Keeping on top of the best freelancer websites and tools can be tough, especially when you want to keep your focus on actually getting work.
It’s fair to say that freelancing can sometimes feel like feast or famine, with sporadic mountains of work followed by anxious periods of downtime. We’re onboard for anything that makes the freelance hustle easier, and knowing the best freelancer tools can help make a vital difference.
Be it organising your ideas, managing your accounts or advertising your work, there’s plenty of handy resources to be found out there, and we’ve scouted the best online tools to add to your arsenal.
Cargo
Cargo is a great way to build a website, especially if your work is visually-focused. They allow you to create your site in private without paying, which means you can test it out to see if it’s right for you before spending any money. One for those that want an alternative to the big players like Squarespace.
Hoverstat
For digital designers, Hoverstat is a place to both find inspiration and showcase your work. The Hoverstat team post about the best examples of alternative digital design, and you can upload websites that you’ve created yourself. Great for keeping on top of new website and folio design trends.
Are.na
Are.na is a pretty great visual organisation and mood boarding tool, allowing you to build online collections from links and uploading files. Ideal for freelancers collaborating remotely and looking to share ideas and inspirations. Think Pinterest but nicer looking.
Upwork
Born out of two friends’ mission to bring visibility and trust to remote work, Upwork is a great way to catch the attention of prospective clients. The platform now hosts millions of job postings annually, and they boast that they have algorithms which match employers with profiles that suit exactly what they’re looking for. The more you use the site the more work you’ll get through it, as clients will be able to see how satisfied your previous clients were, so it’s worth spending some time cultivating your profile.
The Dots
One of the foremost sites for freelancers hunting for projects, new clients, or even wishing to transition to full time work, the likes of BBC, The Tate, Dazed and Vice, will all post work up on The Dots. In addition to its jobs listings though, The Dots’ “Projects” section allows freelancers to showcase projects they’ve worked on. They’ll then curate highlights on the front page, offering the chance for a vital extra spotlight on your work.
Hubble
Working at home isn’t for everybody. Having an office space can make for much more productive work, as well as being better suited for arranging meetings. Hubble is an online tool for finding hot desks and office space, a great way to find a desk to suit your location and price requirements – especially if don’t want to be tied to one place.
Second Home
With locations in Lisbon, LA and various corners of London, Second Home have garnered a reputation for their pleasant workspaces; artfully lit, they have foliage adorning the corridors amidst upcycled furniture. Plus, their regular drinks and events offer networking opportunities aplenty.
FreeAgent
Although many would prefer that it wasn’t, accounting is an unavoidable part of being freelance. Whether you use an accountant or do it yourself, FreeAgent is one of the newer tools developed to help you keep on top of your finances.
Go Visually
A tool for sharing visual work and offering feedback, Go Visually is intended to streamline the creative process. Allowing direct annotations and suggestions, it can help cut out the unnecessary to-and-fro or misunderstandings which sometimes hinder the creative process.
Plutio
A one-stop shop for project management and business tools, Plutio say they will help streamline your whole business. It includes tools for tracking your billable time, creating proposals and sending invoices.
Read More: For more insight into freelance working, check out Jay Daniel Wright’s interview for our process series.