Free business tools? Yes, please! For start-ups and small companies, investments in paid tools are often not yet feasible. Resources are scarce and they have to be managed very carefully, because the use of software or tools quickly adds up to quite a bit per month.
However, if you don't want to miss out on handy work helpers, you don't have to go down the tubes: There are some free business tools that simplify your everyday work, from email newsletters to task scheduling. There are not only open-source applications, but also ad-financed freemium versions that often suffice in everyday life despite limited functions. We present 9 helpers that simplify your workflow.
1. email campaigns with CleverReach
Email marketing should not be underestimated - almost all young companies offer customers and prospects a newsletter to bind them to the brand or product. With CleverReach you have the possibility to create and plan your own email campaigns and send them flexibly to a customer base of up to 250 people. The positive: The German company works in compliance with EU data protection laws!
2. translations with DeepL
Also developed in Germany is the translation tool DeepL, which can translate texts and files into a total of 26 languages using artificial intelligence. Hardly any translator software on the market is as flexible. The machine translation can be used freely up to a certain number of characters and is the market leader in terms of quality. This allows you to check translations or directly save tedious translation work.
3. project management with Trello
Another free tool for Kanban-style project management is Trello. With flexible cards, tasks can be created, assigned to projects and completed one by one. Open tasks are quickly visible and communication within the team is easily done via the cards themselves. And is there a better feeling than moving a card to "Done"? Trello is free for individuals and small teams.
4. video telephony with Microsoft Teams
There are many different providers for video telephony, which can even be used free of charge. Since Microsoft is already used by many companies as standard software for daily work in the office, the use of Microsoft Teams as telephone and video conferencing software is ideal. Working with Teams has the advantage of combining chatting, calling and data exchange securely and easily via a single application. This makes working within the team productive and efficient.
5. data sharing with WeTransfer
Sharing large data is sometimes simply no longer possible via email. As a free tool for file hosting, WeTransfer has become a frontrunner in recent years and offers the transfer of large data packages to multiple recipients. Even without prior registration, sending files up to 2 GB is possible without any problems.
6. web analysis with Google Analytics and Google Search Console
Hardly any web analysis tool offers such diverse and relevant information as Google Analytics and the Google Search Console. With a little prior knowledge, you can use free business tools like these to extract valuable information from Google data and optimize your own website. Google Analytics offers data from the continuous observation of your website and thus allows interesting evaluations regarding user data, number of hits and much more. The Search Console observes your website in the Google search results and helps you to optimize all important adjusting screws as well as to correct errors.
7. content discovery with Answer the Public
Content creators know the game of constantly being on the lookout for new content. Important sources of inspiration are social media, for example, but there are also various helpers for this. Answer the Public is a free web tool that displays related search queries for certain search terms and can thus provide creative impulses for content.
8. linking applications with Zapier
Zapier offers the possibility to link different applications with each other and to establish automated processes. What may sound complicated at first is in fact child's play: link your email inbox with your Dropbox account, for example, to automatically save attachments to Dropbox. Or connect your Outlook email account with Trello and have each new task converted into a card. The free version allows you to set up to 5 Zaps.
9. intelligent tables with SeaTable
SeaTable is a mixture of intelligent spreadsheet program and database, which can also be used free of charge. Up to 2.000 rows can be created in different bases - the functions of SeaTable are fully usable and you can test the various fields of application yourself. Whether project management, in marketing or HR, for sorting and organizing data, almost anything is possible with SeaTable.
With helpful plugins such as the Kanban board, an excellent alternative to the above-mentioned project management tool Trello can even be created. In addition, SeaTable can be linked to Zapier and in this way can record, sort and further use all kinds of data in a fully automated way. Registration is free and lightning fast - just give it a try!
This is just a small, selective overview of free business tools that can pave the way to success for startups and small businesses. Which ones you end up using depends entirely on your business goals and capabilities. With free tools, you can even go for extensive trial rounds - if the program doesn't fit your workflow, you can simply look for something else.
Find out for yourself what suits you best. Maybe there was already something among our suggestions that will take your business to the next level!