Best Low or No-Cost Small-Business Apps

3. Evernote, free to start, premium services at $5 per month.

Attention, online-document-collaboration-phobes: You no longer need to live in fear. If you hate e-mailing attached static documents, give Evernote a try. Though not nearly as powerful as uber-collab tools like Google Apps, Mountain View, Calif.-based Evernote makes it super easy to share common documents. Honestly, there really is no reason not to give it a try.

4. Gwabbit, $19.95.

Having just entered the Million Contact Club, I spend waaaaay too much time sticking in name, address and cellphone data into my Outlook contacts. Meet Carmel Valley, Calif.-based Gwabbit: the automated name and address data app. The code finds, encodes and sticks contact info directly into Outlook. It can take some getting used to, and the info needs to be proofed, for sure. But never having to type in a fax number again? How great is that?

5. Cogi, starts at $5 per month.

Here's a tantallzing idea: never take another note during a conference call. Starting at about $5 a month, Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Cogi creates a centralized transcription of any phone call. Like all transcription services, you will want to proofread these suckers. And there are legalities for recording calls in most states. But, still, Cogi is a handy solution for staying on top of complex conversations. Surprisingly nifty.

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