Essential Tools for Freelancing Productivity
- Eniokos
- Nov 7, 2024
- 10 min read
Freelance work is a business. A very small solo business, but business, nonetheless.
If you want to make it work, you need to handle multiple projects in a streamlined way. For that, you need some tools, systems, and skills.
Here is a list of tools that help you to work, collaborate, and deliver like a professional.
💻Why you need productivity tools
In freelancing, you are essentially a one-person business. And apart from your main work, you have to take care of many other aspects of the business.
Being good at your core skill, whether it's writing, editing, transcribing, subtitling, social media, graphics, or web designing, is one part of the equation. But to run your work smoothly, you need to be comfortable with using productivity tools that help you in managing time schedules, staying organized, communicating effectively with clients, and managing your digital files.
If you develop systematic work processes from the beginning, it will be easier for you when the work expands. If you treat it like a well-oiled business machinery, adapting to scaling or a team of employees will be smooth and less prone to crises.
Some people grow up using some of these tools and with time, easily adapt to newer tools as they come along. Some are early adopters and like to explore newly launched tools. However, many people don't get exposed to productivity tools until they start working. If you are new to these tools, start exploring them to find out what works best for you.
💰⌚How much Money and Time do they need?
These extra skills are worth spending time on because they can really help you perform better and earn higher. These are not complex or expensive tools — most are free or already available through basic subscriptions. But yes, the key is knowing how to use them well and effectively.
If you are disorganized in your approach to work, you will pay for it in the form of loss of clients, bad reviews, and personal stress.
New freelancers sometimes spend money on online courses or masterclasses to learn new things that can help their business or career. However, there are many YouTube tutorials that can teach you quite a few useful skills, for free.
A few weeks or months of usage will tell you which tools are valuable for you, and you can get their pro versions if required, as an investment into your business.
Continuous skill development is essential to staying relevant and updated. When you get free time, make it a habit to tinker around with new tools to add them to your quiver.
😑What do I Personally Use
I use most of the tools given below in the list. Others I have used or explored in the past. Some tools from Zoho are new and although I like them, I have no pressing need right now to shift to using them regularly.
I am a huge fan of Zoho (no affiliation, just love it) and use many tools from their productivity suite. I am also an unpaid and unbiased fan of Wix, which has allowed me to set up multiple businesses from scratch, all DIY, and whose integrated tools I use for social media, blogging, financial integration, forms, etc.
⛅ Cloud Citizenship Everywhere!
When collaborating on documents or files, I do as the client does. On my own computers, I’ve built a system over the years that works for me.
Mainly I use Dropbox, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Spreadsheet (I like it better than MS Excel for my purposes) and the Microsoft ecosystem (especially OneDrive). I also use secure large file transfer services for some clients.
For project collaboration, I have used Asana, Trello, and Google Spaces in the past, but not all clients are comfortable with it. Most like to use Dropbox/GDrive and Email/WhatsApp.
If you are familiar with different tools, it allows you to be flexible with clients according to their favorite tools.
My goal with this series is to share the tools that I have used in the past or still use to make my work life easier and better. I will also share some excellent tutorials on YouTube so that you can use them for your professional development.
📌Master List of Useful Tools for Freelance Productivity
Below is the master list of some essential digital tools for freelancers, organized by category. I have also included some basic tools that you might already be using for your core work.
Some of these tools might be a part of your basic tools, depending on your core work, but they may be extra or new for someone else.
I have focused on tools that are free or freemium, mobile-accessible, and easy enough for a beginner to learn.
1. Research Notes & Knowledge Management
a. OneNote (Free, Easy) — Best for multimedia notes, syncs well with Microsoft ecosystem. Great on mobile.
Pro Tip: Use a touch pen on mobile for better ergonomics.
b. Zoho Notebook (Free, Easy) — Clean UI, good for multimedia notes. Mobile-friendly.
c. Notion (Freemium, Medium) — Highly flexible, but steeper learning curve. Works well on mobile with some limitations. You can learn how to use it here.
d. Obsidian (Freemium, Medium) — Markdown-based, best for building knowledge webs. Desktop-focused. This is good for managing information, especially if like me, you work on projects that require extensive research.
Pro tips:
Use simple tags and consistent naming. If you don't have a system, you won’t find it later. Use client or project name, dates, etc., to name files and folders.
Things that you saved quickly, remember to clean them up weekly. Review and prune regularly. If everything is important, nothing is.
Create reusable templates for recurring tasks. Use templates for meeting notes, client onboarding, weekly planning, etc. Saves time and adds structure.
