101 Free Tools to Make Money Online (Updated 2025)

Introduction: The Broke Hustler’s Advantage

There are two types of online entrepreneurs.

The first kind gets funding, buys every tool on AppSumo, and thinks success is just one Chrome extension away. They waste money upfront, pay for tools they try once and then never touch again, that they never needed to begin with.

The second kind? They’re hungry. Broke. Resourceful. They duct-tape their dreams together using free tools, clever tricks, and more grit than a boot camp sergeant’s toothbrush. They go get massive number of free tools to make money online, test them all out, and see what fits best before they spend a single dollar.

You’re here because you’re the second kind. And here’s the good news: scrappy usually wins. The broke hustler experiments more. Moves faster. Adapts better. And builds the kind of mental toughness that no Black Friday deal can buy.

This isn’t a list of “free trials” or “lite versions” that leave you begging for an upgrade. This is a tactical toolkit of real, usable, totally free tools to help you make money online — whether you’re flipping domains, launching a niche blog, doing SEO for clients, or building an empire from your grandma’s Wi-Fi.

It’s not just a list. It’s a war chest.
Let’s open it.

SEO & Keyword Research

1. Google Keyword Planner
   Still the OG of keyword research. It was built for AdWords but doubles as a compass for blog posts, YouTube titles, and ecommerce SEO. Enter a seed keyword and it spits out search volumes, related terms, and CPC data. Pro tip: low CPC often means easy SEO wins.
2. Ubersuggest (Free Tier)
   Neil Patel may be everywhere, but this tool still delivers. Get keyword ideas, traffic estimates, backlink data, and content suggestions. Limited searches per day on the free tier, but enough for a daily SEO recon mission.
3. Answer the Public
   A visual feast of questions people are asking online. Great for finding long-tail keywords framed as questions — exactly what Google loves. Use it to build FAQs, headline stacks, or YouTube video titles.
4. KeywordTool.io (Free Version)
   Scrapes autocomplete data from Google, YouTube, Bing, and more. It’s like picking Google’s brain for free — and finding every phrase your audience types at 2 a.m.
5. SEOquake
   Chrome extension that overlays juicy SEO data right onto the SERPs. Domain age, backlinks, index count — it’s like night-vision goggles for competitive research.
6. MozBar
   Domain authority, page authority, link stats — all visible while you browse. Stack it with SEOquake and you’re walking around with dual pistols in your holsters.
7. Google Trends
   Want to ride the wave instead of paddling against it? Plug in your keyword and see if it’s hot, flat, or falling off a cliff. Compare terms and target what’s rising.
8. Keyword Surfer
   Shows you estimated monthly search volume right in your search results. Also suggests other keywords in a handy sidebar. It’s like having an SEO intern whispering in your ear.
9. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
   Yes, Ahrefs has a free tier. Add your own site and get backlink analysis, keyword data, and site audit tools. It’s limited, but powerful — especially for new sites.
10. Screaming Frog (Free up to 500 URLs)
    The best technical SEO crawler around. The free version handles 500 URLs — enough for most blogs and niche sites. Find broken links, duplicate content, and meta tag issues fast.

Content Creation & Copywriting

11. Google Docs
    The workhorse. Write, collaborate, format, and share — all in the cloud. Add extensions like Grammarly, and you’ve got a full-on writing studio.
12. Grammarly (Free Version)
    Fix grammar, catch tone issues, and polish your copy. It’s like having a fussy English teacher with a keyboard addiction. Bonus: Chrome extension works in most text fields.
13. Hemingway App
    Paste your content and it’ll highlight passive voice, complex sentences, and bloated writing. Write like Hemingway, not like a bureaucrat.
14. Copy.ai (Free Tier)
    Use AI to generate product descriptions, social media captions, headlines, and email intros. Outputs need editing, but it’ll blast through writer’s block like a jackhammer.
15. ChatGPT (Free Model)
    The free tier still gives you 90% of the magic. Use it for blog outlines, cold emails, scripts, and keyword expansion.
16. Otter.ai (Free Tier)
    Turn voice notes into text. Record meetings, interviews, or brain dumps and transcribe them on the fly. Great for creators who talk faster than they type.
17. TTSReader
    Free text-to-speech. Want to “hear” your content before publishing? It’ll read your draft out loud — robotic, but surprisingly helpful.
18. WordCounter.net
    Check word count, keyword density, reading time, and even how many times you’ve used “literally.” (Hint: too many.)
19. Title Generator by TweakYourBiz
    Plug in a keyword and get hundreds of headline formulas, categorized by style: how-tos, lists, questions, etc. Ridiculously useful for bloggers.
20. Coschedule Headline Analyzer
    Score your headlines for emotional punch, power words, and readability. Free, fast, and addictive.

