Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, commonly referred to as ‘DAOs', have gained significant popularity in recent years due to their ability to operate in a decentralized and trustless manner. DAOs are essentially digital organizations that run on blockchain technology and are managed by smart contracts. The members of a DAO can propose and vote on decisions, and the outcomes are executed automatically on the blockchain.
However, managing a DAO can be a challenging task, and that’s where DAO tools come into play. DAO tools refer to various technologies that are used by DAOs to operate, manage, and govern themselves. These tools have become crucial in the success of many DAOs, helping them to operate more efficiently, transparently, and securely.
In this article, we’ll look at the 10 “Best” DAO tools that can help DAOs achieve their objectives. So, whether you’re a DAO member or looking to start your own DAO, this list of tools will help you navigate the complex world of decentralized autonomous organizations. So, let’s dive in and explore the best DAO tools out there!
1. Collab.Land
Collab.Land is a popular DAO tool that has gained significant traction as an automated community management tool that curates membership based on token ownership. The platform supports a ton of blockchains, including Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Immutable X, Multichain, Avalanche, Polkadot, Kusama, Gnosis Chain, NEAR, Flow, Tezos, Ronin Network, and Moonbeam.
As an NFT token gating tool, Collab.Land tracks and only gives members access to those who hold the token. Besides initial verification to confirm that each prospective member possesses the required token(s) to join and participate in a community, Collab.Land carries out routine checks to confirm members continuously satisfy requirements. The platform is planning to launch a marketplace soon too.
Used for community management and engagement, the platform boasts more than 8 million wallet connections and 43k+ active communities on Discord and Telegram.
2. Aragon
Aragon is among the oldest and most used DAO builders to create community and economy. Created by Luis Cuende and Jorge Izquierdo in 2017, Aragon contains several sub-DAOs that sustain it for maximal efficiency.
A pioneering platform to enhance on-chain governance, Aragon allows users to create a DAO with just a few clicks, without the need for any technical knowledge. The platform provides customizable templates for different types of DAOs, including nonprofit organizations, social clubs, and for-profit businesses.
It further makes it easy to manage token allocations, coordinate DAOs and set up legal frameworks and minting tools. Moreover, Aragon includes a treasury management system that enables DAOs to manage their finances.
The platform includes a budgeting system where members can create and manage budgets, and the accounting system tracks all financial transactions and provides transparent reporting to all DAO members.
Click here to learn all about investing in Aragon.
3. Juicebox
This Ethereum-based multipurpose DAO-tooling platform enhances the quick building and management of DAOs.
One of the key features of Juicebox is its ability to create custom token offerings for DAOs. This enables DAOs to create and sell their own tokens to raise funds and incentivize participation. The platform includes a user-friendly interface for creating and managing token offerings, enabling DAOs to customize token economics, vesting schedules, and other features to meet their specific needs.
Besides allowing DAOs to crowdfund, it facilitates a seamless community-building experience for NFT projects. High-profile DAOs like Constitution DAO and Assange DAO have made use of this platform.
4. XDAO
A fully customizable DAO builder, XDAO is the fastest framework to create and manage decentralized autonomous organizations. XDAO enables the creation of DAOs of any size, ranging from small investment pools to large venture funds and startups.
The platform was specifically designed to facilitate crypto mass adoption by providing a suite of capabilities that enable groups to manage mutual treasury and multi-sig wallets and build communities with support for chains like Arbitrum, Avalanche, BNB Chain, Ethereum, Optimism, and Polygon.
Moreover, XDAO provides a comprehensive set of tools that enable users to distribute capital to different parts of their organization, invest in DeFi with shared assets, buy NFTs, participate in GameFi, carry out charitable activities, participate in IDOs, launchpad, manage family assets, and do much more.
5. Boardroom
Boardroom is a powerful DAO management dashboard designed to help active members and stakeholders make faster, smarter, and more informed decisions. It supports multiple blockchain networks, including Arbitrum, Optimism, Ethereum, and Polygon. This broad support makes it easy for users to participate in a wide range of projects, regardless of which network they are on.
One of the key benefits of using Boardroom is that it provides a centralized location for important information, which is often siloed across various solutions. This dashboard allows users to view all necessary data in one place, making it easier to understand and participate in the decision-making process. This feature is especially helpful for organizations that have decentralized teams, as it streamlines the tracking, voting, communication, and reporting workflows.
Meanwhile, its Governance API makes this data accessible to any developer. This functionality is handy for developers looking to build their dApps or integrate Boardroom into their existing workflows. There’s also a ‘Teams’ functionality to streamline tracking, voting, communications, and reporting workflows.
