Are You a Startup? Here Are The Best Free Tools You Should Use!

  • Kate Borucka
  • February 23, 2024
  • 26 min read
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Free startup software can help your business grow, determine a strong strategy, and gain more clients. It also helps to automate work and optimize tedious processes so you and your team can focus on what really matters.

If you’re a startup or a small business, here are the best software that can help you.

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Free Software for Startups – a Must-Have You Must Have!

Have you ever wondered how the software you use affects your startup, especially if you’re a newly emerged business? Gaining resources, establishing company culture, setting goals and objectives, and assessing risks are only a few of the major elements you need to consider when entering the business world. And without the use of suitable tools, juggling those components may be difficult.

The flexible, open-minded approach is characteristic of small businesses and it enables business owners to explore different possibilities, shift perspectives, and mix different business aspects. It’s particularly helpful when it comes to software – you can choose the software you like, experiment with it, and use it to build a strong brand. Of course, there are expenses that you better budget for, like professional website development, as they are pivotal for the image of your company.

What Software Do You Need as a Startup?

As a startup company, you may find it challenging to operate in the business world because you’re in the initial stages of operations. And every step you take should be well-thought-out and carefully planned to minimize risks.

The right software tools can help you come up with a relevant business plan  and establish a successful ground for further development. As a startup navigating the business landscape, leveraging AI tools presents lucrative opportunities to boost revenue streams. Partnering with an AI development company, can provide the expertise needed to maximize these opportunities. Best AI tools for content generation or web design optimization can help startups tap into the potential of AI to enhance profitability and gain a competitive edge. 

Remember that at the beginning, you’ll need free tools as your budget may be limited. There are many options to choose from dedicated tools for startups and here the four main categories:

1) Marketing Tools

Very often, for startups, marketing is the cornerstone of success — it helps to stand out, create a brand, and establish your business online. Marketing efforts also help to reach out to potential customers and stakeholders. In today’s world, if you’re not present online, it’s like you don’t exist.

Some of the most common digital marketing tools include SEO tools (search engine optimization), site speed optimization tools, analytics tools, tools for managing multiple social media accounts, social media channels, social media campaigns, email marketing tools, and other software that helps to manage, track, and improve your online presence.. To understand the effectiveness of these tools, it’s essential to review link building statistics as they provide valuable insights into how different strategies impact your digital marketing success. Additionally, incorporating white label digital marketing services can significantly enhance your agency’s offerings, allowing you to deliver comprehensive, branded solutions without the need for extensive in-house resources. 

2) Communication Tools

Effective communication is one of the most important aspects of owning a business. It prevents conflicts and misunderstandings, improves collaboration, and helps to keep everyone aligned with the company’s mission, vision, and goals.

And it’s particularly important for remote and distributed teams, and people working asynchronously.

Some of the best tools for startups that improve communication include team messaging apps, collaboration platforms, feedback and survey tools, AI detector, video conferencing, digital business cards or team chat and workspace tools.

The main goal of communication tools for startups is to keep everyone on the same page by allowing quick and easy access to the company’s documents, important knowledge, and ensure smooth information flow.

3) Project Management Tools

As a business owner, you need to ensure all your business processes are on the right track. Project management software can help you in business planning with all the necessary and practical features.

Reliable tools for managing projects will allow you to administer all aspects of work (plan workflow, manage tasks, track progress, assign tasks, track expenses and billable time, manage business contracts, and more).

You can choose from simple to-do lists, task management apps, advanced project management software, and other fancy apps.

4) Financial Tools

Finances are the most important and responsible part of owning a business and you need to make it as transparent and legible as possible. 

Business tools for startups can help you take care of your money, and platforms like Loc8NearMe offer a comprehensive directory to locate nearby services for all your needs. You can choose from accounting tools, apps streamlining online payments, payroll management (often comes with time tracking), budgeting and expense tracking apps, tax preparation, or inventory management and tracking. Implementing robust healthcare financial assistance programs can further enhance financial clarity and provide valuable support to those in need. 

5) Startup Productivity Tools

Make use of all the right tools for startups that are relevant to your or your team members’ job, experience and skills, and personal preferences. These can significantly improve performance, keep things organized, and help your team work better.

Some of the best startup tools for productivity include time tracking, automation and optimization apps that automate repetitive tasks, development tools, file sharing, to-do lists, graphic designs apps, and many, many more.

What to Look for in Startup Tools?

You can find so many tools for startups and small businesses, that it can be difficult to choose those most fitting. However, certain features can help you navigate the nuances of work.

