Hey there, small business owners! Are you tired of feeling like you’re always one step behind the competition?
If the answer is yes then it’s time to take your business to the next level with the help of some powerful free tools.
In today’s fast-paced digital world, it can be tough to keep up with the latest trends and technologies. But fear not – I’ve got you covered.
In this post, I’ll introduce you to 50 of the best free tools to empower your small business in 2023. With these free tools, you can achieve all these goals and more without spending a dime.
That’s right – not only will these tools make your work easier, but they won’t cost you an arm and a leg either.
So, get ready to take notes and start implementing these game-changing tools today. Trust me, your business and bank account will thank you for it!
Key Features to Look for in a Small Business Tool
Before we dive in, let’s talk about what to look for when selecting a tool for your small business. While there are many options available, we all know that not all software is worth your time.
To get the most out of any business tool, it helps to think about a few things things first. Things like ease of use, scalability, security, and customer support.
These features are crucial and we’re about to explain why in a little more detail. So, let’s look closer at what you should look for in every small business tool to avoid wasting your time.
Easy to Use
When selecting a small business tool, you want to ensure it’s easy to use. If the tool is difficult to navigate, it can slow down your workflow and cause more problems than it solves.
Scalability is another factor that’s important for your business’s growth. As your business grows, your needs will change, and any tools you are using must be able to adapt.
Secure
Security is also an essential feature to consider when selecting a tool. Tools that lack proper security measures can leave you vulnerable to cyber threats. Any tool you add to your workflow needs to use latest encryption and security protocols.
Good Customer Support
Another feature to consider is customer support. When using a new tool, questions will arise, or issues will occur. That’s why selecting a tool with good customer support is essential.
You want to be able to contact the support team when you need them. Get back a response. And for that response to actually make sense. Not just a copy and pasted, canned response from the online help files you already read.
By sticking to these three basic criteria you can go along way to avoid wasting any of your time and money. Plus you’ll likely avoid a few massive headaches in the long run.
1.
AdvaPay is an awesome option for small business owners looking for a better way to manage their employees. (Not that we’re biased or anything.)
- Manage a ton of functions all in one place. Think payroll, timekeeping, HR, and onboarding and thats just a start. AdvaPay let’s you say goodbye to all the separate tools (or spreadsheets) your using to handle HR stuff. Yeah!!
- Easy to use and unlike some platforms you won’t need to complete 20 hours of training to get going. Plus, AdvaPay is scalable, allowing it to grow with your business as your needs change.
- Security is another key feature of our system. That’s why we use the latest encryption and other security protocols. So you can trust that all your employee’s confidential is safe and secure and yes – HIPAA compliant.
Feature Summary
- Simple Payroll Processing
- Direct Deposit
- Easy to use Employee Self Service
- Robust Timekeeping
- Time off tracking with approvals
- Employment and Salary History
- Pre-built reports & Custom report builder
- New Hire Onboarding
Pros
- Payroll Processing is simple
- Easy for Employee to navigate
- Awesome Custome Service
- Everyting from timekeeping, benefits, payroll, HR and learning all in one place
- Excellent self-guided training portal
Cons
- Benefit setup/integration can be complicated
- Strict password requirements
Free plan available
Accounting and Finance
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- You want to be able to contact the support team when you need them. Get back a response. And for that response to actually make sense. Not just a copy and pasted, canned response from the online help files you already read.
- By sticking to these three basic criteria you can go along way to minimize wasted time and money. Plus you’ll likely avoid a few massive headaches in the long run.
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- GPS-time tracking
- Dedicated work chat
- Forms & checklists
- Task management
- Training & onboarding
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- All-in-one solution
- Great customer support
- Budget-friendly
- 100% free plan for up to 10 users
Cons
- Integrations in development
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users Free 14-day trial Free plan available2.
Invoicing and Payment Processing Wave is an invoicing and payment processing tool that can help you create professional invoices, accept online payments, and manage your business finances.
Feature Summary
- Pay calculation
- API for custom integration
- Single sign-on capability
- Standard reports
- Accounts payable
- Expense management
Pros
- Categorize, If you’re willing to manually issue payroll
- it’s by far the cheapest payroll service
- Invoices with automatic reminders
- Generate reports
Cons
- Access to submit question
- Bookkeepers won’t use it, making it only useful for small business owners who do their own books
- Recurring invoice numbers not consecutive
- Communication of timelines & support issues
Free plan available
3.
Accounting and Financial Management GnuCash is an open-source accounting and financial management tool that can help you manage your finances, including expenses, income, and cash flow.
