Huge List Of Free Useful Resources For Small Businesses
Starting a business on a tight budget can be super challenging.
When I launched my own venture, I was shocked at how quickly expenses added up – even without much revenue coming in!

But don’t worry, I’ve got your back. I’ve compiled this massive list of free (or nearly free) resources to help you grow your business without breaking the bank.
These tools have been game-changers for me and many other business owners. The best part?
You can focus on building your business instead of stressing about costs. Let’s dive in!
1. Website Building & Hosting
Who needs expensive web developers when you can create a professional-looking site yourself?
Your website is basically your digital storefront, so having one is crucial – even if you start with something simple.
While I personally recommend investing in your own domain and hosting when possible (starting at just $2.95/month), these free options can get you up and running right away:
- WordPress.com – Perfect for blogging and simple business sites
- Strikingly – User-friendly website builder with modern templates
- Medium – Great platform for content-focused businesses
- Yola – Simple drag-and-drop website builder
- Carrd – Creates stunning one-page websites, perfect for portfolios
- Webflow – More advanced design capabilities
- Weebly – Easy e-commerce integration
- Jimdo – AI-powered website creation
- Google Sites – Basic but functional sites
- Blogger – Simple blog platform
- Substack – Newsletter and membership platform
- Patreon – Subscription-based content platform
- Shopify – E-commerce platform (free for 3 days, then $1 for 3 months)
2. Financial Tools & Accounting Solutions
Trust me on this one – managing your finances with spreadsheets will drive you crazy come tax time (learned that one the hard way!).
These tools make invoicing, tracking expenses, and preparing for taxes so much easier:
- Wave – Completely free accounting software for small businesses
- Mint – Personal and business finance tracking
- Xero – Full-featured accounting (free 30-day trial)
- Intuit QuickBooks – Industry standard accounting (free 30-day trial)
- PearBudget – Simple budgeting tool (free 30-day trial)
- Invoice Ninja – Free invoicing and expense tracking for small businesses
3. Marketing & Promotion Tools
Getting the word out about your business doesn’t have to cost a fortune! I spend about 25% of my time on marketing, and these free tools have been lifesavers:
- Instagram – Free photos and short form content sharing platform
- Pinterest – Great for driving traffic to your site
- Facebook – Build your community
- TikTok – Exploding platform for video content
- LinkedIn – Professional networking and B2B marketing
- YouTube – Video content platform
- ConvertKit – Email marketing tool (free up to 1,000 subscribers)
- Systeme.io– Free Email Marketing and Funnel Builder (Free Upto 2000 Subs)
- Constant Contact – Email newsletter (free 60-day trial)
- Loom – Video messaging platform
- Craigslist – Free local advertising
- Post Planner – Social scheduling (7-day free trial)
- SocialBee – Social media management (14-day free trial)
- Survey Monkey – Gather customer feedback
- HubSpot – Free email signature generator
- EZ Texting – SMS marketing (30-day free trial)
- Clearstream – SMS marketing (25 free messages monthly)
- OneSignal – Push notifications (free for 10,000 subscribers)
- Webpushr – Push notifications (free for 10,000 subscribers)
- Mailchimp – Email marketing platform (free up to 2,000 contacts)
4. Graphic Design & Visual Content
I’m definitely not a designer by training, but these tools have helped me create professional-looking graphics without breaking the bank:
- Canva – My absolute favorite design tool
- Pixabay – Free stock photos and videos
- Unsplash – Beautiful free stock photos
- Pexels – High-quality free images
- Photopea – Free online photo editor (similar to Photoshop)
- Remove.bg – Remove image backgrounds instantly
- Wix Logo Maker – Create a free basic logo
- FlexClip – Free video editor
- CapCut – Free video editing tool
- COLOURlovers – Color palettes and inspiration
- FontSquirrel – Free commercial-use fonts
- Burst – Free Shopify stock photos
- DALL-E Mini – Free AI image generator
- Dreamstime – Free stock images
- FreePhotos.cc – Free stock photography
- Morguefile.com – Free commercial-use photos
- Easil – Drag and drop editor (free 30 days)
- Image Resizer – Resize images without quality loss
- SVG to PNG – Convert file formats for free
- Figma – Collaborative design tool with free plan
5. Office & Productivity Suite
You don’t need expensive Microsoft Office to be productive! Here are some great alternatives:
