The top 15 online workspaces for freelancers

The days of freelancers being part-timers looking for short-term jobs are long gone. Almost every business now hires freelancers to help with marketing, content creation, technology, and other tasks. Due to increased demand and competition, freelancers are experimenting with new tools to streamline their workflow, like virtual workspaces.

A virtual workspace helps freelancers work as a team and keep in touch with their clients from any location via the Internet. It requires little to no equipment, boosts productivity, eliminates the need for commuting to work, and lowers overhead costs for rent.

Let's talk about it in detail.

What is an online workspace?

An online workspace is a virtual environment where individuals and remote or hybrid teams can work together on projects, share files, and interact with clients in real time.  Online workspaces are an excellent way to stay organized, collaborate with others, and store information safely. With video conferencing, file sharing, and chat features, freelancers can work more responsibly.

Great online workspaces help remote workers access important documents and work side-by-side on projects with others as if they were in the same room.

What are the benefits of using an online workspace?

An online workspace, like a physical one, can help you keep track of work-related details, especially if you work from home. An online workspace:

• Helps you stay organized by centralizing the tools you need, saving you the time of visiting multiple locations. 

• Makes it simple to work on projects with others, even if they are in different parts of the world. You can instantly share files, documents, and ideas through messaging or video calls. 

• It can be a low-cost solution because you do not need to purchase expensive software or hardware. Their pricing is usually based on the number of users, so if you have a small team, this can save you money.

• Provides high data security by employing industry-standard security measures to prevent unauthorized access.

• Allows you to access your files and work from anywhere.

What are the basic features of an online workspace?

All online workspaces are unique since they are designed for various use cases. However, there are some features that every online workspace should ideally have, such as:

• Collaboration and project management tools that enable information sharing at any time and from any location.

• A visual representation of who is working on which files.

• A virtual office that the team can use for meetings.

• Integrations with the software that your teams already use.

• Security for your files and information.

• File, web app, and document sharing to speed up collaboration.

How to choose the best online workspace

Since not all online workspaces are the same, you should take into account your budget, the features you need, the amount of storage available, the security level, and the quality of customer support when making your choice. 

We have compiled a list of our favorite freelancing online workspaces and their features. You will be able to make the best choice based on the type of freelance work you do.

Top 15 online workspaces for freelancers

1. Workee

When we say Workee was designed with freelancers in mind, it is not just a catchphrase. It is because we recognize that project management and time tracking tools are not the only things freelancers need; they also need help managing payments and invoices, setting up online meetings, selling their services, and using CRM. Workee connects all the threads of freelancing into a simple virtual workspace with no boundaries, so you can grow your business to any level you desire. We go above and beyond by providing you with a free website in minutes to showcase your personality and work.

Features:

• Simple website builder with personalized fields, layouts, and workflows to highlight your expertise and personality.

• Management of online meetings from the convenience of your Workee virtual workspace.

• Automated invoicing for your services with payment links through which clients can pay online with any payment integration.

• Automatic tax deductions.

• Integration with tools Google Calendar, Google Contacts, Google Meet, and Stripe. Quickbooks, and soon enough, Zoom.

Pricing: There's a free starter plan, but you can get 50% off our paid plan this summer if you sign up now! 

2. Google Workspace

How would you work if you had all of Google at your fingertips? That’s pretty much what Google Workspace is—an entire suite of cloud computing, productivity, and collaboration tools developed and marketed by Google. From document-creating tools like Docs and Sheets and messaging tools like Gmail and Chat to collaboration tools like Drive and Meet, Google Workspace has everything to make your work simple.

Features:

• Collaboration in real time.

• Shared drives through links.

• Automatic file saving.

• Cutting-edge cloud security and data protection.

• Integration with the entire array of Google products.

Pricing: Free plan. Starter, Standard, and, Plus plans at $6, $12, and $18 monthly per user.

3. Microsoft 365

Just like Google, Microsoft offers its cloud-based service that brings together the best of Microsoft 365 apps and intelligent cloud services. The name Microsoft 365 suggests that it is meant to be an all-in-one office tool, and that explains why it has so many features like cloud storage, email, and collaboration tools. Once you are signed in, you can work on any device and from any location. Microsoft 365 is available for businesses of all sizes, individuals, and remote work teams.

Features:

• Tools for creating documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

• Cloud storage system with remote access.