Feature Summary
- Double Entry
- Checkbook-style register
- scheduled transactions
- Reports
- Graphs
- Multiple Currencies
Pros
- Cost
- Offers both personal and small business functionality
- Uses double-entry accounting
- As there is a large community of users, one can stay assured of the latest updates as well as forum support
Cons
- Initial setup may be confusing
- Does not offer formal product support options
- Report customization options are limited, Maybe it is not so complete and somebody could miss some features
Free plan available
4.
Budgeting and Expense Tracking Mint is a budgeting and expense tracking tool that can help you manage your personal and business finances in one place.
Feature Summary
- All accounts in one place
- Budgeting goal tracker
- Bill payment tracker
- Investment tracker
- Safety & security
- Free credit score
Pros
- Most of the app’s features are free to use
- Offers direct import and automatic categorizing to save you some time
- Offers customized alerts and reminders to keep you on track with bill payments and more
- Syncs to a diverse set of financial accounts
Cons
- Ads can feel intrusive
- You can’t get all of the app’s features without paying a monthly fee
- No joint accounts, Categories may assign incorrectly
- Occasional account connection issues
Free plan available
5.
Better Forms (a Great Alternative to Typeform) Tally Forms is a form building tool that offers more customization options than Typeform, including the ability to add conditional logic and create custom themes.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
6.
Get Ad and Analytics Data into Google Sheets (Alternative to Supermetrics) Weld is a tool that can help you connect your ad and analytics data to Google Sheets, making it easier to analyze and visualize your data.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
Communication
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Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
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- You want to be able to contact the support team when you need them. Get back a response. And for that response to actually make sense. Not just a copy and pasted, canned response from the online help files you already read.
- By sticking to these three basic criteria you can go along way to minimize wasted time and money. Plus you’ll likely avoid a few massive headaches in the long run.
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- GPS-time tracking
- Dedicated work chat
- Forms & checklists
- Task management
- Training & onboarding
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- All-in-one solution
- Great customer support
- Budget-friendly
- 100% free plan for up to 10 users
Cons
- Integrations in development
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users Free 14-day trial Free plan available7.
As an AI chatbot, ChatGpt can help small business owners with various tasks, including customer service, lead generation, and marketing. With its natural language processing capabilities, ChatGpt can understand and respond to customer inquiries and provide helpful information in real-time.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
8.
Video Conferencing and Virtual Meetings Zoom is a popular video conferencing and virtual meeting tool that can help you connect with clients, customers, and team members, regardless of their location.
Feature Summary
- Employee scheduling
- GPS-time tracking
- Dedicated work chat
- Forms & checklists
- Task management
- Training & onboarding
Pros
- Meeting with large group of people
- Screen recording and virtual whiteboard
- Video and audio quality
- easy to add any new person as meeting participant
Cons
- We’d like to see a more lightweight Zoom which has more simple UI and consume less system resource
- Security and privacy concerns, Lack of compatibility with Voip phones
Free plan available
9.
Feature Summary
- Task Management
- Scheduling
- Workflow Automation
- Chat
- Document collaboration
- Integrates with Google Drive
Pros
- connecting with your teammates
- Asynchronous communication
- Direct communication is simple but well presented
- Slack enables transparent communications
- Connectivity is better then other chat forums
Cons
- more privacy in the group chats
- Video calls are sometimes wonky, though better than they used to be
- Searching for specific conversations can be hard
- Updates sometimes trigger notifications
- Tools to annotate on top of graphics.
Free plan available
10.
Creating Personal Screenshare Videos for Marketing and Sales Purposes Loom is a tool that can help you create personalized screenshare videos for marketing and sales purposes. This can be a great way to connect with potential clients and customers on a more personal level.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
Customer Service
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
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- You want to be able to contact the support team when you need them. Get back a response. And for that response to actually make sense. Not just a copy and pasted, canned response from the online help files you already read.
- By sticking to these three basic criteria you can go along way to minimize wasted time and money. Plus you’ll likely avoid a few massive headaches in the long run.
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- GPS-time tracking
- Dedicated work chat
- Forms & checklists
- Task management
- Training & onboarding
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- All-in-one solution
- Great customer support
- Budget-friendly
- 100% free plan for up to 10 users
Cons
- Integrations in development
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users Free 14-day trial Free plan available11.
Customer Relationship and Sales Lead Management HubSpot CRM is a customer relationship and sales lead management tool that can help you track interactions with clients and prospects, manage your sales pipeline, and streamline your marketing efforts.
Feature Summary
- Organize and prioritize service tickets
- Subscription-based notifications
- Ticket creation and submission
- Ticket response
- External knowledge base
- Internal knowledge base
Pros
- Great interface for tracking emails & replies
- It can be configured to look like simple email
- It gives us great organization for our different departments and our coaches
- Very easy and friendly user interface
Cons
- It is a bit slow sometimes, but not very often
- Lacks a spam filter
- Help Scout was pretty late to the game for a JIRA integration
- The tagging function is a bit onerous and took a while to strategize and set up, More detailed analytics
Free plan available
12.
