Business Freelancing

Best Tools for International Freelancers

Saim Jalees

26.05.26 (last updated)

Read time 8 minutes

Freelancing internationally can give you more flexibility than a traditional 9 to 5, but it also means managing clients, payments, projects, and workdays across borders.

Fortunately, there are plenty of tools that can help you spin all of these plates at once. In this guide, we've covered useful tools for international freelancers, including time tracking, project management, invoicing, payments, communication, client-finding, and remote work planning tools.

We've also explained how Wise Business can help you send, receive, hold, and convert money in multiple currencies when working with clients in different countries.

Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changed on 26/11/2025. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.

Summary

Type of freelance tool	Tools covered in this guide	Why international freelancers may need them
Time tracking tools	Toggl Track, Clockify	To track billable hours, review workload, and understand how long client work takes
Project management tools	Trello, Asana, Notion	To organise deadlines, tasks, briefs, notes, and shared project information
Money management tools	Wise Business, Xero, FreeAgent, QuickBooks	To manage invoices, bookkeeping, tax records, and payments across currencies
Communication tools	Slack, Zoom, Google Meet	To manage client calls, async updates, and collaboration across time zones
Client-finding tools	Upwork, Fiverr, PeoplePerHour	To explore client leads, build a portfolio, and compare marketplace opportunities
Travel/remote work-planning tools	Nomads.com, Google Maps	To research places to work, local practicalities, and remote work setup

Discover Wise Business 🔍

1. Time tracking tools

Time is money, and you’ll need to manage it yourself as a freelancer. This gives you greater freedom, but it also means you need to understand where your working hours go.

Name of tool	Features summary
Toggl Track	If you bill by the hour, you need to record your time accurately. Toggl Track currently offers time tracking via web, desktop apps, mobile apps, and browser extensions, with features including project time tracking, timesheet reports, time reporting and analytics, and invoicing.¹ It can also be useful even if you bill by project, because it shows how long your work really takes.
Clockify	Clockify currently includes time tracking, timesheets, reporting, project tracking, and invoicing features.² Clockify can be a useful starting point if you want a simple way to track billable hours and generate client reports.

2. Project management tools

Once you understand how your time is being spent, the next step is keeping client work organised from brief to delivery.

You may have escaped endless office meetings, but you still need to plan your workload, especially if you work with multiple clients or other freelancers.

Name of tool	Features summary
Trello	If you like covering your workspace in Post-it notes, you’ll probably like Trello. Trello currently helps you capture, organise, and tackle to-dos using features including Inbox, Boards, and Planner.³
Asana	Asana currently keeps work moving across use cases such as campaign management, creative production, project intake, product launches, and organizational planning.⁴ Asana may be especially helpful if your work involves recurring deliverables, such as monthly content, design sprints, or campaign tasks.
Notion	Notion currently brings work together with features including Docs, Knowledge Base, Projects, Enterprise Search, AI Meeting Notes, and Notion Calendar.⁵ It can be a useful option if you want one place for documents and project knowledge.

3. Money management tools

After organising your workload, you’ll also need systems that help you stay on top of income, expenses, and payments.

You’ll need to keep track of your money, send invoices, and manage international payments when you work with clients in different countries.

Name of tool	Features summary
Wise Business	With a Wise Business multi-currency account, you can receive payments in 40+ currencies, hold balances, and convert money using the mid-market exchange rate with transparent fees shown before you pay. Wise Business can be useful if you work with clients in different countries because you can currently get local account details for currencies, create invoices in your clients’ preferred currency, hold money in different currencies, convert to British pound (GBP) when it suits your business needs, make international payments to suppliers, contractors, or collaborators overseas, and connect with accounting software, including options to sync with Xero and sync with QuickBooks.
Xero	Xero currently offers accounting software with tools including invoicing, expenses, bank reconciliation, and Making Tax Digital support.⁶
FreeAgent	FreeAgent currently offers online accounting software with invoice, expense, project, and sales tax features.⁷
QuickBooks	QuickBooks currently offers business management software with tools for managing finances, invoicing, expenses, payroll, and Making Tax Digital.⁸

💡 Wise Business can be useful if you work with clients in different countries due to the wide range of features it offers.

With Wise Business, you can:

Send money to 140+ countries at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees and no sneaky exchange rate markups
Receive payments using 8+ local account details in 24 currencies and counting
Get local account details for currencies, including USD and EUR, to let your customers pay in a currency they know and trust - convenience for them and peace of mind for you
Hold money in 40+ currencies
Convert currencies anytime at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees
Use the batch payments tool to create and send up to payments in a single transfer
Run payroll and make international payments for up to 1,000 employees all over the world
Get business debit cards with 0.5% cashback for you and your team to keep track of team expenses and spend all over the world
Manage cash in 55+ currencies across international offices from a single business account and move money between business accounts in seconds
Connect and sync every business transaction to your favourite accounting software, including Xero, Quickbooks, and more
Create your own payment approvals process to manage your team better with customised access for different team members
Create custom professional invoices and schedule invoice payments for future dates
Earn returns on GBP, USD and EUR with Wise Interest (capital at risk, growth not guaranteed)
Create payment links and QR codes to get paid easily
Automate payouts with the Wise API (comes with 24/7 customer support, a sandbox account to test integrations, API tokens, and clear documents on how to implement and make the most of our API)

4. Communication tools

With work, money, and records organised, communication tools can help keep client relationships clear across time zones.

