Best deals for developers and automation

Developer tools are easy to start and hard to leave. A framework, a cloud account or an automation platform becomes part of your work, so a discount is only useful if the product is one you would choose anyway. The picks below are offers currently listed on HelloDeals for building, automating and hosting. Prices and terms change, so confirm everything on the seller's site before you buy.

How we looked at them

We favoured products where the offer is clear (what you get, for how long, what it applies to) and where a developer can try the product on real work before paying. We did not rank by size of discount: a smaller discount on a tool you will use every day is worth more than a large one on a tool you will not.

What to check before you commit

• What happens after the offer. Credit and introductory prices end. Know the regular price and the date.
• Limits that matter to you. Requests, projects, seats, build minutes or storage: pick the one you are most likely to hit.
• Portability. Can you export your workflows, data or configuration? Open formats and standard APIs lower the cost of switching later.
• Where it runs. For cloud and hosting, check the regions available and where your users are.
• Support and status. A public status page and a changelog tell you more than a feature list.

Cloud, automation, data and interface

Cloud credit is the most flexible offer on this list: it lets you run real workloads for a while and see the bill that follows. Automation tools are best judged by connecting the two or three apps you already use and timing how long one real workflow takes to build. Data and scraping tools are best tested against the exact pages or sources you need. Interface libraries are best judged by building one real screen, not by looking at the demo gallery.

Tips for getting the most from a developer deal

1. Create the account with the email you will keep, not a throwaway, so credit and history stay with you.
2. Set a billing alert or spending limit on day one, especially on usage-based products.
3. Put the end date of the offer in your calendar.
4. Keep infrastructure defined in code or exported config so a move later is a copy, not a rebuild.

Looking for more? Browse the Software and Hosting and Cloud categories, or read how to evaluate any software deal.