Email Collaboration and Team Communication Hiver is an email collaboration and team communication tool that can help you manage your inbox, collaborate with your team, and delegate tasks without leaving your email.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
Design
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
With bullets
- You want to be able to contact the support team when you need them. Get back a response. And for that response to actually make sense. Not just a copy and pasted, canned response from the online help files you already read.
- By sticking to these three basic criteria you can go along way to minimize wasted time and money. Plus you’ll likely avoid a few massive headaches in the long run.
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- GPS-time tracking
- Dedicated work chat
- Forms & checklists
- Task management
- Training & onboarding
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- All-in-one solution
- Great customer support
- Budget-friendly
- 100% free plan for up to 10 users
Cons
- Integrations in development
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users Free 14-day trial Free plan available13.
Graphics and Marketing Materials Canva is a simple design tool that can help you create graphics and marketing materials, even if you have no design experience.
Feature Summary
- Curved text generator
- Photo effects
- Image enhancer
- Online video recorder
- Convert videos to MP4
- Video trimmer
Pros
- social media posts
- Social Media images
- No setup fee, Social Media images
- Logo creation
Cons
- Some physical placement tools are hard to use
- Direct to print options are non-existent
- Sometimes “search” acts a little funny
- Mobile App is difficult to use
Free plan available
14.
Wireframes and Flow Charts Whimsical is a wireframing and flow chart tool that can help you create diagrams, flowcharts, and wire.
Feature Summary
- Communication Management
- Drag & Drop Editor
- Project Management
- Wireframe Creation
- Design Templates
- Real Time Editing
Pros
- Enable collaboration in designing diagrams
- Allow for comments and feedback
- Can be customized with themeing
- Collaboration between workmates
- Workflow visualization
Cons
- Inserting links is not intuitive or user friendly
- Editing diagrams can get frustrating and tedious
- Nitpicking here but not a big fan of the default font
- Performance on older hardware is not so good
Free plan available
15.
Dead Simple Design Tool for Everything Figma is a user-friendly design tool that can help you create designs for everything from websites to mobile apps. It also allows for real-time collaboration, making it easier to work with your team.
Feature Summary
- API
- CAD Tools
- Commenting/Notes
- Design Management
- Collaboration Tools
- Data Import/Export
Pros
- Product Design
- Easy to use, similar to adobe products
- Device agnostic
- Show the application flow
- Allows you to design screens easily
Cons
- Design library management
- Better responsive prototyping
- Providing starter files
- High learning curve
- It’s good if Figma increase the number of files use in free access
Free plan available
16.
This free and open-source digital painting software is perfect for small businesses that want to create professional-looking graphics and illustrations without breaking the bank.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
17.
This free painting software offers a wide range of tools and brushes for digital artists, including realistic brushes that mimic the look and feel of traditional media.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
Icons/Stock Photos
With bullets
- You want to be able to contact the support team when you need them. Get back a response. And for that response to actually make sense. Not just a copy and pasted, canned response from the online help files you already read.
- By sticking to these three basic criteria you can go along way to minimize wasted time and money. Plus you’ll likely avoid a few massive headaches in the long run.
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- GPS-time tracking
- Dedicated work chat
- Forms & checklists
- Task management
- Training & onboarding
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- All-in-one solution
- Great customer support
- Budget-friendly
- 100% free plan for up to 10 users
Cons
- Integrations in development
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users Free 14-day trial Free plan availableYour Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
18.
If you need free vector graphics for your small business, Vecteezy is a great resource. They offer a wide range of vector files that can be downloaded and used for free.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
19.
Iconic is another great resource for free icons that can be used for commercial purposes. They offer a wide range of high-quality icons in various styles and formats, including SVG, PNG, and web font.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
20.
If you’re looking for free vector graphics, SVGPorn is a great resource to check out. They offer a vast library of SVG files that can be downloaded and used for free.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
21.
Free Stock Photos and Drawings Unsplash and Undraw are both great resources for finding high-quality, free stock photos and drawings in PNG and SVG formats.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
22.
Great Free Library of Icons with a Figma Plugin Feather Icons is a library of free icons that can be used with Figma and other design tools.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
23.
Design Inspiration Dribbble is a community of designers where you can find inspiration and showcase your own work.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
24.
This website offers a vast library of free stock photos and videos that can be used for commercial purposes. Whether you need images for your website, blog, or social media accounts, Pixabay has a wide range of high-quality options to choose from.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
25.
