The 11 Best Apps for Independent Contractors (+ 3 Bonus Tools)
September 6th, 2022 | Contractor Resources
You did it. You started a business and are officially self-employed! Now, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and grow the company. You could juggle multiple parts of running a business yourself, but it’s often easier and faster to outsource these tasks to an app.
To help, we’ve put together a list of the 11 best apps for independent contractors, along with a few runner-up alternatives.
Worried about spending too much on tools? Fear not! This list is a combination of free apps and paid resources, so you can meet business needs and pay taxes without breaking your bank account.
Contents
- MileIQ: Mile tracking
- Toggle Track: Time tracking
- DocuSign: Electronic signatures
- Procore: CRM
- Trello: CRM and task management
- Fieldwire: General contractors’ project management
- All-In-One Calculator: Conversions and calculations
- Fantastical: Managing your calendar
- GasBuddy: The best gas prices
- Calendly: Appointment scheduling
- Neat: All-in-one financial management platform
- Regain your free time with these apps for independent contractors
1. MileIQ: Mile tracking
MileIQ is a mileage tracking tool that uses your phone’s GPS to track your daily driving. The app also lets you mark rides as personal or business, which is really great if you use your personal car for work.
The best parts about MileIQ are that:
- It helps you calculate your potential tax deductions based on trips taken and the IRS mileage rate.
- It generates monthly reports that let you budget for insurance and gas.
Pricing and accessibility
MileIQ offers a free trial for your first 40 rides and is priced at $5.99 monthly or $59.99 yearly. Download the MileIQ mobile app on Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
2. Toggle Track: Time tracking
Toggl Track is a time-tracking app that lets you record your work hours and what tasks you spend them on with a timer.
The tool even generates activity reports, helping you track your productivity and billable hours per client.
Pricing and accessibility
Toggl Track offers a free version specifically designed for freelancers and solo users. The app also has paid team plans starting at a $9 monthly fee per user. You can use Toggl Track in the way that works best for you—online, desktop, or mobile. Download the app on Android or iOS.
3. DocuSign: Electronic signatures
DocuSign is the perfect agreement-management software for independent contractors. The app’s e-signature feature lets you send, review, and sign digital contracts to protect your small business’s interests—especially in case of a conflict with a client or subcontractor.
With DocuSign’s reusable templates, you can even save time collecting contact information like name, job title, and phone number.
Pricing and accessibility
DocuSign offers a 30-day free trial with paid plans starting at $10 per month. Use the DocuSign web app or download its mobile app for Android or iOS.
4. Procore: CRM
Procore is a great customer relationship management (CRM) app for construction contractors.
The app’s project dashboard helps improve client communication—and speed up delivery time. Whether you’re online or offline, you can create, view, and update project details—like drawings, inspections, and timecards—on the board.
Procore also provides a camera feature, so you can add pictures to your records.
Pricing and accessibility
Procore doesn’t have a free version, and its pricing plans aren’t public. But you can visit its pricing page to put in your business details and get a custom quote in your email. Download the Procore mobile app on Google Play or the App Store.
Procore Alternative: HubSpot
If you are not a construction contractor, HubSpot is a great alternative to Procore. HubSpot is a generic CRM that works well for businesses across different industries.
For solo entrepreneurs and small businesses, we recommend HubSpot’s free version. The app is available on Android and iOS.
5. Trello: CRM and task management
Trello is a CRM and task management app. Freelance professionals and small business owners use the tool to manage business tasks on the go. The app includes:
- Cards to organize your tasks based on stages—like to-do, doing, and done—in a dashboard
- Templates that give you a head start on projects so you don’t have to build workflows from scratch
- Integrations (like Slack and Toggl Track) to make the app even more powerful
The app can help you organize any type of project—from marketing plans and design strategies to sales funnels, product launches, and social media campaigns.
Pricing and accessibility
Trello has a completely free plan that is perfect for individuals—including solo independent contractors or those with a small team. If you need to manage more workloads and improve collaboration, Trello’s paid plans start at $5 per user/month.
You can use Trello anywhere, at any time—whether on the web, desktop, or mobile device. Download the Trello app for Android or iOS.