Here’s what a good startup tool should have:

  1. Free plan or free trial so you don’t have to invest too much money in the tool, test all the features and decide if you want to purchase it.
  2. Ease of use: look for an easy-to-use platform, such as user friendly website builders, with no steep learning curve so you can smoothly move around the tool.
  3. Relevant features: it’s tempting to use the most popular, most fancy tools, but they may not necessarily correspond to your business needs. Using software irrelevant to your niche and industry with unnecessary features will bring more harm than good.
  4. Integrations and cross-platform availability because you want to easily access your data from any place and integrate it with other startup tools for better workflow.
  5. Customer support teams will help you troubleshoot. Because you don’t need any more problems to solve than you already have.

What Are the Best Startup Tools?

The best tools for startups should give you full flexibility in how you want to use them. And you can choose from many different options as today’s apps are universal and offer practical functionalities.

Take a look at our list of free software for startups. These are the apps that many of the startup founders rely on most. Trust us, we know what we’re talking about. After all, we also started as a startup!

1. TimeCamp

For tracking billable time & monitoring work hours

TimeCamp is a 100% free time tracker for unlimited users. It combines the features of a time tracker and a project management tool. TimeCamp can help you keep track of time and budget, manage payroll, timesheets and attendance, and enhance workflow.

The tool gathers all the information on your team’s work so you can improve processes and collect comprehensive data on your business performance and situation. It lets you analyze the company’s actions and better allocate time, resources or budget. Created by a startup team, TimeCamp knows the needs of a startup environment better than anyone.

Main features:

  • Automatic time tracking in the real time with a simple one-click timer.
  • Accurate and adjustable timesheets with approvals.
  • Tracking time by tasks and projects.
  • Extensive but comprehensive reports show you how much time you and your team spend on all activities.
  • Attendance management to keep track of vacations, leaves, and absences.
  • A productive and non-productive distinction of activities helps you organize your work in more efficient way.
  • Available as a mobile (iOS, Android) and desktop app (Windows, Mac, Linux).
  • GPS feature to manage field workers.
  • Graphical timesheets integrated with calendar.
  • Budgeting reports show actual vs. estimated time.
  • You can create invoices based on billable hours worked.
  • Idle time detection.
  • Integrates with other tools – project management software, productivity apps, CRM, task management apps, and many more.
Get to know where your time goes with TimeCamp!

Track time in projects and tasks, create reports, and bill your clients in just one tool.

2. Wave

Financial software for small businesses

Wave dashboard

Wave is a free invoicing and accounting software with credit card processing and payroll services. It’s a powerful solution that will help you manage the financial aspects of your business.

Wave’s suite of products comprises four main components:

  1. Accounting to track income and expenses.
  2. Invoicing with features such as automatic invoices, recurring payments, personalization and customization, automatic payment reminders, cash-flow insights, receipts, and many more
  3. Payroll to easily pay your employees
  4. Payments to get paid quickly.

Wave provides solutions that empower small business owners to simplify their finances while giving them more confidence to run their businesses. The app is available in a mobile version so you can quickly view all your invoices and receipts. Simple but extremely effective.

3. TimeCamp Planner

Task management tool with chat

Startups very often have to stay in touch with their investors, clients, other enterprises, entrepreneurs, and the entire team. And it’s important to have the right tool for communication. TimeCamp Planner is a combination of Slack and Trello but with more advanced features. You can chat with people and collaborate on tasks and projects in one place.

TimeCamp Planner gives you space to freely and smoothly collaborate with your teams and clients so you don’t have to switch between different tabs.

Main features:

  • Thanks to its design, you can see three boards in one place – your team and spaces (different channels), chat, and a list of cards with tasks.
  • You can easily convert part of your conversation into a task.
  • The board with tasks allows you to see all projects in one place.
  • Every task can be adjusted – you can set a date, assign people to it, add tags and descriptions, attach files, and comment on it.
  • The feature of workspaces allows you to create many spaces, if, for example, you work for various organizations or have different clients.
  • Available as web, desktop, and mobile app.
  • Rich visualization features—a digital planner with a calendar, timeline, estimates, board view, Kanban boards, and to-do lists.
  • Add-ons available.

4. Social Media

For international marketing

Free tools for startup

There is a common saying that in today’s world, you don’t exist if you’re not on social media. While, of course, you do exist when you’re not on social media, it is worth informing the world about your startup’s presence. Such platforms are great for promoting your small business, product, or service. The word spreads fast on the Internet, and using it as part of the marketing strategy is a good idea.

Of all the free business startup software, social media are the most effective in terms of marketing. There are a few most popular platforms that are worth signing up for:

  • Facebook,
  • X (previously Twitter),
  • Instagram,
  • LinkedIn,
  • Forums: Reddit, Quora.

5. Fotor

For creating stunning visuals and editing photos

Fotor is a powerful online photo editing and design tool that caters to both amateurs and professionals. With an intuitive interface and a range of advanced features, Fotor allows users to create, edit, and enhance images effortlessly.

