This Saturday, I want to reveal the 11 Untold Must-Have Remote Work Tools.

Last week I joined the 3rd episode of Behind the Startup, a new podcast from Tyler Label.

We talked about how my role as CTO embraced COO duties to support the growth of Voxloud.
I also shared some practical tips to improve the productivity of remote teams.

At the end of the podcast, Tyler asked me the following question:

“As a CTO, what are the top 3 software you work with that you can’t just leave without?”

I shared how we fulfill the three primary needs of all remote companies:

1. Async communication: 
   Slack
2. Knowledge base + Project management:
   Jira + Confluence
3. Telephony:
   Voxloud

I thought about Tyler’s question and googled it a bit as soon as I finished the recording.

99% of existing content focuses on the tools we all know by now to solve the most common problems:

• Slack vs. Microsoft Teams
• Zoom vs. Skype
• Drive vs. Dropbox
• … and so forth

Am I the only one bored?
Do you agree that these collections are now obsolete, like the background music on a 2003 website?

We use the word Zoom as if it were a verb.
Whatsapp is a synonym for a message.
“I sent you a Wetransfer” indicates that we shared a file.

Do we really need yet another ranking of the best apps to chat or share a file?

There’s a void out there.
There is a lack of collections for less complex problems that significantly impact any remote company’s daily life.

The 11 Untold Must-Have Remote Work Tools

This Saturday, I want to share the 11 Untold Must-Have Remote Work Tools for the following four categories:

• Collaboration
• Productivity
• HR
• Travel

1) Timezone.io

Easily plan meetings + calls with your remote, nomadic team.
Don’t Google “time in London” ever again.

Many teams have digital nomads changing locations faster than we can keep up with.
Often it gets tricky to remember what time it is where your teammates are.

This free tool solves this issue by mapping each mate’s timezone.
It offers a simple dashboard to simplify the visualization.

100% Free.

2) Krisp.ai

Krisp’s AI-powered solution allows you to remove all the background voices/noise/echoes from your calls and keep your voice only.

It’s handy to sound more professional and make your calls more effective by simply wearing a headset and toggling Krisp ON.

It helps me be more confident while calling.

Free tier available.

3) Polly.ai

Anyone who has read me for over a week knows I am not a fan of meetings.

This tool helps when a decision doesn’t require a full meeting.
It helps create surveys you can send through platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams.
From there, your colleagues can vote on an option.

Free tier available.

4) ForestApp.cc

One of the biggest challenges of remote work is the focus.

The game is to plant a virtual tree that takes, for example, ten minutes to grow.

If you can stay off your phone long enough, the tree will finish growing and be added to your on-screen forest for today.
If you get back on your phone too fast, the tree withers and dies.

It’s a well-designed app that helps make the abstract idea of focusing away from your phone into a fun game.

4,99€ one time.

5) Miro.com

Screen sharing is one of the most used technologies in remote working. Have you ever thought that has been around since the early 2000s?

I love screen sharing, and I use it very often.
But it has a limit: it is a synchronous tool.

This limit has paved the way for tools like Google Sheets & Google Docs.
They allow multiple people to work on the same resource simultaneously without being locked together.

Miro is the closest thing to a whiteboard for asynchronous remote teams.

Free tier available.

6) Noisli.com

The white noise is our great ally when it’s about gaining focus.
Noisly provides background sounds that help to mask annoying noises.
You can mix different sounds and create your perfect environment to work and relax.
Free tier available.

7) Coffitivity.com

Similar to Noisly, but with the ambient sounds of a cafe.
The aim is to boost your creativity and help you work better.
Free tier available.

8) OfficeVibe.com

This platform helps create an environment that encourages genuine conversations across teammates.
The goal is to inspire a better vibe for all, no matter where they work.
You can manage pulse surveys, feedback, 1o1, Goals & OKRs.
I love the “Good Vibe Recognition” feature, which is not simple to monitor in a remote work environment.
Free tier available.

9) Crystal Personality Test

Distance and different cultures can lead you not fully understand your mates’ personalities.

This test can help you better understand the people you work with, making the most of the remote collaboration.

100% Free.

10) RemoteBase.co

Like any digital nomad, I’ve given much money to Airbnb, knowing I was overpaying it.
RemoteBase hunts down the best deals and shares them monthly with its subscribers.

Free tier available.

11) Airalo.com

How frustrating is it when you travel to a new place and have to fight for a local Wi-Fi or sim?
If your smartphone supports e-sims, you can download one directly from their app in just a few seconds.

I used it with outstanding results in Marrakech (Morocco), where I did not have international roaming.