Monthly Archives: October 2025

The Best Marketing and Sales Software to Boost Business Growth

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In today’s digital-first world, the right marketing and sales software can make all the difference between struggling with manual tasks and running a streamlined, data-driven business. Whether you’re managing leads, automating workflows, or analyzing customer behavior, the right stack of tools empowers teams to scale faster and sell smarter.

At AlternativeKnot, we explore, review, and compare the best alternatives in software to help professionals make informed decisions. Below is a curated list of powerful marketing and sales tools that are transforming how businesses attract, engage, and retain customers in 2025.

1. Loops

Loops is an advanced email marketing and automation platform designed to help businesses communicate with their audience in a personalized and efficient manner. With features like automated workflows, analytics, and segmentation, Loops ensures every campaign is data-driven. Its intuitive interface allows even non-technical users to design and execute sophisticated marketing sequences with ease.

Why it stands out:

  • AI-driven campaign optimization
  • Seamless integrations with CRMs and ecommerce tools
  • Real-time performance tracking

2. RevenueCat

For companies that rely on subscription-based revenue models, RevenueCat is a game-changer. It simplifies in-app purchases, subscription tracking, and revenue reporting across multiple platforms. Developers and marketers can easily analyze churn rates, trial conversions, and recurring revenue without complex coding.

Key advantages:

  • Centralized dashboard for iOS, Android, and web apps
  • Real-time analytics and user segmentation
  • Integrates with analytics tools like Amplitude and Mixpanel

3. HubSpot

HubSpot remains a powerhouse in inbound marketing, CRM, and sales automation. From lead generation and email marketing to customer support and analytics, it offers an all-in-one platform that scales with your business. HubSpot’s CRM is particularly praised for being intuitive and completely free at entry-level.

Highlights:

  • All-in-one marketing, sales, and customer service hub
  • Comprehensive analytics and reporting
  • Built-in automation for email and social media

4. Tally

If you’re looking for a lightweight and elegant form builder, Tally is an excellent choice. It allows businesses to create forms for surveys, lead generation, and feedback without any coding knowledge. Its simple interface and powerful customization options make it ideal for marketers looking to gather data quickly.

Why marketers love it:

  • No-code form creation
  • Integrates with Notion, Airtable, and Google Sheets
  • Clean design with flexible question logic

5. Apollo.io

Apollo.io is one of the most comprehensive sales intelligence and engagement platforms. It provides access to a vast B2B contact database, helping sales teams identify prospects, automate outreach, and track engagement. With its integrated email sequencing and analytics, Apollo.io helps businesses close deals faster.

Core benefits:

  • 270+ million verified contacts
  • Automated email and LinkedIn outreach
  • AI-powered lead scoring

6. Zoho

Zoho is an established suite of tools covering CRM, email marketing, finance, and collaboration. Zoho CRM is particularly favored by small to medium-sized businesses for its customization, affordability, and automation capabilities. Its unified ecosystem helps businesses manage every customer touchpoint efficiently.

Why it’s effective:

  • Affordable all-in-one business suite
  • AI assistant (Zia) for insights and automation
  • Deep integrations with third-party apps

7. Ahrefs

No marketing stack is complete without a strong SEO tool — and Ahrefs leads the way. From keyword research to backlink tracking and competitor analysis, Ahrefs helps marketers increase organic visibility and build authority online. It’s an indispensable tool for SEO-driven growth.

Key SEO features:

  • Site audit and keyword explorer
  • Content gap and backlink analysis
  • Competitor performance tracking

8. Crisp

Crisp offers a modern live chat and customer messaging platform for sales and support teams. Beyond chat, it provides chatbots, shared inboxes, and CRM integrations that allow businesses to deliver real-time customer experiences across multiple channels.

Notable features:

  • Multichannel inbox (email, chat, Messenger, WhatsApp)
  • Automated chatbots for lead qualification
  • Customer timeline and engagement insights

9. Jotform

Jotform is another robust form builder but with advanced customization and data management options. It’s widely used for lead capture, feedback forms, and surveys. The platform’s automation and analytics tools help businesses collect, analyze, and act on data effortlessly.

