The success of a business relies heavily on its online presence. With the boom in apps, entrepreneurs have more opportunities than ever to reach out to their target audiences and promote their products and services.
There are many different types of apps that a business can use, but these are the best ones:
– Social Media Apps: These are used by businesses to promote themselves on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.
– Mobile Apps: These are used by businesses to create a mobile version of their website or provide an app that can be downloaded by customers.
– Ecommerce Apps: These are used by businesses to sell products or services directly from their mobile device.
– Marketing Apps: These apps help with marketing campaigns and lead generation for small businesses.
best payment apps for small businesses
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18 Free Small Business Apps in 2022
HubProductivity18 Free Small Business Apps in 2022
March 28, 2019
18 Free Small Business Apps in 2022
Let’s face it, as a small business owner you always have something on your mind. It could be while you’re at the office, at home, or even at a conference or networking event. It can be incredibly important to make the most of your time and stay on top of everything happening around you.
It can be a challenge to keep up with all the different demands. The good news is that there are tons of small business mobile apps to help you stay organized. To help, we’ve gone ahead and compiled a list of the 18 best apps to help with everything from payroll, project management, and payroll processing.
You’ll even find a selection that can boost your marketing and customer management, among others.
In this article, we’ll cover:
The 18 Best Free Apps to Help Your Business in 2022
Key Takeaways
The 18 Best Free Apps to Help Your Business in 2022
Most of the apps outlined below are available for both iOS and Android but keep reading to find out which ones will benefit you most.
- FreshBooks
Being a small business owner means you have a lot to worry about. FreshBooks was designed and built for small business owners, and the cloud-based platform proves it. You can sync and view all your financials no matter where you are, whether it’s from the desktop app or from your mobile phone.
It’s easy to respond to client feedback and you can check on the current status of payments right from the mobile app. As well, you can take photos of any receipts and immediately add them to your expenses and it provides great time tracking capabilities. Managing every aspect of your cash flow has never been as easy.
- Gusto
Small business owners with a team to run may find Gusto a lifesaver. Gusto handles payroll, benefits and taxes all in one powerful mobile app.
It helps onboard new employees, reports new hires to the government, handles all your taxes at the federal, state and local levels, automatically deducts worker’s compensation payments and deductions, and it emails employees their pay stubs.
This app is free for the first month.
- Scanner App
This free app for small businesses lets you send documents and forms on the go. It photographs the document and converts it into a PDF or JPEG. You can take multiple photos and roll them into one document and even add a signature.
Unfortunately for Android users, the Scanner App is only available for iOS.
- Square
Square is the payment app for small businesses right now. Small businesses of any kind, from beauty salons to retail shops to food trucks will all benefit from Square.
Square is free to download and comes with a free reader that lets you swipe credit cards. This tiny reader attaches to your phone or other device and allows you to process payments quickly and easily.
Square deducts 2.75 percent from all credit card transactions. You need to pay extra for a reader that accepts contactless and chip cards.
If you have your own store, Square Register is a point-of-sale system by the same company. Take a look at Square’s website to find a plan that will suit your business best.
- Wunderlist
Skip complicated small business management apps. Wunderlist keeps things simple but effective. It’s a to-do list that you can share with your team and it syncs automatically. This lets your employees see what items are done and which ones are still pending.
The basic version of Wunderlist is free and there is a Business option that starts at $4.99 per user and it lets you delegate tasks to your employees, make subtasks, set deadlines and reminders and add notes.
- LinkedIn
You probably already use this business networking platform on your computer, but getting the app takes the entire experience to a whole other level. LinkedIn is a powerful marketing tool and with the app, you’re likely to use it more often.
Send updates on the go, add new connections, recruit new hires, follow inspirational companies and people or keep an eye on your competitors.
- PicMonkey
This free photo editing app makes it easy for small business owners to have a social media presence. Crop photos for social media platforms like Instagram or edit a picture to put on your website. It’s a great app to help with your small business marketing.
You need absolutely no graphic design experience to edit photos on PicMonkey. It’s an incredibly user-friendly app with features that let you produce professional-looking photos in a flash. You can do a lot with the free version, but there’s also a paid plan with premium features that starts at $4.99 a month.
- Shopventory
For small businesses with inventory, Shopventory is an incredibly simple solution with powerful inventory management capabilities. Check profit margins, compare locations and see sales trends.
Shopventory will help you see what isn’t selling well so you can discount it and skip a restock. It also alerts you if it suspects theft. The app helps small business owners stay up to date on and manage everything to do with their inventory.
Shopventory doesn’t have its own payment processing system but it does integrate with systems like Square, Shopify, PayPal and others.
A basic plan is free for one business location and paid plans start at $29 a month.
- TripIt
Small business owners that take a lot of business trips will find TripIt a lifesaver. TripIt collects all your travel details and sends you alerts about flight changes. It can help you find a different flight and get the best seat.
Email your itineraries to TripIt and it updates your travel schedule on all your devices for you. You can also view your itinerary offline so you can avoid roaming when you’re out of the country.
A basic TripIt account is free and the Pro version is $49 per year.
- MileIQ
MileIQ isn’t fancy but it gets the job done. This free mileage tracker app tracks up to 40 trips a month and it can track multiple vehicles. Trips can be categorized as personal or business-related and you can add notes if you’re an employee.
