management.
If you don’t, there’s a button you can click that says “All Software Categories.”
Capterra carries more than 300 categories that include:
- CRM
- HR
- Applicant tracking
- Help desk
- Learning management systems
- Retail management
- Field service
- Appointment scheduling
It also covers smaller niche categories such as:
- Church management research
- Medical malpractice
- Nonprofit research
- Construction
- Apparel management
- Auction
- Alumni management
With such a broad collection, you shouldn’t have a problem finding what you need.
On the other hand, if you’re not sure what you’re in the market for, Capterra’s library of informative articles, infographics, guides, and research can help you get started.
Companies that use Capterra
A software marketplace that proudly offers its services for free, Capterra has been in the business of recommending software to organizations for 14 years.
The number of companies they have successfully helped run up to the thousands, and these include Stanford, H&R Block, The Home Depot, Warner Brothers, Walmart, and Coca-Cola.
The Capterra blog
The Capterra blog has 19 categories in total – which are neatly laid out as clickable images in the blog’s home page – and provides industry-specific buying advice, great for individuals and businesses still looking for more software information.
Blog categories include:
- B2B marketing
- Event management software
- Logistics technology
- School administration
- Software buying tips
Capterra also has its doors open for guest contributors aspiring to join its team of expert bloggers.
2. Software Advice
Acquired by technology research titan Gartner in 2014, Software Advice has already helped over 300,000 companies in their software-buying journey.
With detailed software reviews from certified, actual users, plus extensive research on over 1,500 platforms, Software Advice helps buyers eradicate weeks-long research and avoid expensive software mistakes.
The site boasts of approximately 18,200 user reviews in 258 software categories that include:
- K-12 education
- CMMS (computerized maintenance management systems)
- Dental software
- Business intelligence
- Long-term care
- Medical billing
- Warehouse management
In terms of website layout, Software Advice has a look and feel similar to Capterra’s, with a search bar prominently displayed on the home page.
The Software Advice blog is likewise subdivided by market.
Research, professional software advice
One remarkable aspect of Software Advice is its huge library of research on software and technology trends, which is broken down into six buckets:
- IndustryView analyzes how software tools affect various industries, e.g., the impact of predictive analytics on finding quality social media influencers, the benefits of web conferencing software to small businesses, and so on
- BuyerView goes deep into the challenges faced by software buyers and the factors influencing their buying decisions
- UserView studies how software impacts the way users perform their jobs
- Spotlight lists down recommended applications with well-designed user interfaces from various software categories
- Case Study relates how specific software titles are improving the way certain companies manage their day-to-day operations
- Tools: social app map, cost of ownership calculator, and Box vs. Dropbox guide
It also has a roster of software experts providing free consultations to help you with a narrowed-down list of software titles to research more rigorously.
3. GetApp
The brainchild of Nubera eBusiness, a cloud apps management service provider launched in 2010, GetApp caters to businesses of all sizes looking to discover the perfect applications for their tasks and processes.
GetApp also functions as a marketing channel for thousands of cloud-based software providers.
Headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, Nubera has been recently acquired by Gartner.
Software categories on GetApp
GetApp has a total of 12 main categories, with subcategories under them, including:
- Business intelligence and analytics
- Collaboration
- Customer management
- Finance and accounting
- Marketing
- Operations
When you click on a main category, you get to a page with a list of software titles falling under that category. On the left-hand side, there are several filters you can use to narrow down the list:
- Subcategories, which vary depending on the main category you’re looking at
- Average user review
- Pricing model (free trial, freemium, one-time license, open source, subscription)
- Devices supported
- Organization type (freelancers, large enterprises, midsized businesses, nonprofits, small businesses, public administrations)
- Geographies served
- Integrations
- Reviews from specific industries or company sizes
Quick links are also available for the following:
- Top apps for the month
- New business apps listed on GetApp
- Free business apps
The GetApp blog
The GetApp blog is a collection of tips, software recommendations, and alternatives to popular software – essentially everything a software buyer would like to know about business apps.
When you subscribe to the GetApp blog, you can choose the software categories to receive blog updates about. In total, there are seven categories, so you can pick the perfect combination for your specific needs.
GetApp also runs GetApp Lab, which uncovers software trends, best practices, insider tips from experts, and essential cloud security information. GetData focuses on GetApp’s independent SMB and SaaS research, while GetCast is GetApp’s podcast where industry experts, authors, and influencers are interviewed.
4. Cloudswave
Essentially the new kid on the block, Cloudswave, established in 2012, started out as a site dedicated to providing users with software discounts that can go up to 80%. Eventually, it expanded to include helping out users find the right software for their unique needs.
Just like the first three marketplaces, Cloudswave supports a wide range of software categories including:
- Market research
- Creative tools
- Lifestyle
- Professional services automation
- IT and communications
To view the latest deals, simply click on Deals on the upper portion of the Cloudswave homepage. There should be a red box next to “Deals” indicating how many deals the company currently has available.
Aside from deals, discounts, and coupons, Cloudswave also gives users the option to buy gifts that are sent to their chosen recipients through email.
Professional advice and expert reviews
For a while, Cloudswave’s biggest selling point was providing discounts to software buyers. While this is still a staple, the company has since branched out to offer expert advice.
Cloudswave is a 52-person team, including experts on their staff who can point you in the right direction if you need help deciding which software path to take for your organization.
Cloudswave also devised the Cloudswave Score, which is a ranking system that summarizes all software reviews found on the web. The color-coded Cloudswave Score gives you a quick snapshot into the favorability of the reviews garnered by each software.
The Cloudswave blog
The Cloudswave blog is updated multiple times a week.
It’s a compilation of marketing advice, software tips and tricks, startup news, information about the cloud – a smorgasbord of valuable information that’s fast catapulting it as a premier technology and business blog, as evidenced by its inclusion in FitSmallBusiness.com’s list of best small business blogs of 2015.
The Cloudswave blog also brings in impressive resource persons. Recently, their interviews included conversations with Szymon Klimczak and Sujan Patel, two of the biggest names in Internet marketing.
Final word
Having a multitude of software choices isn’t necessarily a good thing. The four software marketplaces above, regardless of which one you think can help you best, are here to steer you in the right direction.
Remember, choosing a solution that doesn’t fit your requirements is going to hurt your business. Think wasted technology dollars and unnecessary operational shutdown.