Highlights:

  • 10,000+ ready-made form templates
  • Payment integrations and approval workflows
  • HIPAA compliance for healthcare businesses

10. Unicorn Platform

Unicorn Platform simplifies landing page creation for startups and SaaS businesses. With a drag-and-drop editor and pre-designed templates, marketing teams can launch professional-looking landing pages in minutes — no coding needed.

What makes it stand out:

  • Beautifully designed SaaS templates
  • Built-in form and payment integrations
  • Fast and SEO-optimized pages

11. Dora AI

Dora AI is revolutionizing website building by allowing users to generate full websites through simple text prompts. Perfect for startups, Dora combines AI automation with intuitive design tools to bring marketing ideas to life in seconds.

Why marketers are excited about it:

  • AI-generated website layouts and content
  • Real-time editing and customization
  • Ideal for product launches and campaign landing pages

12. Phantom Buster

Phantom Buster automates repetitive lead generation and data extraction tasks. Whether it’s collecting LinkedIn leads, extracting emails, or automating outreach, this tool helps marketing teams save hours of manual work and scale faster.

Advantages:

  • Pre-built automation scripts (“Phantoms”)
  • LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter integrations
  • Ideal for cold outreach and prospect research

13. Leads Sniper

As the name suggests, Leads Sniper focuses on precision targeting in lead generation. It scrapes verified business data, helping sales professionals find high-quality prospects based on niche filters and industry parameters.

Why it’s useful:

  • Accurate B2B database
  • Custom targeting options
  • Export-ready lead lists

14. GetSales.io

GetSales.io automates outreach campaigns through email and LinkedIn with personalized messages at scale. Its smart sequencing and analytics features make it an ideal companion for outbound teams looking to optimize engagement.

Top features:

  • Smart email and LinkedIn automation
  • AI-based personalization
  • Unified dashboard for campaign performance

15. Taplink

Taplink is a simple yet powerful link-in-bio tool for social media marketers. It allows brands and influencers to create mini landing pages that showcase multiple links, offers, and calls-to-action — all within one Instagram or TikTok bio.

Best for:

  • Social media promotions and product links
  • Customizable design and analytics
  • Integrations with messengers and payment gateways

16. VidAU

VidAU is an emerging AI video creation tool that helps marketers turn text into professional videos within minutes. It’s ideal for creating social media content, explainer videos, and ad creatives without needing advanced editing skills.

Features marketers love:

  • AI-generated voiceovers and subtitles
  • Multiple templates for business use
  • Perfect for YouTube, TikTok, and ad campaigns

Final Thoughts

The marketing and sales landscape is evolving rapidly — and leveraging the right mix of tools can dramatically improve efficiency, conversion rates, and ROI. From CRM and automation (like HubSpot and Zoho) to AI-driven creativity (like VidAU and Dora AI), each of these platforms adds unique value to your marketing tech stack.At AlternativeKnot, we believe in exploring better software alternatives that fit your business needs and budget.
If you know a tool that deserves to be featured as an alternative to any of the software mentioned above, we’d love to hear from you! To share your suggestion: Contact Us.

Best Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) for Smarter Hiring

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Recruiting top talent today requires more than just job postings — it demands streamlined workflows, collaboration, and automation. That’s where Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) help.

Whether you’re a startup, staffing agency, or enterprise, the right ATS can save time and improve hiring quality. Here’s a list of the 10 best Applicant Tracking Systems — covering features, pricing, and ideal use cases.

What to Look for in an ATS

Before you choose, ensure the platform offers:

  • Job posting & resume parsing automation
  • Collaboration tools for hiring teams
  • Workflow & email automation
  • Analytics and compliance tracking
  • HRIS or payroll integration

A great ATS should simplify hiring while improving candidate experience.

1. Rippling

Rippling combines HR, IT, and payroll management with a built-in ATS — ideal for end-to-end employee lifecycle automation.

Pricing: Paid only. Base HR plan starts at $35/month + $8 per user, with ATS modules as add-ons.
Best for: Mid to large companies needing full HR integration.