Link Building & Outreach

21. Hunter.io (Free Tier)
    Find email addresses by domain. Great for guest posting outreach, PR pitches, and building cold email lists. Free tier gives 25 searches/month.
22. GMass (Free Gmail add-on)
    Send mass personalized emails from Gmail. Great for link building campaigns and blogger outreach.
23. Mailtrack.io (Free Version)
    Email tracking. Know who opened your cold pitch, and when. Turn your Gmail into a CRM-lite for outreach.
24. Clearbit Connect (Free)
    Another email hunter. Works inside Gmail. Gives you company and contact info when you search by name or domain.
25. Reply.io (Free Plan)
    Sales automation platform with a surprisingly functional free tier. Set up simple drip email campaigns — perfect for following up without going crazy.

Analytics & Tracking

26. Google Analytics
    The king. Track users, sources, goals, and more. If you’re not using GA, you’re flying blind.
27. Google Search Console
    See what keywords are driving traffic, how you rank, and what pages need work. Essential for tuning your SEO engine.
28. Microsoft Clarity
    Free heatmaps and session recordings. Watch what users do on your site. Creepy? Maybe. Useful? Extremely.
29. Bit.ly (Free Plan)
    Shorten links, track clicks. Great for email marketing, social media, and seeing what’s working.
30. UTM Builder (Campaign URL Builder by Google)
    Add tracking parameters to your links so you can see what traffic came from what campaign. It’s like planting GPS chips in your URLs.

Automation & Productivity

31. Zapier (Free Tier)
    Automate “if this, then that” workflows. Hook up Gmail, Slack, Sheets, and more to save yourself hours. Free tier allows 100 tasks/month — just enough to build a robot intern.
32. IFTTT
    Similar to Zapier, but with a more consumer feel. Set up automations like “When I publish a blog post, tweet it automatically.” Free and surprisingly powerful.
33. Trello
    Visual project boards. Track tasks, content calendars, or client work. Drag-and-drop your chaos into organized Kanban bliss.
34. Notion
    Half doc, half database, all Swiss Army knife. Plan content, take notes, manage projects — and it’s gorgeous. The free version is unlimited for individuals.
35. Todoist (Free Plan)
    Simple, beautiful task manager. Set recurring tasks, priorities, and deadlines — without turning your life into a spreadsheet.
36. Clockify
    Time tracking for freelancers and solopreneurs. Track billable hours, productivity, and even client time — all for free.
37. Pomofocus.io
    A simple, customizable Pomodoro timer. Helps you work in focused sprints and avoid doomscrolling yourself into oblivion.
38. Google Keep
    Sticky notes in the cloud. Perfect for quick ideas, checklists, and random money-making thoughts at 2 a.m.
39. Calendly (Free Plan)
    Let people book time with you without the email ping-pong. Integrates with Google Calendar. Streamlines client calls or discovery chats.
40. Google Calendar
    Sounds boring — until you start color-coding your entire hustle schedule. Block time for writing, outreach, client work, and deep focus.

