The right tech tools can help your business operate more efficiently, but the costs can quickly add up. Here are eight small business tech tools that offer free plans for small businesses.
Slack
Slack is one of the best internal communication apps for small businesses. It allows you to communicate with your employees without getting caught in endless email threads. You can have different Slack channels for different parts of your business and can even invite clients to join.
Slack offers a free plan with up to 5 GB of file storage per workplace. You can send group messages, store files, and send one-on-one messages directly within the Slack app. And you can initiate voice or video calls with one other person.
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Wave
Every business needs good accounting software to manage its finances. But accounting software can get pricy, so Wave is a great option. Wave is free to use and allows you to track your income and expenses and generate financial statements.
You can easily monitor how your business is doing from Wave’s dashboard. Wave also offers free unlimited invoicing and the option to set up recurring payments for customers.
Canva
If you regularly create social media or marketing graphics, you need to check out Canva. It’s an online graphic design tool that’s free to use. It comes with over 250,000 free templates and over 100 design types.
Best of all, the free version lets you add team members and collaborate on projects. Team members can add comments, assign tasks, and resolve suggestions directly within Canva.
[Read more: How to Create Inexpensive Business Graphics: 5 Tips for Getting Started]
Video calls have become a staple for many workplaces, especially if you have remote team members. GoToMeeting is a great way to host online meetings for free.
HootSuite
If social media is part of your marketing strategy, then you need a way to schedule posts and monitor your accounts. HootSuite connects to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
The free plan is somewhat limited — you can connect to two social media accounts and schedule five posts per month. But it’s an excellent way to get started, and you can upgrade to the paid plan once you’re ready.
GoToMeeting
Video calls have become a staple for many workplaces, especially if you have remote team members. GoToMeeting is a great way to host online meetings for free. You can schedule meetings up to 40 minutes long with up to three participants.
During the meeting, you can share your screen and send links, and team members can ask questions in the chat box. Once you’re ready for added functionality, you can upgrade to one of the paid plans.
[Read more: 7 Best Practices for Hybrid Staff Meetings]
Wrike
Wrike is a project management software used by companies like Google, Lyft, and Airbnb. The free plan is best for businesses with one to five users, and it comes with tons of valuable features like task and subtask management and interactive board and spreadsheet views.
You can access Wrike on your desktop computer, online, or through the mobile app. The interactive board and spreadsheet views allow you to manage the various aspects of your project. And Wrike has storage cloud integrations with companies like Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive.
Trello
Trello is another project management and team collaboration app that is free to use. The engaging interface gives you a bird’s-eye view of your project while still managing the details.
You get 10 boards per workspace and unlimited cards when you sign up for the free plan. You can add due dates, create checklists, and assign tasks to other team members within each card. And you have unlimited storage and activity logs, so you never have to worry about losing your data.
IFTTT
IFTTT stands for “if this, then that,” and it allows you to set up custom workflows that make your apps work together. The company allows you to connect over 700 different apps like Twitter, Dropbox, and Evernote.
There’s zero coding required to get started and you can connect these apps to do things they can’t do on their own. When you sign up for the free plan, you’ll get up to five Applets with unlimited runs.
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