Essential Software Solutions Every Small Business Needs to Have

Simplify and speed up your day-to-day operations and scale your small business without breaking the bank. Here’s a list of (almost) free high-performing software products that are worth checking out:

Accounting and Invoicing: Wave (Free)

Wave is an ad-supported, web-based accounting and invoicing service. It boasts integrated payroll, payments, and personal finance software and tools. The software offers expense tracking, direct bank data imports, receipt management, recurring invoicing, and credit card processing features. You can manage receipts, invoices, and payroll on the go via a mobile app.

CRM:  Zoho CRM (Freemium: Free for 10 users)

Easily track your company’s interactions with clients and prospects with Zoho CRM.

The free version will give you access to sales force automation leads, contacts, accounts, tasks, and team collaboration features, including status updates, direct messages, and more. Plus, you also get 10 email templates, email opt-out, and website visitor tracking.

Email Marketing: MailChimp (Freemium)

Get the Forever Free plan to send 12,000 emails a month to up to 2,000 subscribers. You’ll be able to access A/B testing, custom forms, segmentation, and reports along with subscriber profiles, with this software.

File Management: Dropbox (Free for 2 GB of space; $9.99 per month for 1k GB)

Safely backup and securely access critical files stored in the cloud from anywhere.

Online Meeting: Skype (Freemium)

Collaborate with colleagues through video conferencing, audio conferencing, instant messages, screen, and file sharing with Skype. Groups of up to 25 people can join audio and video calls via computer and mobile platforms.

Photo Editor: PicMonkey (Free)

Easily edit and retouch photos, design images, and create a collage with this web-based photo editor. It only takes a little time to figure out how to use the simple, uncluttered interface.

Project Management: Trello (Free)

Simply add notes, and drag them around Trello’s billboard to organize and share your projects. You can also check your daily progress and know who’s working on what at a glance. Although it is a web-based software tool, it also has iOS and Android apps available.

Social Media Management: Buffer and Hootsuite (Freemium)

Schedule and publish social media updates across multiple social networks, with Buffer and Hootsuite. Your business size and individual needs will determine which one will make a better choice.