Best 21 Tools for Freelancer. Freelancing markets are booming in an effort to make hiring as quick and easy as buying a cup of coffee. As more people choose the freedom of freelancing over the stability of a 9–5 job, the workforce is changing.
The independent economy is always expanding and given how well the digital industry is doing right now, this trend will definitely continue to grow over the coming years. The UK workforce of twenty to thirty-year-Olds is undergoing significant lifestyle changes, such as becoming parents or approaching retirement, and is looking for more flexible and interesting work arrangements.
Calculate billable hours with project management tools for independent contractors and business owners.
Unexpectedly, the $1 trillion or nearly 5% of the nation’s GDP that comes from freelancing. This prediction states that within the next five years, one in two of us who work in professional administrations will be independent contractors.
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Best 21 Tools for Freelancer
Google Calendar is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer. Freelancers can arrange their jobs and manage their time with the aid of Google Calendar. It aids in scheduling work, appointments, and reminders.
With helpful ideas for event titles, participants, and locations, this tool is intuitive and simple to use. You can enter the location while scheduling an appointment with a client, and Google Maps will automatically update. In order to keep the invitee updated about an event, it is also able to input links, send papers, and leave notes.
Another beneficial technique is time blocking, which involves physically marking off time on the calendar for a particular task. So, independent contractors can keep on top of their workload and know exactly what to expect each day. Users can choose from a variety of views, including daily, weekly, and monthly views.
When you work as a freelancer, you must continually juggle a variety of jobs, contracts, emails, invoices, and other things. Being a jack of all trades almost always leads in unintentionally letting some of these chores slip, regardless of how organized you are by nature.
Infinity might be the kind of instrument to assist you in staying on track with all the operational work if you would need some assistance catching up with everything you need to complete on your own. A powerful work management tool with a distinctive framework is Infinity. Workspaces, boards, folders, subfolders, tabs, and other tools are available for you to use in order to organize your work by clients or projects and manage deliverables in a variety of ways.
You may see your tasks with Infinity in six different ways, including a calendar, list, table, Gantt chart, and more. By doing so, you’ll be able to organize your workload, progress it through various completion phases, meet deadlines, and impress your clients so they keep hiring you.
There are several properties in Infinity that you can use to better describe your tasks, manage them, and track their completion. Some of these attributes include text, date, label, rating, progress, and more. You may also set reminders, build IFTTT rules, automate some of your manual duties, and ensure that everything is accurate. This is also one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer.
FreeAgent is a well-liked all-purpose accounting program that prepares tax returns, organizes projects, tracks time, and sends invoices, it is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer. For small firms and freelancers in the UK, it is particularly effective.
FreeAgent performs remarkably effectively in a wide variety of use scenarios, despite having a user interface that is a little bit more traditional than some of the other apps for freelancers in this article. FreeAgent offers a simple approach to simplify accounting if you receive payments in different currencies and use an app like TransferWise to receive and convert payments. It’s easy to bill customers in the appropriate currency, track payments in that currency, and automatically convert back to your local currency as well.
Automatically adding expenses made using a business card is simple because to FreeAgent’s connections to numerous well-known banks. Alternatively, you might import a CSV file containing a large number of expenses.
Another financial application, Freshbooks, focuses primarily on making the process of creating and sending invoices simpler. The tool will save you a ton of time by letting you take images of your receipts rather than manually typing in your spending, which is another significant benefit it has over the rivals. This tool is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer.
Toggl is a time-tracking program that can help independent contractors comprehend how long tasks actually take.
You can save time by developing reports for clients rather than keeping track of logged hours and turning them into invoices. The information you want to share can also be filtered and sorted. The files are also available in PDF or CSV. This tool syncs automatically and is accessible on all devices. This is also one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer. The desktop, online, mobile, and browser extensions are all available for time tracking. Additionally, integrated apps like Google Docs, GitHub, and Visual Studio allow you to start the timer immediately from within those programs.
One of the most well-liked accounting programs on the market and one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer, Xero gives independent contractors a superior way to manage their finances and pipeline.
Xero is one of the most widely used accounting tools available, along with QuickBooks. It is incredibly easy to use, exquisitely made, and ideal for freelancers who want to grow their business in the coming years. Whenever you’re ready for additional power from Xero, you can simply switch to the next plan.
As a freelancer, Xero is laser-focused on saving you time by connecting directly to your bank, producing and tracking invoices quickly, and integrating with your preferred business software. You may reduce document clutter and gain further time savings by using Xero’s Hubdoc data capture and automatic input feature.
