Have you overwhelmed yourself with a lot of work and don’t know how to be productive with them? Don’t worry, we have got you covered. We will be discussing the best freelance apps so that you can be motivated and confident while working on your own business.
Freelancing has become one of the main income streams for every age group in today’s world. According to Zippia, freelancing is predicted to grow by 14% in the upcoming six years. Of course, who loves 9-to-5 now?
If you are one of those self-employed freelancers, it’s crucial for you to manage your work-life balance and manage workload. Productivity apps are a great way to keep you on track.
In this article, we will share a list of the best freelancer apps in 2024. Let’s continue reading!
Time Management and Productivity apps for Freelancers
Todoist
Are you having a bulk of tasks? Then Todoist is one of the best task management tools you can use for free. With this tool, you can organize your tasks daily and complete them on time.
You can also use this tool to share your projects with other team members. Moreover, the tool helps you to see your weekly and daily progress. It is a cost-effective tool. It has Pro and Business versions available as well.
Trello
It is also among the best project management apps for freelancers. You can keep your task, deadlines, and team members on track by using Trello. Furthermore, the calendar feature of this tool lets you know what’s coming your way. With Trello, you can manage your own business effectively.
If your team uses other apps such as Slack, Jira, etc., it can be easily integrated into Trello. The automation in Trello, known as Butler, can integrate with these apps and send automated emails from your boards.
RescueTime
It is a time-tracking software application that keeps you motivated and on track for your schedules. The tool contains many features which help you focus on your current work. With a focus session, RescueTime blocks all the distracting sites and shows you the insights.
It has a friendly user interface, which is easy to operate. The tool cares about your goals and task. It is also available for team purposes. With a 30-day free trial free version, you can explore these features and prevent distractions that can help you in tracking time effectively.
Focus@Will
Do you love to work while listening to music? Then Focus@Will help you focus on their exclusive music list. Employees from SpaceX, Amazon, and Microsoft use this software to concentrate intensely on their work.
Moreover, there is a 28-day free trial also available for this application. You can also leverage this software for your teams. It is a cost-effective software to help you concentrate on your freelance business while listening to your favorite music.
Forest
Do you want to make the world greener? You can do it just by working with Forest. It is one of the best apps for freelancers. Every time you complete a task without closing the timer, a tree sprouts up. It’s a time management app for freelancers with helpful features.
You don’t grow a tree virtually, but the Forest team will also plant a tree every time you do one. Moreover, you also get yourself away from distractive notifications with this application.
Also Read: How to be a Successful Freelance Programmer
Communication and Project Management Software
Slack
Social media sites are distractive, even WhatsApp. For that, Slack is one of the best communication apps. Slack lets you easily collaborate with your clients, team members, and students. It has a free plan that offers more than you need. However, if you need extra features like unlimited integrations and history then you’ll have to buy a paid plan.
Millions of organizations, freelance developers, and designers rely on Slack because of its flexibility and user-friendly features. You can create channels, send invoices & voice notes, large files, and integrate other applications such as Zoom, GitHub, etc. You can use the free version, but I prefer you buy the Pro package of this application because of its features.
Asana
Asana is a well-diversified project management tool for freelancers, businesses, and organizations. It offers you flexibility and a suitable workflow for your teams. You can easily manage your projects, daily tasks, and goals. With the calendar feature of Asana, you can always keep yourself motivated for upcoming tasks.
Furthermore, Asana has an app integration option and workflow builder, which helps you and your team to work more confidently and efficiently. Not only this, but you will also have unlimited storage, time-tracking app integrations, and collaboration with up to 15 team members in a FREE version.
Google Workspace
Google workspace had over 3 billion users by the end of 2021, which is fascinating. So, what is Google workspace? It is a set of apps and tools developed by Google. As a freelancer, these tools might be helpful for you to stay motivated and productive.
Nowadays, applications such as Google Drive, Google Docs, Meet, and Gmail are useful for freelance work. Moreover, Chat allows your team members to message each other quickly. You can also customize your domain @gmail.com in Google Workspace, which is more ethical and professional for business.
The “Current “application is also available, which is similar to Slack. I would recommend you purchase the Google Workspace standard or starter package. A lot of Technical and creative freelancers use Google workspace to track expenses, track payments, project billing, schedule phone calls, and store other data.
ClickUp
ClickUp is another professional and user-friendly project management tool for freelancers. Furthermore, it provides user value and helps them achieve their business goals on a high note. It offers you docs, whiteboards, and dashboards all in one place.
Whether you are your own boss or working for a company, you can always trust Clickup for your tasks. It is a valuable tool for businesses. You can easily assign tasks to your team members and check their progress.
As an independent contractor, you can manage your client’s work more comfortably and precisely without worrying about writing everything on your notepad.
Also Read: How to make Money with Blog
Accounting and Invoicing Freelance apps
QuickBooks
It is one of the most popular accounting tools available for self-employed freelancers. Small businesses mostly use it. It is a professional application that automatically helps you create and match payment invoices.
Furthermore, you can also get an insight report of your business – the progress report. Quickbook features help you track your personal finance, automatically estimate your quarterly tax payments, and maximize Schedule C deductions.
Please note that it is a recommended platform for professional accountants.
