21 Must have Apps for Freelancers
Anybody in the freelance world knows that there’s often little respite from the job – that’s the positive and negative of freelancing right there. Work is only a step away from the kitchen on those winter mornings, but it’s also lurking under the cushion on the couch when you’re watching The Great British Bake Off.
This all said the emergence of the smartphone has really been something that’s made life a lot easier for the self-employed. The sheer number of fantastic apps means it’s now a lot easier to manage almost all aspects of your business life through an iPhone screen. So, let’s take a look at the best for maintaining a freelancer’s lifestyle balance in 2013.
Wunderlust
Definitely one of our favourites – Wunderlust allows you to make tens of ‘To Do’ lists and it’s ideal for those of us who need to keep track of a whole host of information and numerous projects at the same time.
Mailbox
This is a fantastic tool for those of us who struggle to empty the mailbox at the end of the day. The app works brilliantly with Gmail and a few gestures and you’ll have deleted, scheduled or archived those emails.
TEUXDEUX
Most task apps involve you creating a hierarchical list of things to do, however TEUXDEUX sort of does the opposite. It organises tasks into lists of when you need to have them done. It’s an attractive app that’s separated into 7 columns for the days of the week. Simply select the day at hand and then scroll through the list, striking off tasks as you complete them. In addition, there are open listings too – so if the task is open-ended it can be incorporated too.
Minute Bill
A quick and easy solution for invoicing that removes much of the pain of manually invoicing people. The app is essentially an attractive template and you enter the itemisation and prices before exporting it as a PDF. It’s free unlike most invoicing solutions and the only downside is a small attribution in the footer.
HTML Mails
HTML Mails is a simple newsletter editor that allows you the opportunity to create simple emails to send to a group of people. It’s probably not ideal for regular newsletters, but it removes compatibility issues and is a WYSIWYG editor. It works with Google Docs too, so you can send customised messages if needs be.
Pomodoro.me
A question most freelancers will have been asked is how do they stay on task? It can be hard, however the Pomodoro technique and related app Pomodoro.me helps you manage your time to a far greater degree by breaking it up into segments. The app is a countdown timer that you set and helps you focus on a task for a set period helping limit procrastination.
PayPal
You probably have it already if you’re a freelancer. It’s one of the most popular money transfer apps around and offers a fast and easy way to send and transfer money. It keeps a record of payment and is secure and also linked to your bank account.
Evernote
This is another well-known app, but a fantastic one still. Evernote is ideal for those who constantly jot down thoughts and keeps all your moments of genius in one place. It’s a simple, effective and attractive app that we at MySocialAgency and a lot of people we know find of use.
AwesomeNote
This is another great app and allows you to track to do lists, manage events and times and it can be synced with Evernote or Google Docs if required.
Mint
A very popular and also extremely well laid out app for keeping track of your money in one place. It’s ideal for freelancers as it allows you to add all your bank, pension and credit accounts. It pulls in all the info, organises it and is also completely safe.
Bamboo Wallet
Bamboo Wallet is a great app to help you simply and easily manage your income. Quick and easy input and easy to understand statistics are the aim of the game.
HoursTracker
One of the problems many a freelancer comes across is keeping track of hours. This app is basically a digital time card and allows you to keep a note of time spent and also send it to your desktop if needs be.
iTeleport VNC &RDP
This is a fantastic remote computer app that allows you full access to your computer remotely. It works with both Windows and Macs – so there are no issues.
Skype
We’re all familiar with Skype at this stage – though it’s still the king for video messaging and great for IM.
Portfolio
An attractive portfolio can be the best way to showcase your work and this app for iPad allows you to easily do that. It’s easy to customise and personalise and will put you on the front foot with clients at meetings.
Paper
This free app is great for drawing, sketching and taking notes. It’s also a great way to make mind maps and there are some great add on tools if you want to pay for them too.
Jot! Whiteboard
If you’re more into the quick drawing whiteboard manner of showing things, then Jot is a great addition. It’s basically a whiteboard that allows you to sketch as needs be. You can also share and link up in real time with other users, which can be very useful.
IMockups
A fantastic app for designers as it allows them to create an app or website mockup on their tablet – something that can be very useful for working on the go, or when discussing an idea away from the desktop.
ColourSchemer
With over 1m palettes, this device can turn an iPhone into a fantastic resource that provides virtually no end of ideas.
Diet Coda
A diet version of the Mac OS X web code program for iPad. It allows you a number of tools for on the go and offers features such as remote editing, FTP and SFTP management, built in terminal and a range of other great features – very useful.
Google Drive
Last but far from least, Google Drive is a great, simple and free app that allows you the chance to store, share and edit a cluster of files in one place as well as to easily collaborate with others.
About the Author:
Cormac Reynolds is a writer and a journalist who has written for a number of web design and social media sites. He loves nothing more than trek and enjoy the great outdoors.
Cormac Reynolds is a social media and app guru with a love of technology and also sports.
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www.endloop.ca – IMOCK UP IMAGE
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