150 Essential Business or Freelancing Tools and Resources

Whether you have your own business or you’re a freelancer, without the right tools you can’t work. Luckily, the internet is full of essential tools and resources, so we made a list of 150 tools and resources. Some are free, others are not.

Take a look at the following large list, we hope it will help you or your business!
(And yes, of course you need (most of the time) only one of each category!)

Note: all the categories and links are in alphabetical order and not in order of importance or usefulness!

Advertising and Marketing
The following resources/tools will help you with your marketing campaign. (Also take a look at the email campaign section, if you want to send email campaigns of course.)

1. AdEngage – Text ads (also image and text ad combined.)
2. Adbrite – Text and banner ads.
3. Adwords – Text ads on Google searches.
4. Bidvertiser – Online ads.
5. ConstantContact – Email marketing and surveys.
6. Kontera – Contextual ads
7. Professional On The Web – A portfolio directory for web agencies and freelancers. Get yourself Listed.
8. Review Me – Get your service or Web site reviewed by bloggers.
9. Text Link Ads – Text ads.
   

Email Campaign
The following resources/tools will help you to send newsletters or setup an email campaign.

1. Aweber – create and send, email campaign and newsletter.
2. Breeze – create and send, email campaign and newsletter.
3. Campaign Monitor – create and send, email campaign and newsletter.
4. Dropsend – Email files up to 1GB.
5. Icontact – Email marketing service.
6. MailBuild – create and send, email campaign and newsletter.
   

Invoice / Billing
The following resources/tools will help you with your invoicing.

1. Billable – Invoice tracking service.
2. Billing Orchard – An online electronic billing software application that maintains hourly time billing, along with flat fee and recurring billing, managed using your web browser.
3. Blinksale – Easy to use invoicing software.
4. CashBoard – tracks time and money.
5. Excel Invoice Creator – The name says it all, invoice creator for excel.
6. Freshbooks – Invoicing system. Send, track and collect payments. Great for teams, freelancers and service providers.
7. InvoiceMachine – A free web 2.0 application that let’s you create free and beautiful PDF invoices in a snap.
8. InvoicePlace – Easy Invoicing.
9. Invoice online – An online invoice generator.
10. LessAccounting – Do less accounting! Track expenses, sales leads, create / send proposals, invoices.
11. MS Office Accounting Express (Free) – Free Microsoft Accounting
12. Paypal Invoicing – This site is for those PayPal customers to create their own invoices. This service is free to PayPal members.
13. Quickbooks – Small business financial software
14. Side Job Track – Free web-based job tracking, invoicing, reporting and project management.
15. SimplyBill – Easy to use invoicing software.
16. Vebio – online invoicing system designed specifically for freelance professionals, independent contractors, and self-employed business owners.

Job Boards
The following resources/tools will help you find a freelancer or if your are one, find a job or the next project.

1. 37signals Job Board – Mostly full-time jobs.
2. Authentic Jobs – Full time and freelance job board.
3. BizReef – Freelance marketplace.
4. CSS Beauty Job Board – Job board for web designers.
5. Coroflot Job Board – Designer job board.
6. Elance – List yourself for freelance jobs or find a freelancer.
7. FWjobs – job board for web pros
8. Get a Freelancer – Hire freelancer or search for next project.
9. Guru – Freelancer listing service with job board
10. Jobpile – Aggregates the best job boards on the web
11. Krop – Tech jobs
12. MinistryCamp Job Board – Job board for Christians.
13. Monsterboard – If you seek a job in the Netherlands.
14. Rent a Coder – Programmer job board.
15. ScriptLance – For small projects.
16. SlashDot – Jobs for IT professionals.
17. WebProJobs – Freelance and full-time jobs.

Legal
The following resources will help you with your legal (information) needs. Protect yourself, your work and your business!

1. AIGA – Standard form of agreement for design services.
2. Copyright US – US copyright information.
3. CreativeCommons – All sort of legal info and licensing.
4. Freeadvice – Law & Legal advice.
5. FindLaw – All kind of legal info.
6. GLIN – Global Legal Information Network (search engine on laws en regulations.)
7. HelpMeWork – US-services to help you focus.
8. Legal Definitions – the name says it all.
9. My New Company – Legal and general start-up information.

Miscellaneous Business Tools and Resources
The following resources/tools will help you with your business work.

1. AIGA – spec work sample letters
2. Business-Paper – manage and order business cards
3. CPA Directory – Find a CPA. (Also pod-casts, video and quick-books.)
4. Campfire – group chat and file sharing (images and code.)
5. Darkroom – full screen, distraction free, writing environment.
6. FaxZero – Send Faxes for Free.
7. GoToMeeting – the easiest-to-use online meeting solution.
8. Google Apps – Communication and collaboration tools from Google.
9. HighRise – Track communication.
10. Jewelboxing – Packaging for short run CDs and DVDs
11. Media Fire – Send 100MB files online
12. NextDawn – Programming (c and c++) Tutorials and resources.
13. Trendwatching – scan the globe for emerging consumer trends.
14. MS Visual Studio – all your developing needs.
15. Work – How-to guides for your business .
16. Wufoo – Make forms.
17. Worlwidebrands – Wholesalers and drop-shipping.
18. Paypal Instant Payment Notification – IPN developer page.
19. XE – Quick and easy currency converter.

