Rating: Excellent
Strong Points: Intuitive interface, includes compatibility with many commonly used apps
Weak Points: None
Often, thinking of research conjures up images of scientists in white lab coats spending most of their day huddled over a bench littered with pipette tips. Although this sometimes holds true, a lot of the day-to-day in a lab is answering emails, updating spreadsheets, and making sure that everyone on a project is on the same page. Trying to keep all the moving parts of a project organized is difficult, but websites like Zapier make it easier to streamline the busywork so you can get back to the bench. The website allows users to create workflows, called “zaps”, with all of the apps that they are already using. For example, if you want to confirm the time of a lab meeting with your colleagues, you can choose to send an email to them automatically once the event is created in your calendar. The website has a paid plan, but the basic version is free to use and includes dozens of apps. Zapier is intuitive and easy to use, and a great tool for streamlining your daily tasks so you can free up time to spend on more exciting endeavors.