2. Zoho Recruit

Zoho Recruit offers flexible workflows and strong integrations across the Zoho suite. It’s ideal for SMBs and staffing agencies.

Pricing: Free plan available (limited). Paid plans from $25 to $75 per user/month.
Best for: Businesses already using Zoho or seeking a budget-friendly ATS.

3. CEIPAL ATS

CEIPAL focuses on AI-driven recruiting with automation and compliance tools for staffing firms.

Pricing: Paid. Plans start around $24 per user/month (min. 5 users).
Best for: Agencies and large teams managing high candidate volumes.

4. BambooHR

BambooHR is known for simplicity and a unified HR suite that includes a basic Applicant Tracking System.

Pricing: Paid only. Starts around $250/month for up to 25 employees.
Best for: Small to medium businesses wanting integrated HR + recruiting.

5. JobDiva

JobDiva blends ATS and CRM features, popular among recruiting agencies managing multiple clients.

Pricing: Paid only, custom quotes required.
Best for: Staffing and enterprise teams needing advanced recruitment analytics.

6. Breezy HR

Breezy offers drag-and-drop pipelines, branded career pages, and team collaboration. It’s one of the easiest Applicant Tracking System tools to set up.

Pricing: Free plan available. Paid tiers from $189/month (Startup) to $529/month (Business).
Best for: Startups and small businesses prioritizing ease of use.

7. Homebase

Homebase suits hourly and shift-based hiring, combining scheduling, time tracking, and applicant management.

Pricing: Offers a free basic plan with paid tiers starting around $24.95/month per location.
Best for: Retail, restaurants, and small businesses hiring hourly staff.

8. 100Hires

100Hires is an affordable, lightweight ATS with resume tracking, automation, and email tools.

Pricing: Paid plans from $99/month (basic) to $249/month (advanced).
Best for: Startups or small teams needing an affordable solution.

9. Greenhouse

Greenhouse is a leading enterprise ATS built for structured, data-driven hiring and advanced analytics.

Pricing: Paid only, custom quotes (typically $6,000–$10,000/year for SMBs).
Best for: Scaling companies with complex hiring workflows.

10. Lever

Lever combines ATS and CRM functionality to nurture passive candidates and manage pipelines.

Pricing: Paid only, custom quotes (commonly from $4,000/year for small teams).
Best for: Growth-focused companies emphasizing proactive recruitment.

Final Thoughts

Selecting the right Applicant Tracking System depends on your company size, budget, and goals.

At AlternativeKnot, we curate the best software alternatives to help users find smarter, cheaper, and more efficient solutions across industries.

If you know an emerging ATS or recruiting platform we should feature, we’d love to hear from you! Reach us at: info@alternativeknot.com or drop a message at: https://alternativeknot.com/contact-us

Google AI Mode now lets you search with pictures and get visual inspiration

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Google has been constantly adding new features to the AI Mode in Google Search, and now, the company is introducing a new functionality that offers visual results.

In a blog post, the tech giant said that starting today, Google AI Mode users will be able to “ask a question conversationally and get a range of visual results in AI mode.” For example, if you are searching for design inspiration for your bedroom, AI Mode will help you turn your idea into a vision by showing visuals that match the things you are looking for.

For those not in the loop, Google Search’s AI Mode lets you ask “longer, more complex and nuanced questions”, which would previously require users to make multiple search queries. Initially available in English, Google has since then included support for other languages like Hindi, Brazilian Portuguese, Indonesian, Korean and Japanese.

Google says you can also ask AI Mode for more options and search by simply sharing an image or taking a photo and feeding it to AI Mode. Every image that you see will also have a link associated with it, allowing users to quickly check out a particular item or result.

This is really handy for online shoppers as they can simply describe what they are looking for using natural language and get results without having to use a bunch of filters. Powered by Gemini 2.5’s advanced multimodal and language capabilities, AI Mode can also recognise details and objects in a photo and search for them as well. In case you are wondering, you can also search for a specific thing in an image and ask follow-up questions about it.

However, the feature is currently limited to those living in the United States, but Google is expected to bring it to the rest of the world in the future.