Similar to Pixabay, Pexels is another great source for free stock photos and videos that can be used for commercial purposes.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
Project Management
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
With bullets
- You want to be able to contact the support team when you need them. Get back a response. And for that response to actually make sense. Not just a copy and pasted, canned response from the online help files you already read.
- By sticking to these three basic criteria you can go along way to minimize wasted time and money. Plus you’ll likely avoid a few massive headaches in the long run.
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- GPS-time tracking
- Dedicated work chat
- Forms & checklists
- Task management
- Training & onboarding
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- All-in-one solution
- Great customer support
- Budget-friendly
- 100% free plan for up to 10 users
Cons
- Integrations in development
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users Free 14-day trial Free plan available26.
Project Management and Team Collaboration Trello is a project management and team collaboration tool that allows you to organize and prioritize tasks, assign responsibilities, and communicate with your team members in real-time.
Feature Summary
- Task Management
- Gantt Charts
- Resource Management
- Workflow Automation
- Document Management
- Timesheet Tracking
Pros
- Improve collaboration
- Project Management
- Increase the workflow
- Boost productivity
- Organise priorities within a project
Cons
- Providing more advanced automation options would help users save time
- Saving a card without having to click enter once typed, it remains there
- Trello’s notifications can be overwhelming at times, especially for users who are part of multiple boards
- Automatically determine when a swimlane is over capacity
Free plan available
27.
Task and Deadline Management Asana is a task and deadline management tool that can help you organize your tasks, set deadlines, and track your progress. It also offers collaboration features to help you work with your team.
Feature Summary
- Task Management
- Gantt Charts
- Resource Management
- Project & financial reporting
- Integration with accounting software
- Timesheet Tracking
Pros
- Project Managing
- Asana also provides tool for forms that helps us create surveys or gather required info in an easy way
- Documentation in threads
- Manage tasks across departments
- Assigning tasks to other users is easy
Cons
-
, , ,
- Asana can provide a more easy way to link hierarchical tasks, projects and their dependencies
- Asana can also provide features to import documents from other softwares
- No track through notifications if members are removed
- More free/not-premium features
Free plan available
28.
29.
Click Up is a cloud-based project management tool that enables real-time task creation, priority setting, and progress tracking. It offers multiple customizable views, including List, Board, Calendar, and Mind Map, that help users manage projects more efficiently by providing different perspectives to help visualize workflows.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
Marketing
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
With bullets
- You want to be able to contact the support team when you need them. Get back a response. And for that response to actually make sense. Not just a copy and pasted, canned response from the online help files you already read.
- By sticking to these three basic criteria you can go along way to minimize wasted time and money. Plus you’ll likely avoid a few massive headaches in the long run.
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- GPS-time tracking
- Dedicated work chat
- Forms & checklists
- Task management
- Training & onboarding
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- All-in-one solution
- Great customer support
- Budget-friendly
- 100% free plan for up to 10 users
Cons
- Integrations in development
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users Free 14-day trial Free plan available30.
Social Media Management and Scheduling Hootsuite is a social media management and scheduling tool that can help you schedule posts, track engagement, and manage multiple social media accounts from one place.
Feature Summary
- Boolean keyword searches
- Content planning and scheduling
- Automated routing and prioritization
- Lead generation
- Campaign success analytics
- Bulk actions
Pros
- Interact with the target audience
- Efficient scheduling software
- Schedule posts
- Pull monthly reports
Cons
- Fix the Grammarly feature. It forces you to do more work than I had set out to do originally
- Adding an external client review functionality such as providing a link to external parties who aren’t added as a hoot suite member
- Responding Youtube comments within the Stream
- Integration with Twitter for in depth numbers
Free plan available
31.
Email Marketing and Audience Segmentation Mailchimp is a popular email marketing tool that can help you create and send professional-looking email campaigns, segment your audience, and analyze the results.
Feature Summary
- Ability to test dynamic content
- Event/webinar marketing
- Social sharing and campaigns
- Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM
- Integration with Salesforce.com
- Email deliverability reporting
Pros
- Embed codes for websites which can be easily copy and pasted onto websites for instant usage
- Vast integration with third party software tools we use
- like Livechat and Slack
Cons
- Other lead generator / email capture software allow for better HTML / customization of emails campaigns
- Inadequate customization options on Mailchimps email builder
Free plan available
32.
Learn Everything About Your Competitor’s Audience SparkToro is a tool that can help you learn everything about your competitor’s audience, including their interests, behavior, and demographics. This can help you make data-driven decisions about your own marketing strategy.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
33.