Key features:

  • Background Remover: Easily remove unwanted backgrounds from images.
  • Photo Enhancer: One-tap enhancement for perfect photo quality.
  • AI Image Generator: Create unique images using AI technology.
  • AI Headshot Generator: Generate professional headshots quickly.
  • AI Video Generator: Produce videos using AI for various needs.

Available as a web application, Fotor also offers mobile versions for iOS and Android, making photo editing accessible on the go. Whether for personal use, social media, or professional projects, Fotor simplifies the design process with its extensive toolkit and user-friendly design.

6. SocialPilot

For AI-supported social media post creation, scheduling, and management

AI Social Media Tool - SocialPilot

SocialPilot is a versatile social media management suite relied upon by more than 13,500 marketers and startups like you to enhance your presence on all major platforms.

With its powerful scheduling, publishing, and planning capabilities, you can easily oversee your social channels using AI-driven tools that improve your content creation and posting schedules.

SocialPilot’s AI assistant streamlines your content creation by transforming your ideas into engaging posts with just a few clicks. Once your post is created, you can effortlessly and smartly schedule it for optimal engagement.

This highly efficient tool integrates with popular remote storage platforms such as Google Drive and Dropbox, minimizing the need for downloads and uploads. Additionally, it provides detailed analytics that illustrates the systematic progress of your work.

Here are some powerful features that SoicalPilot includes:

  • Social media scheduling
  • Social media calendar 
  • AI Assistant
  • Bulk Scheduling
  • Content curation
  • Client Management
  • Team Management

7. Hootsuite

For automatic social media management

Hootsuite - free tools for startups

When you have established a social media account on popular platforms, you also need to consider their proper management. Since it may be difficult to control them by yourself or you may not afford a social media manager, Hootsuite will do the job.

With this tool, you can manage all content, schedule when you want it to be published, track the impact of your social media actions, and follow when people talk about you.

Hootsuite is another must-have. It can help you stay active on social media. Remember, the more active you are, the bigger the chance of gaining new customers.

Main features:

  • Automatic post scheduling.
  • Content curation.
  • Analytics with reports.
  • Monitoring features.

8. Google Analytics

For website analytics

Google AnalyticsSource: https://reflectivedata.com/dictionary/google-analytics/

Google Analytics is one of the best free SEO tools for small businesses. You will need it if you want to establish a highly-ranked website. It gathers all the necessary data and metrics to assess the quality of the site. Use it to analyze your website or a blog. It will help you improve your ranking, get rid of the defects, and gain more leads.

Google Analytics lets you understand your site and app users to better check the performance of your marketing, content, products, and more. You have access to unique insights and machine learning capabilities to make the most of your data.

Analytics works with Google’s advertising and publisher products, so you can use your insights to deliver business results. For instance, you can connect Google Analytics to HubSpot to integrate your marketing data and enhance your business strategies.

9. Trello

For simple team and workflow management

Trello is one of the leading task management applications on the market. It lets you organize all tasks. It offers a digital whiteboard format in place of post-it notes – you can use it for various purposes, from everyday task management, redesigning a website, and posting regular updates for your business to working on complex projects with many participants.

Trello relies on the Kanban system of project management, allowing users to visually organize their tasks. You can use it to categorize your duties and divide them by tasks that you can edit with descriptions, labels, checklists, and attachments.

It comes with an intuitive and elegant interface and a free version that satisfies most individuals and even companies.

TimeCamp is a part of Trello Power-Ups, a directory for Trello’s add-ons! Now you can turn your TimeCamp and Trello integration into a real productivity powerhouse.

10. Zapier

For work automation & optimization

Zapier-screen

If you’re looking for a free tool for startups for easy business automation, Zapier is the right one. This business process automation software allows you to build Zaps that enable you to automate the most important processes for your business or to use applications already available in the Zapier’s library.

You can create various workflows and automate repetitive actions, such as adding files from your e-mail to Dropbox. This tool is a real-time-saver for busy startups! It also connects with all the best marketing tools.

You can also integrate Zapier with TimeCamp and find out how long it takes for you to automate workflow!

11. File Sharing

File and document sharing is essential when running a business. It enhances communication and collaboration but also provides transparency. You can work in real time and quickly exchange information.

Here are the most popular platforms for file sharing:

  • Google Drive – best if you use G Suite and other Google services.
  • Dropbox – comprehensive solution best for teams who need to collaborate in real-time.
  • Nira – protects documents from unauthorized access.
  • OneDrive – fully compatible with Microsoft programs and apps.
  • Box – simplified workflow with quick file sharing.

12. ClickUp

For project management & team communication

clickup project management tool

ClickUp is one of the best and most popular free tools for managing a team. It lets you organize, plan, and manage workflow in a super-efficient way.

