40 Free Tools for Freelancers in 2026

You don't need expensive software to start freelancing. Almost everything a beginner needs is available for free, often from the same companies whose paid tools professionals use.

Here are 40 free tools, grouped by what they help you do.

Free plans change. Most of these tools have a free plan with limits, such as a number of projects or hours of use. Check each tool's current limits before you rely on it for client work.

Free tools on this site

Before you install anything, try our own free tools. They work in your browser, need no sign-up and keep your data on your device:

• Fee calculator: see what you keep after platform and withdrawal fees
• Hourly rate calculator: find your minimum rate
• Project quote calculator: turn tasks into a fixed price
• Invoice generator: create invoices and save them as PDFs
• Contract generator: make a simple freelance agreement
• Proposal generator: write client-focused proposals
• Profile bio generator: write your Fiverr, Upwork and LinkedIn bios
• Time tracker: track hours by client and export them

Design

1. Canva: social media posts, presentations, flyers and simple videos, with thousands of templates on the free plan.
2. Figma: designing websites and apps. The free plan is enough to learn and to build a portfolio.
3. Photopea: a Photoshop-like editor that runs in your browser, supported by ads.
4. GIMP: a full photo editor for Windows, Mac and Linux.
5. Inkscape: vector graphics, such as logos and illustrations.
6. Krita: digital painting and illustration.
7. Coolors: generating color palettes for brands and designs.
8. Google Fonts: free fonts you can use in client projects.
9. Unsplash and Pexels: free stock photos and videos. Check each image's license.
10. Squoosh: compressing images so websites load faster.

Writing

11. Google Docs: writing and sharing documents, with comments and version history.
12. LibreOffice: a full office suite that works offline.
13. Grammarly (free version): catching spelling and grammar mistakes.
14. LanguageTool (free version): grammar checking in many languages.
15. Hemingway Editor (web version): making your writing shorter and clearer.

Video and audio

16. DaVinci Resolve: professional video editing and color correction, with a powerful free version.
17. Audacity: recording and editing audio, from podcasts to voice-overs.
18. OBS Studio: recording your screen or streaming.

Coding and websites

19. Visual Studio Code: a code editor for almost every language.
20. GitHub: storing your code and showing it as a portfolio.
21. GitHub Pages: free hosting for a simple portfolio website.
22. Cloudflare Pages: free, fast hosting for websites, with your own domain.

Communication

23. Gmail: a professional email address, if you choose a clear name.
24. Google Meet: video calls with clients.
25. Zoom (free plan): video calls, with time limits on group meetings.
26. Loom (free plan): recording short screen videos to explain your work.
27. Calendly (free plan): letting clients book calls without long email chains.

Organization

28. Trello: simple boards to track projects and tasks.
29. Notion: notes, documents, checklists and simple databases in one place.
30. Google Calendar: planning deadlines and blocking time for work.
31. Todoist (free plan): a simple daily to-do list.
32. Obsidian: private notes stored on your own device.
33. Excalidraw: quick sketches and diagrams to explain ideas to clients.
34. draw.io (diagrams.net): flowcharts and diagrams.

Time and money

35. Clockify: time tracking, with unlimited users on the free plan.
36. Toggl Track (free plan): simple time tracking with reports.
37. Zoho Invoice: invoicing and payment reminders.
38. Google Sheets: budgets, income trackers and client lists.

Security

39. Bitwarden: a password manager, so every account gets a strong, unique password.
40. An authenticator app, such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator, for two-factor authentication on your email and freelance accounts.

AI assistants

ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all have free versions that can help with brainstorming, outlines, editing and learning. Use them carefully: check facts, protect client information and never deliver unedited AI output as your own work. Read how to use AI as a freelancer before you do.

How to choose (and not get overwhelmed)

You don't need all 40. Start with:

• one tool for your skill (for example, Canva, Figma or DaVinci Resolve)
• one place for documents (Google Docs)
• one way to stay organized (Trello or Notion)
• one password manager and two-factor authentication

Add more only when you have a real need. For a simple weekly routine that uses these tools, read time management for freelancers.