What software do I use as a consultant? When you work independently, you have to pay for your own software and tools. I’m in the process of reviewing all of my software expenses for the past two years, and I thought it might be helpful to others to see what someone actually uses in their business. My tools have definitely shifted somewhat since I last wrote about my software choices in 2016. These days, it’s easy to spend quite a bit of money experimenting with AI tools. While I do think it’s worthwhile to spend some money to test tools and subscribe to the most useful ones, it’s also worth auditing my software stack expenses periodically to see if I’m really getting enough value from everything I pay for. The list below also includes a number of free and inexpensive tools that I find useful.
If you’re just getting started in freelancing, don’t assume you have to pay for everything below all at once! Pick your essentials to get started, and then add other tools as you need them and outgrow free options. My software stack grows and evolves every year; this is what it looks like after almost 15 years of working for myself.
Authoring and media editing tools
Most of my work revolves around creating online learning, so I use several tools for authoring elearning and editing media.
Articulate 360: No surprise here. While I do use other tools sometimes, I still use Storyline fairly often for client projects.Camtasia: I use Camtasia more for video editing than for screencast videos. I like it for quick edits and for adding animated intros, transitions, etc.SnagIt: I use SnagIt almost every day for screenshots for my blog, presentations, or to explain things to clients.Twine: Twine is the free, open source software I use for branching scenarios.Affinity: I’ve used Affinity software for editing images since v1. I just don’t do enough image editing to justify the cost of an Adobe subscription. Now that the newest version of Affinity is free, I definitely recommend that freelancers look at Affinity instead of Photoshop and Illustrator.Vyond: I enjoy working with Vyond, and I’ve had several projects with it. However, the subscription is expensive. If I don’t get any more projects using Vyond before my next renewal comes up, I may drop this license.Audacity: It’s free and solid, and it does what I need for occasional audio editing.
AI tools
For AI tools, I try to use the free plan or a monthly subscription to test the tools first before making a longer term commitment. The technology is changing so fast that it’s hard to lock myself into any single tool. If you’re just getting started, pay for a month or two to try a tool first before setting up an annual plan.
Poe: Poe gives me access to all of the latest models of the big LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini), plus a bunch of image and video generation tools. I’ve used ElevenLabs through Poe too, although the voice selection is limited to the API options. You don’t get all of the features that you’d get by paying for a single LLM model, but I appreciate being able to switch back and forth between LLMs and having access to multiple image generation models. I just renewed this for $200/year, but next year I want to see if I can switch to a cheaper plan. Unless I’m doing video generation, I never get close to using all of my credits each month on Poe. If I was starting now, I’d look at Galaxy AI for similar features at a lower monthly price.Midjourney: Even with other models available, Midjourney is still my first choice for image generation for my blog and character images (at least the initial reference images). This is $96/year.ElevenLabs: I don’t use ElevenLabs voices often, but I pay for it for a month here and there when I need it for specific projects.Flora: I’ve been using the free plan for this node-based image and video generation tool for a while for image creation when I hit the limits of what I can do in Midjourney. I just got a discount to upgrade to a paid plan for three months. I’ll use this time to evaluate if I want to commit to paying for it long-term. I suspect that I can get enough gains in efficiency to justify the cost.Freepik: I’m also currently paying for Freepik so I can test Freepik Spaces for image generation. It’s very similar to Flora’s node-based interface.Wavespeed: I paid $10 for credits on Wavespeed last year so I could test out some video tools like InfiniteTalk. For limited testing, buying credits as I need them is a better model than paying for an ongoing subscription.
Running my consulting business
I have a growing software stack that I use to run my business and work with clients.
Google Workspace: I use Google for my primary business email and file sharing.File sharing: I mostly use Google Drive for storing and sharing files, but I also pay for Dropbox since some clients use that.Zoom: I have a Zoom Pro subscription. I use Zoom for nearly all of my calls with clients.TidyCal: I use TidyCal for scheduling meetings. This lets me give people a link to book on my calendar for meetings. I also use it for booking coaching calls; it collects payments, books on my calendar, and sends automated reminders. I bought a lifetime license for TidyCal for $29 in 2024, and it’s been working great. This is much cheaper than Calendly for being able to schedule paid calls.BreezeDoc: I used to use a free HelloSign account for signing agreements, but I sometimes ran into issues with the 3/month document limit. BreezeDoc works similarly to DocuSign for electronic signatures, but I bought a lifetime license for $19 last year.Carbonite: Automatic online backups. I back up files elsewhere too, but this is one layer of protection.IPVanish: I use this as a VPN when I’m on public wifi.Wave Accounting: I’m on a legacy free plan with Wave for my bookkeeping. At some point, they’ll probably drop this legacy plan, and I’ll have to upgrade to a paid plan.Raindrop: I use Raindrop to collect and organize all of my bookmarks, which I then share on my blog. I pay for this tool to get additional features.Mailchimp: At $75/month, Mailchimp is one of my more expensive software subscriptions. This is the tool that runs the email list for my blog. Even though I give away a lot of content for free, it costs me a lot to do so. I’ve looked at Mailerlite and other alternatives, and I may migrate my list to something cheaper this year.
AppSumo has been a good source of software deals like TidyCal and BreezeDoc. If you’re looking for cheaper alternatives to more expensive business software, this is one way to find it. (That’s an affiliate link. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but I get a reward back if you buy software through my link. That helps pay for blog hosting and running my email newsletter.)
Project management and reviews
A lot of my work involves a degree of project management. I’ve tried a number of tools over the years, but these days I mostly use Trello and Airtable.
Trello: Trello is one of the tools I use for project management, especially when we don’t have a firm timeline and the project is more fluid. I only have the free plan; it’s sufficient for what I need.Airtable: I use Airtable for project management when I need a clear timeline and more detailed task list. I also have a database set up to track leads and prospects and one to track my presentation records. I use the free plan for Airtable too.Pastel: I’ve been paying $29/month for Pastel because it’s the best tool I’ve found for collecting feedback on Twine projects. I’ll probably pause this subscription and drop back to a free plan when one of my current projects finishes. This is one that I’ll switch back and forth between paid and free depending on what projects are active.Filestage: I don’t currently have any projects that require reviews on videos, but I used the free Filestage plan the last time I needed this.
Your tech stack?
What’s in your software stack? What tools do you find worthwhile to pay for? What great deals or free tools have you found that make your life easier?