• File sharing and real-time collaboration.

• Microsoft Outlook email and calendaring.

• Screen sharing and video calls with Microsoft Teams.

• High-level security and compliance.

Pricing: $69.99 annually for individuals, $99.99 for teams or families of up to six.

4. Slack

Slack is a team application for freelancers to keep in touch with clients and team members. To put it another way, Slack ensures that those who need to collaborate and communicate can do so quickly and easily. Slack allows you to assign and work together on projects, share thoughts, monitor progress, share files, and create channels for different projects. You can also use the app to provide client support. 

Features:

• Private and public channels for sharing information with the team. This helps to keep sensitive information private.

• Direct messaging for quick conversations.

• File sharing to keep tabs on work in progress and collaborate.

• Integrations with other apps such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and Salesforce

• A mobile app that allows team members to stay connected from anywhere.

Pricing: Free plan, Pro plan at $7.25, and Business Plan at $12.50 monthly.

5. Trello

You can manage any number of projects with ease, thanks to Trello. Trello helps you improve team cohesion by presenting project and task information in visually appealing chunks on an easy-to-use dashboard. It has a board on which you can shuffle cards for tasks. You can also create automated workflows for group projects and repetitive tasks. As a result, teams are better prepared to manage and anticipate changes in workflow.

Features:

• Task boards for specific projects, teams, and individuals.

• Task cards with due dates, with lists, and labels for categorizing them.

• Kanban boards for an overview of all team projects.

• Add-ons for increased functionality, such as automation, custom fields, and app integration, based on the user’s requirements.

• Apps for iOS and Android.

Pricing: Free version, $5 and $10 respectively, for Standard and Premium plans. Enterprise plans start at $17.50 monthly.

6. Asana

Asana is a cloud-based software for project management, task management, time tracking, and communication for teams. It doesn't matter how many workers are coming together on a project—they can share context and assign ownership of tasks, combine related work, share files, and get instant updates on the workflow progress.

Asana makes time tracking easy and is used by all, including freelancers and small and large business teams.

Features:

• Templates for project and task management.

• Collaboration through messages, comments, and file sharing.

• Unlimited projects, tasks, activity logs, storage, and comments

• Free integrations with over 100 apps, including Slack, Outlook, GSuite, and time-tracking apps.

• Real-time reporting for visibility.

• High-level security measures.

Pricing: Free plan, Premium plans start at $10.99 monthly, and Business plans start at $24.99 monthly.

7. ClickUp

This is a cloud-based work management platform that helps teams organize, track, and manage their work. It is a powerful, flexible, and user-friendly tool that allows many teams to get their work done. ClickUp can help you as a freelancer with almost every facet of your workflow.

Features:

• Cloud-based data storage.

• Real-time team communication through chat and video.

• Unlimited tasks and members

• Collaborative documents.

• Kanban boards for visualizing workflows.

• Sprint management.

• Inbuilt time tracking.

Pricing: Free plan. Paid plans start at $5 monthly.

8. Basecamp

Basecamp is a great tool in many ways, with an excellent platform for instant collaboration with team members and communication with clients. It is a convenient, all-inclusive toolkit for working remotely, as it can manage projects, onboard new clients, assign work to vendors, interact with coworkers, and more. Although it is not entirely free, they do provide a 30-day trial without requiring credit card details.

Features:

• Unlimited capacity for projects and users.

• 500 GB of available cloud storage.

• Team project templates.

• Unlimited clients and innovative client access.

• Schedules and to-do lists

• Built-in real-time group chat.

Pricing: $15 monthly per user, $299 for unlimited users.

9. Notion:

Notion is a very flexible all-in-one workspace for freelancers, combining note-taking, database management, project and task management, and more. Its simple and user-friendly interface makes it simple to organize your thoughts, ideas, and projects for a more efficient workflow. Notion’s workspace can easily be customized to your needs, which is a great feature if you are working on several projects simultaneously. It also has powerful communication features that allow you to easily share your work with clients, receive feedback, and make changes in real-time. 

Features:

• A flexible workspace that can be customized to meet your needs.

• Templates to help you get started.

• A powerful search tool that aids in finding what you need.

• An environment that fosters collaboration with multiple contributors.

• A central database that syncs between gadgets and integrates with applications like Jira, GitHub, and Asana.

