FREELANCE TOOLS CHECKLIST — THE COMPLETE STACK BY CATEGORY
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SoloStack | solostack.madethis.app/resources/freelance-tools
No signup required. Use freely.

HOW TO USE THIS CHECKLIST
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Go through each category. Check off the tool you're using (or want to try).
Mark whether you use the free tier or paid plan.
Note: "Free tier" = genuinely usable free version, not a trial.


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CATEGORY 1: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
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[ ] Notion
    Free tier: YES (generous — personal use is fully free)
    Best for: All-in-one workspace, SOPs, wikis, client portals
    Paid: $10/mo (Plus), $15/mo (Business)
    Note: Most freelancers never need the paid plan

[ ] Trello
    Free tier: YES (unlimited cards, up to 10 boards per workspace)
    Best for: Visual kanban boards, simple task tracking
    Paid: $5/mo (Standard), $10/mo (Premium)
    Note: Free tier is sufficient for solo use

[ ] ClickUp
    Free tier: YES (unlimited tasks, 100MB storage)
    Best for: Power users, complex projects, team collaboration
    Paid: $7/mo (Unlimited), $12/mo (Business)
    Note: Steep learning curve but very powerful

[ ] Asana
    Free tier: YES (up to 15 users, basic features)
    Best for: Team project management, task dependencies
    Paid: $10.99/mo (Premium), $24.99/mo (Business)

[ ] Linear
    Free tier: YES (up to 250 issues)
    Best for: Software/tech freelancers, issue tracking
    Paid: $8/mo (Standard), $16/mo (Plus)

[ ] Basecamp
    Free tier: LIMITED (1 project, 3 users)
    Best for: Client-facing project management, communication
    Paid: $15/mo (Basecamp Personal), $299/mo (Business — unlimited)

MY PICK: _______________________
Using: [ ] Free tier  [ ] Paid ($___/mo)


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CATEGORY 2: INVOICING & PAYMENTS
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[ ] Wave
    Free tier: YES (invoicing and accounting are completely free)
    Best for: Freelancers starting out, budget-conscious
    Paid: Processing fees on payments (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction)
    Note: The best free invoicing option, period

[ ] HoneyBook
    Free tier: NO (trial only)
    Best for: Full client management, proposals + contracts + invoices
    Paid: $16/mo (Starter), $32/mo (Essentials), $66/mo (Premium)
    Note: Worth it if you want an all-in-one CRM

[ ] FreshBooks
    Free tier: NO (30-day trial)
    Best for: Professional invoicing, time tracking integration
    Paid: $17/mo (Lite), $30/mo (Plus), $55/mo (Premium)

[ ] QuickBooks Self-Employed
    Free tier: NO
    Best for: Freelancers who need tax prep help
    Paid: $15/mo (Self-Employed), $30/mo (Simple Start)

[ ] Bonsai
    Free tier: NO
    Best for: Freelancers who want contracts + invoices + time tracking
    Paid: $21/mo (Starter), $32/mo (Professional)

[ ] PayPal / Venmo / Stripe
    Free tier: YES (account is free; fees on transactions)
    Best for: Simple payments, clients who prefer common platforms
    Note: Not full invoicing software — just payment collection

MY PICK: _______________________
Using: [ ] Free tier  [ ] Paid ($___/mo)


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CATEGORY 3: CONTRACTS & LEGAL DOCS
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[ ] HelloSign / Dropbox Sign
    Free tier: YES (3 free signature requests/month)
    Best for: E-signing contracts, simple and reliable
    Paid: $15/mo (Essentials)

[ ] PandaDoc
    Free tier: YES (unlimited documents, e-signatures)
    Best for: Polished proposals + contracts in one tool
    Paid: $19/mo (Starter), $49/mo (Business)

[ ] DocuSign
    Free tier: LIMITED (trial only)
    Best for: Enterprise-level e-signing
    Paid: $15/mo (Personal), $45/mo (Standard)

[ ] PDF + Email (DIY)
    Free tier: YES — completely free
    Best for: Freelancers starting out who don't want to pay
    Note: Use a PDF contract template, send via email, get reply confirming acceptance.
    Legally valid in most jurisdictions. Free contract template: solostack.madethis.app/resources/free-freelance-contract-templates

[ ] Google Docs + eSign
    Free tier: YES
    Best for: Simple agreements, version control
    Note: Google now has built-in e-signature (may vary by account)

MY PICK: _______________________
Using: [ ] Free tier  [ ] Paid ($___/mo)


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CATEGORY 4: TIME TRACKING
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[ ] Toggl Track
    Free tier: YES (unlimited tracking, basic reports)
    Best for: Simple, reliable time tracking
    Paid: $10/mo (Starter), $20/mo (Premium)
    Note: The free tier is genuinely excellent

[ ] Clockify
    Free tier: YES (unlimited users and projects — truly free)
    Best for: Most freelancers; comparable to Toggl free
    Paid: $4.99/mo (Basic), $6.99/mo (Standard)

[ ] Harvest
    Free tier: YES (1 user, 2 projects)
    Best for: Time tracking + invoicing integration
    Paid: $12/mo (Pro — unlimited everything)

[ ] RescueTime
    Free tier: YES (basic automatic tracking)
    Best for: Understanding how you actually spend time
    Paid: $12/mo (Premium)

