The tools we use & why
The software Chykalophia uses day-to-day for design, development, project management, and client communication — and what each one does.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
When we mention a tool in a meeting or a task, you should know what we're talking about. This page explains every major tool in our stack — what it is, what we use it for, and whether you'll interact with it directly.
Quick summary
Our key tools: ClickUp (project management and client communication), Figma (design), WordPress / Webflow / Squarespace (website building), GitHub (code storage), and Google Analytics / Search Console (performance tracking). You'll interact most with ClickUp.
Need to give us access to one of these?
Where a tool is yours rather than ours, we'll ask you to invite us rather than share a password. Each entry below links to its access guide. The full list lives in the Access directory (A–Z), and Giving Chykalophia access explains how we handle credentials.
Project management & communication
ClickUp
What it is: A project management platform where all tasks, requests, feedback, and file sharing happen.
What we use it for: Tracking every piece of work — from your initial brief to final sign-off. Every task has a status, an assignee, a due date, and a comment thread.
Do you use it? Yes. This is your main way of working with us. See Working with us in ClickUp.
Loom
What it is: A tool for recording short screen-share videos with a narration.
What we use it for: Showing you how something works, giving a video walkthrough of a design, or explaining a technical issue visually.
Do you use it? Sometimes — we may send you a Loom video as part of a task comment. You watch it in your browser; no account needed.
Design & prototyping
Figma
What it is: The industry-standard design and prototyping tool used for creating website mockups, design systems, and UI components.
What we use it for: Every visual design we create lives in Figma before it moves to development. You'll review designs here before we build them.
Do you use it? You'll be invited to view (and comment on) Figma files during the design phase. See Give us access to your Figma files. Viewing requires a free account.
Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects)
What it is: Adobe's industry-standard tools for image editing, vector illustration, and motion design.
What we use it for: Editing photographs, preparing brand assets, creating icons, and producing motion graphics when needed.
Do you use it? No — we handle this. You'll receive finished files.
Website platforms
WordPress
What it is: The world's most popular website CMS. Powers about 43% of all websites.
What we use it for: Building most of our clients' websites — especially content-rich sites and e-commerce stores.
Do you use it? Yes, for content editing. See WordPress: the complete client guide. To let us in, see Give us WordPress admin access.
Elementor
What it is: A WordPress page builder plugin that enables visual, drag-and-drop design in WordPress.
What we use it for: Building custom page layouts for WordPress sites.
Do you use it? Sometimes, for specific edits. See Elementor: the complete editing guide.
Webflow
What it is: A visual website builder with a built-in CMS and hosting, popular for design-heavy sites.
What we use it for: Projects where design flexibility and performance are top priorities.
Do you use it? Yes, for content editing. See Webflow: the complete client guide. To let us in, see Give us access to your Webflow project.
Squarespace
What it is: An all-in-one website builder with hosting and e-commerce built in.
What we use it for: Simpler sites where ease of editing by the client is the main requirement.
Do you use it? Yes, for content editing. See Squarespace: the complete client guide. To let us in, see Give us Squarespace contributor access.
Development tools
GitHub
What it is: A platform for storing, versioning, and collaborating on code.
What we use it for: Storing all code for custom projects. Every change is logged with a message explaining what changed and why. Provides version history.
Do you use it? Rarely. For some projects, we may ask you to grant us access to a repository. See Give us access to your GitHub repository.
Visual Studio Code (VS Code)
What it is: A free, highly extensible code editor made by Microsoft.
What we use it for: Writing and editing code. The primary tool developers use day-to-day.
Do you use it? No. This is our internal tool.
Hosting & infrastructure
Flywheel / WP Engine / Kinsta
What they are: Managed WordPress hosting platforms.
What we use them for: Hosting and managing WordPress sites for clients. All three offer staging environments, automated backups, and high performance.
Do you use them? You'll have (or be given) a login to your hosting dashboard. See the Hosting section. To let us in, see Flywheel access, WP Engine access, or Kinsta access.
Cloudflare
What it is: A CDN, DNS management platform, and security service.
What we use it for: Faster global page loading, security protection (WAF, DDoS protection), and DNS management.
Do you use it? Occasionally you'll need to grant us access. See Give us access to your Cloudflare account.
Analytics & SEO
Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
What it is: Google's free website analytics platform.
What we use it for: Tracking visitor behavior, traffic sources, conversions, and reporting.
Do you use it? We provide monthly reports. You can also log in yourself. See What is Google Analytics (GA4)?. To let us in, see Give us access to Google Analytics.
Google Search Console
What it is: Google's free tool for monitoring how your site appears in search results.
What we use it for: Checking indexing, identifying search performance issues, and measuring SEO progress.
Do you use it? We monitor it. We may walk you through it during reviews. To let us in, see Give us access to Google Search Console.
Semrush / Ahrefs
What they are: Professional SEO research and analysis tools.
What we use them for: Keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink auditing, and site audits.
Do you use them? No — these are our internal tools. Subscriptions are expensive and require training to use well.
Client collaboration
Google Drive / Docs / Sheets
What they are: Google's cloud-based document, spreadsheet, and file storage tools.
What we use them for: Sharing copy documents, spreadsheets, briefs, and proposals with clients.
Do you use them? Yes — we'll share files with your Google account or make them publicly accessible via link.
Common questions
Do I need to sign up for all of these tools?
No. The main tool you need is ClickUp. For design reviews, you'll view Figma files (free account). Everything else we handle on our side.
What if I already use a tool you haven't listed?
We're flexible. Let your project manager know what tools you use and we'll find the right integration point. Our list reflects what we use by default, not what we're limited to.
Related guides
- Working with us in ClickUp
- How we communicate (ClickUp, email, calls)
- Tools we recommend for clients
- Giving Chykalophia access: start here
- Access directory (A–Z)
- Access checklist for a new project
- Give us access to your Figma files
- Which platform is your website built on?
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