Favorite Tools for Freelancers
I’ve tested quite the set of digital tools over my time as a freelance creative director. Some have been unremarkable, but the ones that make my life easier and more efficient have stuck around for the long haul. I’ve also had a chance to try out the software/apps that my clients use for their own projects, which has introduced me to some favorites.
These are the tools I recommend the most:
Best Overall
Clockify
Use: Time tracking
Cost: Free, with premium upgrades
Why I like it:
Clockify delivers exactly what it claims: an easy-to-use time tracking application that lets you organize and slice your data. I can track my time per client, project, and task, and assign different billing rates for each. All the data is easy to view by day, week, month, etc., and you can export the raw data as a .csv file for whatever analysis you might want. Best of all: it’s free to use at the entry level tier, which includes enough robust features for most users. The premium upgrades are icing on top, like invoicing, team permissions/roles, and time sheet approvals. I’m not affiliated with Clockify in any way, I just really like the product.
If you’re a consultant or freelancer who doesn’t already track your time, this is your sign to start! Better bill rates, streamlined workflows, and clarity of your strengths can all come from analyzing how you spend your time.
Monday
Use: Project Management
Cost: Free for limited use, $9/seat/month and up for full functionality
Why I like it:
It feels like there are a million project management tools at this point, each with similar features and a slightly different flavor. Monday is the best I’ve tried after using it for most of my long-term complex projects.
The interface has an easy-to-follow nesting logic so you can quickly hunt down deadlines, tasks, files, and projects. The My Work page quickly prioritizes tasks for the day/week, and adding team members along the way is straightforward. While I like to the simple Table view, there are lots of different options, be it Kanban, Calendar, or Timeline. You’ll get the most out of Monday if you use it regularly and use it as a hub for all project information.
Runner up: Asana
Very similar to Monday, but even more task focused. Less team-friendly at the free tier. I use Asana for my personal to-do lists.
Least favorite: ClickUp
I get lost every time I try to find something in ClickUp; the interface feels huge and amorphous, with multiple doors to access each item from different ever-changing hallways. I find that it’s tough to get a whole team to follow consistent protocol for use.
Zoom
Use: Video conferencing
Cost: Free for limited use, $13.33/mo/user and up for full functionality
Why I like it:
I don’t think I have to explain Zoom to anyone post-2020, but it’s worth noting that this is one of the few tools I’m happy to pay for. Google Meets just doesn’t compare to Zoom in both call quality and screen-sharing capabilities, which is critically important to those of us in visual fields. I also prefer Zoom’s camera views to other video calling alternatives; catching facial expressions during a presentation is immensely important and I don’t want to miss out.
MS Excel
Use: Finance tracking
Cost: Free online use for 1 user; premium Microsoft 365 packages start at $85/year, or $180 for desktop Excel only
Good ol' trusty Excel. It isn't glamorous, automated, or integrated with other apps, but it’s the best number crunching software out there. I use it to track revenue, bill rates, estimates, invoices, and expenditures on customized spreadsheets. If you have a larger business model than my one-person team, you’ll likely find Excel to be too manual. QuickBooks would be a better alternative.
Squarespace
Use: No-code websites
Cost: Starts at $16/mo
Why I like it:
Barely 10 years ago, launching a website was a complex project that only very tech-savvy users could pull off within a work week. But today, Squarespace makes it ridiculously easy to launch a website in just a couple hours. Whenever I have a client ask for a small website (3-10 pages), I recommend they build it on Squarespace. Even people without a tech background can sign up, buy a domain, pick a nice template, and start adding content immediately. The interface is intuitive and well organized, and—for those with tech assistance—there are plenty of design and code editing options to allow for a decent amount of customization.
There are limitations. Squarespace isn’t meant for fully custom websites with complex content and deep page navigation. But for a basic web experience, it does the trick quite well with a very low learning curve. It’s perfect for small business owners running their own sites.
NAS (Network Attached Storage) Device
Use: Data storage and file management
Cost: Depending on the model, $300–$1,000+
Why I like it:
A home NAS server was an investment I made after about a year of freelance work. As a creative professional, I work with copious amounts of large files (photos, video, and print-ready artwork) that quickly eat up gigabytes of storage Since I need to keep an archive, the NAS device is a safe way to store files off my hard drive but still have access to them anywhere I can get wi-fi. I’ve relied on portable external storage drives in the past and lost precious documents when those drives suddenly failed. The NAS is a much more reliable and long-term solution, with bays for increasing capacity over time. Cloud storage is also a great option, but it comes with ongoing subscription costs that I wanted to avoid.
Midori MD Paper Notebook
Use: Note taking
Cost: ~$15
Why I like it:
Look, I know a lot of people enjoy taking digital notes. But the simplicity and added memory recall that comes with using pen on paper will always win in my mind. It’s incredible how many times I’ve been able to hunt down the exact bit of info I needed by just flipping back a few pages. This Midori one is my all-time favorite because it lays completely flat and ink doesn’t show through the pages.
Calendly
Use: Scheduling
Cost: Free for limited 1-seat use; $10/mo/seat for small teams
Why I like it:
Managing calendars is tough. It’s even harder when you’re working within teams of multiple organizations as a consultant and still keeping individual clients outside of that. I’ve recently started using Calendly to make it easier for others to book time with me without having to share my whole calendar. It’s also a great way to offer standing introductory calls for potential clients.
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These are my go-to's for my work to keep me on track, organized, and sane. So fellow freelancers/consultants: did I miss anything?
