I wanted to put together a list of the best virtual assistant tools available currently. As I’ve been a blogger for 2+ years there were quite a lot of tools that I was already using, which have been useful for working as a Virtual Assistant as well. There are some other tools that I’ve added that have improved things even more, the bonus is they’re really easy to use and most of them are free!

This post contains affiliate links or referral links, I would never recommend anything that I wouldn’t buy myself. Thank you for your support.

Why Do Virtual Assistants Need Tools

You might be wondering why do Virtual Assistants need tools? As a VIrtual Assistant you will need to complete various tasks for your clients and often multiple clients at the same time. Your main purpose is to take the load off of your clients and that means that you need to be efficient and productive in how you work.

In order to do this, Virtual Assistants will need to use certain tools to help them organise projects, track their time, monitor their finances, create social media graphics and accept payments.

If you’re a new Virtual Assistant and you’re struggling to find clients, you might want to read where to find Virtual Assistant jobs to give you some ideas.

That’s where software comes in.. some of the best Virtual Assistant tools will be essential for tasks that you’re doing and some will just help you get more organised in general.

If you’ve just launched your Virtual Assistant business, you might want to read these tips for new Virtual Assistants from experienced Virtual Assistants.

What Tools Does A Virtual Assistant Need

Now let’s get to the main tools that Virtual Assistants need in order to be the most efficient and productive as they work.

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15 Best Virtual Assistant Tools

Toggl

Toggl is a free time tracking tool, it’s very simple to use and you can connect it to your calendars and copy across project information. Time tracking is useful so that you can record your work for clients if they’re paying you per hour. It’s also useful just to get an idea of how long tasks take.

You can also use the Pomodoro technique within the app to work in 25 minute increments with a 5 minute break.

It can be difficult to increase your productivity working from home, that’s why I’ve written a full post how to be more productive as an entrepreneur, to help you out.

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Hubstaff

The more advanced time tracking tool is Hubstaff, it’s free if you’re just using it for yourself. However, if you want more users and unlimited screenshots you’ll need to pay, prices from $5.83 per month.

In this tool you can track time and monitor activity levels to ensure you’re being productive. In the paid version you also have access to sending invoices, tracking expenses etc. The paid version would be ideal if you are a part of a team.

Freshbooks

Accounting software is so important for your Virtual Assistant business, of course you could make a note of expenses and payments yourself but that would be soo time consuming. You do have to pay to use accounting software but it’s quite affordable for your first few clients.

I would recommend looking into accounting software after you’ve got your first client otherwise you’ll be paying for a service you don’t need yet.

Freshbooks is currently charging £5.50 per month for up to 5 billable clients. This is a great price and perfect if you’re just starting out. You can create invoices so easily in their app and tailor them to your brand colours, include your logo etc. If you’re charging clients on an hourly rate, you can also time track within the app, which is very handy.

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Xero

The accounting software that I use is Xero, it’s currently priced at £14 per month for 20 invoices, quotes, bank reconciliation, 5 bills and analytics free for 4 months.

This software is very popular with Virtual Assistants because it allows you to keep track of all of your business expenses and invoices for tax purposes. You can also see how your business is doing at a glance and through in depth reports.

I would say this is a bit more advanced than Freshbooks, it might take you a bit of playing around to figure out how it all works but worth it when your business is progressing.

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Dropbox

Remote storage, it might not be essential for you when you’re just starting out but it’s a very useful tool once you’re more established. Dropbox is a good way to store your files and documents in remote storage so that if anything happens to your pc or laptop, you know you can still access your files.

If you have a WordPress website, remote storage is very important for backing up your website. A blogger friend of mine made a change on her website and she lost everything! Everything that she’d built up over a space of several years, was lost.

It doesn’t bear thinking about.. please back up your website remotely, just in case of a problem. I think I pay about £9.99 a month for 1tb of storage which is not a bad price at all.

Canva

My favourite design tool is Canva, if you’re a Social Media Virtual Assistant you will probably already be familiar with Canva. For anyone that will be using social media marketing, Canva is the best!

On the free plan you can create graphics for social media, you can create images for blog posts, Pinterest pins and so much more. They’ve got lots of templates that you can choose from to make your life so much easier.

I use the Pro plan which is £10.99 per month but when you’re starting out you will probably find that you can do everything you need to with their free plan.

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Google Calendar

You might already be familiar with the different tools available in Google Workspace, I use quite a lot of them Google Keep for general notes and things I need to remember, Gmail for my personal email address and Google Calendar for time blocking.

The great thing about having a digital calendar these days, is that it can set you reminders for certain important tasks, you can set people’s Birthdays and you can organise your entire working day. It’s one of the best tools and very important for productivity as a Virtual Assistant.

You can also have separate calendars for your personal life and your work life if you prefer. I know some families like to have a family calendar too so their family know exactly what is happening and when.

Google Drive

Another great tool within the Google Workspace is Google Drive, it’s a great safe way to send and receive files from clients. You can use Google Drive as cloud storage or for sending files.

If you’ve ever tried to send large files over email you’ll know that there’s a limit to the size you can send through email. Google Drive is a great way of sharing important documents with your team or clients.

A personal plan is free but only includes 15gb cloud storage. For shared drives for your team and 2tb storage per user you’ll need to sign up to the paid plan which is currently $12 per month.

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Calendly

Another one of my favourite tools for Virtual Assistants is Calendly. What I like about Calendly is you can send the link to your calendly booking page to anyone wanting to book a discovery call with you. Within Calendly you set the hours you’re available for discovery calls or meetings and so it will only allow people to book within your working hours.