[ ] Time Doctor
    Free tier: NO
    Best for: Agencies, teams, proof-of-work for clients
    Paid: $7/mo (Basic), $10/mo (Standard)

MY PICK: _______________________
Using: [ ] Free tier  [ ] Paid ($___/mo)


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CATEGORY 5: COMMUNICATION
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[ ] Slack
    Free tier: YES (90-day message history, 10 integrations)
    Best for: Team and client communication channels
    Paid: $7.25/mo (Pro), $12.50/mo (Business+)
    Note: Free tier is workable for most freelancers

[ ] Loom
    Free tier: YES (25 videos, 5 min max per video)
    Best for: Async video walkthroughs, client updates
    Paid: $12.50/mo (Business)
    Note: Game-changer for reducing back-and-forth

[ ] Zoom
    Free tier: YES (40-min limit on group calls)
    Best for: Video calls with clients
    Paid: $13.33/mo (Pro)
    Note: 40-min limit is sufficient for most client calls

[ ] Google Meet
    Free tier: YES (60-min calls, no participant limit)
    Best for: Simple video calls, Google Workspace users
    Paid: Included in Google Workspace ($6/mo+)

[ ] Microsoft Teams
    Free tier: YES (60-min calls, 5GB storage)
    Best for: Clients who prefer Microsoft ecosystem
    Paid: $4/mo (Essentials)

[ ] Cal.com / Calendly
    Free tier: YES (1 event type — Calendly; Cal.com is open-source)
    Best for: Scheduling calls without email back-and-forth
    Paid: $8/mo (Calendly Standard), $12/mo (Teams)

MY PICK (video calls): _______________________
MY PICK (async video): _______________________
MY PICK (messaging): _______________________
Using: [ ] Free tier  [ ] Paid ($___/mo total)


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CATEGORY 6: FILE STORAGE & SHARING
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[ ] Google Drive
    Free tier: YES (15GB free)
    Best for: Documents, sheets, collaboration, client folders
    Paid: $1.99/mo (100GB), $9.99/mo (2TB)
    Note: Most freelancers never exceed the free tier

[ ] Dropbox
    Free tier: YES (2GB — very limited)
    Best for: Reliable file sync, client deliverable sharing
    Paid: $9.99/mo (Plus, 2TB), $16.58/mo (Professional)
    Note: The free tier is too small for serious use

[ ] Notion
    Free tier: YES (good for docs and wikis)
    Best for: Documentation, SOPs, client portals — not heavy file storage
    Note: Doubles as file storage for text-based deliverables

[ ] OneDrive
    Free tier: YES (5GB — included with Microsoft account)
    Best for: Windows users, Microsoft 365 integration
    Paid: $1.99/mo (100GB), $6.99/mo (Microsoft 365 Personal)

[ ] iCloud Drive
    Free tier: YES (5GB — included with Apple ID)
    Best for: Apple ecosystem users
    Paid: $0.99/mo (50GB), $2.99/mo (200GB)

MY PICK: _______________________
Using: [ ] Free tier  [ ] Paid ($___/mo)


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CATEGORY 7: SOCIAL MEDIA & MARKETING
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[ ] Buffer
    Free tier: YES (3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel)
    Best for: Simple social scheduling
    Paid: $6/mo (Essentials), $12/mo (Team)

[ ] Later
    Free tier: YES (1 social profile per platform, 30 posts/mo)
    Best for: Visual social planning (Instagram-heavy)
    Paid: $16.67/mo (Starter), $30/mo (Growth)

[ ] Canva
    Free tier: YES (excellent — thousands of templates)
    Best for: Graphics, presentations, social images
    Paid: $12.99/mo (Pro)
    Note: Free tier is sufficient for most freelancers

[ ] Mailchimp
    Free tier: YES (up to 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/mo)
    Best for: Email newsletters, lead magnets
    Paid: $13/mo (Essentials)

[ ] ConvertKit / Kit
    Free tier: YES (up to 10,000 subscribers — very generous)
    Best for: Creator/freelancer email marketing
    Paid: $25/mo (Creator), $50/mo (Creator Pro)

MY PICK: _______________________
Using: [ ] Free tier  [ ] Paid ($___/mo)


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CATEGORY 8: TEMPLATES & SOPs (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)
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[ ] SoloStack (solostack.madethis.app)
    Free tier: YES (free resource pages with downloadable templates)
    Best for: Done-for-you business templates — invoices, proposals,
              contracts, SOPs, budgets, social calendars, and more
    Paid: $19/mo (full library, 50+ templates, monthly new pack)
    Note: The fastest way to look professional from day one.
          Stop building templates from scratch.

MY PICK: _______________________


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MY FREE STACK (fill in yours)
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Project management: _______________________
Invoicing: _______________________
Contracts: _______________________
Time tracking: _______________________
Video calls: _______________________
Async video: _______________________
File storage: _______________________
Templates/SOPs: _______________________

Total monthly cost of free stack: $0 (or close to it)


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TOOL AUDIT CHECKLIST (run this every 6 months)
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For each paid tool, ask yourself:
[ ] Did I use this at least 10x this month?
[ ] Does it save me more time than its monthly cost (at my hourly rate)?
[ ] Would I immediately notice if it disappeared?
[ ] Is there a free alternative that does 80% of what I need?

If you answered NO to any of these → cancel and switch to free.

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More freelance resources (free, no signup):
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