7 Free and Low-Cost Tools Every Creative Should Use to Manage Projects on a Budget

Posted on: Jul 22, 2025

Photo Credit: iStock Photo // Oleksii Didok

By Gabrielle Glenn

Are you a development team of one and think you need to spend a lot of money to create and manage your projects? Let me let you in on a little secret: You don’t, but you do need the right tools. That’s great news, but don’t know where to start? Keep your overhead and stress low with budget-friendly tools like Adobe Creative Suite, Inssist, Trello, Zoom and Google Suite.

In this article I will explain how each of these apps will help you manage and track your projects without breaking the bank, or your brain.

Key Insights:

You don’t need expensive software subscriptions—tools like Adobe Creative Suite offer affordable options tailored to your actual needs.
Apps like Inssist, Trello, and Slack simplify content scheduling, team communication, and project management for solo creatives or small teams.
Free platforms like Google Suite and Zoom provide powerful collaboration and productivity features without the overhead.

Adobe Creative Suite

You don’t need to be a rich producer to utilize the tools available for content creation. Adobe Creative Suite has many subscription options, starting from $23 a month for one app subscription (I use Premiere Pro), to $70 a month for every single Adobe Creative Suite app available.

My previous subscription was pricey for me because I purchased a monthly subscription with every single software that comes with Adobe Creative Suite, thinking I’d learn all of them.

I laugh at how unrealistic that was, and my advice to you is to choose no more than two pieces of software you already know how to use, or have a strong desire to learn. To spare my wallet and my mental bandwidth, I have stuck to Premiere Pro since unscripted producing is my focus, and it’s great for editing entire projects, scenes and interviews. Since I’m serious about my craft, I consider paying for a monthly Adobe Creative Suite subscription a necessary operational cost for building my business. For more information to find the best subscription for you, visit https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html.

Inssist

Editing reels and having to upload them to my Instagram feed from my phone drives me crazy and it gives me neck pain, so I don’t do it anymore. I now use Inssist, a chrome attachment that allows you to use Instagram on your desktop or laptop like a phone, and you can edit, create, and upload content from your computer. You can batch content and schedule multiple posts for efficiency. Since I use Instagram to post content regularly, paying $80 for a lifetime user account was well worth it for me. Inssist also has monthly plans starting at $8 a month.

Trello

Before I can edit a single frame, I must know what story I want to tell.

The project management app Trello is a wonderful tool for organizing workflow and sharing insights. For example, all project details can be viewed on one page, so you, the project manager, can see who is handling what aspect of a project, what work is currently in progress, and what improvements are being completed in these projects. For Trello to work for you, you and your cohorts must be organized with notes, and communicate changes regularly on Trello.

If you’re overseeing the edit of a cut, you easily view which editor is working on which cut, what notes have been, or will be addressed and by whom, and how to track the structure of a scene that has evolved after editors have implemented notes.

With Trello, there are project boards and underneath them are lists, which are columns of information that contain cards. These cards identify tasks that need to be performed. Inside these cards are attachments, notes and pictures related to those tasks. As the project evolves, anybody can move cards to different lists, as people complete or edit tasks. What I love about Trello is that it acts like a virtual index card. This is so helpful when I’m organizing story beats for edits.

Plans start out free for basic organization. If you need more advanced features like unlimited boards, card mirroring or additional automation, plans start at $5 a month. More advanced plans offer administrator controls, data export and unlimited workspaces for less than $25 a month when paid annually. You can view all plans at: https://trello.com/pricing.

Slack

With so many team members across different time zones, Slack is a great way to centralize communication. With Slack, you can send attachments, talk to people via text, audio and video phone, and get faster responses than via phone. You can expect professional communication in one app, instead of several different apps.

Slack is great because you can use it for free and save your messages for 90 days, but you can only speak to one colleague at a time for video calls, and you can link up to 10 apps in your slack account [like Google Docs and ChatGPT] to manage projects. This is a godsend for times when you must write that idea down and flesh it out before sending the results to your group. If you’re a solo or small team, a free Slack account is sufficient for your project needs.

However, if you need more advanced features, like unlimited message history, AI conversation summaries and AI file summaries, you’re going to spend $4.40 a month and $9 a month for Pro and Business+, respectively. You can find plans at: https://slack.com/pricing

Zoom

If you are itching to tape remote interviews to further develop your idea, Zoom is the way to go. It’s free to start using, however your interviews are capped at 40 minutes. If you are efficient in managing your time recording interviews, this is a great option. For times when 40 minutes just isn’t enough, you can pay for unlimited meeting time, starting under $14 a month at https://www.zoom.us.

Google Suite

Google Suite is a lifesaver. It has email, calendar and contacts all in one place to keep you organized. If you have a Google account, you have access to Google Suite for the sweet, sweet price of free 99. You can use Google Suite to manage project deadlines, collaborate seamlessly and video conference from anywhere in the world, without switching to a different app.

Conclusion

Managing your projects like a professional does not need to be an expensive, terribly involved, or complicated endeavor. Start small, and choose one to two applications that actually fulfill your project’s needs. With a little time and a quick read in the FAQs, you’ll be managing projects like a master in no time!

Final Takeaways:

Focus on choosing one or two tools that truly match your workflow rather than signing up for everything at once.
Even free or low-cost tools can streamline your creative process and help you work more efficiently.
With smart choices and minimal investment, you can run professional-level projects and content creation without breaking the bank.

Gabrielle Glenn is an unscripted TV producer and development professional.

Browse thousands of jobs and find your next gig! Sign up or login to Staff Me Up and get on-set today!

You may also like: