2021 is officially the era of technology. Nearly every large company has a separate technology department, tasked with the maintenance and development of their virtual and physical assets. Software developers make up a large portion of the workforce, so even small changes in their products can significantly affect the employer’s bottom line.
In the last few years, there’s been an explosion of software developer productivity tools. Despite the immense effort put into top developer tools, there’s still a lot of room for growth.
Our list includes a diverse set of productivity tools. Best tools for dev teams often simplify routine, non-technical tasks. Others aim to improve communication; information sharing and develop a more efficient feedback loop. One thing all the top developer tools have in common is the commitment to increase developer productivity and deliver better quality code.
Table of Contents
1. Hatica
Hatica is an engineering analytics platform that helps development teams build productivity dashboards by tracking metrics like cycle time, DORA metrics, focus and meeting time and more. It has deep metrics like code churn, code quality and Pull request risk to help developers improve their workflows while ensuring an optimum developer experience.
Unlike other such platforms Hatica seems to be comprehensive since it not only provides Git and project work analytics but also connects with your communication apps like Zoom to give collaboration analytics and incident management apps like Pagerduty and Opsgenie. They also provide automated check-ins to run async stand ups and automated reports to get all your developer insights into your email inbox or a Slack channel.
We like that Hatica has transparent pricing with monthly payment options. Hatica has a free forever plan for start-ups which includes all your core features to use forever. Their Growth plan is priced at $12/month per developer for larger teams which includes
- 80+ development metrics
- Custom dashboards
- Unlimited integrations
- Goal tracking
- Automated reports
- Async stand ups
- Work explorer
- Automated code review tools
2. Raycast
The main purpose of Raycast is to increase the team’s productivity by streamlining recurring non-technical tasks. Programmers often take time off from writing code to open certain apps, look for files and lost data. This tool can instantly recognize the patterns in the developer’s behavior and suggest shortcuts to eliminate the distractions. Storing clipboard history, playing programmer’s favorite tunes, and taking spontaneous notes is just a shortlist of this app’s features. Raycast also offers tools like a calendar to streamline interpersonal communication.
Raycast is not the only tool to help developers focus on technical tasks, but it is one of the best tools to increase developer productivity. No other alternative has as many features or integration capabilities.
The raycast team is still working on the beta version of the tool. The basic version of the app, which includes all of the features mentioned above, is free for now. Later on, the start-up will introduce a paid version for advanced users.
3. Sym
Sym can optimize a software development team’s workflow by improving the quality of communication. Through better effort alignment, teams can implement security features without the accumulation of tech debt. Using this tool, employees can set realistic expectations and maintain a realistic workflow. In addition to streamlining the development process, the tool ensures that security standards are met, which increases the safety of the networks.
Since Sym is among the best of the new developer tools, the team is still working on perfecting the beta version. The website does not mention any paid pro version.
4. Gitpod
Software development teams spend a lot of time setting up coding environments. Despite the inefficiency of the traditional process, the software developers are still tasked with the coding on local machines. Gitpod aims to solve many of the problems associated with this approach and take care of the developer’s well-being.
This start-up aims to initiate the appropriate development environment with just one click. Gitpod can analyze the context and automatically adjust the IDE settings.
The free version of this tool is available for use, but limited in functionalities. Depending on the size of your development team, you can choose either one of the three paid options: Personal, Professional, or Unleashed.
5. Postman
This tool allows software developers to collaboratively create APIs with the best possible design. Newly created API files, such as specs, manuals, and others, can be stored in one centralized location. Postman can be integrated with the most commonly used workflow tools.
The members also get access to tools for API testing, design, and documentation. Start up programmers can use these tools to streamline their API-related efforts and set more cohesive, clearly defined goals.
Individual users can sign up for a free version of Postman, which is limited to three team members and comes with a usage limit. Corporate users have the option to choose between three paid options: Team, Business, and Enterprise. The more expensive the plan, the higher the usage limits.
6. Browserstack
Web standards change all the time, and start up programmers spend a lot of time checking the browser compatibility before using any technology. The team at Browserstack developed a tool to eliminate this waste of time and free up your developer’s time for more productive tasks. This tool allows you to unit test your app or website on thousands of real devices with different resolutions, geographic locations, screen sizes, and most importantly, running many different types of browsers. It supports not only specific browsers or devices but the combination of OS/Browser/devices as well. All of these features make Browserstack one of the top developer tools on the market.
Browserstack does not have a free version, but users interested in its features can try out the free trial. Once the trial is over, customers have to choose between ‘Desktop’, ‘Desktop&Mobile’, and ‘Team’ plans, which cost between $30-$50 per month.
7. linear.app
Frustrated with inefficiencies in software project planning, the founders of this app decided to build a solution for more efficient creation and maintenance of software. Linear aims to achieve this task by organizing errors and streamlining the workflow. The interface of the tool allows you to instantly access the reports.
Since the transition to remote work, improving team cohesion has become very important. Simplified means of communication can improve the effort alignment as well. Team leaders can use this tool to promote the formation of good habits to increase productivity.
The tool offers one free and two paid plans. Overall, the linear.app is fairly affordable. The most expensive plan costs about $15 per month.
8. Yourbase
Almost every software development team uses unit tests to ship better quality code. Yourbase aims to speed up the time it takes to test your code. Thanks to a more efficient feedback loop, Yourbase is one of the best tools for start-ups. Using this tool can ensure faster delivery. By increasing the speed, Yourbase can also affect your team’s efficiency. It allows your developers to increase the test coverage without increasing commitment.
Interested customers can try out the free 30-day trial. Paid option starts from $30 per month.
9. Hasura
Asura offers a simple and easy way to set up APIs. It can automate more than 50% of manually performed API-related tasks. The tool supports GraphQL as well as REST protocols.
APIs built with Hasura are easily scalable without any customization. The tool has a simple interface, so it is easy to figure out. Hasura is also well-documented, so developers can easily pick up the necessary information.
Despite the young age of the start-up, it is among the best tools for dev teams. companies like Walmart and Airbus are among their customers.
The free option has limited capabilities. Corporations can choose between the Standard option, which costs $99 per month, or the enterprise plan.
10. OkayHQ
Dashboards by OKAYHQ can customize alerts for meetings and interviews to streamline communication. Communication is essential to achieve optimal effort alignment. Individual developers can use the calendar feature to make arrangements far ahead of time.
The tool provides information-rich infographics about the developer or team performance. Dashboards can also provide insight into delays and interruptions of the workflow.
Interested customers can reach out to OKAYHQ to get a custom quote depending on their needs.
