Reviews
Upwork
Upwork is an excellent choice if you want to keep your hiring options open. Whether you’re looking to hire people quickly or establish long-term relationships with freelancers, Upwork’s the place to find them. Browse millions of profiles on Upwork now, or read on for my detailed review of the platform.
Square Payments
Square is a big name in the world of payment processing. It’s easy to sign up and begin processing payments right away. Square’s simple flat-fee pricing draws many merchants in, and its top-tier hardware is often offered at a discount to new applicants.
99designs
99designs is one of the best logo design services in terms of customer experience, but it’s also pricey. However, if you need a long-term design provider, it’s worth the extra money just for the headaches you’ll avoid. When you start a contest on 99designs, you get dozens to hundreds of designs to choose from, and you only have to pay for the winner. Even with some duds,...
Jasper.ai
Jasper is a top-performing AI platform that can create high-quality content in minutes. It crafts blog posts, emails, social media posts, ad copy – and even images – with the click of a button. It's full of features, produces excellent on-brand text, and keeps your data safe. But all this does come with a slightly inflated price tag.
Tailor Brands
Tailor Brands is a solid choice if you want the full package (think domain name, social media marketing, business cards, and branded merchandise). Its logo generator is easy to use and it gets the job done. If all you really want is a logo, it is on the more expensive side – but stay with me, and I’ll explain why it’s still worth trying out. Or, if you're looking for help...
GrowTal
GrowTal is a new freelance platform designed to help businesses find vetted marketing experts via a simplified hiring process. The quality of work you can get through the platform is pretty high, but it does come at a price. If that doesn’t bother you and you’re tired of budget services that fail to deliver, you should definitely check out GrowTal.
Supercreator.ai
With a single idea and the power of AI, Supercreator lets you create a ready-to-post video in just a few minutes. It’s easy to use and most features are free (including a few fun filters). That said, the iOS app isn’t without its bugs, and it would help if it was available for Android, too.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is an accessible, easy-to-use Email Marketing Service (EMS) designed to help marketers achieve their goals as painlessly as possible. The interface is beautiful, the menu makes sense, the platform simply feels good to use – and you can check it all out with the generous free plan. If you’re just starting out with email marketing, Mailchimp’s intuitive tools are worth...
Mayple
Mayple is a good solution if you’ve already invested heavily in marketing but want to streamline processes and cut costs. It’s efficient, transparent, and can match you with vetted marketing experts who can help with brand exposure. That said, if you’re on a limited budget, a more affordable freelance platform like Upwork or Fiverr will work better for you.
Surfer
Surfer SEO's solid content optimization tools enhanced my articles with search-relevant keywords. While I appreciate its features and extended capabilities, it’s certainly not a cheap platform. On top of that, some essential features – such as SERP analysis and site audits – cost extra.
Later
Later is a well-designed, easy-to-use social media management platform focusing primarily on Instagram. It also integrates with Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. While Later’s pricing is nearly perfect, the platform lacks a few advanced features (e.g., chatbot editor and customer relationship management). Despite that, beginners on a low budget should give it...
Flagship Merchant Services
Flagship’s easy online application form is ideal for business owners who want to painlessly set up a merchant account and accept credit card payments as soon as possible. Its month-to-month contracts also mean you can try this merchant services provider practically risk free. Flagship is only really held back by its lack of transparency – no one likes surprises on their...
Bark
Bark is an online job board with thousands of professionals offering both local and digital services. It’s free to post your jobs, and you can use it as a complementary tool to other popular boards, such as Indeed and LinkedIn. The quotes I received on Bark were reasonable, but for digital services, I believe there are cheaper options available to you.
InboxAlly
InboxAlly is a niche service that reliably boosts your deliverability rate by having real email addresses interact with your emails in various ways. Although expensive, it’s worth a try if you’re struggling to get out of your subscribers’ spam folders. It’s also a great way to give a crucial upcoming campaign the boost it needs to deliver outstanding results.
Fiverr Business
Fiverr Business exceeded my expectations as a solution for hiring vetted freelancers, managing outsourced talent, and collaborating on projects. Since it’s free and easy to use, it’s perfect for small- to medium-sized teams. Hire an expert now or dive into my review to learn how Fiverr Business can enhance your outsourcing efforts and boost productivity.
Blog Posts
TeamGantt vs Smartsheet: Choose This One in 2024
TeamGantt and Smartsheet are both powerful project management tools designed to make it easier for teams to collaborate and stay on top of tasks and deadlines. But despite offering some great features, are they suitable for your team’s projects? After extensive testing, I found that Smartsheet’s extensive features make it an ideal choice for projects of varying complexity...
ConvertKit vs Mailchimp: Why You Need to Rethink [2024]
The Mailchimp vs ConvertKit battle was a close one. Mailchimp is definitely more popular – but ConvertKit has recently gained some traction marketing itself as the ultimate creator marketing platform. ConvertKit and Mailchimp both offer users unlimited free plans, which often appeal to new marketers with relatively small lists. I spent several days testing both platforms,...
