Free Small Business Software

From Smallbusinesslibrary

Small businesses in today’s economy operate on razor-thin budgets. That’s why the last thing many small business owners wish to do is spend a vast amount of money for software that may not fit their needs. Many of the major brands require licensing agreements and charge extra for every workstation or computer that the software is loaded onto.

Fortunately there are countless free software programs available around the world for a host of different small businesses. Of course, this means that it can be quite a challenge to figure out which one is right for your business and your needs. There’s little point in spending hours upon hours sifting through mountains of programs hoping to find just the right solution to your present needs.

The following are websites that offer free software as well as articles that discuss many of the factors that help to determine whether a software program is right for your business and your employees. A program that is free to download isn’t always free to use, or may have restrictions. Also important to note is that although a program is considered ‘free’, it doesn’t mean that it will be easy to use.

Billing and accounting resources
Every business requires some level of billing and accounting to survive. There are many different programs available to help out, and many of them are free, but this doesn’t mean they’re easy to use.

While CNETDownload doesn’t offer exclusively free software for your business needs, it does a great job of reviewing many of the programs released on the market, both free and fee-based.

Task managing software and more
Looking for anything from basic task managing software to call logging and email generating software? This site is a powerful source of free downloads for businesses.

Microsoft free resource center
While Microsoft doesn’t offer free software for small businesses, they have a great resource center that is free to sign up for. Having a resource center available when trying to navigate the innumerable programs on the market can often be one of the best assets for any small business.

Freebyte.com is another great resource that lists many of the best free software programs for small businesses. From presentation programs to templates, desktop publishing to spellcheckers, this site has just about everything your small business needs.

Organization
If you’re like most small business owners, then you know the struggle it is to keep organized. The more employees you have working for you, the more clients as well, the more challenging this becomes. This site is all about helping you get and stay organized from start to finish, from the beginning of the work week until the end.

Wikipedia offers an insightful article on free software that is important to know in order to protect your business assets. While many sites on the web advertise free software for small business, it’s up to the business owner to know precisely what the rules and laws are pertaining to any free software offered for use.