21+ Insanely Useful Free Tools Every Solopreneur Needs
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We’re not talking about 7-day free trials. We’re talking about business tools that are free forever!
Every DIY boss or solopreneur could use a break, right? Here’s a list of free resources that small business owners can use to make business run smoother, even just a little.
I actually use many of these tools myself, so I’ll give you my thoughts about them.
Now, I can’t guarantee that these companies will keep all of these free business tools as is, but I’m continuously updating this list and hunting for things to add.
Poke around and see which ones you like the best.
Free Management Tools for Solopreneurs
When I want a free tool for my business, I’m not a fan of the 14-day free trials that I’ll forget to cancel. And if it requires my credit card information upfront, forget about it!
However, as you continue to grow your business, you likely will need to invest in things that optimize your time, like CRM software. I use HoneyBook. Feel free to read my HoneyBook review here.
As a new business owner, I prioritized free everything! But that will only get you so far. I soon realized the benefit of sophisticated tools and the true value of them.
However, just because you have to pay for a tool, that doesn’t mean you have to pay full price! The only perk I can offer you is 50% your first year of HoneyBook CRM software. You’ll get a free trial too.
So, let’s dive into all the free business resources that are always free forever (at least, at the time of this post).
Forever Free Writing Tools for Business
No matter what type of business you own, you probably didn’t realize all the writing you have to do!
From email marketing to website copy to social media ads, you are constantly trying to connect with your audience via messaging.
And while you may be an expert in your respective field, most of my clients admit that writing is really hard for them. They spend hours writing one single ad, and it’s never exactly how they want it said. Or, their ad campaign stats come back less than ideal when they write them themselves.
Free writing tools that will help you create better copy and more effective marketing would be wonderful, huh? Here are my recommendations!
Free Marketing Review (with me)
Yeah, let’s start here. Sign up for a free marketing review with me, the copywriter.
We’ll talk about what messaging needs to be improved in order for you to hit your goals. We can discuss website copy, emails, webinars and more.
By the end of the call, I’ll help you prioritize high-impact projects that will give you the fastest wins. And if you want me to write your copy, let’s do it!
#BossBlog
This is the blog on my website. It’s totally devoted to helping business owns make their marketing more effective.
I’ve put together actionable tips and helpful resources that will maximize your marketing efforts. These topics will help you make progress towards higher sales, more engagement, better click-through-rates and beyond.
Check out one of my most popular blog posts: 5 Quick Tips for an Awesome Homepage
Hemingway Editor
If you just want someone to edit your writing, the Hemingway app does exactly that. No need to pay a human!
All you have to do is type or paste in your text. Hemingway will highlight specific areas that need improvement.
It can help you improve the readability of your writing and point out alternative sentences.
Headline Analyzer
Headlines can make or break conversions. That’s why they’re so important!
I love that you can type in a headline, and the software will give you a rating. You can keep tweaking the headline until it is perfect for SEO and readability.
When I was just starting out as a copywriter, it really helped me refine my skills.
Grammarly
It’s like having a little grammar angel on your shoulder as you write online.
It will follow you from email to Google Docs and give you suggestions.
Not only will your formal writing sound amazing, but your emails will be impeccable. Talk about a real business professional!
ClicheFinder
Cliches can just kill the effectiveness of your writing. I love that you can just type in the box, and the software will highlight the cliches in your writing.
It’s just a really simple way to improve your writing, making it compelling and rich.
Forever Free Invoicing Software
I used to be intimidated about invoicing and billing. It seemed so complicated!
Plus, creating every new invoice by hand would be tedious and time consuming.
I desperately needed a simple and fast invoicing software that was easy for me to understand. Hint: I found it!
Wave Invoicing
I used this software for years and loved how user-friendly it was! It made such wonderful and simple invoices, quotes and statements.
With just a few clicks, I could invoice a client, and it looked super professional.
Now, I’m starting to transition to HoneyBook CRM, which integrates all sorts of automation - from invoicing to project management to client nurturing. However, if HoneyBook wasn’t around, I’d want to use Wave forever!
Mr. Biller Invoicing
Another great, easy-to-use free invoicing software!
Mr. Biller does have paid versions, but the free version can serve the purpose - especially for a small business!
The free version allows for unlimited invoices, so the sky’s the limit when it comes to billing.
ReliaBills Invoicing
The free version of ReliaBills shares many of the same features as the paid version.
You’ll get reports, custom invoices and customer data management, all for free!
