B&S Tech Stack

Our Favourite Tech Tools and Apps

We're often asked which tools we use and recommend to help startups, tech companies, and growing teams run efficiently. Below is our curated list of the software and apps we think every business should consider.

These aren’t paid recommendations - just genuine tools that make day-to-day work smoother, smarter, and more secure.

📋 Project Management and Collaboration

🔗 Trello

I think of my working life in two stages: Before Trello and After Trello. This is by far my favourite project management tool - flexible, visual, collaborative, and (for the most part) free.

🔗 Slack

Team messaging and collaboration platform. We don’t use it ourselves at Barnes & Scott to minimise distractions, but it’s an essential communication tool for many of our clients and partners.

🔗 Airtable

Think of it as a modern, online version of Microsoft Access - but easier on the eye and much better to use. Perfect for databases, content calendars, and workflow tracking.

🔗 Smartsheet

Once you’ve used Smartsheet, you’ll never go back to Google Sheets. We use it to manage accounting deadlines and monitor our internal workflows.

🔗 Box

Our chosen cloud file storage platform. We prefer it to Dropbox because of its advanced security controls and business-grade compliance options.

🔐 Security

🔗 Dashlane

A password management app that securely stores logins across devices. It saves me at least five minutes a day.

🔗 1Password

A great alternative to Dashlane - reliable, intuitive, and ideal for teams.

🔗 NordVPN

The market leader for VPNs, providing encrypted, private internet access. It’s essential for cloud-based teams working from multiple locations. Most antivirus software (such as Norton WiFi Security) also offers VPN add-ons, but we’ve found NordVPN to be the most robust.

💰 Xero Add-Ons

🔗 Chaser

Automates your invoice reminders and debt collection, helping you get paid faster without awkward follow-ups.

🔗 Quotient

Create beautiful, branded quotes that go beyond Xero’s built-in functionality. Perfect for improving client experience and proposal conversion rates.

⚙️ Productivity

🔗 RescueTime

Our official time-tracking system at Barnes & Scott. It helps us analyse our working patterns, stay focused, and manage distractions.

🔗 Toggl

A simple alternative to RescueTime - ideal for freelancers or small teams who want manual start-and-stop time tracking.

🔗 Tomato Timer

A minimalist Pomodoro timer to help you work in short, focused bursts. Surprisingly effective!

🧾 Operations

🔗 GoCardless

A simple automated way to collect direct debits (and one-off payments) from customers. It's flexible, secure, and affordable - fees are very competitive. Just note that funds take a few days to clear, which can affect cash flow.

🔗 Stripe

A payment collection platform for online businesses. Stripe integrates easily with Xero via Zapier (see below).

🔗 Zapier

Automate your workflows without writing any code. We use it to connect tools across the business - for example, syncing Stripe to Xero or Trello to RescueTime.

🔗 Wise

Wise offers low-fee international payments with transparent exchange rates. Created by the founders of Skype, it’s now one of the UK’s leading fintech companies - fast, secure, and efficient. (They once even asked us for a quote!)

🔗 CharlieHR

HR software for managing holidays, sick leave, onboarding, and compliance. We use it internally to manage our own HR process. Free for small teams and fully GDPR-compliant.

📊 Consolidation and Reporting

🔗 Translucent

A new product from the founders of Receipt Bank, built for multi-entity consolidation and inter-company entries. Still early-stage, but very promising for growing international businesses.

🔗 Causal

Powerful financial modelling and reporting software. It supports multiple Xero accounts, forecasting, and scenario planning. The learning curve is steep but worth it for complex or investor-backed companies.

🔗 Spotlight Reporting

The original (and still one of the best) reporting tools for Xero. Intuitive, stable, and visually polished - we continue to use it for many client reports.

🔗 Fathom

Transforms Xero data into visual management dashboards and performance reports.

🔗 ScaleXP

A newer automation tool designed for SaaS and subscription businesses. It helps track deferred income, prepayments, accruals, and key metrics such as ARR and MRR. Very powerful when configured correctly.

✅ Summary

💡 Choose tools that integrate well with your existing systems. Automation saves time, but only when the apps work together smoothly.