Trello Alternative I: Todoist
If you work better with simpler productivity systems like a to-do list and reminders, Todoist is a cost-effective and more accessible Trello alternative.
Todoist is a simple to-do app for organizing your personal and work activities. Explore the tool’s paid packages starting at $4/month or simply go for their free starter plan.
Use Todoist anywhere—on mobile or desktop.
Trello Alternative II: ClickUp
Like Trello and Todoist, ClickUp is a productivity tool for managing projects. But unlike the others, ClickUp is an all-in-one app that also lets you bring ideas to life with whiteboards and manage time with its time-tracking and reporting functionality.
While ClickUp offers paid team plans from $5 per member/month, the tool also has a perpetually free plan for solo users. Download ClickUp’s mobile or desktop app, use its Chrome extension, connect it to your voice assistant—Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa—or use it as an email add-on.
6. Fieldwire: General contractors’ project management
Fieldwire is a project management app for general contractors in the construction industry. The tool’s punch lists—documents outlining incomplete construction tasks—help field workers track jobs, record inconsistencies, collaborate, and complete projects quickly.
Fieldwire also sends app and email notifications for real-time project status updates.
Pricing and accessibility
Fieldwire has a free plan for teams of five and below with paid packages starting at $29/user/month. The app is available on iOS, Android, and Windows 10.
7. All-In-One Calculator: Conversions and calculations
All-In-One Calculator is a great calculator app for independent contractors—especially construction workers. The tool has all the features of a basic calculator—like addition, subtraction, percentage, and division—and more advanced functions like unit and currency conversions that are useful for building professionals.
Even as a non-construction worker, you can use All-In-One Calculator to crunch numbers when it’s tax time.
Pricing and accessibility
All-In-One Calculator is currently free for all and only available on Android. Its iOS version is already in the works, though.
8. Fantastical: Managing your calendar
Fantastical is a calendar management app that helps you schedule availability for events, tasks, and meetings.
With this tool, you can sync all your calendar accounts in one place, attach files and photos to calendar items, and even save templates for frequently done events and tasks.
Fantastical works with over 30 conference call services—including Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.
Pricing and accessibility
Fantastical gives a free 14-day trial and has paid plans starting at $3.33 monthly. Download the Fantastical app on your mobile or desktop iOS device.
9. GasBuddy: The best gas prices
Independent contractors can use the GasBuddy app to find cheap gas near them.
The tool’s “Find Gas” functionality lets you search and compare fuel prices by city, state, or brand. You can also collect a free GasBuddy card that allows you to get discounts on gas purchases across the U.S.
GasBuddy even has a trip planner and outage tracker that helps you plan your gas expenses for trips and monitor stations that are out of fuel or power. And since its log book tracks odometer miles along with fuel purchase and usage, GasBuddy even doubles as a mile-tracking tool.
Pricing and accessibility
GasBuddy is completely free to use, with zero hidden charges and huge fuel savings. Get the GasBuddy app on iOS and Android.
10. Calendly: Appointment scheduling
Calendly is the appointment scheduling app you didn’t know you needed. It syncs with all your calendars so you can share a Calendly page link, have people schedule meetings only when you’re free, and prevent back-and-forths.
Calendly also helps you organize your time and avoid last-minute task scheduling with its daily meeting limits feature.
Pricing and accessibility
Calendly has a completely free basic version and offers paid plans with advanced features—like SMS meeting notifications and meeting reports—from $8/seat/month. Use Calendly online or via mobile on Android or iOS.
11. Neat: All-in-one financial management platform
We know we’re a bit biased, but we think Neat is the best bookkeeping and expense-tracking app for independent contractors, freelancers, and small business owners.
Our accounting software lets you input your business expenses and income and then displays them on a simple dashboard or auto-generated report. When doing your end-of-the-year tax filing, you can always refer to your Neat records (pun intended).
Pricing and accessibility
Neat is available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store for all of your business accounting needs!.
Regain your free time with these apps for independent contractors
As a business owner, you can probably relate to working overtime on many days to keep the lights on in your “office.”
Independent contractor apps like Neat will automate several business tasks, so you can spend less time working and have more time to rest and restore your energy. You deserve it!
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