Forever Free Project Management Tools
When you can have all of your client files in one place - and it can be totally remote, you’ve hit the jackpot!
There are plenty of paid project management software products that are great, but right now, we’re talking about free stuff!
Google Products
I mean, can you really get more user-friendly and integrated than Google? I used to only use Google’s free version of Gmail (and its accoutrements).
Now, I pay only $6 for the Google Business Suite. However, even if you want to use the free version, let me just make sure you know the crazy amount of tools that you can get from Google.
Google Docs
Google Slides (yeah, forget PowerPoint)
Google Drive
Google Sheets
Google Meet (no Zoom required)
Google Contacts
Google Analytics
More!
Forever Free Social Media Business Tools
Keeping up with social media as a solopreneur is such a hustle, right? Luckily, there are plenty of free tools to help you create amazing, shareable content.
Linktree
I like that you can connect several different links on Linktree. It gives you the ability to funnel your social media click-throughs into the right category.
If you can funnel people in the correct manner, that will lead to more conversions through each respective link!
Bannersnack
You get a limited number of ads on the free version of Bannersnack, but I’ve been able to recreate existing ads into completely new ones. So, I’ve never needed the paid version.
I’ve used the Bannersnack templates and have created my own original stuff, but both tend to turn out pretty well.
Canva
It’s extremely similar to Bannersnack, however, I tend to like Canva’s templates better. They just look a little more professional. Still very easy to use.
Some of the templates and options are excluded from the free version, but you still get plenty of great stuff!
Later
Even though Later recently decreased the number of free social media posts you can schedule per month, it’s still plenty for a small business.
You can hook up all of your accounts. I use Later to post on my Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
I love the drag-and-drop features! Plus, you can save hashtags, captions and previous media.
Forever Free Website Photos
Every great website needs professional-looking photos to look like the real deal. I used to worry that I’d have to buy every picture I wanted for my website, but that’s not the case.
Pexels
I use Pexels all the time. Throughout my entire website, you’ll see images from Pexels.
They seem to have a pretty big selection of all different types of photos. I also confirmed with the company that these pictures are completely free to use. You can even manipulate them for marketing materials, all for free!
Pixabay
Pixabay claims they have over 1.5 million photos that are free to use. You can find ones that work for you, right? The layout is very similar to Pexels.
Just know that the sponsored photos show up right at the top. These sponsored photos do require payment.
Unsplash
Another great free photo tool! They claim to have over 1 million free photos, so that’s plenty.
Just like Pixabay, however, they put their paid or sponsored photos up at the top, so don’t choose those.
Forever Free SEO Tools
If you want to “make it” as an online business, you better know how to use SEO! Using these free tools will help you improve your Google ranking so that you get more attention online.
After all, if your links don’t show up on the first page, they may never be clicked!
Ubersuggest
I use Neil Patel’s free SEO tool all the time. Even though the free version only allows you to search 3 keywords per day, that’s usually enough for me whenever I want to write a single blog post.
Once you enter the keyword you want to learn about, the software gives you so much insight: search volume, competition stats, SEO difficulty, longtail keyword suggestions, competitor links.
I learn so much when browsing through the data. This tool has helped me rank within the top 2 on Google for certain pages!
SEO Unlocked Course
Another free tool from Neil Patel! I found his free SEO Unlocked course to be really helpful.
You get a background in how to use SEO. Plus, the worksheets will help you apply the concepts.
He covers everything from on-page SEO to off-page SEO.
Because of what I learned in the course, I rank in the top 2 for several of my articles (and I’ve remained there for years)!
MetaTags
Whenever a client needs me to write their Google Titles and Google Metas to rank better, I use this software!
It counts your characters so that you don’t get the “…” on the meta description, which can actually hurt your rankings.
It also shows you what it will look like as a Google entry. This is helpful because I can manipulate the words to make sure it stands out when scrolling.
You’ll also be able to see what the entry will look like on Facebook and in other online formats.
Forever Free Time Logging Apps
It’s a really good idea to know how much time a particular task will take you. This helps determine your rates and will help you understand where time is optimized (and where time is wasted).
Toggl
Toggl is my choice in time trackers, mainly because it’s super easy to use and to edit your entries. It also creates colorful and straightforward reports.
I’ve sent these reports to hourly clients, and they can see how long each task was performed.
Add to My List of Free Solopreneur Resources!
Did I miss any great free business tools? Have any of these companies started charging? Let me know.