FreshBooks
It is a SaaS (software as a service) tool available on desktops and mobile phones. It is a tool that helps you keep track of payments, create professional invoices, and it can also be used to track time for your teams
If you are a freelancer, own a small business, or are a self-employed contractor, FreshBooks keeps track of all your expenses. You can manage your client’s projects in one place; it helps you check the profitability of your business. According to them, they have over 30 million satisfied customers.
Wave Accounting
Wave accounting is a classic software for sending invoices to your customers or potential clients, tracking your expenses, and worrying less about taxes. It has a user-friendly dashboard, which helps you manage your business insights and monitor cash flow.
If you have doubts about using Wave, a 1:1 payroll expert team is always there to help you. It is free software for everyone, so there is no need to reckon the paid version. Although, if you are looking for extra features, you can reckon Wave-provided packages.
Xero
Xero is another suitable accounting software for small businesses and organizations. Moreover, you can easily send quotes and invoices to your clients and customers. The pricing is slightly higher compared to other account software mentioned above.
The tool helps you navigate your cashflows, keep your pay records online, and many other features.
PayPal
PayPal is one of the most adopted online applications, where you can accept online payments in one place. You can receive payments from around the world (over 200 countries) and convert the currency into your national one.
The PayPal Business app helps you organize your invoice correctly and get paid within a click from your clients.
Wise
Do you want to travel and spend money with a global credit card? Now, Wise provides an easy-to-doit for freelancers and other businesses. You can also integrate this app with Xero, receive money globally from any corner of the world, and spend it with a credit card.
We aren’t disparaging PayPal, but Wise is 19x cheaper and a better option. It has features such as automated payments and workflows. It will make your freelance life better than before.
File Storage and Sharing Apps for freelancers
DropBox
Do you want to secure your files? Then, Dropbox is the right platform for you. It can be used on both smartphones and desktops. It is a professional platform for freelancers and businesses. You don’t need to open the app with the same device and IP as Dropbox; you can easily access your file from any device.
Your data is secured and encrypted, which provides you peace of mind. When transferring files to your dropbox, you can add watermarks and passwords to your data.
OneDrive
OneDrive is a cloud-storage application from Microsoft. You can back up your files, access them from anywhere, and share them with other teammates in a much better way. It is available for Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, and Android phones.
It has built-in Ransome protection, which protects your files and data from any volatilization. If you prefer to buy Microsoft 365 personal, you’ll get 1TB of cloud storage accessible from any device.
Design and Creativity Apps for freelancers
Canva
Canva is a popular graphic design app for freelancers, students, businesses, and institutions. Furthermore, you can get free design templates, elements, music audio, video templates, and more. With more than 250,000 templates, you can easily customize and edit them in your way.
If you know how to drag and drop, Canva is for you. As a freelance designer, you can make social media marketing designs and much more without spending a penny on expensive software. You can remove the background from your pictures but purchase Canva Pro to avail this feature.
Visme
It is an all-in-one design tool and a strong competitor of Canva. You can easily drag and drop in this tool. It is the perfect app for creating professional infographics, social media post designs, and business presentations.
You can create videos, GIFs, and many more with Visme. You can customize templates, create splendid flyers, and other interactive projects with provided templates.
Read More: Top Freelance Jobs For Graphic Designers
Marketing and Sales
HootSuite
Do you want to minimize your advertising efforts? Then, HootSuite is the right platform for you. It is a social media management tool for individuals. You can easily set up your posting schedule on every social media platform, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
You can create posts, add photos, and schedule a date. It will be posted automatically on your provided date. The HootSuite Stream feature lets you easily navigate your social media activities. You can directly respond to them with HootSuite instead of heading over to the actual platform.
Buffer
A buffer is a fantastic tool for freelancers and agencies. It comes with intuitive features. Freelance designers can use this tool to manage their client’s social media presence and help them grow.
It is a free app for small businesses and individuals just starting out on social media. Although Buffer also offers other plans with additional features.
SEMrush
It is one of the best SEO tools in the market, which you can use to grow your business. You can skyrocket your blog and website ranking by finding the right keywords on SEMrush. It is trusted by companies such as Tesla, Samsung, Forbes, etc.
Moreover, you can also audit your website and check the SEO errors by using this tool. The tool helps you to track your overall site ranking on Google and other search engines. According to them, 30% of fortune companies use SEMrush for their marketing.
Also Read: How to Find Freelance Clients
Job Research and Career Development
LinkedIn is a popular platform for growing your freelance career. Organizations, companies, and founders are always looking to hire remote workers for their projects. It is also one of the largest freelancing platforms currently.
You can create your account using Google email, optimize your profile according to your niche, and search for related jobs. Clients will often consult you by viewing your profile, experience, and recommendations on your profile. There are many great job opportunities posted on this platform every day.
Indeed
It is currently one of the best websites to hunt jobs as a freelancer. On Indeed, there is every type of job posted from entry to advanced level. It doesn’t matter in which country you live, you’ll get job notifications from every specific area.
All you have to do is to head over to Indeed and put your job keyword, and the desired location. Thousands of jobs will pop up for which you can apply with your resume.
Conclusion
Freelancing is a lucrative career. Although, if you want to give it a consistent flow and motivate yourself, you should also rely on tools. We have mentioned some of the vital freelance apps to leverage.
If you want to read more about making money and freelancing guides, please visit Farazdev.com!