For freelancers, good communication can matter just as much as good delivery. That includes communication with clients, team members, family, friends, and collaborators around the world.

Name of tool	Features summary
Slack	Slack currently lets you organise conversations in channels, send direct messages, share files, and connect apps.⁹ It can reduce email overload if your client uses Slack as their main communication hub.
Zoom	Zoom currently offers Meetings, Webinars and Events, Zoom Chat, and other collaboration products.¹⁰ It’s useful for client discovery calls, weekly check-ins, workshops, and screen sharing.
Google Meet	Google Meet currently offers video calls, lets you meet on mobile, tablet, or computer browser, and integrates across Google Workspace.¹¹

5. Tools to find work

Once your delivery process is in place, you can focus on finding and qualifying new client opportunities.

You’re almost ready to begin work, but first you need clients. Freelancers can find work from referrals, LinkedIn, communities, agencies, direct outreach, and freelance marketplaces.

Name of tool	Features summary
Upwork	Upwork currently describes itself as a human and AI-powered work marketplace where businesses access skilled independent talent.¹² It can be useful for building a portfolio, but competition can be high, and platform fees may apply, so factor that into your pricing.
Fiverr	Fiverr currently lists freelance service categories including Programming & Tech, Graphics & Design, Digital Marketing, Writing & Translation, Video & Animation, AI Services, Music & Audio, Business, and Consulting.¹³ It can work well if you offer clear, repeatable services such as logo design, voiceovers, translation, website audits, or short-form content.
PeoplePerHour	PeoplePerHour currently describes itself as a marketplace where businesses can hire freelancers across the UK and around the world.¹⁴ It can be useful for UK and international freelancers, but as with any marketplace, check the fees, payment process, and competition before you rely on it.

6. Travel/remote work-planning tools

If client work takes you abroad, planning tools can help you think through the practical side of where and how you work.

If you’re freelancing internationally, you’ll also need to think about where you work, where you’re allowed to work, and what practical setup you’ll have when you arrive.

Name of tool	Features summary
Nomads.com	Nomads.com currently compares destinations for remote workers and digital nomads, including factors such as cost of living, internet, safety, weather, and community.¹⁵ It can be beneficial to check visa, tax, and work permit rules of the country you’re travelling to using official sources.
Google Maps	Google Maps is simple, but still useful. You can check coworking spaces, cafes, neighbourhoods, transport links, and reviews before choosing where to stay and work.

Manage international freelance payments with Wise Business

For international freelancers working with clients, suppliers, or collaborators in different countries, managing payments across currencies can add extra admin to your working week.

Wise Business can currently help you receive money in 40+ currencies, hold balances, convert money using the mid-market exchange rate with transparent fees shown before you pay, and send payments overseas to 140+ countries.

With Wise Business, you can:

🌍 Send money to 70+ countries at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees and no hidden exchange rate markups (product availability varies by region)
📥 Receive payments in 24 currencies and counting
💵 Get local account details for 8+ currencies, including USD and EUR, to let your customers pay in a currency they know and trust - convenience for them and peace of mind for you
💰 Hold money in 40+ currencies
🔁 Convert currencies anytime at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees
⚡ Use the batch payments tool to create and send up to 1,000 payments in a single transfer
👥 Run payroll and make international payments for up to 1,000 employees all over the world - including paying suppliers using local payment methods like ACH, SEPA, and Faster Payments
💳 Get business debit cards with 0.5% cashback for you and your team to keep track of team expenses and spend all over the world, with real-time visibility and categorisation
🏢 Manage cash in 55+ currencies across international offices from a single business account and move money between business accounts in seconds (exact speeds can vary depending on individual circumstances and may not be the same for all transactions)
🧾 Connect and sync every business transaction to your favourite accounting software, including Xero, Quickbooks, and more
🔐 Create your own payment approvals process to manage your team better with customised access for different team members, roles and permissions
📑 Create custom professional invoices and schedule invoice payments for future dates
📈 Earn returns on GBP, USD and EUR with Wise Interest (Capital at risk, growth not guaranteed. Your money is at risk if governments default or interest rates go negative. Visit https://wise.com/gb/interest/ to find out more)
🔗 Create payment links and QR codes to get paid easily (Card payment acceptance for new Wise Business customers is currently unavailable. Payment methods subject to eligibility and availability.)
⚙️ Automate payouts with the Wise API (comes with 24/7 customer support, a sandbox account to test integrations, API tokens, and clear documents on how to implement and make the most of our API)

Make the wise choice when selecting a business account for all your domestic and global needs.

Be Smart, Get Wise.

Sources:

Sources last checked on 26 May 2026

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.