The three Xero programs are Early ($9/month), Growing ($30/month), and Established ($60/month) for independent contractors. The Established plan, which is the most expensive of those three tiers, is the one we advise, though, as it is the only one that offers features for tracking time, project costs, and several currencies.
Even while it might be challenging for independent contractors to locate the ideal plan, QuickBooks is the industry leader in accounting software and a wonderful fit for many small businesses.
There’s a good likelihood that if I ask you to identify an accounting program, QuickBooks will come to mind. Freelancers can acquire a more affordable plan through QuickBooks Self-Employed than what the most widely used cloud-based solution (QuickBooks Online) provides. However, there are some restrictions with QuickBooks Self-Employed. There is little room for customization and no time tracking capability with this plan, despite the fact that you can send and track straightforward invoices, track mileage, and segregate business and personal spending. Instead, you should select a QuickBooks Online plan for small enterprises. The tool is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer.
Your freelance firm is in a fantastic position to scale once you select a QuickBooks plan since you can change plans and products as needed. Additionally, if you want a wide variety of integrations and a robust feature set, QuickBooks is among your finest options.
Invoice Ocean is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer. Even if the client didn’t request it, sending the client an invoice as proof of the work you’ve accomplished after finishing assignments for them will make you appear more professional. You may simply produce your own invoices using Word or Docs, but Invoice Ocean is a web-based platform that allows you to track all of the invoices you’ve created as well as instantly create new ones. Do you require regular bills? Bill Ocean is capable. It has the ability to make recurring invoices and send them automatically to the email address of your client. A simple (paid) version with better functionality, such as unlimited invoicing, is also available.
A well-liked online payment method that works great for independent contractors is PayPal. It collaborates with well-known freelance markets like 99designs, Fiverr, and Upwork.
Additionally, since PayPal is accessible on more than 200 markets globally, freelancers can offer their services to a global clientele. Due to the availability of over 100 currencies covering more than 200 countries, this service is extremely adaptable. Customers who don’t have a PayPal account can pay with their debit or credit cards or local payment methods.
Additionally, using this payment option increases sales. If a company accepts PayPal, customers are 54% more likely to make a purchase from it, and 59% of PayPal users have given up on a transaction when this option was not available. This is also one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer.
One of the best resources for independent contractors who require assistance with paperwork and other tasks is AND.CO. With AND.CO, you can quickly and easily build proposals that are fully customized (you can add graphics, slides, and anything else that can help you sell your work).
Next, AND.CO makes it incredibly simple to create, sign, and even customize contacts without the need for printing or scanning (attach notes, add or remove clauses). The tool will automatically let you know when a contract is opened, viewed, and signed by a client. This freelancing software will start creating invoices depending on the contracts you sign and will request your approval before being sent to a client. For greater convenience for both you and your customers, AND.CO enables you to take ACH and credit card payments, track payments, and receive payments in any currency.
AND.CO is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer, it offers time and expenditure tracking, task management, and reporting tools in addition to being among the finest invoicing programs for independent contractors, allowing you to effectively expand and manage your business.
For independent contractors who wish to stand out in a congested market, WordPress is one of the essential tools. You may promote your work and attract more clients using this website builder because it has no restrictions and doesn’t require any coding.
With WordPress, you can pick from dozens of themes to instantly make your website, portfolio, shop, or blog mobile friendly. Using the drag-and-drop functionality, you can quickly upload or embed photos, audio, or video to promote yourself in the best possible way. WordPress, one of the best tools for independent contractors, enables you to sell your services, find your audience, and expand your freelancing business. It interacts with Mailchimp, Google Analytics, and a number of SEO tools that can help you make a strong first impression.
If you’re selling something, you may also take payments (global, one-time, and recurring), set up subscriptions, gather leads, and more. There are several simple-to-install plugins for WordPress that will help your freelance business soar. This is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer.
Trello is one of the best solutions for all of your project management requirements and it is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer, but it’s especially handy if you like to collaborate with others. You may add as many people as you want, create an unlimited number of boards, lists, and cards, and view any change made to the material in real time here.
Buffer is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer. You almost have to fight for clients when you freelance. Additionally, you’ll undoubtedly struggle to find clients if you don’t use the power of social media to market yourself and demonstrate your abilities. The type of freelance application called Buffer might assist you in going where your potential clients are.
Make a name for yourself using Buffer, and customers will find you on their own. With the aid of this application, you can organize and produce content for each social media platform where you participate, then quickly gauge the success of each post. You may analyze social media performance to determine what is effective and ineffective. You can also generate reports and obtain advice on how to increase engagement and reach, which could put you in front of the correct audience.