2. Word Processing & Collaboration
a. Google Docs (Free, Easy) — Real-time collaboration, cloud-based, works very well on mobile.
b. Microsoft Word (Online) (Freemium, Easy) — Robust word processor. Online version is free and mobile-accessible.
c. Zoho Writer (Free, Easy) — Feature-rich and clean interface, very mobile-friendly.
d. One Note: This is not a word processor but does allow some basic formatting. I use it extensively to share written content (where formatting is not important) with file attachments with my academic clients. It allows a hierarchical system of Notebooks-> Sections-> Pages, that really goes well with educational courses.
3. Cloud Storage & File Management
a. Google Drive (Free, Easy) — Universal tool for cloud storage and sharing. Mobile-accessible. If you are an android and Gmail user, it might be worth buying extra storage. Easy to share files, work collaboratively on a document in real time, but needs a browser to work. Setting up Google Drive on your computer is also possible to use its sync feature.
b. OneDrive (Freemium, Easy) — Integrates well with Microsoft tools. Mobile-friendly. Easy to share files, work collaboratively on a document in real time, and can be accessed both from a Windows computer and a browser.
c. Dropbox (Freemium, Easy) — Easy file sharing and backup. Mobile support available. I am not happy with their Windows application, but it has become indispensable for the amazing features.
One Drive and Dropbox allow password protection, and time-limited download access. Google Drive is accessible and familiar to most clients, and is often the preferred tool.
4. Spreadsheets & Data Tools
a. Google Sheets (Free, Medium) — Collaborative spreadsheets. Mobile accessible. If you learn some basic ways to embed formulas, links and formatting, you can use Google Sheets in a variety of ways. I used it to create quotes and invoices before I moved to Wix.
b. Microsoft Excel (Paid, Medium) — Powerful data tool. Mobile version available but limited. I use this more for my personal purposes but sometimes need it for collaborating with clients who use it more extensively.
c. Zoho Sheet (Free, Medium) — Alternative to Sheets and Excel, well-optimized for mobile.
Pro Tip: Label things clearly, use comments or notes to add context for future, and VERSION CONTROL will save a lot of trouble!
5. Time Tracking & Task Logs
a. Toggl Track (Freemium, Easy) — Simple time tracking, good mobile app. I use this.
b. Clockify (Freemium, Easy) — Alternative to Toggl, browser-based + mobile.
c. Pomofocus (Free, Easy) — Web-based Pomodoro timer. Great for focused work.
Pro tip: A good time-tracker helps, but your willingness to log tasks regularly matters more. Consistency beats fancy features.
6. Task & Project Management
a. Microsoft To Do (Free, Easy) — Simple personal task manager. Great mobile app. I use this.
b. Trello (Freemium, Easy) — Visual project boards. Mobile-friendly. I use this.
c. ClickUp (Freemium, Medium) — Highly customizable, great for teams. Mobile version has full features.
d. Asana (Freemium, Medium) — Good for task delegation and timelines. Mobile support available.
e. Google Keep (Free, Easy) — I use this to store all sorts of notes, tasks, etc., and sync them across devices.
f. Google Calendar and Tasks (Free, Easy) — This is a versatile tool for using in many different ways to keep track of tasks, deadlines, etc.
Pro Tip: Separate idea storage from action tracking. Jot down ideas freely, but don’t mix them with your to-do list or you’ll end up doing neither well.
7. Video Calls & Screen Sharing
a. Zoom (Freemium, Easy) — Popular choice for calls, breakout rooms, and screen sharing.
b. Google Meet (Free, Easy) — Integrated with Gmail and Calendar, screen sharing supported.
c. Microsoft Teams (Freemium, Medium) — Best with Office integration. Can be heavier for mobile.
d. WhatsApp (Free, Easy) — WhatsApp now allows screensharing. This is the preferred mode of communication for most Asian clients of mine. However, US and EU clients prefer email and Zoom for comms.
Pro Tip: Use a dual-SIM phone and keep a separate WhatsApp number for work—it helps draw a clear line between your freelance life and personal chats.
8. Graphic Design & Visuals
a. Canva (Freemium, Easy) — Easy-to-use design tool, rich templates. Excellent mobile app. I use a pro version.
b. Desygner (Freemium, Easy) — Alternative to Canva, intuitive mobile design.
9. Workflow Automation
a. IFTTT (Freemium, Medium) — Automates routine tasks across apps. Mobile supported. IFTTT offers great ease of use. You can link different services together to create some great automations. We use a pro version to integrate various services across 10 Google accounts and 8 Android Devices.
b. Zapier (Freemium, Medium) — Powerful workflows, more options than IFTTT, but not mobile-friendly.
10. PDF Tools
a. PDF-XChange Editor (Free, Medium) — Annotate, edit, and sign PDFs. Windows-focused.
b. Smallpdf (Freemium, Easy) — Online PDF compression, merge, convert. Mobile browser-friendly.
c. Foxit PDF Reader (Freemium, Easy) — Reliable reader and annotator.
d. Adobe Acrobat: I am not a fan of Adobe for their prohibitively high pricing for people just starting out in their careers, but it is of course, the better-known name in PDF editing.