Snag Emails from LinkedIn at Scale Snov is a tool that can help you automate the process of finding and verifying emails from LinkedIn profiles. This can be useful for building your email list and reaching out to potential clients or partners.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
34.
Simple AI Content Generation Snazzy is an AI content generation tool that can help you generate content ideas and even write articles for you.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
35.
Website Content Optimization for Search Engines Yoast SEO is a website content optimization tool that can help you improve your website’s search engine ranking by suggesting optimizations for your content and pages.
Feature Summary
- Keyword analysis
- SERP ranking tracking
- Backlink management
- Local SEO
- Multi-domain support
- Integration with web analytics tools
Pros
- Best Plugin to add meta tags
- Allow to setup bulk meta tags
- Good scoring system for every post
- Alerts to help stay on top of meta data
- Better Ranking in the Search Result
Cons
- I think they have to add more schrma.org features so that use can target specific page for schema
- Some automatic features would be helpful
- Before and after score,Phrasing suggestions
- ICould work better with Divi
Free plan available
36.
Survey Creation and Analysis SurveyMonkey is a survey creation and analysis tool that can help you create and analyze surveys to get feedback from customers and clients.
Feature Summary
- Online surveys
- Single page survey
- Survey logic flexibility
- Response tracking
- E-commerce integration
- Cross-channel distribution
Pros
- Recipients don’t have any complaints
- Robust design features for survey variations
- Great free plan
- Employee Engagement
Cons
- Number of devices is incredibly limited
- More customization for forms colors/design on free plan
- Analytics and reporting could be revamped
- Remove the free product as it is utterly pointless
- subscription cost
Free plan available
37.
Analyzing Social Media Growth and Performance SocialBlade is a social media growth and performance analysis tool that can help you analyze your social media performance, track your followers and engagement, and make data-driven decisions.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
Sales
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
With bullets
- You want to be able to contact the support team when you need them. Get back a response. And for that response to actually make sense. Not just a copy and pasted, canned response from the online help files you already read.
- By sticking to these three basic criteria you can go along way to minimize wasted time and money. Plus you’ll likely avoid a few massive headaches in the long run.
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- GPS-time tracking
- Dedicated work chat
- Forms & checklists
- Task management
- Training & onboarding
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- All-in-one solution
- Great customer support
- Budget-friendly
- 100% free plan for up to 10 users
Cons
- Integrations in development
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users Free 14-day trial Free plan available38.
Customer Relationship and Sales Lead Management HubSpot CRM is a customer relationship and sales lead management tool that can help you track interactions with clients and prospects, manage your sales pipeline, and streamline your marketing efforts.
Feature Summary
- Customer data management / contact management
- Case management
- Lead management
- Task management
- Forecasting
- Customizable reports
Pros
- Forms embedded in websites
- Remarks related to sales could be read by anyone
- Easy to use report generation
- Send you the reminder emails about your tasks
Cons
- Being able to manage internal process and communications amongst team members
- It is a bit too expensive as compared to similar CRM softwares
- Needs a feature where task editing could be done in bulk
- Mobile edition have a very less functionality and features
Free plan available
39.
Find Emails of Article Writers Hunter is a tool that can help you find the emails of article writers and other professionals. This can be useful for outreach and building relationships with influencers and journalists.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
40.
Finding and Verifying Contact Information of Potential Clients ZoomInfo is a tool that can help you find and verify the contact information of potential clients, making it easier to reach out to them and start building relationships.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
Google Tools
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
With bullets
- You want to be able to contact the support team when you need them. Get back a response. And for that response to actually make sense. Not just a copy and pasted, canned response from the online help files you already read.
- By sticking to these three basic criteria you can go along way to minimize wasted time and money. Plus you’ll likely avoid a few massive headaches in the long run.
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- GPS-time tracking
- Dedicated work chat
- Forms & checklists
- Task management
- Training & onboarding
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- All-in-one solution
- Great customer support
- Budget-friendly
- 100% free plan for up to 10 users
Cons
- Integrations in development
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users Free 14-day trial Free plan available41.
Pretty Presentations Google Slides is a simple and free presentation software that allows you to create professional-looking presentations and collaborate with your team in real-time.
Feature Summary
- Create the Master Slide
- Add a theme to the Master slide
- Create a template for sharing
- Edit your slides
- Import your Microsoft Powerpoint presentations
- Import your Keynote presentations
Pros
- Various sharing options
- Well integrated in most web browsers
- Easy to create and manage (lecturer side)
- History tracking
- Easy design work
Cons
- Not all types of export file formats are available which is limiting
- Sometimes bugs in changing fonts or other formatting
- Edit tracking, while good, could still be improved
- The diagram features are a bit limited
Free plan available
42.