The tool serves as an organized place for teams, projects and company-wide communication. It’s better than messy email chains because you can see the whole story from top to bottom and it’s easy to get back to what you need at any time.

You can have many projects running at the same time and have a quick insight into what other team members do. ClickUp is an advanced project administration app that combines all the tools for startups in one place. It’s suitable for small businesses and remote teams.

13. Aha

Roadmap software

Aha free software for startup

Aha is a free tool for business operations teams. It helps to map a strategy for developing your business. Additionally, the free plan is dedicated specifically to startups so it lets you allocate budget to those areas that really need it in the early stage of developing your strategy.

Take advantage of the tool to manage 5 main elements of business development:

  1. Capture the essentials: Articulate the foundational elements of your business strategy.
  2. Define business goals: Establish clear objectives with measurable results.
  3. Set budgets and track ROI: Add financial data to your plans.
  4. Track cross-functional dependencies: Clarify organizational priorities and set implementation timelines.
  5. Highlight the team’s momentum: Analyze how the company is advancing against the roadmap. The reports dashboard provides more than 50 example reports, so you can immediately see progress and potential problems.

Aha helps you put your initiatives into action in a quick and simple way.

14. Mailchimp

Email marketing automation

Mailchimp has email marketing, ads, landing pages, and CRM (customer relationship management) tools – it’s an all-in-one marketing platform. It lets you understand your audience and precisely target your content or product. Mailchimp consists of 4 components, each having different tools:

  1. Audience – Marketing CRM, Audience Dashboard, Tags, Segmentation, Behavioral Targeting, Lookalike Audiences.
  2. Brand – Content Studio (stores all your files, images, etc.), Email Templates, Domains, Websites.
  3. Campaigns – Email, Social Media, Landing Pages, Digital Ads, Postcards, Automation.
  4. Insights – Reports and Analytics, Smart Recommendations, Integrations.

Mailchimp helps you automate your marketing campaigns and learn more about your audience so you can gather actionable data, create personalized content, and build a better relationship with every customer. Mailchimp subscription depends on the number of emails, the higher the number of emails, the higher the cost. So it is very important to have a verified email list when doing email marketing campaigns. If that doesn’t work for you, there are many Mailchimp alternatives that may fit your needs better. 

15. Canva

Online design tool

Canva edit mode

Canva is one of the best tools for designing visual content. With the drag-and-drop feature and layouts, you can create eye-catching wallpapers, cards, business cards, reports, presentations, resumes, posters, logos, social media graphics, graphs, design flyers, and many, many more.

Canva is especially helpful in content marketing as it lets you enhance your posts, articles, and everything else by adding visuals to it to give your audience an enjoyable visual experience.

The free version, however, has a limited number of free items. So to use the full media library, you either have to pay for a single item or upgrade to a paid plan. Nevertheless, Canva is a helpful online design tool, and the free plan should have everything you need for the start to generate engaging content.

16. Watermarkly

Free online tools for simple photo editing

Watermarkly offers a seamless online solution for adding watermarks to your images. Whether you want to overlay text or a logo, the process is both swift and straightforward. Beyond watermarking, Watermarkly allows you to crop, compress, and resize images, as well as blur faces and license plates when necessary. Its intuitive interface is designed for ease of use, so even newcomers can quickly become proficient.

Key tools:

  • Add Watermarks: Easily overlay text or logos onto your images or PDF files.
  • Image Cropping: Crop images to focus on specific areas or adjust dimensions.
  • Image Compression: Reduce file sizes to optimize performance and storage.
  • Resize Images: Adjust image dimensions to fit various formats and requirements.
  • Blur Faces and License Plates: Apply blur effects to conceal sensitive information.

Ideal for photographers and content creators alike, Watermarkly helps safeguard your images against unauthorized use and supports your branding efforts online. Our diverse clientele includes small and medium-sized business owners, ranging from handmade artists and real estate professionals to educators, bloggers, designers, and more.

17. Amazon Web Services

Cloud computing platform

AWS-Amazon Web Services

 

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud services platform that offers reliable, scalable, and inexpensive cloud computing services (compute power, database storage, content delivery, and other functionalities). It’s free to join, and you pay only for what you use. It’s a secure platform, so you can be sure all your data is safely stored.

If you have a lot of data, AWS is the right place to store it.

With AWS, organizations have access to a highly scalable, reliable, and secure IT infrastructure that can be easily tailored to meet their specific needs, while also helping to minimize costs by only paying for what is used. 

18. Freshdesk

For customer support

Freshdesk is an online cloud-based customer service software providing helpdesk support software with smart automation features. It’s a powerful tool that makes it easier to handle issues and quickly resolve your customer’s problems. 