Design & Branding

41. Canva (Free)
    Everyone’s favorite design tool. Social posts, YouTube thumbnails, eBooks, logos — it’s drag, drop, done.
42. Remove.bg
    Remove backgrounds from images in seconds. Perfect for product photos, profile pics, or slapping your face on a jet.
43. Coolors.co
    Generate matching color palettes instantly. Ideal for branding, logos, or not looking like you picked colors during a blackout.
44. Looka (Free Logo Maker)
    AI logo generator. Make a decent-looking logo in minutes — no Photoshop skills required. You only pay if you want high-res downloads, but mockups are free.
45. Figma (Free Plan)
    Design UI/UX, landing pages, or prototypes. The free version is fully collaborative — great if you’re building with others.
46. Pexels
    Free stock photos. No watermarks. No lawsuits. Use them for blog posts, hero images, or ad mockups.
47. Unsplash
    Another excellent free stock photo source. More artistic than Pexels, but just as open and free.
48. Pixabay
    Stock photos, illustrations, vectors, and even free video clips. The unsung hero of free content assets.
49. TinyPNG
    Compress images without losing quality. Makes your site faster — and your SEO better.
50. FontPair.co
    Helps you find font pairings that don’t make your website look like it was built in MS Paint. A small touch, but an important one.

Monetization & Ecommerce

51. Gumroad (Free Tier)
    Sell digital products with zero upfront cost. They take a cut, but you don’t pay until you make money.
52. Payhip
    Another platform for selling eBooks, courses, and downloads. Also allows you to offer freebies and build an email list.
53. Teespring / Spring
    Launch your own merch line without inventory. Upload a design, set a price, and start selling.
54. Ko-fi
    Accept tips and donations. Great for creators who aren’t quite ready for Patreon. Simple, clean, and you keep most of the cash.
55. Buy Me a Coffee
    Same idea, but better branding. Perfect if you’re a writer, designer, or creator with an audience.
56. SendOwl (Free Trial)
    No long-term free tier, but the trial lets you test a frictionless digital sales flow. Combine with a freebie to kickstart growth.
57. E-junkie (Free Tier for 7 Days)
    Old-school but still functional. Lets you sell digital goods, track affiliates, and automate delivery. Handy for hustlers on a budget.
58. Podia (Free Community Plan)
    Podia now offers a totally free community + digital product combo. Think Substack meets Shopify, but no upfront cost.
59. Carrd (Free Plan)
    One-page websites, opt-ins, or landing pages. Lightning fast. Perfect for lead magnets, CVs, or sales funnels.
60. Linktree (Free Plan)
    Create a bio link with multiple destinations. Great for TikTok, IG, or anywhere you can only drop one link.

Video, Audio & Streaming

61. OBS Studio
    The industry-standard free streaming software. Record tutorials, go live, or film your screen for YouTube how-tos.
62. Audacity
    Free, open-source audio editor. Record podcasts, clean up voiceovers, or splice together your next viral sound bite.
63. Kapwing (Free Tier)
    Online video editor. Add captions, resize for socials, or meme-ify your latest hot take. Free plan includes exports with a small watermark.
64. Loom (Free Plan)
    Record screen + webcam videos in a flash. Great for product demos, quick tutorials, or team updates.
65. YouTube Studio
    Not just for uploading. Use it to trim videos, add captions, track analytics, and build your channel without spending a cent.
66. Headliner
    Create social audiograms — those audio clips with waveforms and captions. Awesome for repurposing podcast clips.
67. Anchor by Spotify
    Start a podcast, distribute it everywhere, and monetize — all free. The easiest way to go from zero to podcaster in one night.
68. StreamYard (Free Tier)
    Go live on multiple platforms at once — Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn. The free tier gives you enough juice to start building an audience.
69. Clipchamp
    Microsoft’s free video editor with templates, effects, and timeline tools. Surprisingly powerful for being browser-based.
70. Pictory (Free Plan)
    AI turns long-form content (like this post) into short social videos. Upload text or links, get clips. Free plan has some limits, but gold for repurposing.

Learning, Research & Ideas

71. Google Scholar
    Search academic papers, citations, and peer-reviewed journals. Great for building authority content or finding niche angles nobody else is covering.
72. Coursera (Free Courses)
    Many Coursera courses are free to audit — just skip the certificate. Learn marketing, coding, writing, or design without paying a dime.
73. edX (Free Courses)
    Same deal — university-level learning, zero cost. Ideal if you’re writing content in serious niches like finance, cybersecurity, or health.
74. YouTube University
    You already know. Search anything. “How to build a dropshipping site with zero dollars” is probably a playlist already.
75. Reddit Search
    Dig through subreddits for questions, problems, and real-world user feedback. Goldmine for blog content, product ideas, or affiliate reviews.
76. Quora
    Another well of questions and answers. Look for pain points in your niche and build content around solving them.
77. Exploding Topics (Free Version)
    Find trending topics before they hit mainstream. Get ahead of the curve with early-mover content or affiliate plays.
78. Google Alerts
    Track mentions of your brand, competitors, or key topics. Set up alerts for product names + “review” to find backlink opportunities.
79. MindMeister (Free Plan)
    Mind mapping tool. Perfect for brainstorming blog series, funnel flows, or content clusters.
80. Evernote (Free Plan)
    Note-taking classic. Jot down ideas across devices, clip from web pages, and organize by tag or notebook.