Cloud Storage and Collaboration Google Drive is a cloud storage and collaboration tool that allows you to store and share files with your team, and work on them in real-time.
Feature Summary
- Versioning
- Image files
- Single sign-on
- Multi-language
- Two-step verification
- Document collaboration
Pros
- Synchronization
- Access to a whole world class of product and services
- Connect to a mobile phone and store any important photos or files
- Great for collaboration
Cons
- Could improve speed
- Copying forms between differents drives to an easiest deployment
- Graphical Interface, they should change a little bit
- Load times can be extensive
- Reduce the price to buy more space
Free plan available
43.
Website and Marketing Performance Analysis Google Analytics is a website and marketing performance analysis tool that can help you analyze your website traffic, measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, and make data-driven decisions.
Feature Summary
- Reporting and Visualisation
- Funnel Analysis
- Tag Management
- Smart Goals
- Data Activation
- Integrations
Pros
- Seamless integration with other Google services like BigQuery
- Google Ads
- Supports up to 100 properties at a time in a default account
- Tracking Financial metrics like transactions & revenue
- Custom event tracking setup is effortless
Cons
- Ability to integrate with more 3rd party apps which don’t belong to the Google environment
- The new Google Analytics 4 doesn’t have that much flexibility that UA provided
- Training/Implementation of Insights
- Detail of reporting – very high level
Free plan available
44.
Manage Your Online Presence Google Business Profile is a free tool that can help you manage your business’s online presence, including your Google My Business listing, reviews, and insights.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
Website Management
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
With bullets
- You want to be able to contact the support team when you need them. Get back a response. And for that response to actually make sense. Not just a copy and pasted, canned response from the online help files you already read.
- By sticking to these three basic criteria you can go along way to minimize wasted time and money. Plus you’ll likely avoid a few massive headaches in the long run.
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- GPS-time tracking
- Dedicated work chat
- Forms & checklists
- Task management
- Training & onboarding
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- All-in-one solution
- Great customer support
- Budget-friendly
- 100% free plan for up to 10 users
Cons
- Integrations in development
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users Free 14-day trial Free plan available45.
Website and Blog Creation and Management WordPress is a popular content management system that allows you to create and manage your website or blog with ease. It also offers a wide range of plugins and themes to customize your site.
Feature Summary
- Role-based user permissions
- API
- Internationalization / multi-language
- WYSIWYG editor
- Content taxonomy
- SEO support
Pros
- Accept lots of plugins
- Landing Page Creation
- Can add multiple plugins with no restrictions
- No Coding Required
- Constantly updating and improving
Cons
- Need to improve security
- Need to have some type of system that check threat in the plugin
- Page speed is not the best
- Media library management has a lot to improve
- Creating free plugins for starter business of individual blogs
Free plan available
Password Management
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
With bullets
- You want to be able to contact the support team when you need them. Get back a response. And for that response to actually make sense. Not just a copy and pasted, canned response from the online help files you already read.
- By sticking to these three basic criteria you can go along way to minimize wasted time and money. Plus you’ll likely avoid a few massive headaches in the long run.
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- GPS-time tracking
- Dedicated work chat
- Forms & checklists
- Task management
- Training & onboarding
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- All-in-one solution
- Great customer support
- Budget-friendly
- 100% free plan for up to 10 users
Cons
- Integrations in development
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users Free 14-day trial Free plan available46.
Password Management and Security LastPass is a password management and security tool that can help you generate and store strong passwords, and keep your login information safe.
Feature Summary
- LastPass Authenticator
- Dark Web Monitoring
- Digital Wallet
- Password Generator
- Password Vault
- One to one sharing
Pros
- Limit access to shared passwords to only those people who need to access it
- Provide multiple platforms to get to information
- Sharing credentials securely
- Organizational policies
Cons
- It would be nice if LastPass for Business was more clear about the options for users’ personal passwords as well
- Better notification system when things change
- Admin and user portals look a bit dated, Granular sharing
Free plan available
Note Taking & Organization
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
With bullets
- You want to be able to contact the support team when you need them. Get back a response. And for that response to actually make sense. Not just a copy and pasted, canned response from the online help files you already read.
- By sticking to these three basic criteria you can go along way to minimize wasted time and money. Plus you’ll likely avoid a few massive headaches in the long run.
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- GPS-time tracking
- Dedicated work chat
- Forms & checklists
- Task management
- Training & onboarding
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- All-in-one solution
- Great customer support
- Budget-friendly
- 100% free plan for up to 10 users
Cons
- Integrations in development
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users Free 14-day trial Free plan available47.
Note-taking and Idea Organization Evernote is a note-taking and idea organization tool that can help you capture and organize your ideas and notes, create to-do lists, and collaborate with your team.
