29 Resources for Freelance Designers Operating on a Tight Budget

by Steven Snell

on January 11, 2010

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There are plenty of highly-useful resources and web apps that have been created with freelance designers and developers in mind. But for many freelancers, especially those who are just getting started, pricing can be an issue. In this post we’ll feature 29 resources that are not only very useful fore freelancers, but also extremely affordable. Many of them are free or offer a free plan, and the others are priced below the competition.

Hopefully you will find some resources here that will help you to save time and make your work more efficient and effective. If you have suggestions of other resources aside from those that are listed here, please leave a comment.

1. Project Bubble

Project Bubble offers free web-based project management and invoicing. Add clients, create projects, track your progress, and invoice clients all from Project Bubble.

2. Concept Feedback

Concept Feedback provides designers with a way to get free feedback on their work from others in the design community. Simply upload your work and let others comment.

3. Apollo

Appollo is a useful free tool for getting feedback from clients and colleagues. Invite others to comment on the design and keep the feedback in one centralized location.

4. fivesecondtest

Fivesecond test is a great free resource for testing. You can find out the most prominent elements of your design and get quick feedback from first impressions.

5. CurdBee

CurdBee is an online app for managing invoices. The free account allows you to manage unlimited clients and invoices, and you can accept payment through PayPal or Google Checkout. The premium account ($5 per month) offers additional features like custom branding and overdue email reminders.

6. SlimTimer

SlimTimer is a simple and free resource for tracking your time. You can create tasks, start and stop the timer whenever needed, and run reports. You can also share tasks so that you can see reports on your co-workers or anyone who reports to you.

7. Remember the Milk

Remember the Milk is a free resource to help you get your necessary tasks completed. You can create to-do lists, set reminders, map your tasks, and collaborate with other users.

8. Ta-Da Lists

Ta-Da Lists is a free to-do list manager from 37signals. Easily create your own to-do lists and check off items as they are accomplished. You can share your lists with others or keep them to yourself.

9. Vyew

Vyew allows you to host conferencing and collaborations for free. You can meet with clients or coworkers with the free account, or upgrade to a premium plan to remove ads and get some additional features.

10. Jumpchart

Jumpchart is a free resource for website planning and wireframing. With the free account you can manage one project of up to 10 pages, or you can upgrade to a premium plan starting at just $5 per month.

11. SlickPlan

SlickPlan is a simple, free tool for creating flowcharts and sitemaps. It can help you to keep your projects organized and to communicate with clients about the structure of the site.

12. Outright

Outright provides free online bookkeeping. Track your income, expenses, invoices and more. It can even help you to get organized for your taxes.

13. Moneytrackin’

Moneytrackin’ is a free tool that can help you to manage your finances. You can record and track your income and expenses and manage various projects.

14. Billing Boss

Billing Boss is a free online invoicing app. You can send an unlimited number of invoices with the free account, and there is an option to upgrade to a Payment Plus plan to accept payments to your merchant account online for $5 per month.

15. Fanurio

Fanurio is time tracking and invoicing software for freelancers. As opposed to web-based apps that charge a monthly fee, with Fanurio you can manage unlimited clients, projects and invoices for a one-time cost of $59.

16. Subernova

Subernova offers online project management and invoicing for a low monthly fee of $5.99. It features a sleek interface and all the features you need to stay on top of your projects and outstanding invoices.

17. Harvest

Harvest is a web app for tracking time, expenses and invoices. The Solo plan starts at $12 per month and allows for unlimited clients, projects and invoices, which may be a cheaper option than most web-based invoicing solutions for freelancers that send out a lot of invoices.