6. Tally
Tally is another powerful all-in-one tool specifically designed to help DAOs govern better. One of the critical features of Tally is its customizable payout system, which can be used both within and outside of a DAO. This feature allows DAOs to efficiently distribute rewards and payments to their members, which is essential for incentivizing participation and contribution. The payout system is highly customizable, allowing DAOs to set their own rules and criteria for distributing rewards and payments.
Another key feature of Tally is its on-chain governance functionality, which makes it easy for DAOs to facilitate voting and decision-making. This feature allows DAOs to create and manage proposals, vote on them, and track the results in real time.
Tally also offers the ability to recognize usernames (ENS) rather than needing to use addresses when contributing to DAOs. This feature makes it easier for users to contribute to DAOs, as they can use their own usernames rather than having to remember and input their addresses. This makes the contribution process more seamless and user-friendly, which is essential for driving growth and contributions within decentralized organizations.
7. SOURC3
SOURC3 is a pioneering platform that aims to revolutionize how reputation is managed within the blockchain space. As a Web3-native, decentralized platform, SOURC3 provides a powerful solution for on-chain reputation management that is transparent and decentralized.
The platform provides a cross-collaboration software development platform similar to GitHub, where users can export their code and host it on the SOURC3 platform. This provides users access to an open-source and censorship-resistant platform specifically tailored to the needs of the blockchain space.
One of the key features of SOURC3 is its focus on linking decentralized identities, contribution provenance, and on-chain metadata to power a new standard that the platform calls KYD, or “Know Your Developer.” This standard aims to provide a new level of transparency and accountability within the blockchain space by ensuring that developers are held accountable for their contributions and that their reputations are based on a verifiable work record.
8. Coordinape
Coordinape is a tooling infrastructure that enables DAOs to manage their contributor rewards and allocations transparently and efficiently. It provides a range of tools and features that simplify the reward distribution process and ensures that all contributors are fairly compensated for their efforts.
It brings standardization and efficiency to how contributors are tasked and rewarded within DAOs. As a platform that streamlines the process of funding contributors, Coordinape provides an easy-to-use system that allows DAOs to manage their resources and allocate their funds transparently.
Coordinape is designed to work seamlessly with a variety of different DAOs, making it a highly versatile tool that can be used in a wide range of contexts. Once contributors have been identified for specific tasks, the DAO can fund a vault, and each contributor will receive their share of the budget based on their contributions. Furthermore, it facilitates an efficient system for providing feedback to help create a culture of continuous improvement and fosters a sense of community and collaboration within the DAO.
9. DAOstack
DAOstack is a robust library of governance protocols and interfaces designed to enable the creation of scalable and effective DAOs. The platform was founded in 2017 by Metan Field and Adam Levi, who recognized the need for a comprehensive solution that would enable collective, decentralized governance on a large scale.
One of the critical advantages of DAOstack is its versatility. Whether you are looking to build a simple DAO or a more sophisticated organization with complex governance structures, DAOstack provides a full suite of tools and resources to help you get started. This includes everything from frontend and backend development tools to middleware solutions that can help you manage and maintain your DAO over the long term.
In addition to its powerful building capabilities, DAOstack is also an excellent tool for the day-to-day management of DAOs. The platform provides a range of governance protocols and interfaces that can help you manage your organization’s voting, decision-making, and resource allocation processes transparently and effectively. This can be particularly valuable in complex or fast-moving environments where decisions need to be made quickly and efficiently.
10. Colony
Founded by Jack du Rose and Aron Fischer, Colony is a standalone platform that makes it easy to build and manage DAOs through its no-code toolkit. This means anyone can create and deploy a fully-functional DAO without writing any code. This way, whether you’re looking to build a simple organization or a more complex structure, Colony makes it easy to start and create a fully-functional DAO in no time.
Colony includes a range of features that make creating and customizing a DAO easy. Users can choose from a wide variety of templates that provide pre-configured settings for different types of organizations. These templates include everything from basic DAOs to more complex structures with multiple sub-DAOs.
Colony also includes various management tools for tracking membership, managing proposals, and conducting votes. You can further integrate your token, manage its sale, and oversee the governance of your DAO easily with Colony. These tools make it easy to manage and monitor the activities of a DAO, ensuring that it operates effectively and efficiently.
So, these are some of the best DAO tools in the market today that can serve as an invaluable resource for anyone looking to build, manage, or participate in a DAO. With a comprehensive suite of tools and protocols, they help drive the growth and adoption of decentralized governance and pave the way for a more decentralized and equitable future.
