As a newbie freelancer, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the software and extensions available out there.

It’s really difficult to choose which ones you should go for, what’s worth using and what’s not. Especially when you’re just starting out, you don’t want to invest in a lot of high-end stuff. 

And why pay more when you can pay less or even nothing for the same value, right?

So today, I’m going to make the whole ‘software and extension’ selection process easy for you!

I’m going to share the exact tools that I used as a freelancer and still do as a business owner! (Yep, most of them are free)

 

1) Zoom

I know you know Zoom but don’t underestimate its power. It is hands down the best video, audio communication software that I’ve ever used. You can use it for discovery calls, sales calls, strategy calls, onboarding calls, and I can go on and on!

 

2) Canva

A free tool for designing anything ‘beautiful’. As a freelancer, you can use it for a host of things such as designing your portfolio, ad graphics, client reports, proposals, etc. 

You can even create and store different templates for different services. Just reuse them by duplicating and editing them whenever needed!

 

3) 17hats

17hats is a unique all-in-one suite of business tools that makes managing your business easier. It is part of the CRM (customer relationship management) system for keeping track of your Leads, clients, and vendors. 

This is paid software, but you can begin with ‘HelloSign’, which is free and gives you a couple of contracts to begin with.

 

4) Calendly

This software can be used to send calendar invites to your clients. And the best part is you don’t have to worry about the hassle of managing timezones anymore because Calendly does that for you! 

It automatically shows the translated timing according to the recipient’s timezone.

Calendly also allows you to connect surveys and send automated emails or texts to your clients reminding them to show up for the set call. However, these are paid features that can also be done manually if you don’t wanna pay for them rn!

 

5) Click Funnels 

A funnel-building software that I can’t live without. It is extremely easy to use and is one of the best software tools to use to create and build funnels from scratch.

It is a one-stop solution and a funnel builder’s paradise! Unfortunately, it’s not free but they do have a free trial option. Go check it out and explore your possibilities. ‘Lead Pages’ is another affordable option that you can test.

 

Okie, that was about software, let’s now look at some cool extensions that I rely on, almost every day!

I’ll also tell you how you can use these extensions to add to your existing income!

 

1) Facebook Pixel Helper 

This extension tells you whether your FaceBook Pixel is installed or not, whether it’s working fine or not. 

Ofc, you can use it on your own websites and funnels. But you can also use it on your clients’ websites and funnels, just to see whether they’re using Facebook Pixel or not. And if they aren’t…offer to help them, set it up for them and make extra bucks for your services!

 

2) Go Full Page

With the help of Go Full Page, you can take screenshots of long sales pages and funnels in one go! You can use it for competitor analysis and also showcase the screenshots of funnels that you’ve designed on your portfolio!

 

3) Colorzilla

How many times have you looked at a color on a website or anywhere and wished you could’ve used the exact color for your designs or funnels? Turn your wish into a reality with Colorzilla. Just drag and drop your selected color from anywhere you like, get the hex code, and use it wherever you want!

 

4) What font

Could it be more direct with its name? Yep, you guessed it right. It tells you the font of any word or text that you like anywhere.

 

5) Vimeo Repeat and Speed

This extension allows you to control the speed of any video you want to watch. I usually play videos at 1.5x so this is a life savior!

 

6) One Tab 

With One Tab you can save the crazy number of tabs you opened while researching for later or for whenever you need it. So you can clear your tabs without worrying about losing out on any research and continue working on a clean screen!

 

7) Loom

This is super handy for sharing client walkthroughs and feedback. You can share and record your screen while talking, it saves a lot of time in explaining and understanding stuff and avoids the annoying chain of going back and forth.

BTW here’s a cool hack to land clients via Loom – Screen record a client’s website or their campaign and suggest what improvements or changes they can make to have better conversions. Recording and sending a whole video will definitely help your pitch stand out among hundred others!

 

8) Grammarly

An extension that fixes any spelling mistake or grammatical error. It helps you sound more professional and confident!

 

9) Google Tag Manager

This is similar to Facebook Pixel Helper except it’s used for Google. It tracks visitors that come in from Google.

 

10) Momentum

A fun extension to give your brain a break every time you open a new tab. Momentum shows you a beautiful background with relatable, funny, or wise quotes each time you open a new tab! You can also personalize this experience by adding your name!

 

Hope this helps! Also, tune into this video and get the links of this software and extensions in its description!