Productivity Software You Don't Know About (Yet)

Forecast is an AI-powered platform that uses predictive algorithms based on real-time data for project and resource management.

The software analyzes past project data to identify potential budget and timeline risks and suggests the best resource assignments using its resource allocation assistant.

This data is presented on an intuitive dashboard, making it easy for managers to quickly identify when a project starts drifting off course.

I think this feature is particularly effective for service-based businesses managing multiple client projects, which need clear insights into workload distribution and profitability.

Forecast also offers an automated time tracking system that records billable and non-billable hours for provides a complete overview of team performance as well as accurate billing. This data also helps identify patterns and areas to improve employee productivity.

But, while Forecast’s prediction feature is useful, it relies on past data, which can limit its effectiveness in fast-changing or unique project environments.

It also has limited integrations and no mobile access, making it challenging to align the platform with existing workflows or implement it for on-the-go teams.

Infor CloudSuite is an all-in-one platform that provides a suite of cloud-based solutions for enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain management (SCM), human capital management (HCM), financial management, and sustainability and environmental, social, and governmental (ESG) initiatives.

Each module has its own set of features for its specific niche, allowing companies to choose the solutions that best fit their needs.

The software is cloud-based, which allows for easy scalability and accessibility for businesses of all sizes.

All modules include AI-based features to optimize workflows, predict demand, and improve resource allocation across enterprises, while certain industry-specific features provide tailored functionality for sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and distribution.

The platform’s analytics and reporting tools also offer useful performance insights to support informed decisions, while organized data makes key information easy to find and access.

In addition to industry-specific modules, Infor CloudSuite includes tools for workforce management, payroll, and supply chain operations. The software’s self-service portal makes it easy for employees to update their information and track PTO, which is great for reducing administrative overhead.

However, file-sharing between users is limited, likely because the software prioritizes planning and workflow oversight over in-app content management. Also, users report an occasional bug or two when signing in on Infor’s mobile app.

Invoiced automates the entire accounts receivable process for businesses to handle billing and payments.

The platform replaces manual invoicing processes with features supporting automated invoicing, payment reminders, and real-time reconciliation.

Invoiced has an impressive analytics dashboard that gives businesses clear visibility into their cash flow and payment trends.

It pulls data from invoices, autopay, payment plans, promises-to-pay, and customer histories to provide accurate, actionable insights that enhance transparency and improve financial forecasting.

Invoiced also stands out for its ability to scale across industries with features like batch invoicing, automated recurring billing, virtual card payments, and integrations with accounting software, making it a good choice for growing organizations that want to streamline financial operations.

However, Invoiced’s initial setup may require additional effort, and the absence of a mobile app limits on-the-go accessibility.

EmpMonitor is an employee monitoring software designed to enhance team performance and productivity by providing detailed insights into workforce activity.

The software is fairly easy to set up and allows real-time activity tracking, analyzes productive and idle work hours, and delivers accurate timesheet reports.

These reports help identify employee attendance patterns, while time monitoring ensures accountability and supports employee performance assessments.

In addition to performance tracking, EmpMonitor offers strong employee monitoring features, including application usage and website activity, on a unified dashboard.

Such features are helpful to quickly identify idle or active employees and detect potentially harmful or unauthorized actions, reducing risks associated with negligent or malicious behavior.

Added features, including project management, screen recording, live screencasting, and workforce engagement tools, make EmpMonitor a well-rounded employee monitoring platform.

However, while EmpMonitor’s reports provide useful insights into employee attendance and productivity, their customization options are less flexible than expected. Some users also mention occasional slow performance.

Obsidian is a note-taking app that offers users a way to visualize and organize their notes by creating links between ideas. The software’s interactive graph feature helps uncover connections and patterns in their ideas, making it easier to see relationships across their work.

Obsidian also has a Canvas feature that provides an infinite visual workspace for brainstorming, diagramming, and organizing research.

This can be used to add notes alongside images, PDFs, videos, audio, and interactive web pages, creating a flexible and dynamic environment for plotting down ideas.

With plenty of plugins and an open API, Obsidian is highly customizable. It’s easy to tailor the app to fit personal workflows, making it adaptable for both casual note-taking and complex projects.

Syncing data between multiple devices is also secure and flexible, with end-to-end encryption, selective file syncing, version history, and team collaboration.

What I found really interesting is Obsidian Publish, which allows users to turn their notes into online wikis, knowledge bases, or digital gardens.

It’s basically built-in publishing, complete with themes and domain customization for creating mobile-friendly, SEO-optimized sites.

Although Obsidian’s features are great, I can definitely see a learning curve for users; it can be overwhelming for someone just looking for a simple note app. Also, syncing across multiple devices is only available for users on the paid plan.

Loom is a video messaging and screen recording platform designed to help teams communicate and collaborate more effectively.

It allows users to record their screen and camera, create AI-enhanced videos, and share them instantly across devices. It also offers collaboration tools such as automated meeting notes, comments, emojis, and viewer insights.

Alongside video recording, Loom can be used for trimming and stitching videos, adding custom backgrounds, embedding videos in tools like Google Workspace, Slack, Figma, and Jira, and creating transcriptions and closed captions.

Loom also supports enterprise-grade security with SSO, SCIM, and customizable privacy controls.

It’s a good team communication platform suitable for sales, engineering, customer support, design, and general team communication, where fast information sharing is crucial for team operations.

However, I found the desktop version of the app to be missing certain features as compared to the Chrome extension. The platform also offers limited options for video customizations.