With Freshdesk, you are able to provide outstanding customer service. It’s a necessary tool for your company if your service or product requires to interact with customers, especially helpful for sales and support teams.

In the free plan, you have access to the following features:

  1. Email ticketing: you can convert all email queries into tickets and track, prioritize and reply to them using Freshdesk.
  2. Ticket Dispatching: automatically assign new incoming tickets to agents and groups based on keywords, ticket requester or ticket properties customer’s location.
  3. Ticket Status Tracking: an analysis of the tickets created, resolved, and unresolved over a specific period of time
  4. Knowledge Base: you can enable customers to solve their problems by using Freshdesk knowledge base.
  5. Mobile App: Access Freshdesk’s functionality on the go through their mobile app, which is available for both iOS and Android devices.
  6. Basic Reporting: You can generate basic reports to gain insights into your support team’s performance and customer interactions.

👉 Check out our Freshdesk time tracking integration!

19. Logo Design

For creating personalized company logo

 

Logo Design is a full-spectrum graphic design SaaS program that allows you to create business logos without any experience or technical know-how.

You choose your logo template from thousands of pre-made samples. Through customization, you can change the design details and personalize it according to your brand identity concept. You can change colors, fonts, icon, the layout, and so much more. Each logo design is also available in vector formats.

The interface is also intuitive, and everything works with a drag-and-drop functionality. Since it is a complete brand design platform, you can also design your business card, website, social media header, and other marketing kit with it. 

If you are looking for some exclusive design, our online logo maker tool offers custom design packages. Depending on the package you choose, you can work with multiple designers on your logo design project, get unlimited revisions, and quick delivery time. Additionally, if you need to touch up any images for your branding, our AI photo editor is at your service, ensuring your visuals are perfect for your business.

20. Social Champ

For social media management

Social Champ is a social media management tool to automate your content so you can save more of your time. It lets you create, edit, share and publish your content on all major social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and Google Business Profile.

Social Champ offers multiple versatile features. You can effortlessly create and share posts with trending hashtags and emojis. Schedule content flexibly through the dashboard or preferred time slots using QUEUE categories. Manage social media with a comprehensive calendar for viewing, editing, and resharing content.

Bulk Upload lets you schedule multiple posts at once, planning up to 3 years ahead. Track social media performance with detailed analytics, including weekly and monthly graphs. Enjoy seamless integrations, consolidating Visual Integrations and Social Network Integrations in one place.

21. Tailor Brands

An all-in-one platform for launching a business

Tailor Brands is an all-in-one platform for launching a business. It has comprehensive features and a user-friendly interface. Here’s a breakdown of why Tailor Brands is a great choice for entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners:

  • Professional Branding: Tailor Brands provides tools for creating a professional brand identity, including logo design and digital business card creation.
  • Easy Logo Design: Its AI-powered logo maker generates unique options based on your preferences.
  • Website Builder: a user-friendly way to build a website (templates, customization options, and essential features to showcase products or services effectively).
  • Marketing Materials: brochures, flyers, and social media posts.
  • Brand Strategy and Guidance: provides valuable insights and tips on branding, marketing, and business growth.

The software equips entrepreneurs with the necessary tools to establish a professional brand presence and effectively communicate their offerings to the target audience.

22. UXtweak

All-in-one user research tool

UXtweak is a comprehensive tool for gathering user input about the performance of a website or an application.

It’s a good startup tool that will help you track any usability or user journey issues, improve information architecture, and analyze user behavior, preferences, and expectations for better conversions. UXtweak also offers prototype testing with Figma and Invision integrations, which will save you from costly design mistakes and align future products with user expectations. 

Some of the main features include moderated or unmoderated usability testing, along with techniques like card sorting and A/B testing, enhancing user experience and design assessment; session recordings offer deep insights into user behavior; while leveraging a vast user panel ensures diverse participant recruitment.

23. Oneflow

For contract management

Oneflow - tool for startups

Every successful business needs to take care of formalities. Oneflow can help you manage all agreements with other business owners, business partners, contractors, or freelancers.

It lets you easily create agreements of any type and other basic service agreements from scratch or using existing templates. Some of the main features include HTML, editable contracts, electronic signatures, automated archives, plug-and-play integrations, contract metadata, notifications & tracking. You can also collaborate and comment on documents.

Oneflow automates work and helps to save time on paperwork. You can store all the documents in one place and easily access it any time. Your agreements and contracts are safe and sound.

24. Uniqode

QR Codes Management Platform

QR Codes have found their use in every industry and help you connect your physical marketing campaigns with your digital mediums (Website, app, lead gen form, etc.) However, creating and managing different QR Codes for all your campaigns can be a hassle, and this is where tools like Uniqode come in handy.