Last but not least, Buffer keeps track of all crucial interactions, prioritizes key chats with prospective customers in your inbox, and displays both essential and unanswered comments. Overall, this is a fantastic tool for independent contractors and anyone else trying to develop a loyal following on social media.
Whether you write for a living or not, your writing should always be flawless. How do you anticipate attracting customers in the first place? You want to polish your writing, get your spelling, style, and tone right, and, among other things, locate the perfect word to convey your ideas to readers and leave a good impression.
One of the best AI-powered tools for freelancers is Grammarly, which can assist you in creating flawless, unambiguous, and error-free texts. If you write, you are well aware that various readers like various writing styles. With the help of Grammarly, you can organize your work by themes and ensure that your message is clear.
The best feature of this program for freelance writers is that you can receive corrections even while you are not working in Grammarly but rather on a professional website like LinkedIn, Twitter, Gmail, Medium, or any other. With Grammarly, you can increase your productivity by editing and producing documents more quickly. You can also produce use, tone, and style reports, store rules, and more. This type of tool is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer.
The best accounting software for independent contractors, freelancers, and self-employed individuals in general is QuickBooks. It can be used to keep track of spending, arrange receipts, calculate taxes, and more. It is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer.
This software makes it simple to segregate professional and personal spending, categorize and track expenses from your smartphone, and import expenses from any of your accounts. To track where your money comes from as well as where it goes, you can establish up to 40 tag categories.
Additionally, QuickBooks enables you to take pictures of receipts, send them via email, and the creators of the application will save, classify, and organize spending so you are fully prepared for tax season.
Additionally, when professionals handle the match, there won’t be any unpleasant shocks at the end of the year. To help you avoid late fees, QuickBooks will calculate your quarterly tax obligations and send you an automatic reminder.
Quickbooks is one of the best tools for independent contractors who want to grow their business because it allows you to run simple reports, view your earnings and losses, obtain summaries of your job activities, and know what to anticipate when tax time comes.
One of the essential tools for your freelancer toolkit is TimeCamp and it is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer. This time tracking program is designed to assist you in regaining clarity, tracking where the majority of your time goes, managing all of your work in one location, and increasing productivity. It also has some basic project management functions.
The automatic time tracking feature of this program is invaluable. Simply scan the domain names of all the websites and applications you frequent, classify them according to categories, and toggle it on with a single click. When you leave your computer, the timer will turn itself off automatically.
If you frequently work in numerous tabs, adding and summarizing entries is as easy as dragging and dropping them. This will help you determine how long it takes to finish a task or project.
It might be difficult to gauge how much time is spent on each client when you are juggling several as a freelancer. You may establish a list of keywords, tag each client or project, quickly jump to them when necessary, and track productivity for each using this software designed for independent contractors.
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Although no one like follow-ups, as a freelancer you don’t want to lose even one client. You might not have an option but to repeatedly show up in their inboxes before you receive a job offer or even a basic response.
This application for independent contractors facilitates communication and enables you to schedule reminders in case some of your clients disappear for whatever reason. Choose the ideal moment for the reminder to go off and concentrate on other tasks in the interim.
Additionally, you have the option to schedule follow-ups that will be immediately canceled if your client reacts earlier than expected. In order to send follow-up emails when you decide the time is right, FollowUp notifies you when your emails are opened.
To avoid having to remember everything, this freelancer tool also allows you to set reminders for social media profiles, online conversations, and websites. It is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer.
One of the greatest tools for independent contractors is Streak, which integrates a whole CRM system with your Gmail account. You can quickly keep track of customer interactions using Streak, which allows you to spend less time dealing with customers and more time working.
You can effortlessly track projects, contacts, and pipelines using this application, which is as easy to use as a spreadsheet and is extremely customizable, right from your inbox. In other words, it automates your pipeline. This is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer.
You may quickly gather information from contacts and emails, and you’ll immediately be informed of any updates. To help you know who you’re speaking with, Streak shows contact information (name, company, number of employees, previous notes you’ve made about the contact, and more) beneath every email.
Streak makes it simple to search, filter, and sort data while allowing you to build custom views based on the outcomes. Streak allows you to plan customised bulk emails, track who opens them, build a library of often sent emails, and more. It also tracks who opens your emails. Last but not least, this freelancing program lists all of your upcoming duties (calls, follow-ups, etc.) so you always know what to do next.
Asana is regarded as one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer. Asana is an all-in-one project management tool for organizing, planning, and controlling teamwork. Users can plan tasks so that participants can exchange comments, files, and progress updates.
