For whatever reason, there doesn't appear to be a sticky on this particular subject, and I think there really should be because the same questions get asked a lot. So I'm starting this in the hope that it will catch on and become a sticky.

Note: if you have any suggestions, but would prefer not to eat up posting space, feel free to send me a private message.

Following are a list of tools available for modding purposes, organized by category. In some cases, some tools do multiple things, and so may appear in multiple categories.

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Installers

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Installers are used for, well, installing mods. They are a convenient tool because they can install and activate complex mods that would be a nightmare to do by hand.

http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/22368/

Although the most complicated, it is by far the best. It has several key advantages over other installers:

1. You can organize the mods in the order in which they should be installed (not loaded, which is different), which is VERY important*.
2. When you add a new mod into the middle of the pack, Wrye Bash is smart enough to know which files to overwrite (earlier in the install order) and which ones to leave alone (later in the install order).

3. If you *uninstall* a mod, Wrye Bash will look to see if any other earlier mods had conflicting files and install them so that you aren't missing anything. To the best of my knowledge, no other installer does that, which makes Wrye Bash essential.

4. There is a installation wizard system that some of the more complex mods use that automatically detect what you already have installed and take you through a navigation window for any available options. Invaluable for complex mods.
* For recommendations on load order tips, there is a great website called TESCOSI, however it is currently transitioning to a new home. When it's back up, more info will be provided.

http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/2097/?

This was the first major installer that really made a difference. It's fairly easy to use with a omod package system and has a scripting language for installation. It's not as sophisticated as Wrye Bash since it doesn't have the #3 feature above. There are a few mods out there that only provide omod file support. However, using Wrye Bash in conjunction with OBMM is not necessarily a problem. Another option is to use OBMM to unpack the omod and create a Wrye Bash installer package with it.

http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/modmanager/?

I personally know very little about this program. It's primary advantage seems to be the ability to download and install a mod in one shot as well as ease of use. However, it probably lacks the sophistication of Wrye Bash and would most likely get you into trouble with Wrye Bash. In addition, it only works with mods on the Nexus. This might be fine for people who are brand new to modding and want something light and easy, but the moment your load order gets complicated, I suspect you will outgrow it very quickly. Do yourself a favor and just go straight to Wrye Bash.
Note:If anyone has more knowledge about this, please let me know and I will update the entry.

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Organizers

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Organizers allow you to change the *load order* (different from the install order), which impacts how the game loads up. Load order is very important, because in any load order sequence, the last one to load "wins", and if the load order is off, really weird things can happen.

Both Wrye Bash and Oblivion Mod Manager (see above) allow you to drag mods up and down the list. Wrye Bash comes with an additional ability to edit the modification date of the file directly as well as redate a sequence of files. However, the general recommendation is to use Wrye Bash in conjunction with...

https://github.com/boss-developers/boss/releases/tag/v2.3.0

Boss is maintained by volunteers and tracks nearly every single version of every single mod ever made and has a master list of the proper sorting order. In addition, it has a simple "User List Manager" that allows you to make some customized sorts for handling unrecognized mods as well as some specific exceptions.

https://loot.github.io/

Although described as designed for Oblivion, Skyrim and Fallout, it's not really helpful at all for Oblivion for various reasons. Use Boss instead.

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Mod Editors

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Editors allow you to actually alter the contents of a mod: cell content, scripts, races, NPCs, objects, quests, etc. They vary in feature set and range of usefulness.

http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/11367/? (CS)

The grand-mother of them all provided by Bethesda (bless em/curse em). Allows you create/modify mods at a deep, deep level. However, you can only modify one mod at a time, and its user interface is rather limiting. So if you are going to do this, you will want to also use...

http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/36370/? (CSE)

This is an add-on to the Construction Set, and requires OBSE. In tweaks the gui, has an awesome revamped script editor, and in just makes the construct set experience better on multiple levels. See the page for details. Considered essential for any serious modding.

http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/11536/?

This tool has a completely different look, feel, and purpose compared to the CS/CSE combo. Some highlights are:

- comparing multiple mods side by side to see which mods change/conflict with others

- cleaning mods that have "dirty" or "duplicate" edits that were accidentally left in and cause problems with the load order by accidentally undoing another mod's changes.

- editing form IDs (which is risky, and probably why it's not available in the CS/CSE).

http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/8665/?

This editing tool has a very simple interface. It's primary purpose is to merge mods, strip masters from mods, add masters from mods, or edit the master sequence.

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Multi-Game Managers

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These tools allow you to actually have / swap out multiple copies of the game. The primary purpose for that is that if you have one set of mods for one character and then decided to play a completely different set of mods with another, this tool allows you to swap out the entire game and all the associated files. As far as I know, there is only one:

http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/35263/?

This tool allows you to handle multiple Oblivion game set ups, including total conversions like Nehrim.

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BSA Archivers/Unpackers

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BSA stands for Bethesda Software Archive, and the BSA files house all the data that gets used in the game. These tools allow you to unpack the data so that you can see and/or alter the content. Some of these tools allow you to repack the data or even create your own BSAs.

http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/3311/?

This tool is mega useful, allowing you look inside, unpack, repack or create your own. It's a little buggy in places (such as checking the selection box when you have selected multiple item,

http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/3117/?

This is a very simple tool for just unpacking BSAs.

Oblivion Mod Manager

This installer/organizing utility described above also has a BSA browsing feature.

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More categories? I'm wondering whether or not nif editing tools, LOD generators, etc. should be included in the scope. Let me know your thoughts. I hope this is helpful.