Uniqode is a highly trusted QR Code management platform that lets you create customizable, dynamic QR Codes that align with your branding. Built-in analytics analyze your QR Code campaign’s performance, and Google Analytics integration provides valuable insights into user behavior, click-through rates, and conversions.

Other valuable features include generating QR Codes in bulk, built-in error correction to ensure optimum scannability, and integration support with over 5,000 apps such as Hubspot, Zapier, Slack, and more.

25. Webnode

No-code website builder for small businesses

Webnode is a simple and free tool for creating amazing modern websites. It allows you to build a website, blog or e-shop without code in minutes. With its user-friendly drag and drop system and predefined customizable website templates, making a website is like playing with building blocks. Add all types of content in a few clicks, move it around or change it at any time.

Moreover, Webnode has AI website builder that now allows for even more efficient website creation. The AI generates text content for you and obtains relevant images from the photobank. This way you create the entire website in a moment.

Main features:

  • Create your website for free.
  • A 14-day trial of the Premium plan, where you can try out all the features of Webnode.
  • User-friendly website builder with drag and drop system for quick website launch.
  • No-code platform, no coding skills required.
  • Web in 24 languages.
  • Unlimited number of pages.
  • Responsive website templates sorted by topics.
  • An extensive free image gallery ready to be used on your website.
  • Built-in SEO to help you optimize.
  • Integration with analytics tools for marketing tracking.
  • AI builder for an easy website making process.

26. Upmetrics

Upmetrics is a modern, AI-powered business planning software. It helps entrepreneurs and small business owners prepare their business plans and grow their businesses with ease.

It has user-friendly functionalities that help with business-related queries, auto-writing, rewriting the given content, expanding or shortening the content, adjusting the writing tone, and much more. So, Upmetrics makes the entire business plan writing process a lot easier for anyone new to business planning.

Apart from that, its subscription model offers 400+ sample business plan templates, a financial forecasting tool, an AI pitch deck creator, video tutorials, and step-by-step guides, business model canvases—empowering the overall business planning approach.

Key features:

  • AI assistance to write actionable business plans
  • 400+ sample business plan templates
  • AI pitch deck generator to create impressive pitches
  • Realistic financial forecasting for 5-7 years
  • Business plan builder with drag-and-drop capabilities
  • Content rewriting and shortening choices
  • Real-time collaboration and easy sharing options

Cons:

Not suitable for large-scale enterprises

Pricing:

The Upmetrics subscription starts at just $7/month for the starter plan and $14/ month for the premium plan.

27. Appy Pie’s App Builder 

For creating mobile applications without coding

Appy Pie’s App Builder is a versatile and user-friendly tool for creating custom mobile applications without the need for coding skills. With its drag-and-drop interface, users can easily design and customize their apps to suit their specific needs.

The platform offers a wide range of features and functionalities, allowing users to create apps for various purposes, including business, education, entertainment, and more. From e-commerce apps to restaurant ordering systems, Appy Pie’s App Builder provides templates and tools to streamline the app development process.

One of the key advantages of Appy Pie’s App Builder is its affordability, making it accessible to businesses and individuals alike. Whether you’re a small startup looking to establish a mobile presence or a large enterprise in need of a custom app solution, Appy Pie’s App Builder offers pricing plans to fit your budget.

28. Aihello

Aihello is not just an advertising platform, it’s a powerful tool that can significantly boost the visibility of your Amazon products. It’s designed to drive sales and increase revenue, all without inflating your advertising cost of sales.
For your assistance, Amazon PPC software tools are available. This helps create campaigns in a few seconds.
 
Here are some prominent features of a suitable PPC software tool:
  • Decrease the chances of manual work
  • Easy to use and helps you save time
  • Scale your company
  • 1:1 expert mentorship
  • Tailor specific ads around goals
  • Actionable reports
With the help of a software tool, selecting the most effective keyword becomes a breeze. This ensures you don’t miss any opportunities to drive relevant traffic, while also relieving you of the headaches of manual campaign management.

29. BrandCrowd

All-in-one platform for your branding needs

BrandCrowd is a powerful logo maker and branding tool designed to help startups and entrepreneurs create stunning logos and cohesive brand assets with ease. With a vast library of customizable logo templates from a global community of designers, BrandCrowd offers an intuitive platform that allows you to tailor designs to perfectly match your brand’s identity.

Whether you need logos, social media graphics, or business cards, BrandCrowd provides the tools and flexibility needed to bring your brand vision to life without the need for design expertise.

