Free alternatives
Free alternatives to popular paid tools
Free alternatives to 50 popular paid tools, including Grammarly, Slack, Zapier, Canva and Miro, with each tool's current pricing checked October 2026.
Short answer
Most popular paid tools have a free alternative that covers the main job. Pick a tool below to see its current pricing, whether it has a free plan, and 5 to 7 free or freemium tools from our directory that can replace it.
Updated
Just want to know if a tool is free? Quick answersBuilt with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
50 paid tools and their free alternatives
Kind of tool
50 tools
- work management platformFree monday.com alternativesYes. The Free plan covers up to 2 seats, 3 boards and 3 Docs.7 free picks
- issue and project trackerFree Jira alternativesYes. The Free plan is for up to 10 users with 2 GB of storage and community support.6 free picks
- to-do appFree Things 3 alternativesNo. There is no free plan; Cultured Code offers a 15-day free trial of the Mac app.6 free picks
- calendar appFree Fantastical alternativesYes. The free version includes natural-language entry, full day to year views and task support, but only one calendar set and one invitee per event.6 free picks
- online whiteboardFree Miro alternativesYes, but only the 3 most recently created boards stay editable, AI credits are limited and board exports are low resolution.6 free picks
- online design platformFree Canva alternativesYes. Canva Free is a permanent plan with the drag-and-drop editor, a large template and photo library, real-time collaboration and exports.8 free picks
- video editorFree Adobe Premiere Pro alternativesNot on desktop. Adobe's separate Premiere app for iPhone, launched in September 2025, is free to download.10 free picks
- AI captions and short-form video toolFree Submagic alternativesNo free plan is listed on its pricing page; you can try it for free without a card.6 free picks
- AI app builderFree Lovable alternativesYes. The Free plan gives 5 build credits a day (up to 30 a month) plus 20 Cloud credits a month.6 free picks
- screenshot and screen recording appFree CleanShot X alternativesNo. There is no free plan or trial, but there is a 30-day money-back guarantee, and Setapp's 7-day trial includes it.5 free picks
- website builderFree Squarespace alternativesNo. There is no free plan; every site starts with a 14-day free trial, no card required.5 free picks
- no-code databaseFree Airtable alternativesYes, for individuals and very small teams. It has record, attachment and automation caps, and you cannot add more records once you reach them.6 free picks
- UI and UX reference libraryFree Mobbin alternativesYes, but limited: partial access to apps and sites, no flows, search or Deep Search, and up to 3 collections.7 free picks
- UI component and template libraryFree Tailwind Plus alternativesNo. Tailwind Plus is a paid, one-time licence.7 free picks
- font libraryFree Adobe Fonts alternativesPartly. Adobe lists a free access level with a basic library of about 5,500 fonts.6 free picks
- writing assistantFree Grammarly alternativesYes. Grammarly Free checks spelling, grammar and tone and includes 100 AI prompts a month.6 free picks
- team chat appFree Slack alternativesYes, but messages are saved and searchable for only 90 days, you can connect up to 10 apps, and huddles are 1:1 only.7 free picks
- automation platformFree Zapier alternativesYes: 100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps only, with new data checked every 15 minutes.7 free picks
- form and survey builderFree Typeform alternativesYes, but the Free plan has basic features and a limited number of responses each month.7 free picks
- email marketing platformFree Mailchimp alternativesYes, but it is limited to 250 contacts, 500 emails a month (250 a day) and 1 user.6 free picks
- interface design toolFree Figma alternativesYes. The Starter plan is free with unlimited drafts, UI kits and templates, and 150 AI credits a day (up to 500 a month).7 free picks
- video meeting appFree Zoom alternativesYes. Zoom Basic allows meetings of up to 40 minutes with up to 100 participants.5 free picks
- cloud storage and file sync serviceFree Dropbox alternativesYes. Dropbox Basic includes 2 GB of storage and sharing.7 free picks
- online word processorFree Google Docs alternativesYes. Anyone with a Google account can create and edit documents, and files count towards the account's 15 GB of free storage shared with Gmail and Photos.7 free picks
