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In development

Find the app to pick instead.

PickInstead is a directory of software alternatives. Look up an app you use, or one you are weighing up, and see the apps that do the same job, closest match first.

Browse the directoryRead the method

Illustrative example, not a real listing: a made-up app and two made-up alternatives.

The app you use

Your app

  1. 1Closest alternative

    Alternative A

    Illustrative only.

    shares 5 of 6shares 5 of 6: Whiteboard, Brainstorming, Templates, Real-time editing, Web

  2. 2Partial match

    Alternative B

    Illustrative only.

    shares 3 of 6shares 3 of 6: Whiteboard, Brainstorming, Web
Alternatives rank higher the more they share with the app you started from.

How it works

  1. Closest match first

    Every app is described by the jobs it does, the platforms it runs on and how it is priced. Alternatives are ordered by how closely they match the app you started from.

  2. Facts with a source

    Every feature, platform and price on an app page links to the vendor's own page it was read from, with the date it was checked. Where a vendor's pages are silent, we say so.

  3. Filter to what you need

    Narrow a category to apps with a free plan or apps that run on your platform.

Who it is for

  • Switchers. People leaving an app that got too expensive, shut down or stopped fitting how they work.
  • Teams choosing a tool. A shortlist of apps that do the same job, before anyone books a demo.
  • Makers. The method page explains how apps are listed and how alternatives are chosen.

Status

PickInstead is in development. The first 50 apps, in five categories, are in the directory; more are added as their facts are checked.