The essential software tools powering my freelance business – and why they’re worth it

I recently wrote about how five simple software swaps saved me £958.16 a year. (It’s here if you missed it.)

In this follow-up, I’m sharing the essential apps and tools I rely on to make freelance life smoother, smarter and more manageable.

Here are the software tools I rely on daily – and why they’re worth it.

TextExpander (£36.84 a year)

TextExpander is like the text replacement feature on your phone… but for your laptop.

It turns simple shortcuts into URLs, paragraphs, phone numbers, project names, social links, much-used phrases – even full emails.

I’ve used it every day for the past eight years to save time and headspace (it’s basically like outsourcing my memory) and it’s easily my favourite freelance tool.

Since I started using TextExpander in 2017, it’s saved me 87 hours and 57 minutes. But that’s just typing time. It also saves me time looking things up (like my passport number, registered company address or bank account details) – and even more time recreating the basics from scratch.

(Did you really think I typed Survival Skills for Freelancers 20 times a week? Or my email sign-off? Or my email address? Nope.)

Try TextExpander. (That’s an affiliate link – I may earn a small commission if you sign up, at no cost to you.)

TidyCal (£19 lifetime)

TidyCal makes it quick and easy for clients to book calls and meetings without the tedium and time-suck of email ping-pong.

It integrates seamlessly with my Outlook calendar (or Google, if you prefer) and I use it for everything from setting up project briefings (complete with personalised reminders) to taking payment for copy coaching and book coaching calls, thanks to the Stripe integration).

I used to pay $144 a year for the same features in Calendly. Now I pay nothing. Nice!

Canva Pro (£107.88 a year)

I’m not a designer, but I do create a lot of visual content – from LinkedIn carousels to webinar slide decks.

Canva makes creating eye-catching, fully branded content quick and easy.

For me, the Pro version earns its keep for the brand kits, folders, stock photos and countless templates when I need inspiration.

And my kids use it for updating their CVs, so… win–win!

Microsoft 365 (£12.10 a month)

Sure, Google Docs and Sheets are free – but for me, Microsoft 365 is worth every penny.

I do most of my client work in Word, use Outlook for email and calendar, and keep track of my income in Excel.

1TB of cloud storage through OneDrive means my work is backed up automatically (no relying on tedious manual backups, which I rarely remembered to do).

My subscription also includes Teams – which replaced Zoom (saving me £129 a year) – and PowerPoint, should I need it.

AudioPen (free)

Ever find your best ideas come when you’re out walking? Me too.

AudioPen transcribes my rambling voice notes into structured summaries I can actually use.

It’s fast, accurate and freakishly good at turning chaos into clarity. (And yes, this blog started life as a 30-second voicenote!)

I haven’t invested in the pro version of AudioPen yet – but it does come with a shedload of features, so watch this space.

Fathom (free)

I’ve always been a copious notetaker, and have the archived notebooks to prove it! The challenge? Reading my own handwriting later!

With Fathom, I never have to take handwritten notes in meetings again. Fathom records and transcribes my video calls, and sends me a summary with key quotes and action points seconds later, with a full transcript any time I need to refer back.

It’s totally free and works seamlessly with Zoom, Teams and Google Meet.

If you do any sort of client work or interviews, get on it.

FreeAgent (free with Mettle)

Accounting software is rarely fun, but FreeAgent makes the essentials pretty painless.

I use it to create estimates, send invoices, sort my bookkeeping in seconds and keep track of my business finances.

It’s included free in the UK with a Mettle bank account (thanks, NatWest) – and I prefer it to Xero by miles.

The takeaway

I don’t believe in paying for tools just because everyone else does. But if an app or software tool saves me time, streamlines my processes or makes life easier for my clients, that’s a business investment I’m happy to make.

Got a favourite freelance tool I’ve missed? Tag me on LinkedIn or drop me a DM. I’d love to hear from you!

Want more practical freelance advice, based on 20 years of real-world experience? Check out Survival Skills for Freelancers.