10 Free Tools and Apps to Get You Started as a Freelancer

Now that you’re embarking on your new freelancing journey, you may have realized the need for specific tools and apps to help you run your business without breaking the bank. We all know that starting a new business can cost you time, but we often forget the costs that come with it. As the saying goes, “time = money.” 

Luckily there are several free tools and apps that can help you stay on track with your finances, schedule your time, communicate with clients, and market your brand. Let’s discover the top 10 free tools and apps to help you kickstart your freelancing career. 

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Finance Tools

1.     Chiggopay

Maximize your productivity with an all-in-one financing app. You can manage your invoices, track expenses, and pay your bills from one convenient place. Automate your workflows with payment reminders and sending automatic invoices and payment reminders by scheduling them in advance.

Boost the growth of your new venture with Chiggopay and utilize the following features for free:

• log your work hours
• create professional invoices
• keep track of your expenses
• get paid faster
• automate payment reminders

You don’t have to be an accounting whizz to use Chiggopay – the app does everything for you!

2.     TalkCounsel

Let’s face it – every business needs legal counsel at some point or another. For example, you may need advice for operations or internal processes. This is where TalkCounsel steps in! Post a question about any business-related concerns, such as corporate governance requirements, or seek help for long-term compliance strategies and receive a free proposal from a lawyer.

Receive informed legal advice remotely and only pay when the job gets done. As a freelancer, there are areas of business that might be new to you, and doing things by the book will secure the future of your success. 

3.     Wave

Wave takes a different approach to bookkeeping and invoicing software by providing fully functional invoicing and accounting software for free. It promises to not charge for the app in the future, as revenue comes from new add-ons like payroll and payment gateways and sponsored ads within the software. This means that you can send however many invoices as you would like or maintain track of your accounts without needing to pay anything.

Wave is entirely web-based, so to use it, all you need is an internet connection and a browser. You can stay on the go with Wave and install their mobile invoicing app to your device, available for iOS and Android.

Communication Tools

4.     Gmail

Gmail, the world’s largest free email service, is now run by Google, the world’s most powerful search engine. It can also be a full-fledged productivity suite in and of itself, thanks to various add-ons and versatile uses available. Gmail is ideal for organizations of all sizes since it is dependable, fast, and simple to use.

Gmail is ideal as it offers integration with other Google features, such as Google Drive, Google Docs, etc., and is compatible with most mobile devices. With ample storage space, you will never need to worry about saving an important email again.

Did you send an email to the wrong person? Don’t worry! Gmail is intuitive and lets you stop an email from being sent five seconds after it’s been sent. However, don’t get it confused with ‘Focused Mailbox.’ This is a feature that ‘assists’ in judging whether emails are spam, essential, or useless.

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5.     Mailchimp

If you haven’t heard about Mailchimp yet, then this is for you. It is a powerful marketing tool that allows you to craft copy that sells and receive analytics so you can establish what is working for you and the best way to reach your audience. Email marketing is a proven method of gaining consumer engagement and increasing sales.

Get the following features for free:

• Manage your mailing lists
• Design custom email templates without coding knowledge
• Automate marketing campaigns

The free Mailchimp plan offers marketing CRM, creative assistant, website builder, and the ability to promote your business on multiple platforms.

Productivity Tools

6.     Todoist

Todoist is a must-have for all freelancers. You can record your weekly to-do list, delegate tasks to others, and set reminders of what to do next. Todoist helps you be productive and organized by managing your time and projects in one unique tool. 

With Todoist, you can see tangible progress by helping you visualize your productivity trends:

• Productivity visuals to help keep you on track
• Activity history
• Completed tasks archive
• Get awarded with points when completing tasks

The free version of Todoist lets you have five active projects, five collaborators on a project, and 1-week activity history.

7.     Trello

Trello is the ultimate tool for freelancers to stay productive. It is a project management application to set, organize and manage tasks, share files, and collaborate with a team. Use lists and cards to organize your work tasks on the Trello board. Add everything you need to stay productive, such as tasks, timelines, calendars, and more!

Integrate your work tools, such as Slack, Dropbox, and Evernote, to maximize your efficiency. Trello has a free plan that includes the following features:

• Unlimited cards
• Unlimited members
• Up to 10 boards per Workspace
• Unlimited Power-Ups per board
• Unlimited storage (10MB/file)
• 250 Workspace command runs per month
• Custom backgrounds & stickers
• Unlimited activity log

Cloud Storage Tools

8.     Evernote 

Evernote is a digital space where you can save everything you want to remember, wherever you are. It’s a versatile platform that can be as simple or as sophisticated as you desire. When you finally remember the secret ingredient to your favorite recipe or anything that comes to your mind, enter it immediately into the desktop or mobile apps. You can also forward your emails or use the browser-based web clipper to save web pages, images, and ideas you discover online. 

Tags let you keep track of your notes, and the ability to add checklists and due dates turns Evernote into a task organizer. Connect your Google calendar to remember important dates or events. 

To make your notes more useful, you can add the following to them:

• text
• scans 
• documents
• PDFs
• images
• audio

This paperless “life organizer” is exactly what you need if you want to help save the environment!

Social Media Tools

9.     Hootsuite

You’re probably already familiar with social media. However, having fun on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest is one thing; leveraging them to help you improve your prospects is another. 

Hootsuite is a social media dashboard that lets you manage and monitor your profiles across several social media platforms. Find and track possible sales leads, plan tweets and updates for optimal periods throughout the day, and monitor the amount of traffic your social media activities generate. You can manage up to five social profiles in the free version.

You can keep track of the most recent social media discussions, trends, and brand mentions. Respond to comments quickly from a single inbox that collects all of your interactions from supported social networks.

The free version lets you to manage two social profiles and publish up to five posts at any time. In just a few clicks, you can save time!

10.  Tweetdeck

Tweetdeck, which Twitter owns, is a sophisticated desktop or web-based program that is entirely free. All you have to have is a Twitter account to make use of the app. 

Tweetdeck is an excellent tool for keeping track of your Twitter activity across several accounts. With Tweetdeck, you can do the following:

• View tweets from people you follow in readily managed lists
• Schedule messages to go out at different times
• Filter out what you don’t need
• Track the performance of your various profiles

Customizing lists to follow specific users is helpful, and search options come with a wide range of variables. You can also use Tweetdeck to compare performance across various social media platforms.

By using Tweetdeck, you will never miss a single social media event! 

Conclusion

As a freelancer, there’s no need to be unorganized! With the various free tools and apps on the market, such as Chiggopay, TalkCounsel, or Hootsuite, you can improve productivity, save time, and get paid faster. Freelancers are running a business, and its time you treat it like one.