The free tools every small business should be using.
You don't need a big budget to look professional, get found, and bring in more work. You need the right handful of free tools — and someone to tell you which ones, in plain English.
Here they are, sorted by the job they do for you. Every one has a genuinely free version. No jargon, no hard sell.
An AI assistant to do the writing for you
This is the big one. The right AI can draft your quotes, replies, posts and emails in minutes instead of evenings. Pick one, get comfortable with it, and it quietly powers half the tools below. All three have a free version that does real work.
Claude
Free tierOur pickBest for writing that actually sounds like you, and for working through longer documents. The free version handles a serious amount of day-to-day work. This is the one we teach.
ChatGPT
Free tierThe all-rounder you've probably already heard of. Good at almost any task — emails, ideas, summaries, captions. A solid free tier covers most needs.
Google Gemini
Free tierGenerous free version, and it's built right into Gmail and Google Docs — handy if your business already runs on Google.
Your AI assistant feeds nearly everything else: it writes the posts you design in Canva, drafts the emails you send through your newsletter tool, and answers the reviews on your Google profile. Learn one well and the rest gets easier.
Getting found when people search locally
For most small businesses this matters more than the website itself. When someone nearby searches for what you do, these are what put you in front of them.
Google Business Profile
FreeDo this firstThe single most important free thing you can set up. It puts you on Google Maps and in "near me" results, shows your hours, photos and reviews. If you do nothing else, do this.
Bing Places
FreeThe one almost everyone forgets. Quick to set up, and it gets you found by people who don't use Google.
Google Search Console
FreeShows you the actual words people type to find you. Quietly powerful for knowing what to write about and what your customers really want.
Looking professional without a designer
Posts, flyers, a simple logo, tidy product photos. You can make all of it look the part for nothing.
Canva
Free tierOur pickTemplates for social posts, flyers, menus, logos — drag, drop, done. The free plan covers the vast majority of what a small business needs.
Remove.bg
Free tierStrips the background out of a product or staff photo in one click, so it looks clean and shop-ready.
Photopea
FreeA free, browser-based photo editor for when you need a bit more than Canva. No download, no cost.
Keeping track of customers and admin
Stop losing leads in your inbox and notebook. These keep your customers, jobs and notes in one place.
HubSpot CRM
Free tierA proper free system for tracking leads and customers — who's enquired, who you owe a call, what you last said. Grows with you only if you want it to.
Wave
FreeFree invoicing and simple accounting, well suited to sole traders and small firms. Send a tidy invoice in minutes.
Otter.ai
Free tierRecords and writes up your meetings and calls automatically, so you get notes and action points without scribbling.
Getting paid and getting booked
Take payment and let customers book themselves in — without building a website to do it.
Stripe / PayPal / SumUp
Free to set upFree to start, you only pay a small fee per sale. Create a payment link and take card payments even if you've no website yet.
Cal.com / Calendly
Free tierShare one link and let customers pick a slot from your diary. No more back-and-forth messages to find a time.
Reaching people regularly
Stay in front of customers with email and social — scheduled in advance so it's not a daily scramble.
MailerLite / Brevo
Free tierSend a proper newsletter to your customers for free, up to a healthy list size. Great for offers, news and repeat business.
Buffer / Later
Free tierWrite a week of social posts in one sitting and schedule them. The free tiers are plenty to keep a single business ticking over.
CapCut
Free tierFree, easy video editing for short clips and reels — the format that gets seen most right now.
Not sure where to start, or want it set up for you?
We help local business owners get these tools — and AI — actually working for them. Plain English, one-to-one, around your business. No tech know-how needed.
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