A small-business tool stack is the set of apps a business runs on, usually one tool per job. The jobs are much the same for most small businesses: taking payments, selling online, measuring traffic, email marketing, tracking leads and deals (CRM), scheduling, tasks and projects, docs and notes, messaging, and accounting. Creators add social and video analytics. Common picks include Stripe or Square for payments, Shopify or WooCommerce for the store, Google Analytics 4 for traffic, Mailchimp for email, HubSpot for the CRM, Calendly for bookings, Trello or ClickUp for tasks, Notion for docs, WhatsApp for customer messages and QuickBooks or Xero for the books.
This page maps the stack job by job: what each job holds, the tools people commonly use for it, and which of those tools connect to Vexlynk as live cards. It is a map, not a shopping list. If you are deciding what to cut or merge, the consolidation guides linked below cover that.
The small-business tool stack at a glance
| Job | What it holds | Common tools | Live card in Vexlynk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payments | Charges, refunds, payouts, subscriptions | Stripe, Square, PayPal | Stripe (read-only) |
| Online store and website | Products, orders, site content | Shopify, WooCommerce, Squarespace, WordPress | Shopify (read-only); WordPress (comments awaiting moderation, recent and scheduled posts) |
| Web analytics | Visitors, traffic sources, key events | Google Analytics 4 | Google Analytics 4 (read-only) |
| Email marketing | Subscribers, campaigns, newsletters | Mailchimp, Kit (formerly ConvertKit), MailerLite | Not a live source today |
| CRM and sales pipeline | Leads, contacts, deals by stage | HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM | HubSpot (one deal pipeline, read-only) |
| Scheduling | Your calendar and client bookings | Google Calendar, Calendly, Acuity Scheduling | Google Calendar (add or edit events from the card); Calendly (read-only) |
| Tasks and projects | To-dos, boards, due dates | Trello, ClickUp, Asana, Notion | Trello (edit a card); ClickUp (add, complete or reply on a task); Notion (read-only) |
| Docs and notes | Procedures, briefs, meeting notes, wikis | Notion, Google Docs | Notion pages and databases (read-only) |
| Messaging and inbox | Customer messages, email, team chat | WhatsApp Business, Gmail, Outlook, Slack | WhatsApp (read and reply from the card); Outlook (needs-attention inbox and unread counts; bodies not fetched); Gmail coming soon |
| Accounting | Books, invoices, expenses | QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks | Not a live source today |
| Social and video | Followers, views, engagement | YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok | YouTube (six sources); Instagram (Plus); Facebook Page and TikTok (Pro); all read-only, they never post |
The tools are common choices, not a ranking. The last column comes from the Vexlynk sources page; a card that lets you act does so only when you do it yourself, and sending a message or archiving, completing or deleting something asks you to confirm first.
Links checked September 28, 2026.
Where the jobs overlap
Some tools cover more than one job, which is why two stacks with the same apps can look different. Notion often holds both docs and task databases. WooCommerce adds a store to a WordPress site. Google Calendar and Calendly both hold parts of your schedule. Your store and your payment processor can both report revenue.
Overlap is normal. The problem starts when two tools show the same number and nobody has decided which one is right. Pick one system as the record for each number; the single-source-of-truth guide walks through that decision for the common small-business numbers.
Map your own stack in 15 minutes
- List the jobs your business actually does. Use the table above and skip the rows that don’t apply.
- Write the tool you use for each job today. If two tools do the same job, write both.
- Write the one thing you open each tool for. Revenue this week, unfulfilled orders, open deals, overdue tasks, unread messages.
- Mark the record. Where two tools show the same number, note which one you trust.
- Note how often you open each one. Daily, weekly or only when something breaks.
The result is your stack map. It shows where two tools cover the same job, which jobs are covered only by memory, and which numbers you check most often. Those most-checked numbers are the ones worth seeing together.
Which of these tools connect to Vexlynk
Vexlynk turns connected tools into live cards on one board. It has 23 live sources today. From the stack above: Stripe, Shopify, WordPress, Google Analytics 4, HubSpot, Google Calendar, Calendly, Trello, ClickUp, Notion, WhatsApp and Outlook, plus six YouTube sources, Instagram (Plus plan), Facebook Page and TikTok (Pro plan), an RSS feed source and the RSS Web Signal Scraper. Gmail and Google Business Profile are coming soon.
Not live sources today: Square, PayPal, WooCommerce, Squarespace, Mailchimp, Kit, MailerLite, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, Acuity Scheduling, Asana, Google Docs, Slack, QuickBooks, Xero and FreshBooks. You can still keep a number from them on the board in a note or spreadsheet card that you update by hand. The AI agent reads those cards too, but they don’t refresh on their own.
Most sources are read-only; a few (WhatsApp, Trello, ClickUp, Google Calendar) let you act from the card, only when you do it yourself — sending a message, or archiving, completing or deleting something, asks you to confirm first. The Free plan connects up to 5 sources; see pricing for the other plans and connecting sources for setup.
Before you add or cut a tool
A stack map shows what you have. Deciding what to drop or merge is a separate question. Two guides cover it: when consolidating tools actually helps and how to consolidate your tools into one view without breaking your workflow.
Related guides
- The research on app-switching costs
- A single source of truth: which system should own each business number
- The best software to see your whole business, compared
- How to see your business numbers at a glance
Frequently asked questions
What is a small-business tool stack?
The set of apps a business uses to run, usually one per job: payments, store, analytics, email marketing, CRM, scheduling, tasks, docs, messaging and accounting. Creators add social and video analytics.
How many tools does a small business need?
One for each job the business actually does, and fewer if one tool covers two jobs well. A service business with no online store can skip that row entirely. Count jobs first, then tools.
Which tools does almost every small business have?
A way to get paid, a way to keep the books, a calendar, and a way to talk to customers. The rest (store, CRM, email marketing, task tool) depends on how you sell and how many people work with you.
Which of these tools can I see together in Vexlynk?
Stripe, Shopify, WordPress, Google Analytics 4, HubSpot, Google Calendar, Calendly, Trello, ClickUp, Notion, WhatsApp, Outlook, YouTube, Instagram (Plus), Facebook Page and TikTok (Pro), and RSS. See the current source list.
Is it hard to set up?
No — you place a card and connect it with your own login. There is no data modeling or import step.
Vexlynk
Vexlynk Team