You can link it to your calendar as well so it updates automatically. Calendly sends a confirmation to your email address once someone has booked.

Within the app you can link it to Zoom or whichever video chat platform you prefer as well. You can also easily override settings if you have a holiday coming up etc. Seriously one of the best tools for Virtual Assistants!

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Lastpass

Does anyone else hate passwords? I understand that they have to be obscure, not easily hackable and they really should be different for everywhere you’re logging in, but it’s so hard to remember all of those passwords. Lastpass is great because it saves your passwords in the vault and it encripts them so they’re safe.

With their free plan you can get the Lastpass extension and it will automatically enter your passwords for all of the websites you visit. It saves so much time not having to faff around and remember your passwords.

On the paid plan for $3 a month you can use Lastpass on all your devices and you can share passwords safely with others.

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Buffer

If you haven’t heard of Buffer before this is a great free social media scheduler. You can schedule posts from the website or app to three different social media channels, all for free.

Let’s be honest, social media can be really time consuming. Being able to schedule your posts in advance can save you a lot of time, it helps you to plan your content and stay on top of it. Not just for your own content but if you’re in charge of a client’s social media and they’re on a tight budget, you could recommend Buffer to them.

For me, I just love scheduling content because I’m juggling so many other things during the week. I know that all I need to do is go onto social media and respond to comments after posting but it’s just less to worry about when you schedule in advance for the fortnight.

If you want to schedule further in advance or add other social media channels you will need to get the paid plan which is £16.51 per month currently.

Hootsuite

For a more advanced social media software then Hootsuite is the one to choose. You can bulk schedule posts within the dashboard, you can respond to comments and private messages from all social media channels within Hootsuite, so you don’t have to login to each one individually.

So many businesses use Hootsuite to manage their social media, however it’s not a free service. For 1 user and 10 social media accounts it’s currently £39 per month. It’s a lot of money if you’re just starting out, however it’s one to bear in mind for the future.

If you are managing a client’s social media, you might find that they use Hootsuite so it would be a good idea to find out as much as you can about how it works. I’ve used it for a business before, it is fairly easy once you get the hang of it. You’re smart, you’ll figure it out..

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Paypal

A lot of people use Paypal these days so having Paypal set up as an option for clients to pay you would be a good idea. It’s really personal preference though. I like to include Paypal because I’m familiar with it but they do take a fee from whatever you’re getting paid. Fees are 3.9% +39p but it can vary depending on the payment method.

Some people like to pay for things through Paypal for convenience and because it seems a bit safer for online purchases. Up to you but it might be worth including Paypal on your invoice as an option to pay, if you already have an account.

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Stripe

Setting up a Stripe account for payments is another option, you can add Stripe to your invoice in either Freshbooks or Xero so I expect it’s the same in other accounting software as well. Same as Paypal they do charge a fee, 1.4% +20p for UK cards and 2.9% +20p for international cards.

I know some Virtual Assistants also include their bank details on the invoice as well because a bank transfer doesn’t encur a fee. There is that option but I haven’t experimented with that myself yet.

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KoffeeKlatch

Something that you’ll need once you have your first client is a professional contract. Choosing a provider is very important because you want to know that you can your client are legally covered with your contract. It’s definitely not something to skimp on!

Koffeeklatch is a great provider with lots of different contracts to choose from based on what you specialise in. The link below will take you to the Terms of Business UK, but you can choose global and add-ons if you need them.

I will likely be taking on an associate in the future so I’ll get a contract through Koffeeklatch when I do.

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Dropbox Sign

Dropbox Sign (used to be called HelloSign) is how you get your Contracts signed online and bonus is it’s free for 3 signatures a month. Once you’ve got your contract ready for your client, you just upload it into Dropbox Sign, sign it yourself and then send it to them to sign.

It’s super easy to use and it notifies you as soon as your client has signed. One of the best Virtual Assistant tools because it’s much more professional and quick to get your Contract signed through this service.

Otherwise your client will have to print it out, scan it and send. Let’s not making things difficult for them, I’m sure they’ve got enough to do. 😅

There are other programs you can use to sign documents, like Docusign but I just found Dropbox Sign did exactly what I wanted so I’ve stuck with it.

If you have a blog on your Virtual Assistant website, you might like to know the best free blogging tools next.

Project Management Tools

I couldn’t write about some of the best Virtual Assistant tools without mentioning some project management tools. With a lot of businesses becoming remote in recent years, having a way to keep track of projects online has become increasingly more popular.

There are a lot of benefits to using a project management software, you can create a marketing plan and track the progress, you can monitor product releases and assign projects to different people within your team.

Project management tools are popular with remote businesses and Virtual Assistants who are scaling their business, it might not be something you need to consider when you’re just starting out. Unless you are already offering project management as one of your services.

Some of the main project management software that people use are the following:

• Asana
• Adminja
• Clickup
• Trello
• Monday

You could just get a few and try them out yourself and see which one you prefer or you could just see if any of your clients have a particular request in the future.

You might be wondering do Virtual Assistants need a website, I answer this question and talk about the benefits of having a website as a Virtual Assistant.

Final Thoughts

These are some of the best Virtual Assistant tools and they should help you be more productive as a new VIrtual Assistant. You might find that come clients will want you to use certain tools and you might not have any experience with the tool.

If that happens I would just recommend doing your own research and learning about how the tool works straight away. Luckily you will find a lot of information online and/or YouTube videos that will help you out for free.

If you’ve not yet decided what you would like to specialise in, I’ve written a post with 20 amazing services you can offer as a Virtual Assistant.

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Thanks for having a read, I hope this helped.

Damaris

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