Shift

Pros

I'm the type of person who tends to have multiple browser windows open, and Shift helps me stay organized and keep the number of browser windows open under control. I use it daily to check my many email and social media accounts, to chat via multiple message apps, to keep track of my personal and professional calendars, and to attend to basic business and even personal tasks right there in the same browser, from Trello to my home budgeting software. It keeps everything all in one place and prevents me from losing my mind. When I see colleagues struggling to find the right tab in a sea of many browser windows, I always suggest Shift as a way to help them keep their browser windows under control as well!

Cons

I have noticed that at times the software can be a bit laggy. When I know I need to do intensive work, say in Google Docs or something, I will open the document in the default browser in order to prevent a delay. This is not usually a problem with basic email, messaging, or other simple tasks.

Pros

I have four business accounts I can see at once, switch between calendars and files, and get notifications all in one place. I hated having multiple windows open in my browser and having to switch between tabs.

Cons

I am having to sign-in to my accounts and authorize shift to access my info too frequently. I don't have to do it this often online. Once approved, shouldn't Shift be recognized by Google?

Pros

I use multiple chat and messaging services for business and personal use, 15 of them to be exact. Previously this meant running multiple different apps on my system or having a ton of browser windows open that I would accidentally close when I was done browsing normal websites. This was a huge pain. Shift was a godsend! I can combine all my chat/messaging apps into one location/app, and not have to worry about accidentally shutting one of them down. It gets heavy use from me each day, and the integration with all the platforms seems pretty solid. It's super easy to install, and any time I've had a bug, customer support is pretty prompt about getting back.

Cons

The notification badges and use of web plugins can be inconsistent/glitchy at times.

Pros

LOVE that it allows me to shift (get it?) between apps and accounts without changing windows. The integration with G-Suite is helpful since I manage multiple email accounts but generally use Drive with only one (this sort of arrangement frequently causes authentication issues when implemented in a browser)--so I am able to swap between email accounts while working on a spreadsheet in my "master" account.

Adore the integration with apps like WhatsApp, Slack and HootSuite--it's like having my very own personalized terminal with all of the solutions I need to get my work done efficiently. I also like that I can rearrange the stack of accounts and apps to suit my workflow.

Cons

This software is buggy as hell. I frequently have to re-authenticate my Gmail accounts as well as apps like HubSpot, HootSuite and WhatsApp (for some reason, Slack is pretty much the only app I have noticed that does not require me to regularly re-enter my credentials). I wouldn't mind this all that much, except for the fact that Slack does not seem to talk to Apple's Keychain, so I end up having to look up my (sometimes lengthy) passwords for each account. This will sometimes happen mid-session, with no explanation.

Another issue is that my Gmail accounts will routinely reload while I'm in the middle of composing a message. Again, no explanation provided, just a dialogue saying "changes you make might not be saved" and then adios!

The rate at which these issues occur is high enough that I have considered abandoning the product ("why am I paying to take twice as long to write an email?"), especially since, even though I am a paying subscriber, support for these issues has been fair to middling. The latest response I received was that authentication issues can happen when the same Shift account is installed on multiple devices--which seems ridiculous, by the way, for those of us neanderthals that still have multiple computers--and that uninstalling shift on my other computers *should* fix the problem. It didn't, but I have yet to find another product worth my taking the time and effort to rejig my workflow/learn a new interface.

Pros

Ease of use, easy to setup, all of my products and tools are saved in 1 place and accessible within 1 window

Cons

The app will sometimes lag or quit...and then can be difficult to get onto my extended browser. This happens maybe 1-2 times a quarter