10 Apps Every Freelancer Should Install
Freelancers experience myriad problems that are associated with skills or self-control. This is why apps are crucial in the freelancing world, since they improve productivity.
The apps route is one of the ways that freelancers will boost productivity. But it doesn't imply that your device should have all the apps in the market; you only need a few of them, and your productivity will shoot.
In regard to the Future Workforce Report that was released by Upwork in 2020, around 56% of managers stated that there were some awesome results when employees worked remotely. By April 2020, 62% of human resource managers and recruitment agencies believed that organizations would depend more on freelancers. What does this tell you? The world is accepting freelancers as part of their workforce, and you need to be very effective in terms of service delivery. And one of the best ways to boost your efficiency is through apps.
So, what are these effective apps?
1. Remember The Milk
Do you want to manage your time wisely? If that is the case, then Remember The Milk should be your choice. Due to its ability to connect the email, the app makes it easier to manage time by sending emails to the user regularly.
The app has free accounts, but a user can upgrade to an account called Pro account, and it costs $39.99 per year.
2. TeuxDeux
This is an app for those people who multitask, especially when it comes to recreation and work.
If you are that person that finds yourself so busy most of the time, it's time to install the app on your devices.
Remember, productivity doesn't mean being so busy. The app enables the user to set priorities to reach the set targets in the shortest time possible.
To meet your targets, you need to be disciplined when it comes to time; in other words, set priorities. You can sleep more but still achieve your goals.
You can download the app for free, but if you want it to be so effective, you can subscribe for $3 monthly or $2 monthly, which is a yearly subscription.
Time management apps
3. Focus booster - Pomodoro Technique
According to research that was conducted by Draugiem Group, productive employees don't work for eight full hours a day. And also, reliable employees take 17 minutes break in every 52 minutes of their work.
This is the principle that Pomodoro apps apply. And it's very effective.
The app has three payment plans; for starters, it's a free plan, individual plans that cost $2.99 per month, and a professional plan for $4.99 per month.
The apps are so easy to use. All you need to do is start it, place the priorities and tasks, and then set the deadlines.
Once you start working, turn the application on, and choose the task. The app will start a 25 minutes countdown. When the minutes accumulate to zero, an alarm will alert you that you should take a 5-minute rest.
4. Rescue time
In 2017 first-year students of engineering at the University of Toronto conducted research and found a relationship between time management skills and reaction to difficulties. Meaning, to be productive, you need productive hacks such as RescueTime to help you manage time.
This is an app that helps you to utilize it every minute. Once you set it on, it will track your time in terms of every second and compile a detailed report afterward. Meaning, there's no need for manual time management.
The app will track how you utilize every second on a document or task. Therefore, you will identify time wasters in
your engagements and limit them immediately.
It has two tiers of payment, free lite, and premium, which costs $9 every month or $72 per month.
Team management apps
5. Asana
In case you are a freelancer that works with a team, you need a team management app. Asana is one of the best alternatives since it allows the users to mention tasks, create projects, set deadlines, specify the tasks, and assign particular persons.
Your Asana profile should be connected to the team's primary email to track its entire progress.
Even though many apps serve the purpose, Trello is the only competitor.
The app has a free plan for the teams that comprises 15 members. The premium plan costs $10.99 for every user per month, which is an annual payment, $13.49 for every user every month, monthly paid. The cost is $24.99 for every user every month paid yearly and $30.49 monthly plan for a business plan.
6. Toggl
Do you want to increase work for your team? An effective time tracker is something that you should consider. Toggl is the app that you should install; in 2019, it was ranked at number one in the best time management app category.
The app can be used for three various purposes. They include:
• Planning strenuous tasks in simpler ways
• Tracking time and compiling reports
• Hiring new staff through the use of skill sets
The above functions can be free of charge, but the app also has two payment plans, a starter that costs $9 for every user per month and a premium plan that costs $18 for every user per month.
Writing apps
7. Grammarly
Are you working on blog posts, articles, documents, story or ebooks, and need a perfect and unique work? Grammarly is the way to go. The app does the following;
• Corrects grammatical mistakes and changes repetitive terms or words
• creates a personal dictionary
• Enhances vocabulary and the writing style
• uses a specific genre to check one's writing
Advanced features of the app are available if you pay.
The app is not only for freelancer writers but also email drafters. When you are writing your mail, you can use the app to check whether the mail is grammatically correct.
However, if you need a quality piece, you should consider Hemingway Editor. This app has the capacity to make your piece clear since it's designed to locate complex errors such as ambiguous words and wordy sentences.
When it comes to payment, the app has a monthly plan that costs $29.95 per month quarterly plan that costs $19.98 per month or a one-time payment that costs $59.95, an annual plan that costs $11.66 per month, or a one-time payment of $139.95.
8. Google Docs
Google Docs enables you to keep your writing pieces in a safer place. It enables users to store spreadsheets, text files, maps, forms, images, presentations, and many more.
The app is cloud-based, and it's easy to use and share with the team or clients.
Every Google account is provided with 15GB of free storage. This is more than enough for most freelancers. You can decide to extend it to 100GB, 200GB, or even 2TB but at an additional charge.
In most cases, the app is free, but you should pay $6 per month for effectiveness.
Design Apps
9. Canva
The app is so crucial for a person that does not have design experience.
Thanks to its templates, you can easily create the following.
· Business cards
· Flyers
· Logos
· Resumes
Also, you can utilize canvas to create attractive birthday cards and social media posts.
Most features of Canva are free, but also has two pricing plans, annual plans that cost $9.95 for every user per month or a one-time payment of $119.40 and a monthly $12.95 per month.
The paid plans will give you access to 60 million fonts, pictures, and templates. In addition, you will download these features.
Photo and video editing
10. Inshot
In photography and videography, Inshot plays three important roles:
• Video editing
• Photo editing
• Creating photo collages
In most cases, the app is used to edit videos, but also it can affect changes in the gallery of music, sound effects, photos, and even filters.
It has three payment plans, a $3.99 monthly subscription, a $14.99 yearly subscription, and a $34.99 one-time payment, a lifetime subscription.
Bottom line
The world is accepting freelancers as part of human resources at a rapid rate. This means you should equip yourself to beat the fierce competition. Apps are one way of equipping yourself, and the 12 apps can do wonders.
All you need to have is discipline. This app will not be effective if you are not disciplined. You need to set your schedule and stick with it—otherwise, apps without an organized schedule amount to nothing. Draft a reasonable schedule, then incorporates the above apps, and all will be well.
About the Contributor
Georgi Todorov is the founder of ThriveMyWay, a place for online entrepreneurs, bloggers, SEO specialists, and freelancers to find success in their own way.
LinkedIn: Georgi Todorov
Twitter: @GeorgiTodorovBG