Main features:

  • Access thousands of professional logo templates, all fully customizable to suit your brand.
  • Intuitive design tools that let you adjust colors, fonts, and layouts to create a unique brand look.
  • Ensure your brand looks polished with high-resolution logo downloads.
  • Generate comprehensive brand kits that include everything from logos to business cards.
  • User-friendly interface designed for non-designers to create professional-quality designs.
  • Benefit from a diverse array of design styles created by a worldwide network of designers.
  • Secure the rights to your customized logos for both personal and commercial use.
  • Maintain a cohesive brand identity across all mediums with consistent and professional branding assets.
  • Access high-quality design tools at a fraction of the cost of hiring a professional designer.
  • See how your logo will look in real-world scenarios with instant mockup previews.
  • Create matching social media headers, posts, and stories to keep your branding consistent across all platforms.

30. forms.app 

For collecting data and feedback and conducting market research 

forms.app is a practical form builder application that can be used in a variety of business scenarios. Whether you need to create a feedback form, a satisfaction survey, or a social media trivia, forms.app is a tool that can be a valuable asset. It’s perfect for managing pre-orders, processing applications, gathering feedback, or handling event registrations. 

Main features: 

  • Simple and friendly experience (no coding required)
  • AI feature to create forms with a prompt
  • Hand-crafted design themes
  • Conditional logic forms
  • 4000+ free templates

31. Smartlead

Smartlead is a comprehensive email cold email automation platform dedicated to transforming cold emails into reliable revenue streams. It is your comprehensive solution for enhancing email deliverability, lead generation, cold email automation, and sales outreach. 

Smartlead ensures your emails reach their destination with unmatched deliverability, leveraging advanced strategies to boost inbox placement and maintain sender reputation. It offers key features like: 

  • Unlimited Email Warmups: Boost email deliverability and reputation with unlimited email warmups, ensuring your emails avoid spam filters and reach the intended recipients’ inboxes.
  • Email Follow-Up Automation: Automate follow-ups with prospects effortlessly using Smartlead’s email follow-up automation, ensuring timely and personalized communication to maximize conversions.
  • Powerful APIs and Automation: Integrate seamlessly with other tools and automate workflows using Smartlead’s powerful APIs.
  • Customized White Labeling: Enhance your brand presence and credibility with customized white labeling options from Smartlead, presenting a unified brand experience to your clients.
  • Unified Master Inbox: Manage all your communications from one centralized hub with Smartlead’s unified master inbox 3.0, enhancing efficiency and collaboration across teams. Track and manage your entire deal flow seamlessly within Smartlead, from initial lead interaction to conversion, streamlining your sales process.
  • Built-in Email Verification: Reduce bounce rates with real-time email verification, ensuring data accuracy and campaign effectiveness.
  • Enhanced Tracking and Analytics: Monitor the performance of your email campaigns in real-time, enabling informed decisions and optimization for better results.

These key features are complemented by affordable pricing plans: The Basic Plan starts at $39/month, the Pro Plan at $94/month, and a Custom Plan, which begins at $174/month for tailored solutions.

Additionally, Smartlead offers a suite of essential tools to optimize email performance. Authentication tools include CNAME, SPF Checker, and DMARC Checker etc. You also can leverage Email deliverability tools like Email Verifier (e.g. Kickbox), Blacklist Check Tool, and Email Bounce Rate Calculator for free. 

Moreover, from campaign creation to adjusting settings and seamlessly integrating with other software via API and webhooks, Smartlead empowers you to scale your outreach without manual intervention.

32. Bizplanr

Modern AI-powered business plan generator

Bizplanr is an innovative AI business plan generator designed to create comprehensive business plans more effectively and quickly. It transforms the traditional business planning approach for small business owners and new-age entrepreneurs.

With Bizplanr, you don’t need to be a business plan expert. All you need to do is simply answer a few questions related to your business or business idea. And its advanced AI will generate your plan within just 10 minutes.

Once your plan is ready, you can review it, download it in different formats (PDF/Word), and easily share it with others from anywhere at any time.

Whether you’re planning to start a new business or validate your business idea, Bizplanr is your go-to solution. Even, it will provide industry-specific advice in your strategic planning process.

Main features:

  • Powerful AI Assistance to generate solid business plans
  • Suitable for any industry
  • Expert-level advise and structured formats
  • Accurate and realistic financial projections
  • Collaborative features and easy sharing options
  • Most reliable and 100% free to use

33. Dripify

Dripify is an fully-automated LinkedIn automation tool that works on complete autopilot and can supercharge your entire prospecting on LinkedIn.

Here’s a breakdown of why Dripify is a great choice for recruiters, business owners and marketing agencies:

  • Create LinkedIn prospecting campaigns by selecting desired automated LinkedIn actions (messages, connection requests, InMails, profile views, endorsements, followings, likes), delays, and conditions;
  • Export LinkedIn leads data into CSV;
  • Respond to leads easily via smart inbox feature;
  • Observe advanced analytics with crucial metrics, conversion rates, and team stats;
  • Onboard team members to work together, watch their LinkedIn performance and stats from your control panel.