• Supports project attachments like images, videos, and files as large as 5MB

Pricing: Free plan, Plus plan ($8 per user/month), and Business plan ($15 per user/month).

10. Hive

Sometimes, as a freelancer, your clients may assign tasks to you from their different project management systems. How can those tasks be combined into one workspace? Hive. 

Hive is a very user-friendly project management tool created especially for independent contractors. It includes features like native chat, multiple project views, and practical note-taking tools. Like many other names on the list, the pro version unlocks even more features, but the basic version is still very good.

Features:

• Robust task and project management.

• Gantt, Kanban, and calendar project views.

• Automated workflows for recurring tasks.

• Form builder.

• Collaborative notes for meetings.

• Native messaging.

Pricing: Free plan, paid plan at $12 monthly per user.

11. nTask:

Freelancers on a tight budget prefer to try different services before settling on one, so nTask provides a free basic plan and a free trial of other paid plans. The platform's adaptability allows freelancers to explore its many features, ranging from project and risk management to cross-team collaboration and flexible project views. nTask is affordable, intuitive, and user-friendly with no steep learning curve. 

Features:

• Task and project management.

• Collaboration and management tools for teams.

• Visual representation of project status through Kanban boards and Gantt charts.

• Risk management and problem resolution

• Time tracking and timesheet management.

• Integrations with third-party tools.

Pricing: Includes a $3 monthly premium plan, an $8 monthly business plan, and an enterprise plan.

12. Tmetric

Many freelancers struggle with time management, and TMetric recognizes this. No wonder it provides many features for working on tasks and projects effectively, such as excellent timekeeping, tracking, and reporting of tasks and projects, so your team stays focused and organized throughout the day. TMetric enables users to easily manage an unlimited number of projects and complete each one on time, not to mention how simple it is to use.

Features:

• An unlimited number of projects and clients.

• Task management and workflow.

• Budgeting for projects.

• Invoicing automation.

• Client reporting.

Pricing: The Premium Plan costs $3 per month per user, and the Business Plan costs $8 per month.

13. TimeCamp

Timecamp is a time-tracking software, as the name suggests. But more than that, it comes with project management functionalities to help manage all your work in one place for more productivity. You probably have several clients as a freelancer, so you should keep track of the time spent on each, particularly if you are paid by the hour. TimeCamp makes this easier by allowing you to create a set of keywords for each client or project. You can easily access them when needed and monitor productivity and progress for each client.

Features:

• Time tracking, both automatic and manual.

• Productivity and progress tracking

• Comprehensive reports for work done per client.

• Automated invoicing.

• Compatibility with mobile apps, Chrome, and Edge.

Pricing: Free plan; $5 monthly for the professional plan; and $7 monthly for the business plan.

14. Indy

The freelancing app Indy manages almost all facets of freelancing. It helps you create proposals, generate invoices, manage projects, and sign contracts. Its plethora of proposal and invoice templates saves freelancers time while also making these documents appear more professional to clients.

Indy includes time-tracking software and supports online payment gateways such as Stripe and PayPal so that you can be paid in one place.

Features:

• Real-time client communication via chat function.

• Calendar function for scheduling.

• Templates for drafting, editing, and executing contracts

• Templates for invoices and proposals

• Project management and time tracking features.

Pricing: Free plan; paid plans begin at $9 monthly for annual billing and $12 monthly for monthly billing.

15. Monday.com

Use Monday.com's project management tool for teams that operate remotely or in hybrid environments because they are heavy on communication and collaboration. If you are a freelancer with multiple clients and need a setting that allows you to connect all of your work in a single space, Monday.com might be a good fit for you so you can keep track of various due dates.

Features:

• Capabilities for managing complex tasks.

• Customer service round the clock. 

• The native messaging feature for real-time communication.

• Automated workflows, activity dashboard, and newsfeed.

Pricing: Free plan, with paid plans starting at $8 monthly per user.

Sum up

As freelancing becomes more popular, you will require tools to help you perform optimally in the face of stiff competition. Virtual workspaces for freelancers come in handy, and you can select the one that best suits your needs.

However, Workee stands out in the sea of virtual workspaces. With tools for client management, bookings, billings and payments, and quick communication, our cutting-edge, collaborative web solution helps freelancers to be more productive.

Upgrade to Workee's solutions here.