When it comes to online business tools, the options are just about endless.

There are apps out there to help with every aspect of your business: From invoicing to time tracking, team management and more. With so many options, how do you know where to start? Today we’re breaking down the best online business tools for service-based entrepreneurs.

These tools will help you save time, be more productive, and appear more professional. They’ll also generally make your life easier! The best part? All the tools on this list cost less than $50.

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Keep reading or watch the video below to learn the best online business tools under $50!

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1. ShowIt

ShowIt is my favorite website-building platform. All of my website pages, sales pages and landing pages are designed with this program. 

ShowIt is both professional and easy to use. All of the features are drag and drop – no coding experience required. At the same time, it’s very elegant looking and has a ton of professional level features. 

If you’re not a techie person, I highly recommend using ShowIt to build your website! Their basic plan starts at $19/month.

Tip: Remember that starting a business requires investment. You may be able to get by with free tools in the beginning, but the sooner you invest in professional tools, the sooner you’ll see real success! 

Related Post: 7 Reasons Why You Need a Website For Your Business 

2. Active Campaign

ActiveCampaign is the #1 email marketing platform I recommend for new entrepreneurs. Compared to other platforms, ActiveCampaign has the most room for growth, with plenty of elevated features. You can set goals, run sales funnels, create opt-in campaigns, and much more.

ActiveCampaign is also very affordable, with plans starting at $9/month. For more email marketing options, I also recommend ConvertKit and Flodesk. I do NOT recommend MailChimp as it is very clunky to use and very limited in capability.

Related Post: How to Build an Email List From Scratch

3. Canva

When it comes to the best online business tools, Canva is a must-have. This graphic design tool will save you SO much time and effort. You can use Canva to design website headers, freebies, social media graphics, and much more.

Canva is a free platform, but for online business owners I recommend the Pro account, which allows you to use your custom brand colors and fonts (get a 30 day free trial of Canva Pro here!). 

4. Acuity Scheduling 

If you’ve been scheduling all of your client calls manually, Acuity will transform your business. 

First, you’ll input your calendar of availability and create custom intake forms. Then the next time someone wants to book a discovery call, instead of emailing back and forth trying to find a time that works for you both, you can just send them a link from Acuity. 

They’ll fill out the automatic intake form, choose a date that works for you both (adjusting for different time zones), and the call will appear on both your calendars – just like magic!

Acuity plans run from around $14-25/month. Another great scheduling option is Calendly, which offers a free basic plan.

Related Post: How to Plan Your Week as an Entrepreneur

5. ClickUp

Although you might not need ClickUp when you’re just starting out, it is without a doubt one of the best online business tools out there (and it starts at just $6/month!). 

ClickUp is the ultimate project management tool: It stores your to-do list, your content, projects, team members, and more. You can assign tasks to different team members, set deadlines, and mark tasks as ongoing or complete.

You may be able to get by with a paper planner in the beginning, but as you start to scale your business you’ll need to have a solid organization system in place. 

Some other well-known project management tools are Asana and Trello, however they have way less features and capabilities compared to ClickUp and for so many reasons, ClickUp is hands down THE BEST!

I love ClickUp so much I recorded a whole video on it! Check it out below.

6. G Suite

G Suite offers some of the best online business tools, most of which you’ll already be familiar with – Google Drive, Gmail, Google Docs and Google Calendar. All of these will be essential to keeping your business organized and storing your content. 

Google Calendar is also a great option for planning your day to day tasks. You can see how I use ClickUp and Google Calendar in the video below!

If you haven’t already purchased your domain name, I recommend doing that through Google Domains – this will make it easier to set up all of your Google business accounts.

Related Post: How to be Productive Instead of Busy in Your Business

7. Slack

When it comes to communication, Slack is one of the best online business tools. It allows you to keep your entire team in the loop, separate conversations into different channels, and send private messages. Best of all, Slack is completely free!

If you’re a solopreneur you probably don’t need Slack at this stage, but it’s a great online business tool to keep in mind as you start growing your team.

Related Post: Building a Six-Figure Business: How to Set Up Your Systems and Hire a Dream Team 

8. Income and Expenses Tracker

Lastly, one of the most important online business tools is an income/expense tracker. This could be accounting software, an app, or a simple Excel sheet – as long as you’re tracking those numbers somewhere!

In the beginning, you may not need any fancy software to do this. Keep track of your invoices and receipts, store them in Google Drive, and do your own bookkeeping.

As your business grows, you’ll want to invest in professional software to make things easier (and to get ready for tax season!). Two popular options for service-based entrepreneurs are Quickbooks and Xero.

Check out my video on bookkeeping for online business below for all the best tips and tricks! And if you are looking for a tracker to keep all your finances organized, you can snag my exact Income and Expenses Tracker here. 

BONUS TOOL: Kartra

If you’re a coach or plan on selling a digital course, Kartra is one of the best online business tools! 

Kartra is a course platform similar to Kajabi, where you can create and sell online courses. You can upload all of your course material (videos, PDFs, etc.), so that when someone purchases your course they instantly have access. 

Both Kartra and Kajabi also offer email marketing, landing pages and other features from within the platforms. I use Kartra to host my courses and couldn’t recommend it more!

The Kartra starter package costs $99/month. Although it may seem a little pricey, if you plan on selling an online course, investing in a professional platform is crucial.

Related Post: How to Create and Sell an Online Course 

Final Thoughts on the Best Online Business Tools

Whether you’ve been in business for a while or are just starting out, these online business tools will help you look like the six figure CEO you know you’re meant to be. For under $50, you can streamline your business and appear more professional – sounds like a good deal to me!

If you’re a new entrepreneur and ready to hit the ground running, check out Laptop Lifestyle Bootcamp, my signature group coaching program. LLB teaches you everything you need to know about starting an online business, including how to set up your tech and lay six figure foundations. Click here to read more! 

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