34. Kittl

Creating beautiful images, logos, and marketing materials is quick and easy using Kittl.com, an intuitive online design tool. Even without a lot of design knowledge, you can create professional-looking images using its easy-to-use tools and templates.

Startups may create eye-catching designs that connect with their target audience by using Kittl.com’s comprehensive tools. With Kittl’s platform, you can create professional-quality visuals without a steep learning curve, from logos to social media graphics and marketing materials. Its design is centered around speed and simplicity. Perfect for companies expanding quickly, Kittl saves you time and money by helping you build a powerful brand presence, allowing you to concentrate on efficiently growing your startup.

  • User-friendly Interface: Simple drag-and-drop design tools that don’t need any prior knowledge.
  • Large Template Library: A huge collection of editable templates for social networking, marketing collateral, logos, and other purposes.
  • Diverse Design components: To foster creativity, have access to a large selection of typefaces, icons, and design components.
  • Effective Workflow: Time-saving, streamlined design process that’s perfect for fast-paced work environments like startups.
  • Superior Results: Expert-caliber designs that enhance the visual identity of your company.
  • Collaborative Tools: Suitable for group work, these solutions for sharing and collaboration are simple.
  • Cloud-Based Platform: Access and work from any location while keeping all of your designs safely stored on the cloud.
  • Affordable Pricing: Cost-effective plans tailored to fit the needs of individuals and businesses alike.

35. SmartReach.io

SmartReach.io is an AI-enabled sales engagement platform built for automating your outreach efforts and maximize response and engagement.

It offers a comprehensive suite of tools to enhance email deliverability, automate follow-ups, and manage your B2B sales process efficiently.

Key features include:

  • Multi-Channel Outreach: Engage with prospects through multiple channels, including email, phone, calling, LinkedIn, text messages and WhatsApp, all from a single platform, enhancing your reach and effectiveness.
  • Unlimited email automation: Schedule and automate email follow-ups, calls, messages based on your prospect timezones.
  • AI Email Sequences: Generate personalized email sequences using AI to engage prospects at the right time, ensuring consistent and timely communication.
  • Advanced Email Deliverability: Inbox rotation, ESP matching and other deliverability features to ensure your emails reach the primary inbox of the prospects.
  • Built-in Lead Finder: Find prospect contact details such as email addresses, phone numbers, company details inside SmartReach.
  • Free email warm-up tool: Warm-up unlimited email accounts within SmartReach for building sender reputation.
  • Team Collaboration: Collaborate seamlessly with your team using shared inbox, templates, and analytics, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
  • Detailed Analytics and Reporting: Monitor your campaign performance with real-time analytics and detailed reports, helping you take data-driven decisions and continuous optimization.
  • CRM Integration: Integrate SmartReach.io with your existing CRM and other sales tools with native and Zapier integrations. 

SmartReach.io offers flexible pricing plans to suit different business needs. 

The Starter Plan begins at $24/month, the Pro Plan at $59/month, and the Enterprise Plan at $99/month, providing scalable solutions for businesses of all sizes.

Additionally, SmartReach.io provides essential tools to enhance your email performance, including unlimited free email verification, 24×7 blacklist monitoring, unlimited sender email accounts etc. to maintain your sender reputation.

36. Hostinger

Hostinger‘s Website Builder is an ideal choice for startups that need to create a professional website without spending a lot of time or money. With its user-friendly interface, even those with no technical experience can design and launch a site effortlessly. The tool is designed to simplify the process, making it accessible for anyone looking to build an online presence.

One of the standout features of Hostinger’s Website Builder is its wide range of templates. These are tailored to different industries, allowing startups to find a design that fits their business perfectly. The templates are modern and visually appealing, giving you a great starting point to customize your website.

Customization is made easy with Hostinger’s drag-and-drop functionality. This feature allows you to tweak your site to match your brand’s look and feel, ensuring that your website reflects your business identity. It’s a practical option for startups that want to get online quickly without compromising on design quality.

Conclusion

Free apps for startups can help you develop your business and enhance the work of your employees. Use them to improve workflow, work management, resource allocation, and boost productivity.

Before you decide to invest in a paid plan, test software out to make sure it meets your needs and has all the features your startup or small business needs. It’s better to cancel a free plan rather than to put up with using inefficient software and lose money.

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2 Comments

  1. Farzal
    April 12, 2019 at 13:55
    (Edit)

    Hey,

    I hope you are doing great. I like your blog that how helpful it is for the startup community.

    You’ve listed all the online tools.

    I would like to know your thoughts on including our Social Media Management tool SocialChamp.io in this listing too! I would even give a discount or commission on every sale.

    Let me know what do you think.

    Cheers,

  2. David
    December 22, 2022 at 11:23
    (Edit)

    Great content! This is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. Thanks for your guidance…