9 best productivity tools for product managers
Top 9 Productivity Tools Recommended by Product Managers
Productivity is crucial for product managers, who are responsible for wearing many hats (a.k.a are very busy!). Here are the top 9 productivity tools, as recommended by experienced PMs.
1. Miro
What it is
Miro is a popular online collaboration and brainstorming tool that allows you to create interactive whiteboards that can be shared and edited in real-time with remote teams.
Why Venkat, Group Product Manager at Okta loves it
“I love using Miro for visual thinking and brainstorming. When working with a distributed team Miro helps to collaborate with designers and engineers for brainstorming ideas, diagramming and user journey mapping etc.”
– Venkat Viswanathan
Why it’s awesome
- Really fun and easy to use
- Real-time collaboration features
- Customizable templates and integrations with other tools
What’s the price
- Free plan - $0
- Starter plan - $8/member/month
- Business plan - $16/member/month
Learn more at miro.com/pricing
Where to get it
2. Microsoft 365 for iPad
What it is
Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based service that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, and Outlook.
Why Ramit, Senior Product Manager at Microsoft loves it
“The Microsoft 365 app lets me make handwritten notes during meetings and sync them across all my devices.”
– Ramit Arora
Why it’s awesome
- Versatile tool for note-taking, drawing, and organizing ideas
- Same level of functionality and flexibility as on a desktop computer
- Seamless to pick up where you left off from your computer onto iPad
What’s the price
- Microsoft 365 Personal Plan - $6.99 for 1 user
- Microsoft 365 Family Plan - $9.99 for 6 users
Learn more at microsoft.com
Where to get it
3. ClickUp
What it is
ClickUp is a project management and collaboration platform that offers a range of features to help teams manage and organize their work.
Why Irtefa, my Co-Founder at Jam loves it
“ClickUp is an amazing tool for managing the product development process, from ideation to launch.”
– Irtefa Mohd
Why it’s awesome
- Highly customizable and very user-friendly
- Integrates with other popular productivity tools
- Great real-time collaboration features
What’s the price
- Free plan - $0
- Unlimited plan - $5/member/month
- Business plan - $12/member/month
- Business plus plan - $19/member/month
Learn more at clickup.com/pricing
Where to get it
4. Slack video messaging
What it is
One of Slack’s key features is the ability for users to record and send video messages, instead of typing a chat.
Why Simon, Senior Product Manager at Vercel loves it
“One trick I found to help with productivity is instead of setting up a call or writing a super long Slack message, just make a quick video recording on your phone.”
– Simon Wijckmans
Why it’s awesome
- Quick and easy to send a video
- You can share more expressively than in a typed chat
- It’s built into Slack so you don’t need another tool
What’s the price
This feature comes built-in with Slack, which costs:
- Free plan - free
- Pro plan - $7.25/person/month
- Business+ - $12.50/person/month
Learn more at slack.com/pricing
Where to get it
5. Capture
What it is
Capture is a platform that helps you manage your life by organizing information, thoughts, and goals.
Why Rishab, Product Lead at Rippling loves it
“It’s a combination of a to-do list, Gmail and Pocket.”
– Rishab Hedge
Why it’s awesome
- More powerful than most note-taking tools
- You can also keep track of files and links, as well as tasks, reminders, and notes
- Great collaboration features
What’s the price
- TBD, currently in Early Access
Learn more at capture.so
Where to get it
6. Mode Analytics
What it is
Mode Analytics is a business intelligence and data analysis platform that allows users to analyze and visualize data from various sources.
Why Nemo, Product Manager at Primitives loves it
“I’ve been using Mode Analytics to write database queries and make quick visualizations.”
– Nemo Blackburn
Why it's awesome
- SQL-based querying for data analysis
- Collaboration features for teams
- Pre-built analytics templates
- Easy to use and accessible to users of all skill levels
What's the price
- Studio plan - free
- Business plan - custom
Learn more at mode.com/compare-plans
Where to get it
7. Good ol’ Google Calendar
What it is
The calendar app built into Google Workspace.
Why product managers at Pinterest and Cloudflare love it
“I use Google calendar to block focus time to write PRD/review XFN doc and add comments or create reminders.”
– Yiyang Hibner
“My day is very meeting driven so I constantly check it for what's coming up and what I need to prepare for.”
– Rita Kozlov
Why it’s awesome
- Simple & reliable UI that just gets the job done
- It’s free with Google Workspace
- Powerful enough that you can do what you want without having to learn a new tool
What’s the price
Google Calendar is included with Google Workspace, which costs:
- Business starter plan: $6/user/month
- Business standard plan: $12/user/month
- Business plus plan: $18/user/month
Learn more at workspace.google.com/pricing
Where to get it
8. Good ol’ Google Docs
What it is
The word editor built into Google Workspace.
Why Arman, Product Manager at Google loves it
“Google Docs has been instrumental in our success of shipping great products.”
– Arman Rye
Why it's awesome
- Really easy to share, comment and suggest changes
- Simple, reliable and gets the job done
- Comes free with Google Workspace
What's the price
Google Docs is included with Google Workspace, which costs:
- Business starter plan: $6/user/month
- Business standard plan: $12/user/month
- Business plus plan: $18/user/month
Learn more at workspace.google.com/pricing
Where to get it
9. Jam
What it is
Meet the productivity tool we’re building here at Jam, used by 10,000+ to ship high-quality software, faster.
Why Nic, Head of Product at PLEXUSS loves it
“With Jam you don’t need separate resources focusing just on bugs.”
– Nic Nuyten
Why it's awesome
- Instantly record and annotate your screen
- Auto-capture critical developer logs
- Integrates with your tools (Jira, ClickUp, GitHub, Slack, Etc.)
What's the price
- Free plan - $0
- Pro plan - $10/teammate/month
Learn more at jam.dev/pricing