For a long time, I’ve used certain tools, development software, freelance without considering the existing alternatives. This year, I tried to delve into it a bit more to enhance my productivity, and I regret not doing it sooner. Some software has changed my life; here’s what I’ve concluded after some reflection and usage ;)
This list is probably not perfect even though it suits me very well. I look forward to your suggestions to improve this article!
Table of Contents
- Computer
- Database Client
- Git Client
- Text Editor
- SSH Client
- API testing
- HTTP Proxy
- Web Analytics
- Accounting
- Time Management
Computer 🖥️
Yep… the core of the question. Before talking about the tools, let’s discuss the device they run on.
Final choice: Mac Mini M1 (desktop, main), XPS Dell 13 (laptop, secondary) running Linux
All the software presented below is necessarily compatible with both MacOS and Linux. I appreciate my Mac Mini M1 for its performance, its very compact size, and MacOS (even though the ideal would be Linux as the main computer).
My laptop is for when I’m on the go or when I absolutely need Linux (like here: How to clone your cafeteria card?).
Database Client 🗃️
Final choice: DBeaver, a fast, elegant, and very complete cross-platform open-source client supporting PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and even cloud databases like AWS.
Economic model: Freemium (enterprise version offered to students)
Considered alternatives:
- PgAdmin4 (too bulky and slow, only supports PostgreSQL but entirely open source)
- Compass (lightweight, but only supports MongoDB)
- DataGrip (bulky, paid, though very comprehensive)
Git Client 📦
Final choice: GitKraken, an elegant and very complete cross-platform Git client.
Economic model: Premium (professional version free via GitHub Student)
Considered alternatives:
- Github Desktop (less comprehensive, not cross-platform)
- Git CLI (not very efficient, if you have a UI, you might as well use it)
Text Editor 📝
Mainly used for JS/TS
Final choice: Visual Studio Code, a rather lightweight, cross-platform open-source text editor, complete thanks to extensions.
Price: Free
Considered alternatives:
- WebStorm (paid, bulky, though more comprehensive than VS Code)
- Atom (also pleasant, but project archived…)
- Sublime Text (paid)
SSH Client 📡
Final choice: Termius, a free and open-source cross-platform SSH client.
Economic model: Freemium (premium version offered to students)
Considered alternatives:
- PuTTY (bulky, not truly effective cross-platform)
- SSHception (still in beta but promising project)
API testing 📡
Final choice: Postman, a free and open-source cross-platform API testing client.
Price: Free (premium version unnecessary)
Considered alternatives: none for the moment.
HTTP Proxy 🌐
Final choice: mitmproxy, a free and open-source HTTP proxy.
Price: Free
Considered alternatives:
- Charles (paid, proprietary, bulky)
- ProxyMan (very intuitive interface but proprietary and not cross-platform)
Web Analytics 📈
Final choice: Umami, a free and open-source web analysis tool.
Price: Free (self-hosted)
Considered alternatives:
- Google Analytics (much more comprehensive, but less privacy-friendly, proprietary)
Accounting 💰
Final choice: Pennylane, a very comprehensive, pleasant online accounting software with quick support.
Price: 28€/month
Considered alternatives:
- Abby (very promising, but not yet comprehensive enough - does not support invoicing in English and dollars)
- Fiverr Workspace (lacks key features - no bank connection possible)
Time Management 🕰️
Final choice: Time Tagger, an innovative, developer-friendly open-source time management software.
Price: Free (self-hosted)
Considered alternatives:
- Toggl (paid, proprietary, more cumbersome to configure than Time Tagger)
- Fiverr Workspace (too few features - lacks Pomodoro)
Any alternative ideas? ➡️ @Androz2091 on Twitter