SoftBestsSoftBests · 10 categories · editor-reviewed · no sponsored rankings
Software discovery and honest alternatives
Curated shelves of tools worth your attention — including the underrated ones.
All ten shelves
63 tools
Terminal & shell
9 toolsOpen category →Atuin
Searchable shell history with optional encrypted sync across machines.
bat
cat with syntax highlighting, line numbers, and Git markers.
eza
A modern ls with colors, icons, Git status, and tree view.
fzf
A fuzzy finder for files, history, and anything you can pipe into it.
ripgrep
Recursive search that respects ignore files and stays fast on huge repos.
Zellij
A terminal workspace with batteries included and a friendly UI.
zoxide
A smarter cd that learns the directories you actually use.
Starship
A fast, configurable prompt for any shell.
Coding agents
8 toolsOpen category →Aider
Pair programming in your terminal with edit-aware diffs and Git commits.
Crush
Charm's terminal coding agent with a polished TUI.
Goose
Block's open-source local agent for coding and everyday automation.
OpenCode
An open-source coding agent with a fast TUI and provider flexibility.
Amp
A hosted coding agent with a focused CLI and editor integrations.
Claude Code
A terminal-first coding agent that reads your repo, edits files, and runs commands.
Codex CLI
OpenAI's open-source coding agent for the terminal.
Gemini CLI
Google's open-source terminal agent with a generous free tier.
AI editors
8 toolsOpen category →Trae
An AI-first editor with a familiar layout and fast onboarding.
Void
An open-source AI editor built as a VS Code alternative.
Zed
A fast, collaborative editor written in Rust with built-in AI.
Cursor
A VS Code fork with an AI agent built into the editor.
JetBrains IDEs
Deep language intelligence for JVM, web, and polyglot projects.
Neovim
A programmable modal editor for people who want to own their workflow.
VS Code
The default extensible code editor, now with strong AI extensions.
Windsurf
An AI IDE built around multi-step agent flows.
Agent infrastructure
8 toolsOpen category →Browserbase
Managed headless browsers for agents that need the web.
Composio
Managed connectors and auth for agent tool use.
E2B
Secure cloud sandboxes for AI-generated code.
Letta
Stateful agents with long-term memory and self-editing context.
Mem0
A memory layer that gives agents persistent user and session context.
n8n
Workflow automation with AI nodes and self-hosting.
LangGraph
A framework for stateful, multi-step agent graphs.
Model Context Protocol
An open protocol for connecting AI assistants to tools and data.
Database clients
5 toolsOpen category →Beekeeper Studio
A friendly open-source SQL client with a clean interface.
Postico
A focused, native Postgres client for macOS.
Sequel Ace
A free, native MySQL and MariaDB client for macOS.
DBeaver
A free universal database tool with a huge driver catalog.
TablePlus
A fast native SQL client for many databases.
Developer utilities
5 toolsOpen category →Bruno
A Git-friendly API client that stores collections as plain files.
Hoppscotch
A fast browser-based API client with a self-hosted option.
HTTPie
A human-friendly HTTP client for the terminal and web.
ngrok
Secure tunnels to localhost for webhooks and demos.
Raycast
A keyboard-first launcher with extensions and clipboard history.
Notes & Markdown
5 toolsOpen category →Bear
Beautiful Markdown notes with tags and Apple-device sync.
iA Writer
A focused writing app with syntax highlighting and style checks.
Logseq
An outliner and knowledge graph for Markdown notes.
Typora
A minimal Markdown editor with live preview.
Obsidian
Local-first Markdown knowledge base with linked notes.
Productivity
5 toolsOpen category →Notion Calendar
A fast calendar with keyboard shortcuts and time-zone support.
Rectangle
Window management with keyboard shortcuts and snap areas.
Linear
A fast issue tracker with a keyboard-first interface.
Things
A calm, well-designed task manager for Apple devices.
Todoist
Cross-platform task management with natural-language input.
Design & prototyping
5 toolsOpen category →Excalidraw
A hand-drawn-style whiteboard for quick diagrams.
Penpot
Open-source design and prototyping for product teams.
tldraw
An infinite canvas SDK and whiteboard for product builders.
Figma
Collaborative interface design and prototyping in the browser.
Framer
Design-to-site tooling for marketing pages and prototypes.
Screenshots & recording
5 toolsOpen category →Screen Studio
Automatic zoom and polish for product demo recordings.
Tella
Browser-based recording with scenes, clips, and easy sharing.
CleanShot X
A screenshot and screen recording toolkit for macOS.
Loom
Quick screen recordings with shareable links.
OBS Studio
Open-source streaming and recording for any setup.