Tools that help digital creators are everywhere however, those subscription fees can add up fast!
That’s why I’ve compiled this list of the best FREE tools out there (in my opinion) to help you unleash your creativity without breaking the bank. You can bookmark this page or explore each tool more on your own it’s your new go-to resource!
Design tools like professionalsIf you are kick starting your journey, paid software is not your best choice, these free gems will have you creating eye-catching visuals pro level in no time:
- Canva: Probably you know about this however, think of it as your design best friend! With An enormous number of templates for almost everything from social media posts to presentations, plus free stock photos and fonts, makes Canva accessible to everyone. Just drag, drop, and create!
- GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program): If you are an open-source fan and want more power under the hood, GIMP is a fantastic alternative to Photoshop. It’s packed with advanced features for photo editing, retouching, and sophisticated designs. It might take a little getting used to, but the possibilities are endless (and free!).
I used GIMP myself and it’s wonderful, it’s fully capable like photoshop. It needs a little time to learn the UI, however, the end results are worth it.
- Adobe Express (formerly Adobe Spark): Straight from the creative giants at Adobe, Express offers a user-friendly way to whip up social media graphics, flyers, and even simple logos. It’s a quick and easy creation tool with a touch of Adobe magic, however don’t expect too much beyond basics.
- VistaCreate: Dive into a massive library of free templates for all your design needs. Plus, they’ve got some cool AI image generation tools (with a few limitations on the free plan) and even a background remover to make your visuals pop.
Video Editing Tools FREE Action!
To make a compelling story you need a video editing tool to make it alive, pro tools are getting more and more expensive, the good news there are some free alternatives that will save the day.
These free video editors pack a punch:
- DaVinci Resolve: The free version of DaVinci Resolve is incredibly powerful, offering advanced color correction, visual effects (via Fusion), and top-notch editing tools. It’s a fantastic option if you want serious control over your videos, you will get a cinematic look with great colors that match renderings from really expensive softwares.
- CapCut: Available on desktop, web, and mobile, CapCut offers everything from basic trimming to cool features like keyframe animations and chroma key. Perfect for creating engaging content for platforms like TikTok and beyond.
- OpenShot: This free and open-source video editor is simple and offers unlimited tracks, transitions, and effects. It’s handy if you want to add some music to short clips.
- Shotcut: Free and open-source option, Shotcut supports a wide range of video and audio formats and comes with handy features like chroma keying and various filters. It’s a good versatile choice for many different types of video projects.
Audio Editing Tools, Free!
- Audacity: Audacity is a powerhouse for recording, editing, and mixing audio. It can support lots of formats and plugins, making it a go-to for podcasters, musicians, and anyone working with sound,
- Ocenaudio: Easy to use, Ocenaudio has real-time effect previews and batch processing, making quick audio edits and cleanups a breeze. You can quickly trim audio clips, remove background noise and get the job done efficiently.
- MyEdit: This web-based editor brings AI power to your audio tasks. The free version offers basic editing, plus a taste of their premium AI features like speech-to-text and vocal removal. Very convenient for quick edits without installing software.
- GarageBand (macOS, iOS): For apple users this is a fantastic free audio workstation right at your fingertips! GarageBand is perfect for recording instruments, creating music with loops, and even editing podcasts with its intuitive interface.
Manage Social Media (Without Spending a Dime!)
- Buffer: Schedule up to 10 posts per social media account (up to three accounts) with their free plan. A user-friendly interface for planning and some basic analytics.
- Social Champ: Manage three social media accounts and schedule 15 posts per month per account on their free tier. Supports various platforms.
- Later: Good fit for visual platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, it will allow you to schedule a limited number of posts per month on one account per platform, with a handy visual planner.
- Canva: Yes, it does more than just design! You can also schedule your social media posts directly from Canva’s platform.
