Blog

Best of 2023: design and dev tools

by Tomas Laurinavicius, Partner

Best of 2023

Welcome to Craftled's best of 2023!

We're an independent team of makers, crafting useful digital products and services for businesses.

Here's our roundup of the best stuff from 2023. These tools, channels, apps, and creators made our year better.

Check them out!

Top design tools of 2023

Edgaras' picks:

  1. Figma: A versatile design tool that we used extensively in 2023.
  2. Figma: Yes, we love Figma that much!
  3. Figma: Did we mention Figma?
  4. FigJam: An excellent tool for brainstorming and ideation.
  5. Alphredo: A new addition to our toolkit, Alphredo is a neat tool for adding an alpha channel to colors.

Tomas' picks:

  1. Figma: Like Edgaras, I also found Figma to be an indispensable tool in 2023.
  2. Framer: For interactive design and prototyping, Framer was my go-to.
  3. UI8: UI8's extensive design resources saved us countless hours.
  4. Envato Elements: A treasure trove of design assets and templates.
  5. Canva: For quick designs and edits, Canva was a lifesaver.

Top development tools of 2023

Edgaras' picks:

  1. Next.js: Our go-to framework for building websites and web apps.
  2. Tailwind CSS: A utility-first CSS framework that made styling our web projects a breeze.
  3. Radix UI: A low-level UI component library that adds interactivity, accessibility and plays nicely with Tailwind CSS.
  4. Supabase: An open-source database and authentication service of our choice.
  5. GPT-4: A helpful AI assistant for generating ideas, fixing bugs, and writing code.

Tomas' picks:

  1. Cursor: The AI-first code editor giving me programming superpowers.
  2. GitHub: Our preferred platform for version control and collaboration.
  3. Next.js: Like Edgaras, I also found Next.js to be an indispensable tool in 2023.
  4. HTTPie: A command-line HTTP client that made our API interactions smoother.
  5. Make.com: A platform that helped us manage our projects and tasks effectively.

Top YouTube channels of 2023

Edgaras' picks:

  1. t3dotgg: A channel that provided me with insightful, engaging and advanced tech content throughout the year.
  2. AI Jason: AI Jason's deep dives into artificial intelligence were a constant source of learning.
  3. Fireship: Fireship's content has been entertaining and educational.
  4. Sam Selikoff: Sam's expertise in detail-oriented front-end development was a great resource.
  5. Lex Fridman: Lex's interviews with leading figures in tech and science were always thought-provoking.

Tomas' picks:

  1. JavaScript Mastery: This channel was my go-to for mastering JavaScript concepts and techniques.
  2. UntalkedSEO: UntalkedSEO's unique insights into SEO were invaluable for our content strategy.
  3. Greg Kamradt (Data Indy): Greg's data analysis tutorials helped us make sense of our data.
  4. NFX: NFX's deep dives into the startup ecosystem provided us with a broader perspective on our work.
  5. H-EDUCATE: H-EDUCATE's tips and tricks were a great resource for our marketing.

Top apps of 2023

Edgaras' picks:

  1. Raycast: I found Raycast to be a powerful tool that boosted my productivity by allowing me to control my Mac entirely from the keyboard.
  2. ChatGPT: Again, great AI companion for brainstorming and idea generation.
  3. 1Password: 1Password became a game-changer for managing and securing all our passwords individually and as a team.
  4. Arc: A Chromium browser that was a great alternative to Chrome, offering better interface and privacy.
  5. Magnet: I use Magnet to snap app windows into places on my Mac.

Tomas' picks:

  1. Perplexity: I found Perplexity to be an AI-powered tool that was great in my data analysis tasks.
  2. Raycast: Like Edgaras, I also found Raycast to be an indispensable tool in 2023.
  3. 1Password: 1Password was my go-to app for password management and security.
  4. HazeOver: HazeOver was a great app for minimizing distractions and focusing on one task at a time.
  5. CleanShot X: CleanShot X was a versatile screenshot and screen recording tool that I used extensively in 2023.

Top creators of 2023

Edgaras' picks:

  1. Shadcn: Shadcn's work has been a constant source of inspiration for me this year.
  2. Steven Tey: Steven's unique perspective and creativity never fail to impress me.
  3. Marc Lou: Marc's dedication and passion for his craft are truly admirable.
  4. Alex Sidorenko: Alex's snackable educational content has been helpful for learning Next.js.
  5. Jon Meyers: Jon's insightful content has been a valuable resource for me throughout the year.

Tomas' picks:

  1. Ian Nuttall: Ian's work has been instrumental in shaping my understanding of the programmatic SEO.
  2. David Perell: David's thought-provoking content has been a constant source of learning for me.
  3. Daniel Vassallo: Daniel's unique insights and strategies have greatly influenced my approach to work.
  4. Glen Allsopp: Glen's deep dives into SEO have been invaluable for our content strategy.
  5. Andrew Ng: Andrew's expertise in deep learning and AI has been a great resource for our team.

Wrapping up 2023, we thank all creators and tools that helped us to learn and build better.

Here's to more discoveries in 2024!