Note: seek legal advice from a professional before you make a legal decision. This can help prevent you from a lot of trouble.

Payments Online
The following resources/tools will help you with your online payments.

1. Escrow – Online payment system that protects the buyer and seller.
2. Google Checkout – quickly and easily buy from stores across the web.
3. Moneybookers – Online payment system.
4. Paypal – Online payment system.

Project Management and Organization
The following resources/tools will help you to organize and manage your projects.

1. Web Project Management Software – Project manager is a web based project management software which gives it’s users the ability to plan, collaborate and track projects. A 30 day trial is available.
2. Project management templates – Method123 is a project management information website which sells project management templates. You can find templates about feasibility studies, Business case, risk management and more.
3. Project Management Methodology Software – MPMM is a project management methodology software for project management professionals and consultants. This software includes project templates, creation and sharing for project methodologies and a free trial.
4. ActiveCallob – Plan your projects and track their progress. You can also Communicate with your team, clients, suppliers and everyone else.
5. Backpackit – Organize your business and share information with your team. (to-do lists, notes, files, images, calendar, send reminders.)
6. Basecamp – Project management, collaboration, and task software.
7. Box – Store, share and access files online
8. ConceptShare – Share designs and feedback tool.
9. Comindwork – Project management free online software.
10. CVS – Version control system. Runs on a server and clients can connect to share and save source code. (Open-Source.)
11. Central Desktop – Shared workspaces.
12. DotProject – Open source project management tool.
13. GoPlan – Manage multiple projects with ease. Task management, calendaring, note sharing and issue tracking. Use RSS feeds and sync the Goplan calendar to your iCal, Outlook or phone to stay on top of dates and tasks.
14. Microsoft Office project – Stay informed by controlling your project work, schedule, and finances, and effectively communicate project data.
15. MonkeyOn – A to-do list for things that you want other people to do.
16. MemotoMe – Reminder service.
17. ProposalKit – Proposal and contract management tools.
18. Remember the milk – A to-do list manager. Available in many languages.
19. Relenta – Managing of your email, contacts, documents and activities.
20. Subversion – Version control system. (Will replace CVS in future.)
21. SBA – Plan, start and manage your business, help and advice.
22. TadaList – Easiest to-do list on the net and it is free.
23. Toodledo – A to-do list manager. Easily organize, search and sort through your tasks.
24. Wridea – Free tool for writers. Create categories and organize your ideas. Never forget your ideas again. Save them as you have them.
25. Writeboard – Collaborative writing software. Write, share, revise, compare.

Time Tracking
The following resources/tools will help you to keep track of your time.

1. Easytimetracking – Powerful, yet extremely easy-to-use time management and customer billing application.
2. FourteenDayz – Online time tracking. Useful for team’s.
3. FunctionFox – Simple time tracking and project tracking for small companies.
4. Harvest – Simple time tracking.
5. PunchyTime – A simple time tracking tool.
6. RescueTime – A web-based time management and analytics tool for information workers who want to be more productive.
7. SlimTimer – A timer that tracks jobs on a main web interface
8. Tick – Time-tracking and budget application.
9. Time Assistant – Professional timesheet software
10. TimeTracker – A free simple tool to keep track of the time you spend on any task. Think of it as a to-do-list with a clock.
11. TimePost – Timer that plug-in for Harvest, Base-camp and Tick.
    

Web-site (Building) Related Tools and Resources
The following tools and resources will help you with your web-site or blog.

1. Amazone S3 – Cheap and Fast Storage (example for web stream videos)
2. AgencyFusion – Outsource web-programmers
3. Big Stock Photo – for the photo’s on your site.
4. ExpressionEngine – CMS application.
5. Coffeecup – Html editor, flash form builder.
6. CSS validate – Check your Cascade style sheets.
7. Doc2PDF – Free doc to PDF converter.
8. Formsite – Web forms and surveys
9. FotoSearch – for the photo’s on your site.
10. FeedBurner – for your RSS feeds.
11. FLV player – easy and flexible way to add video and audio to your website.
12. Google Analytics – track your website stats.
13. Html Validate – Check your html.
14. Inblogit – Free blogging tool.
15. Icebrrg – web forms.
16. IconBuffet – Icons.
17. istockphoto – for the photo’s on your site.
18. Jungle Disk – Online storage for 15 cents a gigabyte.
19. LightCMS – Content management.
20. Lorem Ipsum – Lorem Ipsum generator for dummy web-pages.
21. Media Temple – Easy to set up and use hosting.
22. Mosso – Advanced hosting at a reasonable price.
23. MyDomain – Domains few bucks per year.
24. NVU – Web Authoring System for Linux Desktop, Microsoft Windows and Macintosh users.
25. PublicSquare – Web Publishing.
26. Rackspace – All your dedicated hosting needs.
27. SiteKreator – Instant websites.
28. Shutterstock – for the photo’s on your site.
29. Squarespace – Publishing system for websites and blogs.
30. StrongSpace – Secure Back-up.
31. Template Monster – Website template company.
32. WordPress – No words needed, I think!
33. Wamp – If you need a quick test platform on windows (Apache, MySql and PHP.) Note: on Linux is it called Lamp.
34. psd2html – Make websites Photoshop and convert to html.
35. XML validate – Check your XML files.
36. You Send It – Send files up to 2GB online
    

If you know other useful tools or recourses then leave a comment!