👉In PDF management, I use Foxit PDF Editor pro version (purchased with one-time payment before they came out with subscription only model) on one system and PDF X pro version on another.
11. Client Communication & Intake
a. Google Forms (Free, Easy) — Create client intake forms or surveys.
b. Tally.so (Freemium, Easy) — Beautiful forms, Notion-style. Mobile-ready.
c. Jotform (Freemium, Easy) — Advanced form builder with conditional logic.
d. Wix (paid, medium) — Wix has a lot of built-in features that I use for client intake. I also have a dedicated project dashboard page for each project which the client can access with a password.
12. Freelance Finance & Invoicing
a. Zoho Invoice (Free, Easy) — Professional invoicing with GST support. Mobile app available.
b. Wave (Free, Easy) — Well-rounded invoicing and accounting tool for freelancers.
c. Refrens (Free, Easy) — Indian alternative for invoicing with TDS/GST options.
Pro Tip: If you only handle a few projects a month, full-fledged invoicing tools are not essential. With a selective clientele and low volume, it's perfectly manageable to create and track invoices using Excel, Google Sheets, or even a simple custom template on your Wix site. But consistency, good record keeping and clear organization is important.
OPTIONAL TOOLS
The tools listed below aren’t core to freelance operations like task management or client communication, but they’re still important to know about.
Many of these—like backup systems, email clients, password managers, and security tools—are things you might already use for personal purposes. However, they become even more valuable when you’re managing client data and business workflows.
Consider this a list of optional but useful tools that can help you stay organized, secure, and a little more prepared for the unexpected.
13. Backup & Cloud Sync
Always assume things can crash—because someday, they will.
👉Use cloud sync (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive) and keep a local backup for critical files. Automate it if you can. For client projects, keep separate folders, label clearly, and avoid storing sensitive files on unsecured devices.
👉If you're handling confidential data, consider encrypted storage or password-protected files. And remember: backing up once a week isn’t enough—set it to sync daily or in real time, especially for active work.
Here are some apps for computer backup.
a. Backblaze (Paid, Easy) — Set-it-and-forget-it cloud backup for all files. Not mobile-focused. I have used this in the past and love it.
b. Sync.com (Freemium, Easy) — Privacy-focused cloud storage and backup.
c. pCloud (Freemium, Easy) — Encrypted file storage with lifetime plans available.
d. OneDrive (Part of Windows ecosystem, get with MS Office 365) — Backs up folders from your Windows pc.
14. Security & Password Management
a. Bitwarden (Free, Easy) — Secure password manager, open source, mobile app available.
b. LastPass (Freemium, Easy) — Popular password manager with cross-device sync.
In LastPass, you can store more than just passwords—you can securely save notes, images, and important documents. It's a smart way to keep important information safe and easily retrievable, without leaving it exposed or scattered across devices. But remember even LastPass was hacked. Assume that everything we have on a computer, or the cloud, can be hacked.
c. Authy (Free, Easy) — Two-factor authentication app, very secure and user-friendly.
15. Email Management
Email is still at the heart of freelance communication, yet many freelancers overlook how powerful email tools can be when used well.
I use Gmail and Zoho Mail — both offer excellent features for professional use, especially the option to link your domain name, which adds credibility when communicating with clients.
a. Thunderbird (Free, Medium) — Powerful email client with local storage and plugins. I have used this in the past. If you want an app instead of the browser, you can use this.
Thunderbird might seem old-school, but it still has its loyal users—especially among those who prefer desktop email clients with more control and less distraction. It supports multiple accounts, offline access, and custom extensions, making it a useful option for those managing several inboxes or needing a more private, lightweight setup.
Also, MS Outlook can work similarly if you already use the Windows ecosystem. It has features like focused inbox, folder organization, rules for auto-forwarding, and conditional formatting, and is flexible. Much like Gmail and Zoho, Outlook supports filters and custom rules that help you automate sorting, tagging, and follow-ups
b. Spark Mail (Freemium, Easy) — Great for managing multiple accounts. Mobile-friendly.
c. Zoho Mail (Free, Easy) — Ad-free, privacy-focused email with good mobile support. I use paid version of Zoho mail for business domain linked email service.
d. Gmail (Free, Easy) — Good old Gmail can be easily made even more productive in quite easy ways if you know how to create filters, labels, rules (using Google Scripts), set up forward rules and control multiple email id's.
Pro Tip: I personally enjoy using Zoho Mail, not just for its clean interface but also because it connects seamlessly with other apps in the Zoho ecosystem. Gmail, on the other hand, remains my go-to for its smart search, filters, labels, and integrations. There are tons of time-saving tricks in Gmail worth exploring if you haven’t already. And I have linked and synced my Zoho mails and Gmail accounts, so I can access them from whatever app is handy at the moment.
