How to run your business like a pro without spending your rent money on software subscriptions

Here’s how it usually goes: you join your first business Facebook group (bold of you), post a humble “Hey, what tools do you all use for project management or invoices?” and you’re immediately hit with a tsunami of responses that all sound suspiciously like, “Have you tried [insert $45/month app]? It’ll totally change your life.”

And maybe it will. If you’re rolling in disposable income, bless. But if you’re in that “this is still technically a side hustle and also I like eating” phase? Welcome. You are among friends.

I built my business with a $0 budget, a Google Doc full of dreams, and the refusal to pay for something I might be able to duct-tape together with free tools and a prayer. And guess what? You absolutely can run a real, grown-up, thriving business without shelling out cash you don’t have (yet). You just need to know where the good stuff is buried.

Here are the tools no one really talks about—not because they’re bad, but because they’re, well… free. And that makes them slightly less glamorous in a world obsessed with shiny, paid upgrades. But these are the scrappy, unsung heroes of solopreneur life. And they deserve a standing ovation. Or at least a download.

Let’s start with project management. ClickUp is the one people whisper about in entrepreneurial Slack channels. It’s free, pretty robust, and has a fun little chat function that basically turned my chaotic inbox into a vaguely manageable space. If you find ClickUp too much (been there), GoodDay is the underdog alternative. It’s clean, functional, and not trying to upsell you every five minutes. Streak is also sneaky brilliant—it turns your Gmail into a CRM. Like, in Gmail. So if you live and breathe Google Suite, it just makes sense. And Station? It’s a whole vibe. It keeps all your web-based apps in one place, like a control panel for your digital life.

Scheduling? Setmore. It’s free. It works. It gives you a booking page. You can add it to your site. It’s not fancy, but it gets the job done without giving you calendar rage.

Now, email. Thunderbird is like that low-key friend who’s been around forever and just quietly gets things done. Add Firefox Relay and you’ve got yourself a privacy fortress. No spam. No trackers. Just you and your inbox, living your best secure life.

Graphic design when you’re not a designer? Canva. Duh. But also Adobe Spark (for when you want something with a little more flair), MockUPhone (for showing off your latest creation on a fake iPhone screen), and Accessible Color Generator (because accessible design is hot). And don’t sleep on Ghost Plugins if you’re on Squarespace. It’s like a secret weapon for styling your site without coding everything from scratch.

For those of you who live and die by fonts (or are just deeply confused by them), Google Fonts is your best friend. FontPair is like Tinder for fonts—it helps you match typefaces without crying. You’re welcome.

Let’s talk audio. Beep lets you leave voice notes on Google Docs like a tech-savvy ghost. Google Recorder transcribes your rants into blog drafts. Voxer is perfect if you like asynchronous conversations with your clients (or just hate Zoom fatigue). And if you’re a podcast person or work in audio-heavy projects, AblePlayer and Fireflies are quietly magical.

Automation? Yes, even for you. Zapier is the cool older cousin. Automate.io is the slightly more approachable younger sibling. Integromat (now Make) is like the wizard in the corner. They all do essentially the same thing: save you time by making your tools talk to each other. Pick your poison and set your zaps wisely.

Video people, gather ‘round. Loom is your bestie for quick tutorials and client updates. Mixkit has free stock videos and music for when you want to add vibes to your content. Kapwing and AutoCap make your videos more accessible, which isn’t just kind, it’s smart. And if you want to record testimonials or create interview-style content without dragging everyone onto a live call, VideoAsk is the move.

For video conferencing, Google Meet is my new go-to because it’s easy, accessible, and works well with tools like Tactiq for automatic transcripts. Butter is underrated and SO fun for workshops. Zoom is fine. It’s like email: everyone uses it, but no one’s particularly jazzed about it anymore.

Copywriters, bloggers, content creators—there’s a toolkit for you too. Grammarly, Power Thesaurus, and Google Docs (obviously). But also: Airstory (with its magical drag-and-drop note system), Hilary Weiss’ blog outline (which cured my outline-phobia), Workflowy (a Notion-lite for outlines), and ButterDocs, which I think might just be the coziest writing app ever made. Oh, and if you’re still googling “better word for impactful,” Power Thesaurus has your back.

Money stuff? Not as scary as it sounds. Wave is perfect for basic invoicing. Stripe Fee Calculator helps you figure out pricing with the dreaded payment fees baked in. XE Currency Converter makes you look extra smart when quoting in multiple currencies.

And marketing? Ubersuggest is your SEO BFF. Soovle gives you more content ideas than you’ll ever use. Miro turns your brain dump into beautiful whiteboards. Planoly and Instaspacer make Instagram slightly less rage-inducing. Display Purposes helps with hashtag strategy. And Story Cutter saves your long videos from getting chopped mid-sentence on IG Stories.

Need signatures? Pandadoc’s free e-sign feature is unlimited. UNLIMITED. Like a tiny legal miracle.

Storage? Google Drive gives you 15GB. Dropbox gives you 2GB and feels like home for client files. Use both. Backup your stuff. You will thank me later.

Analytics? Google Analytics for traffic. Hotjar for heatmaps. Watch how people interact with your site and feel like a full-on digital detective.

And don’t even get me started on Chrome extensions. ColorZilla for hex codes. Squarespace Block Identifier for easier CSS. Scribe for documenting your process like the queen of SOPs. And WAVE Evaluation Tool because accessibility isn’t optional—it’s a love language.

So no, you don’t have to spend hundreds a month to get started. You don’t need to pay for the full productivity suite or the “must-have” upgrade. You just need to be clever, a little resourceful, and okay with using 19 different tabs to build your empire.

Because it’s not about the fanciest tools. It’s about what helps you do your best work without compromising your budget (or your mental health). These free tools may not come with a massive PR campaign or a cool onboarding video, but they’ll help you get the job done. And that’s what really matters.

Now go download a few, light a candle, and get back to building your dream biz. One free click at a time.