6 Free Mobile Apps Every Small Business Owner Should Install
Discover six free mobile apps that help you run your small business from anywhere.
Key takeaways
- Choose apps by weighing ease of use, cost, integrations, and security before you download.
- Save time on daily work with free tools for social media, tasks, writing, and team chat.
- Check every app’s free plan limits, since tools like Later now charge after a short trial.
- Pay and track business bills from your phone with Melio’s free Go plan, which includes five free ACH transfers a month.
How to choose the right apps for your small business
The best apps for small business owners save time, cost little or nothing, and solve a real daily problem. Weigh a few things before you download so you pick tools you will actually use.
- Ease of use: If it takes hours to learn, it’s probably not worth your time.
- Cost: Check what the free version includes and where paid plans begin.
- Integrations: Choose apps that work with the tools you already use.
- Security: Make sure the app meets basic security standards, especially for payments.
Free mobile apps small business owners need to know about
We chose these apps with small business owners in mind. Each one saves time, is easy to use with little training, costs little or nothing, and helps with the core of running an SMB.
Since small businesses are often more vulnerable to cash flow issues, we also looked for apps that are useful but will not break the bank. So we chose apps that are either free or offer a free version with the most important features.
We skipped apps for services that come built-in with most phones, such as cloud storage, memo recording, and document scanning, since you’re likely already using those.
Later: social media management
Social media is a powerful marketing tool for small businesses, thanks to its accessibility, free exposure, and low advertising costs. But keeping an active presence across several networks is time-consuming.
Later is an online tool and mobile app that makes planning and publishing your social posts easier. Later allows you to plan, schedule, and publish posts across various platforms including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Snapchat.
Later no longer offers a permanently free plan, but you can try it free for 14 days, and its entry-level Starter plan lets you publish about 30 posts a month on each profile.
Todoist: task organizer
As you probably know, small business owners are busy people with a long list of tasks to complete every day.
Todoist offers a simple interface for managing your to-do lists. You can create projects, add repeating tasks, set due dates and priority levels, add filters, and collaborate with your team.
You get a clear view of your progress and upcoming tasks, organized by due date. You can also add files, create sub-tasks, and start from existing templates.
The free version lets you create five projects with up to five collaborators and three filters. Premium plans add notifications, adding tasks by email, and calendar syncing. The mobile app lets you add or check off tasks on the go.
Trello: workload management for teams
If you have a larger team or more complex projects, check out Trello. Trello lets you organize and view all the tasks, called cards, related to a specific project.
It gives you full visibility of each task and lets you tag collaborators, create checklists, and use power-ups including calendar sync, repeated tasks, adding tasks by email, and surveys.
The free version lets you create up to 10 boards for different projects, with unlimited cards, unlimited power-ups, and two-factor authentication.
Grammarly: AI-based writing assistant
Whatever you do for a living, some writing is always involved. Whether you are posting on social media or emailing customers, your writing needs to look professional.
An occasional typo isn’t the end of the world, but it can make you look less polished. That’s where Grammarly comes in.
Grammarly uses AI to correct your spelling and grammar as you type. The free version covers the basics, and paying users also get advanced style suggestions.
You can use Grammarly through its website, a browser extension, a desktop app, or a mobile keyboard that offers corrections in any app you type in.
Messenger: instant messaging for your team and customers
Most people now message businesses the way they message friends. They can start a chat on a desktop and continue it on mobile without holding on the phone or keeping a browser open.
With about 3 billion monthly active users worldwide and counting, Facebook is a good place to reach customers where they already are.
Messenger, Facebook’s instant messaging feature, offers a simple premise: the ease of texting, minus the costs. It works through the web or the mobile app.
Messenger lets you handle customer service on the go and answer questions from anywhere.
You can do this without exposing your private number, and you can set working hours so customers know when to expect a reply.
Messenger also lets you manage chats for several business profiles, use a bot to start conversations, and have multiple team members respond.
Melio: B2B payments at your fingertips
Melio offers a digital platform for managing payments built specifically for SMBs. It combines the simplicity of online payments with the needs of business transactions, including tracking, flexible payment methods, and bill and invoice management.
It also has no subscription fees on the free Go plan, which includes five free ACH bank transfers a month, with paid plans available for higher volumes.
Melio lets you pay business bills right from your phone. Through the app you can add payment methods, schedule payments by ACH, debit, or credit card, scan invoices with your camera, add vendors, and track every payment.
Manage your business on the fly
Running a small business isn’t a nine-to-five desk job, and many owners use any free moment, even on the go, to get things done.
These apps make working away from your desk easier, whether you’re assigning tasks, answering emails, or paying vendors. Ready to pay bills from your phone? Sign up for Melio.
Small business apps FAQs
What is the best app to start a small business?
There’s no single best app. Start with a free communication or task app, then add a payments app like Melio once you begin sending and receiving money.
What is the best free app for self-employed workers?
A task organizer like Todoist and a payments app like Melio cover the basics for most solo owners, since they help you stay on track and get paid.
Are free business apps actually free?
Many offer a free tier with core features, but most cap usage or reserve advanced tools for paid plans. Always check the free plan limits before you rely on an app.
*This blog post is intended for informational purposes only and is not intended as financial advice.
**Melio does not provide legal, tax or accounting advice, and you should consult with a professional advisor before making any financial decisions.
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