Whether you are just starting out or a pro, there is nothing wrong with free, right? I like to say, “If it’s free, it’s for me.” It’s a funny saying, but there is some truth to it. There are some excellent tools out there, and they are free as a bird!
Alright, FreeUp Gang. Let’s get to it!
Writing Tools
We already know you are an impressive writer, but adding a few new tools to your arsenal can’t hurt! So here are the must-have tools every writer needs. Oh, did I mention they are free?
Grammarly
Grammarly can be thought of as your personal writing assistant. It’s super user-friendly, and it can be installed as an extension in most popular web browsers. Millions of users use Grammarly every day to make their emails, documents, and social media posts mistake-free.
What's under the hood of this spell-checking beast? An AI-powered algorithm checks the tone of your correspondence and even checks your documents for plagiarism.
Capitalize My Title
Capitalize My Title is exactly what it sounds like. A title capitalization tool is used to make sure your titles or headlines use proper capitalization rules according to various style guides, including APA, MLA, AP, and Chicago.
Hemingway Editor
Hemingway Editor is a word processor and proofreading tool designed for professional writers. The app uses color codes to highlight errors and hard-to-read sentences. This stellar web application even detects the presence of adverbs and passive voice.
Audio Engineering
We have noticed audio engineering and production tickets pouring into the job queue. It’s also no secret that video editors and plenty of other industries find their audio tools and DAWs useful for many situations. In an ever-growing and expensive industry, these workstations won’t break the bank at all.
Audacity
Audacity is software that enables users to both record and edit audio clips. This cost-free powerhouse offers cross-platform compatibility and supports tons of plugins for enhanced functionality. It can run with little resources on Windows, Apple macOS, and even Linux operating systems.
Garage Band
Steve Jobs unveiled GarageBand at Macworld in 2004 stating that Apple will "democratize music-making."
Apple's cost-free music creation studio has an extensive sound library. Instrument presets, synths, loops, one-shots; you name it, they got it!
Design Tools
Everybody and their mother knows about Adobe Creative Suite, but did you know there are free programs to satisfy your artistic hunger? Well, if you weren't aware, I have a treat for you.
Check these bad boys out.
Canva
Canva is a graphic designing platform you can run in a browser and as a stand-alone application. The app includes every template you can think of: social media graphics, presentations, posters, newsletters, simple animations, etc.
Most importantly, Canva is free to use and offers paid subscriptions like Canva Pro and Canva Enterprise for a boatload of extra features.
Gimp
GIMP is a cross-platform image editor available for GNU/Linux, OS X, and Windows. It’s built with all the customization options you need and supports third-party plugins. So whether you are a graphic designer, photographer, or scientist, GIMP will undoubtedly get the job done.
Honorable Mentions
Clearly, we can’t list every tool out there in this article, but this topic can always be revisited in the future. We asked some freelancers on the platform what they think should be included in this list. Here’s what we found!
Trello
Trello is blowing up and becoming a modern favorite! This project management looks and operates like yellow stickies on a whiteboard. The user can organize their teams and projects by simply clicking and dropping cards around the screen.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a helpful SEO tool that tracks the status of websites showing where they rank in Google Search results. Add this tool to your bag if you are a website owner, developer or content creator to track the growth of a project.
FreeUp Marketplace
You can’t have a free tools list without including FreeUp! At no cost, we help the highest-quality freelancers around the world land jobs fast. FreeUp strives to make the working experience user-friendly and safe with an extensive vetting process and payment protection.
Put Some Elbow Grease Into It
There you have it, FreeUp gang. We have only touched the surface of the excellent tools available without touching your wallet. Now, let’s put those tools to good use and make some dough!