The best apps for freelancers in 2019 - here we go! In 2018, Instagram became somewhat of a staple App in a freelancer’s life - particularly if you’re in the fashion, beauty or lifestyle business. Although it can be used to showcase work and connect with others (if you know how to use it properly), it can suck you in and waste a lot of time. We've picked 11 apps that are designed for freelancers and will help you to network, find work, organise your travel and stay on top of your finances wherever you are.
Self-praise alert! We designed our App at Freelancer Club exclusively for freelance content creators on to go (as we usually are). Receive job or project notifications and apply in seconds directly from your phone. As well as that, you can showcase your latest work and connect with other members to arrange your own projects via in-mail. Unlike Insta, it’s exclusively for freelancers so you won’t have to search long to connect with an amazing creative.
Cost: Free / Premium options from £7.99 p/m via the website
Coconut is an app and a current account specifically designed for freelancers, self-employed people, and small business owners. The app looks after your daily accounting needs and tax. It’s beautiful to look at and easy to use, plus they send you a cool Coconut card to use for all purchases so you can separate your business expenses from your weekly shop!
Cost: Free/ Upgrade for £5 p/m
Shapr has been described as “Tinder for business,” as users of the app swipe right on professionals that they’re interested in. It’s a great platform for freelancers to network with fellow professionals, whether it’s with the hope of meeting new clients or connecting with people for your own project and existing network.
Cost: Free
Albert is an automated bookkeeping app that keeps all of your expenses in one place, making it easier to budget each day, month, and week. It also allows you to categorise all of your expenses. Freelancers use it, freelancers love it.
Cost: Free/ Upgrade for £2.29 p/m
A car rental App I hear you cry! Yeah. Many freelancers, particularly those with bulky kit, need to get to jobs all over the place. That rules out the tube, bus and sometimes taxi. Zipcar provides cars and vans to rent 24/7, which is ideal for running between locations, offices, shoots, and studios. All you have to do is apply online and receive your Zipcard in the post. Once you’re signed up, you can book cars for a few hours or a whole day, from the app. Why hire a car when you can get an Uber? Their new ‘One Way Trips’ option means you only pay when you’re driving which can often make it cheaper than an Uber.
Cost: Free/ Upgrade from £6 p/m
‘If you write anything, you need Grammarly.’ As cringe as their tag line is, it’s true and we love Grammarly! It picks up grammar and spelling errors that most other programs miss and it’s a lifesaver when sending emails. Clients hate misspellings and freelancers don’t like spending hours over each word. Grammarly sorts it.
Cost: Free/ Upgrade for £23.44 p/m
Wunderlist (no longer available)
As a freelancer, you probably have your own method of list-making. Whether that's scraps of paper or Apple Notes, if it works, it works. Before dismissing yet another app, check out Wunderlist. It's so easy to use and great for managing and checking off daily, weekly and monthly tasks. It’s also a handy companion to Google Cal or iCal or whichever Cal you use.
Cost: Free/ Upgrade for £3.91 p/m
When you’re working from home on a big project, it’s so easy to get distracted and procrastinate. Freedom is an app and website blocker that allows you to block anything that will cause you to lose focus on the task at hand. Like a horse blinder for humans. Okay, that was weird.
Cost: Free/ Upgrade for £5.47 p/m
Lots of creative freelancers are visual people. We like to see things in colour, pictures and shapes not paragraphs of text. If you want to organise your project planning and brainstorming, MindMeister is a brilliant app for creating and sharing ideas visually. It’s great for planning out your own projects or working in collaboration with others.
Cost: Free/ Upgrade from £4.99 p/m
This app is for those who spend too much time watching cat videos. RescueTime is a fantastic app for ensuring that you’re using your time wisely and being productive. It tracks time spent on all apps and websites visited, so you have a clear vision of how you’ve spent your day.
Cost: Free/ Upgrade for £7.05 p/m
Pocket is an app ideal for freelancers who want to read stuff later (and offline). We use it for work and personal content and it's a life-saver. The app allows you to save articles, videos and all types of content from any website and app visited. So when you’re researching a project or you’d like to read something on the plane, you can open up Pocket and do just that!
Cost: Free/ Upgrade for £3.91 p/m
Click to browse discounts on a range of freelancer-friendly apps.
