TeamRunning a business can be difficult and expensive, but the 5 best free software for small businesses can help you keep things under control. Whether you need to create tasks, secure your data, issue invoices, or communicate with your team, there is software that can make that as easy as possible for you, without taking any money out of your pocket. So, read through the following list and make use of the possibilities these programs have to offer.
1. Trello
Project management means keeping tabs on everything that should be done, everyone who should be doing it, and everything that’s being done currently. Trello is one of the best free software for small businesses that can help you with this. Imagine a whiteboard full of sticky notes, and it’s pretty much what this software offers in digital form. You can easily create the tasks and keep track of their status. You don’t have to have a team to use Trello because it will work great for keeping your own projects in order as well. Trello offers unlimited projects and boards, but there’s a limit for file attachments.
2. LibreOffice
If you need a free version of MS Office, LibreOffice is the right software for you. It’s the best rival of MS Office since they’re very similar when it comes to the interface, but that’s not all. All MS Office documents retain their formatting when opened in LibreOffice, which most competitors didn’t manage to offer. LibreOffice has similar features and interfaces as MS Office, and it’s compatible with it, so it’s a great alternative when you don’t want to spend money on an office software suite. The package includes software similar to PowerPoint, database software, and a drawing package that you can use for flowcharts.
3. Slack
Maybe you have a big team that you need to communicate with and, if that’s so, you should definitely use Slack. This is the best free software for small businesses when it comes to online collaboration tools. It’s very user-friendly, and you can easily start a new chat channel when you’re starting a new project. Invite everyone from your team to share related files, ideas, status updates, or even funny cat memes. Attach related documents and even install bots to perform business functions. Slack is especially useful if the members of your team live in different places in the world, because you can easily connect with everyone in one place.
4. Duplicati
The list of best free software for small businesses must include backup software. You have to think about the security of your data when you’re running a business, and if your hard drive ever stopped working you know how many problems that can create. There is a rule of three that you can follow to make sure all your data is safe. Always create three copies of the most important data and store it in two or more places, one of which must be off-site. Most importantly, use Duplicati and let it encrypt and back up your data. Choose locations where you want your backups to be stored, whether it’s a fileserver, local drive, or cloud service. After the first backup, you’ll just need to use it for smaller amounts of data to keep your backups up-to-date. It will require some technical skills, but once you set it all up you’ll be able to rest knowing that all your data is secure.
5. Wave Invoicing
Important software that every small business needs is the one that can help you make and send invoices. You need professionalism, speed, and efficiency when you’re demanding payments, and you can have all this with Wave Invoicing. Make it easy for your clients to pay you by using this cross-platform app that’s incredibly simple to use. It will let you send invoices from your smartphone, and you can even use Wave Invoicing to accept payments with credit cards. The app will charge a small fee for payments, but it’s otherwise entirely free and one of the best free software for small businesses. Use invoice templates and speed things up. You can also use this app to automatically hound clients that are running late with payments to make sure that they are informed about the time they should pay up. You’ll be able to see “read” reports on your invoices, keep track of sales taxes, and issue quotes and estimates when you don’t want to issue full invoices. The templates for invoices can also be customized so that they match your color scheme or logo.
Make sure to check out the best apps for small businesses as well!
