Get more done in your work day with these free web-based apps & services
The wealth of simple and ingenious online tools that are now available for free (or almost) is transforming the way we do business and saving countless hours of potentially wasted time. Only trouble is, it takes time to scout the best ones! So we’ve done the work for you and picked out a few that you should certainly check out.
We’ve already sung the praises of Genius Scan, Evernote and Dropbox; here’s our Top 10 list of other free online apps and services that are worth trying:
- Asana is a flexible project management tool that lets users brainstorm ideas and track tasks from any laptop, tablet or phone. Most features are free for up to 15 users.
- AroundMe is a free mobile app that allows you to quickly locate a parking lot, bank, coffee shop, movie theatre (and so on) near your location.
- CrashPlan allows you to back up all your files in three ways. The free plan is a very quick way to back up to your own secondary computer or external hard drive. For $5 to $12.50 a month, you can back up to their online system and/or to a remote computer of your choosing (even your mom’s!)
- Focus Booster will help you avoid the trap of minor stoppages in the work day. Originally based on the Pomodoro Technique of breaking up the day into short bursts of activity with micro-breaks in between, it allows you to track time and manage clients simply. Free for 15 days, $2.99 a month afterwards.
- MailChimp is a user-friendly tool for creating and sending e-newsletters, media releases and other electronic communications that can store multiple mailing lists. The free plan is generous (up to 2,000 emails per day) and the interface is fun: the animated mascot monkey high-fives you whenever you launch a campaign.
- Mural.ly is a rather elegant tool for creative collaboration that will appeal to visual thinkers. It allows users to create, manipulate and share words, images and videos on a virtual idea board. Free for 30 days, with fees from $29 to $1,250 per month.
- SurveyMonkey is a very popular free app for creating online surveys. You could use it for quick customer polls, employee satisfaction surveys or quickly checking what date suits most people for your next meeting.
- Toggl is an enticingly easy way to track and report time on task and billable hours, even from your smartphone. It’s free for up to five users; $5 to $59 per month for more advanced plans.
- Trello, if you haven’t heard, is a leading project management tool based on Toyota-style kanban efficiency thinking. It uses “cards” with words and images that can be moved around on “boards” to track and share ideas and to-do lists. Despite its popularity, the essential package is still free. (Extra bonus: the cute husky-dog mascot Taco.)
- WiFi Finder, available for both Android and Apple products, is a great for anyone who moves around a lot during the work day. It locates public WiFi near you in almost 144 countries to keep you connected when you need to be.
