The freelancer’s toolbox: 33 useful apps & websites for the freelance designer
As a freelancer, managing your time and business is mandatory if you want to get some time for designing. All the softares and websites introduced in this article can save you some precious time and money.
Money tools & Invoicing
1. Hourly Rate Calculator
A great tool for the freelancer starting out. Enter some informations about your fees, expenses, working hours and expected incomes, you’ll get the hourly rates you should be billing.
2. Web Development Project estimator
Once you know what your hourly rate is, you can start using it to give estimate to people asking you for quotes.
3. Freshbooks
Send, track and collect payments quickly. Great for teams, freelancers and service providers.
4. CurdBee
A simple and straightforward invoicing solution that also integrates with PayPal and Google Checkout.
Backup & Security
5. DropBox
Awesome online backup tool, user friendly and quite cheap if you go for a paid plan. Syncing folders can be a bit tricky though.
6. Mozy
Mozy is another popular online backup tool, you can try Mozy for free!
7. ClamAV for PC or ClamXav for Mac
OpenSource antivirus for both PC and Mac, have a more secured computer is better right?
8. Tor
Surf anonymously, Tor helps you defend against a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy. Its use is made much easier for browsing with Tor Button (for Firefox).
9. Snort
Open source network intrusion prevention and detection system for Mac.
10. Pastor
Mac software for storing all your passwords, website logins, serial numbers, etc. encrypted and password-protected. With built-in password generator.
Productivity
11. Remember the Milk
Take your tasks anywhere with this feature-packed application. See tasks located nearby, add and complete tasks on the go, organize upcoming tasks, and sync it all seamlessly with Remember The Milk.
12. Highrise
The ultimate online contact manager. Highrise prepares you for your next call, next meeting, next pitch, next follow-up, and next sale.
13. Things
Task management Mac application with tons of great and innovative features.
14. EverNote
Note Taking made simple. Save everything you like or need, and access it on any device.
15. Quicksilver
Application launcher for Mac and much more, a real time-saver (for Windows users, see Launchy).
Project management
16. Fuze Meeting
Organize online visual meetings with anyone, anwhere and at anytime. Try it for free.
17. drop.io
Simple real-time sharing, collaboration, and presentation.
18. MindMeister
Online mind-mapping.
19. Basecamp
The leading web-based project collaboration tool. Share files, meet deadlines, assign tasks, centralize feedback,…
20. AgileTracker
An Air App that allows you to keep track of time spent on projects by client.
21. Ora Time & Expense
Ora allows you to track expenses, keep a list of your tasks, run a timer on your tasks and more.
Feedback Tools
22. Please Critique me
A website for designers to get their work reviewed and critiqued by other designers.
23. ConceptFeedback
Free Feedback for Marketers and Designers, a good way to test your concepts before going live.
24. 5 seconds test
A simple online usability test that helps you identify the most prominent elements of your user interfaces.
Marketing
25. AWeber
Creates Lasting Customer Relationships with email marketing, AWeber is one of the leaders of this industry and is used by many popular bloggers and internet marketers.
26. iContact
Easily create, send, and track email newsletters, surveys, and autoresponders.
27. Ping.fm
Ping.fm is a simple and free service that makes updating your social networks a snap!
28. Shozu
Kind of like Ping.fm for images. Upload your photos and videos to your chosen online communities from Facebook to YouTube, Twitter to Flickr and many more.
29. LinkedIn
A good way to stay in touch with your professionnal contacts or to build some new working relationships.
Website & Analytics
30. Google Website Optimizer
Website Optimizer is Google’s easy-to-use tool for testing site content that delivers actionable results. It’s a great tool to listen to your visitors and increase your conversions.
31. Compete
Analyze the competition by getting some of their statistics and keywords.
33. Google Analytics
The free do-it-all Analytics tools by Google, let’s you set goals and trace them.
I’m also a big fan of Ballpark. http://www.getballpark.com/
Some great tools here – thanks! I would also add MadMimi.com for designers. It’s elegant in simplicity and wonderfully affordable.
For some reason I love app lists. Good work! I would also like to add lessaccounting for invoices and accounting and Mail Chimp for marketing.
helpful toolbox, thanks for the list..
Doesn’t really fit into any of these categories, but http://www.yousendit.com has been a lifesaver for me in sending large files to clients.
for Website & Analytics, I also like Clicky
http://getclicky.com
I just finished a free app that helps you figure out when all your projects will be done. It creates a gantt chart showing the completion date of all your tasks from your todo list. See it here: 5bosses.com
Excellent List!
I am a big fan of CurdBee, Basecamp and Dropbox. Really awesome application I would recommend for any freelancer.
Dropbox can do essentially the same job Yousendit.com, and a lot more, and is (in my opinion) simpler to use.
Another project management tool appropriate for freelancers would be ZCOPE (http://www.getzcope.com)… agile and supports the communication with all project stakeholders.
Hi Mirko,
Nice list, but you left off Fanurio: http://www.fanuriotimetracking.com
Fanurio helps with the less appealing aspects of freelancing like keeping track of time and invoicing. It’s a useful application, with a user-friendly interface.
For getting feedback on your designs from your team you can also use tool NotableApp.com.
Other sites where you can store all your previous project backup source code etc. in password protected area – example MOzy.com, SpiderOak.com – I guess no site yet has a facility to store source code of yours privately and allow you to refer online itself based on search queries, specialized search for popular languages. Below sites only store code snippets (some allow private storage)
You can also use code snippet stoering tools like Snipplr.com, snippetdb.com, snipt.net.
I would have to confirm that Mail Chimp is definitely one of the better marketing tools. Icontact has a permanent brand on all outgoing emails and in their system. It’s in browser editor also doesn’t work in Safari, unlike mail chimp. I also use Ballpark for invoicing and estimates because of the slick UI and the ease of use. Another system I’ve been using alot recently is Redmark, a client review and markup portal for projects, allows selectable commenting by a client on your actual design. Great post.
Thanks for a good set, I took a couple for my collection of online services, welcome, and you can find something interesting!
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The freelancer’s toolbox: 33 useful apps & websites for the freelance designer. most usefull post for a designer like us thank you.
Very good. Congratulations!!
Saúde e paz! Peace!!
The ultimate tool for team colaboration and manage feedback for design companies is called http://www.conceptshare.com.
I’m in-love with it!
Tiago Sá
just let love be
helpful toolbox, thanks for the list..
Hello guys!
Really great tips to get knowledge for everyone and website designs all hourly based right its good
and thanks for sharing your thoughts to us….