Teamwork vs Smartsheet: Which Is the Better PM Tool in 2024?
Teamwork and Smartsheet are popular project management software that market themselves as the ultimate, all-in-one solution. They both have advanced management tools and are ideal for all stages of a project, from planning to execution and sustainment. Teamwork caught my attention with its user-friendly interface, seamless project management, and real-time communication...
10 Best Email Marketing Software for Ecommerce [2024 Update]
Email marketing is alive and kicking in , as it’s still a reliable way to increase revenue by keeping users interested and engaged in your products. As a busy professional, you need an email marketing service (EMS) that can do most of the heavy lifting for you. Although you have many options, you can’t just pick the first EMS that pops up on Google. Most email marketing...
6 Best Retail Credit Card Processing Companies in 2024
Choosing the perfect credit card processing company for your retail business used to be easy. Before, you would just look at subscription and transaction fees, check out the available equipment, and you’d be good to go. Well, not anymore. Even if most of your transactions happen in-store, you now have to think about virtual terminals, online storefronts, payment gateways,...
How to Cancel Mailchimp & Get a Refund (Tested in 2024)
Mailchimp may not be perfect, but downgrading your plan and canceling your account couldn’t be easier. When you’re ready to move onto a better service, I’d recommend looking at ActiveCampaign’s Lite plan. Why? Read on below to find out. So you signed up for a paid Mailchimp account and realized it’s not right for you. Maybe you’re not satisfied with the platform’s basic...
19 Best Architecture Portfolio Examples: Get Noticed in 2024
As an architect, you probably spend most of your days working on plans and bringing visions to life. You’re always doing something, and I can’t blame you for not having the time and energy to set up a portfolio website. Hard work and dedication are key to your success, but let me tell you – you don’t need to create your website from scratch. That’s right. There are...
How to Cancel ActiveCampaign & Get a Refund in 2024
ActiveCampaign is an excellent email marketing platform, but its plans can get quite pricey. If you’re currently paying more than you can afford, I recommend downgrading to ActiveCampaign’s Lite plan – there’s still so much you can do with the platform’s cheapest option. Or it’s easy to cancel your plan altogether, too. Read on to learn more. ActiveCampaign tops many of the...
Sendinblue vs Mailchimp – This is the Expert’s Choice in 2024
Mailchimp is a well-known email marketing service (EMS) with a free plan and a beginner-friendly interface, making it a popular choice with marketers. But recently Sendinblue has also grown in popularity, offering a competitive and featured-packed free plan of its own. Both platforms are great for basic email marketing needs – but I wanted to see how they compared to each...
ActiveCampaign vs AWeber: Our Expert’s Recommendation
ActiveCampaign and AWeber are both big names on the market, and both pack plenty of features – enough to satisfy even the most demanding user. Honestly, both are great services. Still, depending on your specific needs, one might be better for you than the other. Remember, no email marketing platform does everything perfectly. I spent a ton of time testing both platforms...
AWeber vs. Constant Contact – Which Offers the Best Value?
AWeber and Constant Contact are big names in the email marketing world, and both pack plenty of features. In the end, comparing the two came down to a battle of small details. I spent a couple of weeks testing both platforms and found that AWeber does a few things just slightly better than its competitor. AWeber has more email templates, better automation tools, and a more...
Keap vs Mailchimp: Which Offers Better Value? [2024 Update]
Keap (Infusionsoft) and Mailchimp are two of the oldest email marketing platforms, but they’re structured and marketed differently. Whereas Mailchimp is a beginner-friendly, email marketing-focused service, Keap positions itself as a more advanced all-in-one marketing platform better suited for medium-sized businesses. In most cases, I’d recommend Mailchimp. It’s a...
How to Get an Upwork Refund & Cancel Your Account [2024]
Upwork might not be perfect, but it helped me get my money back when a freelancer overcharged me. The process was relatively painless, even though I had signed up to Upwork for free. If you don’t receive the work you’re promised on Upwork – or if work is delivered late or hours are billed incorrectly – you should be able to apply for a refund. You might also be looking to...
6 Best Social Media Ad Creators for Small Businesses in 2023
Social media ads are fantastic for helping your small business grow, but it can be hard to find the right experts to help you give your business the boost it needs. Hiring an online social media ad creator can take some of the pressure off.But out of all the social media ad creators I hired, only a handful delivered consistently great results at an affordable rate. They all...
ActiveCampaign vs ConvertKit: There’s Only One Option [2024]
While ActiveCampaign markets itself as a customer experience automation platform, ConvertKit mainly targets online creators. But both do similar things and offer a comparable set of features, so it makes sense to consider them side by side. I spent several days testing both platforms, and it soon became clear to me that ActiveCampaign outperforms ConvertKit (almost) every...