Finding the best tools for freelancers can be tricky, especially since you’re one person doing everything all at once: managing client feedback, chasing the clients who ghost you, and scouting to get new freelance design clients.
You might find a massive list of recommended tools, but they’re so full of fluff you don’t even know where to start.
So here’s a short but actionable list of my favorite tools that I use to run my agencies, plus my content and SaaS businesses. I’ve been using some for years, and others for a few months. They’ve helped me save time and money to allow me to work on my business, not in it.
(By the way, I’ve created the online community FreelanceFam for web designers who want to share hacks, learn new strategies, and get and give support. Building your freelance community is how you build your business, so come join us!)
Let’s get into it.
26 tools for freelancers
1. Wix Studio
2. Contra
4. FeedHive
5. TidyCal
6. FindThatLead
7. UseArtemis
8. Lemlist
9. Optimage.app
10. ChatGPT
11. MidJourney
12. DepositPhotos
13. Noun Project
14. Zoom
15. Figma
16. Ahrefs
17. Loom
19. Dropbox
20. CleanShot
21. Xero
01. Wix Studio
Specifically for professionals, Wix Studio includes drag-and-drop functionality, integrated tools, top-notch security and easy collaboration. It’s my favorite web-building platform (by far). The workspace makes it smooth to manage multiple clients at one time, and since I’m often on the road, the mobile app helps me stay updated in real time.
Create an account and build your next client website on Wix Studio.
02. Contra
There are plenty of freelance databases out there, but Contra is more heavily weighted towards tech companies (and these are great clients to have). The profile’s portfolio section is much richer than other platforms, and I love that the Wix Studio Expert badge is one of the first things people see when browsing for specialists. Getting yourself on Contra is a helpful first step for anyone starting a web design business to find those first clients.
03. ClientManager
Manage and onboard clients with ease using features like proposal signing, task management, onboarding forms, client portal and a lot more. (Consider it essential to improving your client relationships skills.)
04. FeedHive
Schedule social media posts to grow your brand and client social media profiles while you’re playing tennis. Compared to other platforms, FeedHive is well suited for freelancers working with many clients—you can connect a huge number of social accounts and get things moving faster with their AI tools.
05. TidyCal
Simple meeting scheduler for booking calls with clients and prospects to avoid multiple emails back and forth. It has a lot of what we love about Calendly and the package is unbeatable, with a one-time payment for a lifetime subscription.
06. FindThatLead
Generate quality emails for cold outreach to help grow your freelancing business. Their Chrome extension is solid when you’re browsing websites and want the emails from that domain.
07. UseArtemis
Automate LinkedIn outreach and messaging for cold leads. Worth testing, but always remember that manual outreach will get you the best results.
08. Lemlist
Automate email outreach and follow-up sequences to convert cold leads into warm leads, and eventually, paying clients. The one tool you need to pay for if you want to get clients.
09. Optimage.app
Reduce image size fast with this offline desktop tool. If you’re the type to upload high res images without compressing them, why do you live so dangerously?
10. ChatGPT
If you don’t use this yet, why? As freelancers, we’re managing everything on our own, so tapping into this second brain is invaluable. It’s the best assistant, collaborator, editor, fact checker—the list goes on and on. (For anywhere you have repeatable tasks, follow this guide for building custom GPTs from agency founder Jacob Cass.)
11. MidJourney
It’s not as popular as it used to be, but it’s still impressive to use to brainstorm and create images and designs with AI.
12. DepositPhotos
Best value for stock images until AI alternatives improve. They also have videos, but much better than the free alternatives available.
13. Noun Project
Access thousands of customizable icons for your websites, from PNG to SVG formats to add that extra spice to your projects. (Nucleo is another good one to check out.)
14. Zoom
The best tool for remote meetings with clients and leads, especially since you have the freedom to work with anyone anywhere in the world. Zoom’s paid plan is still one of the best out there and worth the price. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been grateful to have an automated transcript.
15. Figma
Design and create projects with Figma, then import them into Wix Studio to make websites fast. It’s not something you need to do for every project, but this is so good it should actually be illegal.
Read more about the Figma to Wix Studio plugin.
16. Ahrefs
Leading SEO tool to monitor and improve your website’s ranking on search results. Not only is this good for your own business, but it’s also good for client websites.
17. Loom
Record your screen and share videos when you really want to make a clear point or demo something—well worth the small subscription cost. You’ll save so much time, and it’s also a good way to send suggestions to clients in a professional, memorable way. Just remember: you'll need another tool, like Vimeo, to share the file so you don't clog up your client's inbox.
18. SoftwareSubscriptions
Speaking of subscriptions, do you even know how much you spend each month on all your subscriptions? Thought not… Use SoftwareSubscriptions.com to keep everything organized, cut costs and avoid the unwanted payments.
19. Dropbox
Store large files and images securely—my go-to for cloud storage (even over iCloud). A must to avoid storing files locally. (And to always have a backup.)
20. CleanShot
Daily-use tool for taking screenshots and annotating images. CleanShot is something I use probably 10+ times a day, as you can send an image or recording with text and annotations as a link to avoid wasting time on calls.
21. Xero
Manage your business finances in Xero and scan receipts with Receipt Bank to keep your accountants happy. Even if your business is small because you’re just getting started, it’s good to keep track of everything as you scale. Something I wish I’d started sooner to stay on top of tax bureaucracy.
22. Dark Reader Chrome Extension
Toggle dark mode on or off. Great for those who work at night (or if you want to check that your site design works in dark mode).
23. CSS Spice Chrome Extension
Copy CSS elements you see across the web to instantly reuse in your designs.
24, BlurWebApp Chrome Extension
Blur sensitive information during screen recordings or calls.
25. Detailed SEO Chrome Extension
Get key SEO insights about the pages you’re browsing in real time. Very helpful for competitive research.
26. Studio Tab Chrome Extension
This content-rich tab directs you to design inspiration articles, how-to tutorials and expert guides, updated daily.
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