Free native tools for publishing on social media
The Native Publishing Tools on Facebook
Facebook offers a number of free tools that are mainly available through Creator Studio and Meta Business Suite. These resources are essential for efficiently managing your Facebook pages and content:
- Post Scheduling: Use it to Plan and schedule your posts to go live at specific dates and times. It helps reach your audience when they are active.
- Content Calendar: A visual way for planning your post and monitoring your scheduled and published content.
- Drafting and Saving: Crate drafts of posts for later revision or scheduling.
- Post Testing (Limited): Facebook sometimes offers features to test different versions of a post with a small segment of your audience to see which performs better before posting for a wider audience.
- Insights and Analytics: Native tools provide valuable data on your posts’ performance, including reach, engagement (likes, comments, shares), and audience demographics. This helps you understand what works with your audience and refine your content strategy.
- Collaboration Features: For teams managing a Page, these tools often allow for different roles and permissions, streamlining content creation and approval workflows.
- Ad Management (Meta Business Suite): While not strictly “publishing,” Meta Business Suite integrates tools for creating, managing, and analyzing Facebook and Instagram ads, which are crucial for many digital creators to expand their reach.
- Inbox Management (Meta Business Suite): Consolidates messages, comments, and other interactions from Facebook and Instagram, allowing for efficient community management.
- Stories Scheduling (Meta Business Suite): You can plan and schedule Facebook and Instagram Stories, which are a vital format for timely and engaging content.
- Reels Scheduling (Meta Business Suite): Similar to Stories, you can schedule Reels to be published at optimal times.
- Live Video Production Tools (Live Producer): For real-time engagement, Facebook offers tools to set up and manage live video broadcasts.
- Audio Library: A collection of royalty-free music and sound effects that you can use in your videos without worrying about copyright.
YouTube’s Native Publishing Tools
The YouTube Studio is the center of the creator’s workflow on the platform, offering an end-to-end free set of publishing and video content management tools:
- Video Upload and Management: Upload your videos, add titles, descriptions, tags, and set visibility options (public, private, unlisted, scheduled).
- Scheduling: Similar to Facebook, you can schedule your videos to go live at a specific date and time. This is crucial for reaching your audience when they are most active.
- Video Editor: A basic but useful built-in editor allows you to trim clips, add end screens, cards (links to other videos or playlists), and even blur parts of your video.
- Subtitles/Closed Captions: You can manually add subtitles, auto-generate them (with varying accuracy), or upload SRT files to make your content accessible to a wider audience.
- End Screens and Cards: These interactive elements help you direct viewers to other videos, playlists, subscribe buttons, or external links, increasing engagement and channel growth.
- Playlists: Organize your videos into thematic playlists to improve discoverability and encourage viewers to watch more of your content.
- Community Tab: Engage with your audience through text posts, polls, images, and GIFs, fostering a stronger connection beyond video content.
- YouTube Shorts Creation Tools (Mobile App): The mobile app offers tools specifically designed for creating short-form vertical videos (Shorts), including music integration, text overlays, and basic editing.
- YouTube Live: Tools for streaming live video content, allowing for real-time interaction with your audience.
- Analytics: YouTube Studio provides detailed analytics on your channel’s performance, including views, watch time, audience demographics, traffic sources, and more. This data is essential for understanding your audience and optimizing your content strategy.
- Audio Library: A vast library of royalty-free music and sound effects to enhance your video projects without copyright concerns.
- Copyright Management: Tools to monitor and manage potential copyright issues related to your uploaded content.
- Monetization Tools (for eligible channels): If your channel meets the requirements, you can access tools to enable and manage monetization options like ads, channel memberships, and Super Chat/Stickers.
Limitations to Consider with this tools:
- Limited Cross-Platform Management: Native tools are generally specific to their respective platforms. If you’re active on multiple platforms, you’ll likely need to manage each separately or use a third-party tool for a unified approach.
- Fewer Advanced Features: Compared to some dedicated social media management tools, native options might lack certain advanced features like sophisticated analytics dashboards, in-depth competitive analysis, or more complex automation.