- office suiteFree Microsoft Office alternativesYes, web only. Free web versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint come with a Microsoft account and 5 GB of OneDrive; the desktop apps need a subscription.7 free picks
- photo and image editorFree Adobe Photoshop alternativesNo. The desktop app comes with a 7-day free trial that turns into a paid plan unless you cancel. Adobe Express has a separate free plan for quick edits.7 free picks
- spreadsheet appFree Microsoft Excel alternativesYes, web only. Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account and 5 GB of OneDrive; the desktop app needs a subscription.7 free picks
- photo editing and organising appFree Adobe Lightroom alternativesNo. Adobe's plans page lists only paid plans, each with a 7-day free trial that turns into a paid plan unless you cancel.5 free picks
- vector design appFree Adobe Illustrator alternativesNo. Illustrator has a 7-day free trial. Adobe Express has a separate free plan for simple graphics.6 free picks
- page layout and desktop publishing appFree Adobe InDesign alternativesNo. InDesign has a 7-day free trial. Adobe Express has a separate free plan for simple templates.5 free picks
- motion graphics and visual effects appFree Adobe After Effects alternativesNo. After Effects has a 7-day free trial that turns into a paid plan unless you cancel. Adobe suggests Adobe Express as a free option for simple videos.7 free picks
- PDF editorFree Adobe Acrobat alternativesPartly. Acrobat Reader is free for opening and viewing PDFs, and its mobile app can also comment on and sign them. Editing and converting PDFs need a paid plan.5 free picks
- audio editing appFree Adobe Audition alternativesNo. Audition is a paid Creative Cloud app with a free trial.5 free picks
- UI design and prototyping appFree Adobe XD alternativesNo. XD is installed through the Creative Cloud desktop app and has no free plan.5 free picks
- simple video editorFree Adobe Premiere Rush alternativesNo longer available. Adobe recommends its free Premiere app for iPhone and Android, or Premiere Pro on desktop, and Rush projects open in Premiere.5 free picks
- quick design and template appFree Adobe Express alternativesYes. The free plan includes 5 GB of storage and daily image and template generations, but only a few lifetime uses of features such as Generate Presentations.5 free picks
- website design and code editorFree Adobe Dreamweaver alternativesNo. Dreamweaver has a free trial but no free version.5 free picks
- 2D animation appFree Adobe Animate alternativesNo. Animate has a free trial but no free version.6 free picks
- 3D texturing and materials suiteFree Adobe Substance 3D alternativesNo. There is a 30-day free trial of the desktop apps, and a separate education offer for students and teachers.5 free picks
- creative file managerFree Adobe Bridge alternativesYes. Adobe offers Bridge as a free download.5 free picks
- drawing and painting appFree Adobe Fresco alternativesYes. Fresco is free on iPad, iPhone and Windows.5 free picks
- mobile photo editorFree Adobe Lightroom Mobile alternativesYes. Adobe describes Lightroom on mobile as a free AI photo and video editor, with paid upgrades in the app.5 free picks
- quick photo editing appFree Adobe Photoshop Express alternativesYes. The app is free, with a paid Premium upgrade.5 free picks
- beginner photo editorFree Adobe Photoshop Elements alternativesNo. There is a full-featured 7-day free trial.5 free picks
- beginner video editorFree Adobe Premiere Elements alternativesNo. There is a full-featured 7-day free trial.5 free picks
- mobile vector drawing appFree Adobe Illustrator Draw alternativesNo longer available. Adobe recommends its free Fresco app, which includes Draw's features.5 free picks
- e-signature serviceFree Adobe Acrobat Sign alternativesNo. The free Acrobat Reader mobile app lets you sign documents yourself, but sending them for others to sign needs a paid plan.5 free picks
- AI image and video generatorFree Adobe Firefly alternativesYes. You get free daily generations across image, video and audio, with limits that refresh every day.5 free picks
- stock photo and video libraryFree Adobe Stock alternativesNo. AI Studio plans have a 7-day free trial, and assets you download during the trial are yours to keep.5 free picks
- creative portfolio networkFree Behance alternativesYes. Free accounts can publish projects, offer freelance services and use the job board, but payments carry 15% to 30% platform fees.5 free picks
More free alternatives
Hand-picked free alternatives to tools that are also listed in our directory.
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