Social Media & Engagement

81. Buffer (Free Plan)
    Schedule up to 3 social accounts and 10 posts. Great for batching content and maintaining presence without losing your mind.
82. TweetDeck
    Twitter power-user interface. Follow hashtags, schedule tweets, and monitor DMs in one clean dashboard.
83. Hootsuite (Free Plan)
    Still kicking with a limited free plan. Manage a couple accounts, schedule posts, and get basic analytics.
84. Metricool (Free Tier)
    More robust analytics and planning — track what’s working and double down.
85. Later (Free Plan)
    Visual planner for Instagram and Pinterest. Helps you stick to a theme and show up consistently.
86. Revue (by Twitter)
    Create a free newsletter tied to your Twitter account. Build email subscribers right from your followers.
87. Facebook Creator Studio
    Schedule and manage content across Facebook + Instagram. Includes insights, post boosting, and performance metrics.
88. SocialBee (Free Plan Limited)
    More robust automation than Buffer. If you want to create recurring content categories, it’s worth a test drive.
89. Bitclout (Now DeSo)
    Web3-style social platform where you can test new audience-building techniques early. Experimental, but completely free.
90. RiteTag (Free Tier)
    See which hashtags are trending in real-time. Great for boosting reach without shooting in the dark.

Security, Privacy & Efficiency

91. ProtonMail (Free)
    Encrypted email. Great for client communication or keeping your affiliate shenanigans private.
92. ProtonVPN (Free Tier)
    Unlimited bandwidth on select servers. Perfect for basic IP masking and safe public Wi-Fi use.
93. Tutanota
    Another encrypted email service. Free, sleek, and focused on privacy-first communication.
94. Brave Browser
    Blocks ads and trackers. Loads faster than Chrome. Built-in crypto wallet and rewards, too.
95. DuckDuckGo
    Private search engine with zero tracking. Great for keyword hunting without poisoning your own search history.
96. Bitwarden (Free)
    Password manager. Securely store logins for affiliate networks, clients, and SaaS tools. Don’t be the guy who reuses “123456.”
97. Mailinator
    Disposable email inboxes. Great for testing signups, snooping competitors, or grabbing lead magnets without cluttering your inbox.
98. Temp Mail
    Same deal — one-click throwaway email to bypass forced signups.
99. Wayback Machine
    See how any site looked in the past. Great for finding expired domains, checking old funnels, or restoring lost content.
100. Ninite
     Bulk install useful software on new machines with zero bloatware. Perfect for productivity purists setting up a clean workstation.

Bonus Tool #101: You

101. Your Brain
     Sounds cheesy, but hear me out. Every tool here is a hammer — but you’re the carpenter. It’s your ideas, energy, curiosity, and sheer bullheaded refusal to quit that turn this junk drawer of freebies into a moneymaking machine.

When you know what you want, you can hustle your way through any lack of budget, followers, or connections. Tools are force multipliers, but you’re the force.

Conclusion: No Excuses. Only Execution.

You now have 101 completely free tools in your arsenal. This is more than enough to build a six-figure blog, YouTube channel, email list, or digital product empire.

You can research, write, design, publish, promote, track, optimize, sell, and scale — all without spending a dime.

Most people won’t do it. They’ll bookmark this and “circle back later.” You won’t. Because if you’ve read this far, you’re not most people. You’re scrappy. You’re dangerous. You’re broke, maybe — but only temporarily.

Now shut up and go build something.
We’ll see you at the top — probably with a Canva-made logo and a Gumroad checkout page.