Feature Summary
- Geographic search
- Calendar Integration
- Mobile offline notes
- Business card scanning
- PDF annotation
- Concierge support
Pros
- Organize folders
- Keeping track of meetings makes it possible to work in groups and collaborate
- Organize folders,Your notes are always at your fingertips, no matter where you are
Cons
- Sharing information
- Premium plan is expensive
- Ipad capabilities
- Notes can not be accessed while offline browsing
- Aesthetics of the interface and data encryption/security are dated
Free plan available
48.
Business Management Notion is an all-in-one tool for business management that includes task and project management, note-taking, and team collaboration.
Feature Summary
- Task Management
- Gantt Charts
- Scheduling
- Workflow Automation
- Internal knowledgebase
- Versioning
Pros
- Free templates for different use cases
- The assignment of permissions to indicate who can be notified and interact with a specific project
- Extensive tutorials and documentation
- Notifications about the delay in activities, without being very invasive
Cons
- Uses OS emojis (MacOS’s look better than windows but can’t choose which to use)
- The increase in integrations with third parties will always promote the adoption of the platform in companies
- Better connections between databases
- Sometimes it’s hard to find the right article
Free plan available
48.
Business Management Notion is an all-in-one tool for business management that includes task and project management, note-taking, and team collaboration.
Feature Summary
- Task Management
- Gantt Charts
- Scheduling
- Workflow Automation
- Internal knowledgebase
- Versioning
Pros
- Free templates for different use cases
- The assignment of permissions to indicate who can be notified and interact with a specific project
- Extensive tutorials and documentation
- Notifications about the delay in activities, without being very invasive
Cons
- Uses OS emojis (MacOS’s look better than windows but can’t choose which to use)
- The increase in integrations with third parties will always promote the adoption of the platform in companies
- Better connections between databases
- Sometimes it’s hard to find the right article
Free plan available
Writing and Editing
Your Title Goes Here
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
With bullets
- You want to be able to contact the support team when you need them. Get back a response. And for that response to actually make sense. Not just a copy and pasted, canned response from the online help files you already read.
- By sticking to these three basic criteria you can go along way to minimize wasted time and money. Plus you’ll likely avoid a few massive headaches in the long run.
Key Features
- Employee scheduling
- GPS-time tracking
- Dedicated work chat
- Forms & checklists
- Task management
- Training & onboarding
Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- All-in-one solution
- Great customer support
- Budget-friendly
- 100% free plan for up to 10 users
Cons
- Integrations in development
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users Free 14-day trial Free plan available49.
Grammar and Spell-checking in Writing Grammarly is a grammar and spell-checking tool that can help you improve your writing by suggesting corrections and enhancements.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
50.
Hemingway is a writing tool that helps users write more clearly by analyzing text and providing suggestions for simplifying prose like hard to read sentences, unnecessary adverbs, and passive voice. Hemingway provides readability scores and has a user-friendly interface, making it a popular tool for writers of any level.
Feature Summary
Pros
Cons
Free plan available
Why Do You Need Small Business Tools?
As a small business owner, you may wonder why you need to use tools to manage your business operations. Well, we’re about to discuss the importance of small business tools and why they’re essential for your success.
First, small business tools can help you save time and streamline your operations. With the right tools in place, you can automate tasks that would otherwise take hours to complete. This allows you to focus on other important tasks and grow your business.
Small business tools can also help you cut costs by eliminating manual processes. This means that you can save money on labor costs and avoid costly mistakes.
Time savings and cost cutting aside, small business tools can also help you stay competitive. With the right tools in place, you can stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technology. Allowing you to offer better products/services to your customers. And stay one step ahead of your competition.
Now let’s take a closer look at the benefits of using small business tools and how they can help you get a little bit further along – alot faster.
What Are the Benefits of Small Business Tools?
It’s just common sense. You can make your business more efficient by using the right business tools. But let’s take a closer look at how that efficiency actually happens.
Improved Data Management
These tools also make managing and analyzing data much easier. This allows you to make better business decisions by organizing and tracking data from various sources.
Enhanced Customer Experience
Small business tools can help you deliver a better customer experience. How? By tracking customer interactions. Then you can analyze the data to understand your customers better. With this information, you can customize your solutions to improve the customer experience.
Increased Revenue
The right tools can help you increase your revenue. By automating tasks that would otherwise take up valuable time. Which allows you to focus on revenue-generating activities and grow your business.
Better Resource Allocation
Now we already discussed this one a bit in the previous section. But its important enough to repeat. Small business tools can help you divide your resources more effectively. By building a solid tech stack you can automate and streamline your tasks. And that means you can save your time, money and other important resources like your focus.
