The 5 Best Free Tools Every Self-Employed Person Should Know About
Being self-employed in the UK is tough enough without spending a fortune on software. That’s why we’ve rounded up five of the best free tools to help you save time, stay organised, and run your business like a pro – without spending a penny.
Whether you're freelancing, selling online, offering personal services, or running a small business – these tools are simple, effective, and beginner-friendly.
1. Trello – for Organising Your To-Do List
Trello is perfect for breaking your goals into manageable steps.
You can set up boards for client work, personal goals, marketing tasks – whatever you like.
Drag and drop cards, set deadlines, and colour-code your chaos.
💡 Hustle Mate tip:
Start with their Freelancer Workflow template – no setup faff needed.
2. Wave – for Invoices & Tracking Income
Wave is a completely free invoicing and bookkeeping platform.
You can create professional invoices, track payments, and even snap receipts on the go.
It’s Canada-based, but works perfectly fine in the UK.
💡 Hustle Mate tip:
Add your logo and customise your invoice colours to keep things on-brand.
3. Canva – for Easy, Professional Graphics
Canva is ideal for creating everything from social media posts and logos to flyers and pricing sheets.
It’s incredibly easy to use with ready-made templates and drag-and-drop features.
💡 Hustle Mate tip:
Use their “brand kit” to save your colours and fonts for a consistent look.
4. Clockify – for Time Tracking and Productivity
Clockify helps you track exactly how long you're spending on each task.
This is vital if you’re billing by the hour – or just trying to understand where your time is going.
💡 Hustle Mate tip:
Review your weekly report to spot time drains and set smarter work boundaries.
5. Google Workspace – for Admin, Docs and Cloud Storage
With a free Google account, you get access to Docs, Sheets, Drive, Gmail and Calendar – everything you need to run your business admin in one place.
💡 Hustle Mate tip:
Use Google Sheets for basic cash flow tracking, or check out our templates for a more powerful setup.
