The Real Salesforce Tools Consultants Actually Use

Let’s be honest—there’s a difference between the tools Salesforce wants you to use and the tools that actually save you hours every week. This list is what real consultants depend on. These are the ones that get bookmarked, the tabs that stay open all day, and the resources that solve actual problems.

If you’re not using most of these, you’re probably working too hard.

1. Salesforce Inspector

Browser Extension: Chrome / Edge / Firefox

Install this extension and wonder how you ever lived without it. Salesforce Inspector is basically your x-ray vision into Salesforce orgs. You can:

See the actual SOQL queries running on a page
Inspect page layouts, component properties, and API calls in real-time
Query your org directly from your browser
Export data in seconds
Understand what’s actually happening when something breaks

Seriously, if you haven’t installed this yet, stop reading and go install it right now. It’s free, and you’ll use it every single day.

2. Salesforce CLI (SFDX) & VS Code

Website: https://developer.salesforce.com/tools/sfdxcli

If you’re still developing in the browser, your competitors are laughing. Salesforce CLI + VS Code is how actual developers work now. You get:

Local development environment so you can code offline
Spin up scratch orgs in seconds for testing
Deploy and manage metadata from your terminal
Version control with Git (like a real developer)
Automated testing and code quality checks
Your code syncs with Salesforce instantly

Once you learn this, clicking around in setup becomes torture. This is the only way to develop at scale.

3. Workbench

Website: https://workbench.developerforce.com

Workbench is criminally underrated. This is your Swiss Army knife for one-off tasks that would otherwise eat an hour of your time:

Run SOQL queries against your org instantly
Export bulk data for migrations or analysis
Test REST and SOAP APIs without writing code
Do metadata operations without waiting for a deploy
Migrate and transform data on the fly
Debug integration issues in minutes

It’s old school, but it just works. No setup, no installation, just bookmark it and use it.

4. Gearset (or Copado)

Website: https://gearset.com (or https://copado.com)

You need a proper deployment tool. Period. Gearset and Copado are CI/CD platforms that handle all the deployment complexity:

Deploy metadata between environments without breaking anything
Roll back instantly when you mess up (and you will)
Compare environments to spot differences
Version control integration with Git
Automated testing and validation
Release scheduling and management

Most consultants end up recommending one of these to clients anyway, so use it yourself. Gearset has a nicer UI, but both work great. You’ll wonder how you ever did deployments manually.

5. Zapier (or MuleSoft Boomi)

Website: https://zapier.com or https://boomi.com

Most integration problems don’t need custom code. Zapier and Boomi connect Salesforce to everything else without you building it from scratch:

Connect Salesforce to hundreds of apps (Slack, HubSpot, Shopify, you name it)
Sync data between systems automatically
Trigger workflows based on what happens in other systems
Build integrations that would otherwise take weeks of custom coding
Monitor and troubleshoot integrations without diving into logs

Zapier is perfect for SMBs and smaller integrations. Boomi handles the heavy lifting for enterprise deployments. Either way, you’re saving yourself a ton of development time.

6. Awesome Salesforce (GitHub)

Website: https://github.com/mailtoharshit/awesome-salesforce

This curated list on GitHub is a consultant’s treasure trove. It includes:

Open-source projects and tools
Code samples and starter templates
Testing frameworks and development tools
Productivity utilities and browser extensions
Learning resources and blogs

It’s regularly updated and gives you quick access to community-driven solutions and resources.

7. Slack Communities (Ohana & Industry Groups)

Community: Slack – Search for “Salesforce” and join the relevant communities

Forget Twitter and LinkedIn—actual work happens in Slack. These are where consultants hang out and solve real problems:

Ask a question at 10 AM and get five answers by 11 AM from people who’ve actually done it
Share code snippets and solutions with people who understand
Find out what’s actually broken in production (not just what the docs say)
Complain about Salesforce quirks with people who get it
Network with consultants and find teammates
Stay in the loop about what’s happening in the community
See how other consultants solved the same problem you’re facing

You’ll spend more time here than you think, and it’s worth every minute.

8. Consultant Blogs That Actually Matter

Websites: https://www.salesforceben.com, https://www.salesforce-admins.com/blog, https://www.salesforcemaven.com, and individual consultant blogs

Salesforce Ben, the Salesforce Admins blog, and other blogs by consultants doing real work beat official docs every time. These people are solving actual client problems and sharing their learnings:

Real solutions to things that break in production
Workarounds for Salesforce quirks that don’t make it into release notes
Performance tips that actually came from hitting limits
Honest commentary on what works and what doesn’t
New features explained by people who’ve actually used them
Common mistakes and how to avoid them

You’ll find yourself coming back to these blogs constantly. Bookmark them. These are consultants who’ve been in the trenches and aren’t afraid to tell you what really works.

9. Planet Salesforce & Salesforce Communities

Website: https://www.planetsalesforce.com

Planet Salesforce is an RSS aggregator that pulls together every Salesforce blog worth reading in one place. Instead of chasing individual blogs, you get:

All the best consultant blogs in one feed
New posts from the community daily
One place to stay updated without information overload
Curated content from actual practitioners
Easy way to discover consultants you should be following

It’s basically the heartbeat of the Salesforce consultant community. Skim it during your morning coffee and you’ll know what’s happening in the ecosystem without drowning in noise.

10. Salesforce Einstein & AI Tools Documentation

Website: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?type=5&language=en_US&id=sf.einstein.htm

As AI becomes increasingly central to Salesforce, understanding Einstein capabilities is becoming essential for modern consultants. This resource covers:

Einstein Analytics and CRM Analytics
AI-powered features in Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and beyond
Predictive forecasting and opportunity scoring
Custom AI implementation options
Best practices for responsible AI deployment

Getting ahead on AI knowledge positions you as a forward-thinking consultant.

Honorable Mentions

GitHub: For sharing code, finding open-source Salesforce projects, and version control
Postman / Insomnia: API testing and documentation tools (essential for REST API work)
Prettier & ESLint: Code formatting and linting for Apex and JavaScript
Planet Salesforce: RSS feed aggregator that pulls all major Salesforce blogs in one place
Dreamforce: The annual conference where consultants network, learn, and get vendor updates
Databox / Tableau: Analytics platforms that consultants integrate with Salesforce

Actually Use This Stuff

The difference between good consultants and burnt-out consultants often comes down to tools. Good consultants have Inspector open, they’re building in VS Code, deploying with Gearset, and reading Salesforce Ben’s latest post. They’re saving hours every week by using tools that do the repetitive work for them.

Consultants who are struggling? They’re clicking around in setup, manually testing everything, deploying by hand, and living on stack overflow posts. It’s exhausting.

Start with Salesforce Inspector if you haven’t already. Then add SFDX, then get Gearset. After that, you’ll naturally find your way to the rest. Each tool saves you time, and that time adds up fast.

Using any of these already? Have a favorite tool that’s missing from the list? Hit the comments and share what’s made you faster.