With the right tools in place there is just so much you can do. Whether its streamlining your operations, saving time or providing a better customer experience.
Overcoming Common Objections to Using Small Business Tools
Small business tools can be insanely helpful. So why are alot of business owners hesitant to give them a try?
Lack of Time: A Common Obstacle to Using Small Business Tools
Many business owners feel like they don’t have enough time to get everything done. When you have trouble making it through the day the last thing you want to do is learn how to use a new tool. The thought of integrating a new tool in your workflow always seems like it will take up time you don’t have to give.
But it’s important to consider the long term benefits. You only have to set it up once. After that’s done ask how much time you’ll be saving and how that might improve your efficiency.
Cost Concerns: Debunking the Myth of Expensive Small Business
Other times business owners might think that the tools will be too expensive. No one wants to spend money if they won’t get back a good return on their investment.
Luckily we don’t have to worry about this one. That’s why we focused this list on free small business tools. Since its free you’ll be able to see if the tool provides value based on other criteria other than cost.
Fear of Change: No One Likes It
As a business owner you might be comfortable with your current systems and processes. People tend to resist change out of habit or the fear of disrupting their operations.
That’s why it’s important to analyze the potential benefits of the tool. Check if the tool provides the support and training you’ll need to make the transition. If it will help make your business processes more effective, is it worth missing out?
Understanding the Significance of Small Business Tools
If you’ve made it this far you should have a pretty good gradp on why small business owners need to have tools in their tech stack to manage their operations and remain competitive in the marketplace.
Small business tools can help you save time, cut costs, and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technology. And by automating tasks, you can focus on other important tasks and grow your business.
But the benefits don’t end there. These tools can also help you manage and analyze data more effectively, deliver a better customer experience, and increase revenue.
When you take the time to stay up to date with the best small business tools available, you can streamline your operations, save time and money, and provide better customer experiences.
Investing in a functional tech stack is an essential step for business owners who want to stay competitive. When it comes to using free small business tools, you won’t need to break the bank to achieve your business goals. With so many free options, you’ll only need to invest your time (not your money) to grow your business and achieve greater success.
Types of Tools for Small Businesses
Now that we’ve covered the benefits of using small business tools, it’s time to explore the different types of tools available. By understanding the different categories of tools, you can identify which ones are most relevant to your business needs. Here are some of the most common types of categories for most small businesses:
Communication Tools
Effective communication is essential for any business, especially when working remotely or with distributed teams. Communication tools like Gmail, Slack and Zoom, and can help you stay connected and collaborate with your team members.
Project Management Tools
Project management tools like Trello, Asana, and Basecamp can help you stay organized and keep track of your projects. These tools allow you to assign tasks, set deadlines, and monitor progress.
Accounting and Finance Tools
Managing your finances is crucial for the success of your business. Accounting and finance tools like QuickBooks, FreshBooks, and Wave can help you track expenses, manage invoices, and prepare financial statements.
Marketing Tools
Marketing is essential for promoting your products and services to potential customers. Marketing tools like HubSpot, Mailchimp, and Hootsuite can help you create and execute marketing campaigns, manage social media accounts, and track website traffic.
Human Resources Tools
Managing your employees is another critical aspect of running a small business. Human resources tools like Gusto, BambooHR, and ADP can help you manage employee data, track time and attendance, and automate payroll.
Sales Tools
Sales tools can help you manage your sales process and close deals more efficiently. These tools include customer relationship management (CRM) software, lead generation tools, and sales enablement platforms. Examples include Salesforce, HubSpot, and ZoomInfo.
Customer Service Tools
Customer service tools can help you provide better support and experiences to your customers. These tools include helpdesk software, live chat tools, and customer feedback platforms. Examples include Zendesk, Intercom, and SurveyMonkey.
By selecting the right tools in each of these categories, you can build a functional tech stack that meets your unique business needs.
Empowering Your Small Business with the Right Tools
In order to make the most of these free tools, it’s important to select the right ones for your specific needs. Take the time to research and test different tools to find the ones that work best for your business.
Then with the right tools in place, you’ll be able to save time, increase productivity, and take your small business to the next level.
Using this list as a starting point you’ll have a headstart on the competition. And since all the tools we’ve listed have a free plan, money won’t hold you back.
Final Thoughts
These free small business tools can be a game-changer for your business. By using these tools, you can automate tasks, streamline processes, and save time and money.
Remember to look for key features like ease of use, scalability, security, and customer support when selecting a tool. And don’t be afraid to invest time and resources into learning how to use these tools – the benefits will be well worth it.
So why wait?
Start exploring some of the free tools on this list today and watch your business thrive!