- Google Drive and Docs – Free word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations
- Grammarly – Free writing assistant and editor
- Dropbox – Free 2GB cloud storage
- ChatGPT – AI assistant for research and writing
- Notion – All-in-one workspace for notes, tasks, wikis, and databases
- Cute PDF – PDF conversion tool
- PrimoPDF – Create PDFs from any document
- Capitalize My Title – Quick text formatting tool
- LibreOffice – Full office suite completely free
6. Business Planning & Templates
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve needed a specific business document or template. These resources have saved me countless hours:
- The Work at Home Woman – Free business plan template
- SCORE – Business planning and management templates
- LivePlan – Business plans and startup checklists
- Ryan Robinson – Free freelance proposal template
- Bonsai – Contract templates for freelancers (limited free options)
7. Time Management & Productivity
Staying organized is essential when you’re juggling multiple business tasks. These tools help me keep everything on track:
- Todoist – Task manager and to-do list
- Google Calendar – Schedule management
- Zapier – Workflow automation
- Evernote – Note-taking and organization
- Cozi – Family and business organizer
- ClickBook – Free appointment scheduling
- SavvyCal – Scheduling tool
- Doodle – Calendar sync (free 14 days)
- Pomofocus – Pomodoro timer for productivity
- Forest App – Stay focused and build virtual trees
8. Communication & Collaboration
Working with clients, team members, or partners? These tools make communication easy:
- Zoom – Video conferencing (free for up to 100 people)
- FreeConferenceCall.com – Conference calls for up to 1,000 people
- Google Meet – Free video conferencing
- WhatsApp – Free messaging and calling
- Signal – Secure messaging app
- Google Chat – Free messaging platform
- Telegram – Desktop and mobile messaging
- TextNow – Free text and call app
- WebEx – Video conferencing (free for up to 3 people)
- FaxZERO – Send free faxes (up to 3 pages, twice daily)
- IFTTT – App integration tool
- Discord – Community building and communication tool
9. Project & Content Management
When juggling multiple projects or clients, these tools keep everything organized:
- Trello – Visual project management
- Asana – Task and project management
- Airtable – Spreadsheet/database hybrid
- FreedCamp – Free project management platform
- Basecamp – Project management (30-day free trial)
- Wrike – Task management platform
- ClickUp – All-in-one productivity platform with generous free plan
10. Free Printables & Organizers
I’m old-school and love physical planners and worksheets! Here are some great free printables:
- Dave Seah – Productivity tools
- Productivity Flourishing – Planning worksheets
- Frugal Fanatic – Budgeting worksheets
- momAgenda – Planning and tracking sheets
- Money Saving Mom – Goal setting printables
- Thirty Handmade Days – Budget binder
- Travel Mamas – Travel packing lists
- Canva Templates – Printable business templates and planners
11. Resources for Bloggers
If blogging is part of your business strategy (which it should be!), these tools are essential:
- Rank Math – Free SEO plugin
- Google Analytics – Website traffic stats
- CoSchedule – Headline analyzer
- AdRotate – Ad management plugin
- Gravatar – Global avatar for your blog identity
- Random.org – Choose giveaway winners fairly
- SmallSEOTools – Plagiarism checker
- Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing – Free 36-page e-book on affiliate marketing
- Blogging Success – Free 28-page e-book on blogging
- Yoast SEO – WordPress SEO plugin with free version
12. Free Education & Mentorship
Continuing education is essential for any entrepreneur. These resources offer free learning opportunities:
- SCORE – Free business mentorship
- Small Business Development Centers – Free counseling and training
- Women’s Business Centers – Resources for woman-owned businesses
- Alison – Free business courses
- Coursera – Free university-level courses
- Grow With Google – Free digital skills training
- IRS Small Business Center – Tax training and resources
- United States Small Business Administration – Free counseling
- freeCodeCamp – Learn coding skills for free
- Khan Academy – Free courses in business, economics, and more
And there you have it! A massive collection of free and low-cost business resources to help you launch and grow your business without breaking the bank. Remember, while free tools are fantastic for getting started, there will come a point when investing in paid solutions makes sense for your growing business.
What are your favorite free business tools? I’d love to hear what’s working for you in the comments below!
Happy entrepreneuring!