The freelancing economy is like a poisoned chalice. On the one hand, you can work independently with multiple clients locally or globally (yay, more $$$ inflows 💃🏾🕺🏾). On the other hand, you have little or no access to typical work perks, like paid health insurance and freelance tools, while potentially managing multiple projects and clients at once.

Understandably, freelancers’ intense workload and inadequate workplace benefits negatively affect their productivity and well-being, making them vulnerable to increased psychological distress. 

So, how can freelancers improve efficiency without putting their health at risk? Part of the answer is investing in productivity tools to manage client needs and projects without sacrificing wellness.

That’s why I curated the best 3 free tools to manage your freelance business like a pro. 

Here’s a summary of the tools and their uses:

The 3 best freelancers tools in Nigeria in 2024

1. Payment tools

Editor’s choice: Crane

We’re obviously biased with Crane😉. But our bias isn’t unfounded. Many freelancers in Nigeria struggle with using traditional banking institutions to receive payments from international clients because of high processing fees, restrictive account opening policies, and delayed withdrawals. 

But Crane’s payment system doesn’t rely on traditional banking principles (although it complies with the appropriate payment security measures in Nigeria). Instead, it’s powered by the blockchain, a secure system for transacting digital currencies (e.g., bitcoin, ether, Ethereum, and stablecoins) without paying heavy transaction fees or waiting for donkey years.

Crane lets you collect payments from local and international clients in your preferred digital currency and convert them to your local currency.

What’s more? You can use Bank Direct for automatic crypto-to-naira payment collection. This means your client sends crypto but you receive the naira equivalent in your local bank account. This option is perfect for freelancers who don’t want to interface with the crypto market.

To sweeten your remittance experience, receiving payments with digital assets on Crane is free.

Here’s how to get started on Crane in five minutes:

• Sign in to the Crane app as an existing user. If you don’t have an account with us, download the app from the Google Play Store or App Store. Then follow these steps to create an account.
• After you sign in, select the Receive option. 
• Select your preferred digital asset for payment. Copy the wallet address and share it with the client.
• You’ll receive your payment within minutes, depending on the virtual currency for payment. 

Alternative options: Should your business partners not support crypto, our alternative traditional payment option is Grey, a banking company that creates foreign accounts for receiving payments from international clients. Afterwards, convert the foreign currency to naira and transfer it to your local bank account. Grey works best if you don’t fancy the stress of creating a domiciliary account. 

2. Project management tools 

Editor’s choice:  Full Gap

The unwritten freelancing rule is to deliver value always. In this sense, project management tools are more than project trackers; they also improve collaboration and communication with clients, two recipes for creating value as a freelancer.

Full Gap is our recommended project management tool in this category because it oversees the freelance lifecycle (client onboarding, task monitoring, invoicing, and payment scheduling). It’s the app you need to manage your gigs like a pro ✊🏾 

It provides the following benefits: 

• task monitoring and sorting
• contract and agreement generation for clarity on deliverables and expected project completion date
• setting project timelines and reminders for speedy task completion
• set payment schedule and invoice
• track earning
• project updates for clients

Full Gap has free and paid plans. The paid version costs $15 quarterly and $54 yearly. Expectedly, the free version has limited functionalities compared to the paid option, but it still offers unlimited oversight of personal projects and task monitoring. 

Alternative options: The Zoho project management software is our second pick. It provides task management and team collaboration with the added advantage of integrations with Zoho products (e.g., mail and invoice) and 15+ apps such as Slack, OneDrive, Microsoft Office 365, and Google Calendar. While Full Gap is built for freelancers, Zoho is suited for businesses with multiple employees. 

3. Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools 

Editors Choice: Gemini AI Pro Free 

Generative AI is a deep-learning model for creating content such as audio, code, images, videos, and simulations based on trained data. For freelancers, GenAI tools save time and improve efficiency. 

Google’s Gemini AI Pro Free is our recommended GenAI tool for freelancers because of the quality of its answers to complex problems, rich integration with Google products (e.g., Gmail and YouTube), and personalised learning capabilities. Besides, Google’s GenAI tool is a cost-and–time-saving tool for brainstorming ideas, researching, and fine-tuning tasks. 

A Google account is all you need to access Google’s AI Pro Free version. You’ll enjoy added functionalities and integrations on Gemini if you have a Google One subscription. 

Alternative options: ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot are other free GenAI tools freelancers can use to improve their performance. 

FAQs about the best freelance tools in Nigeria

What cryptocurrencies does Crane support?

Crane supports Binance Coin (BNB), Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), Tron (TRX), and Doge (DOGE).

Can I exchange cryptocurrency on Crane?

No, you can only receive cryptocurrency on Crane. You can’t send or exchange cryptocurrencies on Crane. However, you can convert crypto to naira. 

How long does it take to receive payments in crypto from international clients on Crane?

Crypto transactions take minutes on Crane, depending on the virtual currency. However, you may experience delays because of the issues highlighted here. If that’s the case, check in with the sender or contact us at [email protected] to rectify payment hiccups.

Can I get clients on Full Gap like Upwork and Fiverr?

Full Gap isn’t a marketplace for connecting with clients like Upwork and Fiverr. Instead, it’s for managing your clientele and projects.

What’s the best app for freelance jobs in Nigeria? 

The websites listed below can help freelancers connect with clients. 

1. Upwork
2. Fiverr
3. Superpath
4. Best Writing
5. We Work Remotely (it’s best for freelance designers, cloud engineers, and writers)
6. Flexjobs
7. Working Nomads
8. Remote.co
9. PowerToFly (focuses on connecting women with remote jobs and side gigs)
10. Stack Overflow Jobs and Turing curate tech-related jobs like software development, web development, data science front-end development, etc. 
11. Freelancer
12. PeoplePerHour
13. Toptal
14. Guru
15. Social media platforms like LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).