Top Productivity Tools in 2025

Optimize your workflow with these top tools—each carefully reviewed for functionality, benefits, drawbacks, and how they compare to your dashboard product Making Today.

1. Notion

What it does: All-in-one workspace combining notes, kanban boards, databases, and calendars (straightupsoftware.com)

Pros:

• Highly flexible templates and workflows

• Supports real-time collaboration and integrated databases

• Offers Notion AI for summarization and writing assistance (Wikipedia)

Cons:

• Steep learning curve for complex usage

• No full offline editing and no page-level password protection for free tiers (straightupsoftware.com)

2. Trello

What it does: Visual Kanban board tool for project/task organization (Akiflow, techmarketingcafe.com, IFTTT)

Pros:

• Intuitive drag-and-drop interface

• Custom cards and Power-Ups integrate with apps like Slack and Google Drive

• Butler AI automates workflow tasks (IFTTT, Reddit)

Cons:

• Limited for complex task hierarchies or heavy-duty project planning

• Free tier lacks advanced reporting and integrations

3. Asana

What it does: Team-focused project management platform with timeline, task dependencies, and automation (GoSkills.com, Akiflow)

Pros:

• Excellent for cross-team collaboration & project tracking

• Timeline Gantt view and automation reduce manual task handling

• Integrates with Slack, Google Workspace, Figma (Wikipedia)

Cons:

• Dashboard can feel overwhelming without onboarding

• Advanced features require paid tier (beyond 15 users) (GoSkills.com)

4. Todoist

What it does: Personal task manager with simple UI and integration with calendars (Akiflow, Zapier)

Pros:

• Clean interface and natural-language date parsing

• Cross-platform, syncs with Google Calendar & Alexa

• Productivity “Karma” tracking to motivate progress

Cons:

• Lacks advanced project management features

• Limited for team collaboration

5. Zapier

What it does: Workflow automation platform connecting thousands of apps (Akiflow, techmarketingcafe.com, Zapier)

Pros:

• Automates repetitive tasks (e.g., Gmail → Slack → Google Sheets)

• Supports multistep flows without coding

• New AI helpers to suggest and optimize workflows (smartusecase.com)

Cons:

• Pricing scales quickly if tasks or workflows increase

• Rate limits and performance delays can occur

6. Motion

What it does: AI-driven scheduler that automatically time-blocks tasks and meetings based on priorities and calendar availability (smartusecase.com, scitechpulse.net)

Pros:

• Adapts dynamically to changing priorities

• Integrates with Google Calendar and Outlook

• “Focus mode” helps minimize interruptions

Cons:

• Higher subscription cost

• AI adjustments can feel unpredictable for rigid schedules

7. ClickUp

What it does: All-in-one productivity hub offering task management, docs, dashboards, and time tracking (scitechpulse.net, Zapier)

Pros:

• Highly customizable workspace

• Built-in automation and reporting tools

• Supports mind mapping, goals, and time tracking in one UI

Cons:

• Interface overload for light users

• Pricing complexity with features spread across plans

8. Otter.ai

What it does: Real-time AI transcription and meeting-notes tool (smartusecase.com, Wikipedia, Reddit)

Pros:

• Speaker identification and searchable transcripts

• Zoom/Teams integrations and highlight export

• Saves hours on note-taking and meeting follow-ups

Cons:

• Accuracy drops with busy audio or accents

• Pro plan required for longer recordings and storage

9. Reclaim.ai / Sunsama

Grouped together due to similar goals:
Reclaim.ai auto-schedules tasks and habits into your calendar based on priority (smartusecase.com, The Verge, Zapier)
Sunsama offers a mindful daily planner encouraging realistic scheduling and reflection (Medium, Reddit)

Pros:

• Smart scheduling and habit tracking

• Prevents overcommitment and burnout

• Easy integration with task services (e.g. Asana, Trello, Notion)

Cons:

• Subscription-only (no free tier beyond trial)

• Less versatility than full task/project tools

10. Making Today — The Ultimate Unified Dashboard

What it does: One central dashboard that brings together calendars, tasks, emails, documents, notes, Jira tickets, links/files, and more—all in a single cohesive workspace.

Pros:

• Eliminates tool-jumping by unifying multiple platforms

• Minimalist interface that boosts focus and productivity

• Ideal for individuals and small teams juggling varied workflows

• Easy onboarding and fast to integrate tools like Google Docs, Jira, email, calendar

Cons:

• May not replace deeply specialized tools (e.g., full PM systems like Asana)

• Relies on API integrations—some tools may require setup

• Feature breadth may evolve over time (early stage product)
  
  

🧩 Side-by-Side Comparison