Honest reviews of the tools I actually use.
No sponsored rankings. No fluff. Just what works for small B2B teams — and what to avoid.
CRM Tools
For managing contacts, deals, and pipeline. The right CRM depends on your team size and sales motion.
HubSpot CRM
Top Pick
The best free CRM for small B2B teams getting started. Scales well as you add automation and sequences. Setup takes time to do right — but it pays off.
Pipedrive
Great for Sales Teams
Purpose-built for sales reps. Simpler than HubSpot, easier to adopt, better pipeline views. Best for teams who just need a clean deal tracker without the complexity.
HubSpot vs Pipedrive
Comparison
The two most common CRMs for small B2B teams. HubSpot is better for marketing-led growth. Pipedrive is better for outbound-focused sales teams. Full breakdown coming.
Automation Tools
Connect your CRM to everything else. These tools eliminate manual work without requiring a developer.
Make.com
Top Pick
My go-to automation tool for B2B teams. More powerful than Zapier at a fraction of the cost. Visual workflow builder makes it easy to build complex multi-step automations.
Zapier
Easiest to Start
The most beginner-friendly automation tool. Fewer steps per workflow but much easier setup. Good starting point if you are new to automation.
n8n
For Tech Teams
Open-source and self-hostable. Cheaper than Make at scale if you have the technical setup. Great for AI-heavy workflows and custom integrations.
AI Tools for B2B Teams
The AI tools that actually save time in a sales and operations context — not just ChatGPT wrappers.
Claude (Anthropic)
Best for Writing
Best AI for drafting emails, summaries, proposals, and SOPs. Less likely to hallucinate than GPT-4 on factual tasks. API integrates cleanly with Make.com and n8n.
Perplexity AI
Best for Research
AI-powered search that cites sources. Extremely useful for prospect research, market intelligence, and competitor analysis before sales calls.
Apollo.io
Prospecting + AI
B2B prospecting database with built-in AI for email personalisation and outreach sequences. Good free tier for solo reps and small teams getting started with outbound.
Need help choosing the right stack?
Tell me what you are trying to do and I will recommend the right tools for your budget and team size. No obligation.
AI & Developer APIs
The APIs and build tools I use to wire AI into client workflows.
Claude API
TOP PICK
Anthropic’s Claude is my go-to for building AI agents, writing assistants, and CRM enrichment tools. The context window is large, the outputs are reliable, and it handles structured data well. Best for anything that requires reasoning, not just text generation.
✓ Pay-as-you-go API | Affiliate: Anthropic Partner Program
OpenAI API
MARKET LEADER
GPT-4o and o3 cover most use cases for client-facing AI features — especially where you need broad integration support or existing developer tooling. Widely supported across Make.com, Zapier, and most automation platforms.
✓ Pay-as-you-go API | Extensive plugin ecosystem
Lovable
FOR BUILDERS
AI-powered app builder that turns a text prompt into a working web app — React frontend, Supabase backend. I use it to build lightweight internal tools and client portals fast. Not a replacement for real dev work, but great for MVPs and prototypes.
✓ Free tier available | Affiliate program available
Analytics & Reporting
Tools for turning CRM and sales data into decisions.
Power BI
TOP PICK
Microsoft’s BI platform is the best way to connect HubSpot, Pipedrive, or Priority data into one live dashboard. The free desktop version is powerful; Pro unlocks sharing and scheduled refresh. For B2B teams that live in Excel, the learning curve is minimal.
✓ Free Desktop version | Microsoft Partner program
Microsoft 365 / Office
ESSENTIAL
Still the backbone of most B2B operations. Excel for ad-hoc analysis, Word for proposals, Teams for communication. When evaluating CRM or automation tools, I always check how well they integrate with M365 — it’s usually a dealbreaker if they don’t.
✓ Business plans from $6/user/mo | Microsoft affiliate program
ERP & Operations
Full business management systems — when a CRM alone isn’t enough.
Priority ERP
ISRAEL MARKET
Priority is the dominant ERP in the Israeli B2B market — widely used in manufacturing, distribution, and services. If you’re running operations in Israel and need to connect your CRM to inventory, billing, or finance, Priority is usually the integration target. I help teams connect Priority to HubSpot and automate the handoff between sales and ops.
✓ Israeli market leader | Partner program available