Popular Everyday Tools For Your Business - Free vs Paid

Jan 13

There are many tools and programs available to make running your business easier, but how do you know which ones will work for you? Which ones should you pay for, and which ones have good free options?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to do everything for free, but that’s not always the most efficient, productive option. Having gone down this route myself I have found that the free version of some tools often restrict you from doing something important - therefore pushing you to sign up for their paid version.

For example, Mailchimp will allow you to send out multiple free emails and set up automations, but they only allow you to have one mailing list on the free plan. This is fine if you only have one mailing list, but not so good when you want to set up waitlists and lead magnets. Canva offers a really good free plan, but the features that speed up the design process, such as being able to resize images at the click of a button, or have your brand kit saved are only available on the paid plan.

In this blog I compare free and paid options for email marketing and design.

Email Marketing Tools

Free: Mailchimp

Pros:

You can have up to 2000 contacts for free
1-step automations are included (good for lead magnets)
Basic templates included
Integrates with Squarespace

Cons:

You are only allowed one ‘audience’ (mailing list)
1-step automation restricts you when it comes to email sequences
I personally find Mailchimp quite clunky and difficult to navigate
Mailchimp branding visible on all websites

Paid: Flodesk*

Pros:

Flodesk has many templates available to use including forms, emails, email sequences etc
You can have multiple mailing lists and multiple automation sequences
Flodesk is really intuitive, simple to use and looks super stylish
Option to hide Flodesk branding

Cons:

You have to pay a monthly subscription (click the Flodesk link to use my affiliate code for 50% discount - forever!)
You need to copy some code over to your website to fully integrate. However, this is easy once you know how.

Design Programs

Free: Adobe XD

Pros:

Very powerful design tool
This is effectively a free version of Adobe Illustrator
Extremely flexible and adaptable

Cons:

Needs to be downloaded to your laptop / computer
Can take some time to fully understand how to use the program (easier if you’re already familiar with Adobe)
Everything is built from scratch

Paid: Canva Pro*

Pros:

Loaded with a variety of templates and stock images
You can upload your full brand kit (colour palette, fonts, logos) so it’s easy to customise designs
Resize designs easily (great for social media post designs)
Post directly to social media from Canva
Create a team and share work with colleagues or clients

Cons:

You are unable to download high resolution designs (such as logos)
You need to be aware of and adhere to copyright restrictions
There is a monthly subscription charge. Canva also has a free plan though with reduced features.

Ultimately it comes down to a time vs money question. Would you rather spend the time doing additional work to use a free plan, or would you rather spend the money to have a more efficient process? It’s also worth bearing in mind that what works for one person isn’t right for someone else, so there is often an element of trial and error in the early days of business.

*This is an affiliate link. When you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no cost to you.