It contains a function for tracking progress so users may see updates and reports immediately. As a result, you can address any problems as they arise before they get out of hand. It’s also a terrific way to speed up communication. Your communications with coworkers, clients, and vendors are all saved in one location.
Additionally, it is feasible to work on several projects at once. You can make various projects and ask other teams to work on them all separately. As a result, this tool is appropriate for independent contractors who are working on numerous projects at once.
Twist is a tool for effective communication among distant workers. It is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer. It places a high value on maintaining an orderly and noise-free atmosphere so that team members can access and share information with ease.
To keep conversations grouped by topic, the app employs threads. This makes it simple to return to talks at a later time, whether it be hours, days, or even weeks. This is helpful if you’re working with a big team because there can be hundreds of chats going on at once and important information is easily forgotten.
Twist gets rid of online/offline signs, so employees won’t feel under pressure to be online all day and reply right away. Instead, concentrate on your task and send a report later.
Additionally, you can use integrations to increase its capabilities. It integrates with programs like Trello, Asana, and Google Calendar.
Sharing large files (video, music, and pictures) when working alone can be challenging (especially when attempting to send them using Gmail, which has a 25GB file limit). A secure file-sharing program for independent contractors is called WeTransfer. It enables you to upload huge files up to 200GB in size and forward them simply via email or a direct link.
You may monitor downloads using this tool, as well as how long users spend viewing a file. WeTransfer will immediately let you know when the other party begins the download so you can keep tabs on their actions. It’s reassuring to know that you can change, remove, or forward files in just a few seconds in case you accidentally sent the incorrect version of the files or realized a mistake after you’ve pressed “send.” Alternately, you can impose download time restrictions (1 week, 2 weeks, or whatever suits you best) and maintain control over your content.
That which is best? Wetransfer, one of the best tools for independent contractors, offers you 1TB of storage to store and arrange your items safely. This is one of the Best 21 Tools for Freelancer.
Conclusion
There are a lot of tools available to freelancers. So how do you start? We advise you to begin by using a free time tracker. Consider what takes up your time each week, and try some free productivity software, premade Gmail responses, or auto-replies to set some freelance tasks on autopilot.
In other words, don’t overthink it and avoid making impulsive purchases. Simply track, take a step back, and decide what you can leave to technology. However, when your company expands, your requirements get more complex, and you might need to refer back to this list.
In the end, though, all independent contractors should remember that effective communication prior to, throughout, and after an engagement helps you attract and keep clients. Your own brand is also elevated by it.
Furthermore, you don’t even need to download that free tool. It simply requires practice.
FAQS on Best 21 Tools for Freelancer
What is the best tool to track progress?
Asana is a well-known tool. Teams use the product to communicate about a task or project as well as to track progress on tasks and projects. Boards are available in Asana and can be used to visualize the work. Additionally, there is a task dependency mechanism that allows you to indicate jobs as dependent on other activities.
What is freelancing and how does it work?
Anyone who can be self-motivated will find working as a freelancer very tempting because they get to enjoy flexible schedules, fresh and fascinating work, and don't have to report to a corporate office. It does, however, provide certain difficulties. Having the proper tools might make it simpler for you to navigate and overcome these obstacles.
What kind of tools does freelancers need?
Project and task management, time management, communication, booking, and accounting applications are necessities for freelancers. It is feasible to locate a single tool that offers all of these functionalities, or at least the vast majority of them.
Is freelancing easy?
The life of a freelancer is thorny, much like the majority of flowers. You need a variety of talents for freelancing, including the ability to discover gigs, manage workflow, and handle payments.
To succeed, you must practice self-discipline and put in a lot of effort. Sometimes, you may not have enough work to pay your bills, and the following day, you may be overburdened with work and run out of bandwidth.
Simply said, you must adjust to the circumstances. In the end, it will be worthwhile to put forth the effort.
What are the Writing Tools Freelance Writers Need?
There are a few programs and tools for freelancers that are useful when it comes to article writing. To write material with confidence, writing applications like Grammarly, Dragon Dictation, and ProWritingAid are especially beneficial.
These tools can help you deliver the best work, save time, and enhance your writing.
Do thorough study to determine your needs and get a tool that meets your budget. You can also look into a number of free writing tools that could be useful for producing high-quality articles.
What is the expertise required to become a freelancer?
To be a successful freelancer, you must have great people skills and patience.
Additionally, you will greatly improve your talents and productivity if you discipline yourself to work every day. Always keep in mind that because labor volume can fluctuate, you might experience inconsistent payouts.
Focus on developing new abilities or brushing up on old ones when you don't have a lot of work or leisure time.
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