MileIQ also handily calculates how much you can deduct on your taxes for each trip—the average MileIQ user deducts over $6,500 per year. As of January 1, 2018, the IRS lets you deduct 54.5 cents for every mile driven for business travel.
MileIQ also integrates with FreshBooks so you can import your data and add your trips to your expense reports. This will make reporting your mileage and claiming a deduction a snap at tax time.
Upgrade to the paid version to track unlimited trips for $5.99 a month or $4.99 a month if you buy an annual subscription.
- Contxts
Business cards can sometimes be a hassle. They cost money, it’s a pain to keep them on you and the details can often be out of date.
Contxts is a business networking app that lets you send information you’d include on a business card in an SMS text message. You can either text the recipient or bump phones. You can even ask your contact to send a text message with your account name to 50500 and your details will be texted back to them automatically.
You can also export your contacts and add links in your details to your company website, LinkedIn page and social media pages, among others.
Contxts is free to use, other than any SMS costs from your service provider. It works on any cell phone, too, even if you don’t have a smartphone.
- MailerLite
MailerLite is a little-known email marketing platform that is incredibly flexible. Super easy to use, it’s a great place to start with growing an email list for your small business.
The first 1000 subscribers are free. The list of features available as part of your free plan is quite impressive. You can customize the colors, text and design of your emails easily. Multimedia items like GIFs, videos and photos are easy to add.
The analytics are very sophisticated. The system shows you which links were most popular with your audience. The open rates are clearly displayed on your metrics page too so you can optimize your strategy.
When you’re ready to upgrade beyond 1000 subscribers, you can count on MailerLite to always be affordable and simple to use.
Unfortunately, the mobile app is only available on iPhone. But if you’re an Android user, the desktop version of the app can work well for your business needs.
- Evernote
Evernote is a staple in everyone’s PC world. But how many actually use it to its full potential?
As a note-taking app, it syncs across all your devices for easy access. You can also attach web links to your notes to optimize how you take notes. Web clips are just one of the reasons Evernote die-hards love it so much.
You can create very intricate note systems in Evernote with multiple “notebooks”.
It’s one of the most impressive note-taking apps in terms of search, too. Evernote makes losing notes a thing of the past by backing up to your computer. Plus, the search function is accurate and fast which lets you find what you’re looking for when you need it.
As a small business app, this is ideal for small teams to collaborate as well as for personal use.
- Trello
No list of excellent free business apps would be complete without Trello. Most of us know it as a productivity tool, but it’s great for small teams as well.
Trello is built on the Japanese productivity principle of kanban boards. This allows you to see the progress of any and all projects your team is working on. It’s a great way to ensure nothing gets lost between the cracks.
But the boards are just a starting point. Trello has grown to become a complete productivity beast. With the free plan, you have unlimited boards, team members and activity logs. That means you can see what everyone is working on, set deadlines and assign tasks to team members at a click of a button.
You can store documents and links on boards for ease of access and collaboration is simple with other team members and potential clients. Trello is definitely worth looking into if you want to get started with a free productivity app.
- LastPass
As a new business owner, you’ll likely be juggling multiple new software plans. Your cyber security is more important than ever if you’re dealing with sensitive client information. So the worst thing you can do is use one master password for everything.
For managing your business passwords, it’s worth getting a password manager. LastPass is an easy-to-use app that attaches to your browser, and you can also use it on Android or iOS.
If you’re terrible at coming up with secure passwords, LastPass can help you generate long, undecipherable passwords and it keeps them safe. They use encryption to ensure that no one can breach your information.
The base plan is completely free to use, and the premium version allows you to add more people to your plan and add more devices.
- Slack
Slack is a mainstay in the business world. It has revolutionized workplace communication and it doesn’t matter if your team is large or small. The free version works perfectly for businesses with smaller teams.
It also allows you to sync Slack’s powerful communication system with up to 10 apps. You can send up to 10,000 searchable messages and have one-on-one calls with other team members.
- PayPal
PayPal is a fantastic small business app that everyone knows and loves. As a payment processor, you can run it completely for free on your cell phone.
If you intend to use PayPal as a payment processor, the mobile app is super easy to use. It’s free to set up and run a business account and you can create and send invoices at a click of a button.
- Toggl Track
Tracking your employee’s time allows for more accurate invoicing and better work-life balance for your team. For time tracking, Toggl is a fun and free app to use.
For up to 5 users, you have a plethora of cool features at your fingertips. You have unlimited time tracking, projects and task management included. The mobile app allows your employees to clock in from wherever they are, which leads to more accurate time tracking.
Express productivity boosters like a Pomodoro timer and auto time tracking triggers make it an intuitive app to use.
Key Takeaways
Depending on the type of small business you operate, some of these apps will work perfectly and some might not fit your needs. Need help with better time tracking, expense reporting and accounting services? Then FreshBooks is a great option.
What about syncing notes and reminders across all your devices so you don’t miss a thing? An app like Evernote will help keep you up-to-date. And apps like Trello and Slack can help your teams increase their productivity and collaborate with more efficiency. Whatever your business is looking for, one of the 18 apps outlined in this article will be sure to help your business stay ahead.
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