Skip to content 
The 5 best iPhone apps for freelancers I actually use
In this article
I’ve worked for myself for a couple of years now, and my office fits in a pocket. Literally: my iPhone is where I get paid, where I jot down ideas, where I take client video calls, and where, when I remember, I check whether I actually made money this month or just stayed busy.
Over time I trimmed down which apps survive on my home screen. They’re not the trendy ones; they’re the ones that keep a random Tuesday from turning into chaos. Here are the five I actually use, starting with the boring but important part: money.
Money first: AI Money
Let me be honest about why I start here. When you work for yourself, there’s no steady paycheck and nobody withholding your taxes. One month you bill well and the next, nothing, and if you don’t keep track you find out about the hole when it’s already too late. That was my problem for too long.
I tried spreadsheets, notebooks, three different apps. They all failed at the same thing: logging every expense was a pain and I gave up by day four. AI Money flips that around. Instead of opening the app and filling in fields, you send it a WhatsApp message: “client lunch 18” or “design subscription 12” and it logs and categorizes it on its own. Like texting a friend, except this friend does your bookkeeping.
When you want to see how you’re doing, you open it and it’s all there: what came in, what went out, which categories your money slips away in. And that’s where Denis shows up, the AI advisor built in. Denis looks at your real numbers and talks straight: that you overspent on eating out this month, that at this rate you can set aside X for savings, that you should watch your tax deadline. It’s not a chatbot that answers anything; it’s built for people who need to understand their money without being an accountant. You’ll find it on the App Store and on Google Play.
So no idea slips away: Notion
My best ideas hit at the worst time: in the shower, on the bus, at two in the morning. I used to jot them anywhere and lose them. Now everything goes to Notion.
That’s where I keep each client’s projects, the half-written proposals, my list of unpaid invoices, and even the outline for these pieces. The good part is it’s not just a notes app: you can build boards, calendars, and databases that talk to each other, so everyone sets it up their own way. And since it syncs instantly between phone and computer, I jot something on the iPhone and it’s already on the laptop when I sit down to work. The free plan is more than enough for me.
To look good on video calls: EpocCam
A big chunk of my work runs on video calls, and one thing I learned fast: showing up with a blurry camera costs you points even if nobody says so. The laptop webcam is awful; the iPhone’s is a gem. EpocCam bridges the two.
You install the app on your phone, a small program on the computer, and your iPhone becomes the camera for Zoom, Meet, or Teams. Connect over Wi-Fi to skip the cables, or over USB for maximum stability. Put the phone on a stand pointing at your face and the quality jump in a meeting with a new client really shows. The free version does the job just fine.
To fix things while out: RustDesk
It’s happened more than once: I’m out and a client needs something that’s on my home computer. That used to be a problem; now I open RustDesk and control the PC from my iPhone as if I were sitting right in front of it.
It’s an open-source remote desktop that’s genuinely free, without TeamViewer’s trick of charging you when you use it “too much.” I kick off an export, send a file I left on the desktop, or go dig up that document I swore I’d uploaded to the cloud. And since it’s open source, anyone protective of their data can run their own server. Install it, point to the ID, and you’re set.
To truly unplug: Kindle
I’ll end with the one that has the least to do with work, and maybe that’s why it’s the most necessary. When you spend the whole day glued to screens for work, staying hooked to your phone at night ends up frying you. The Kindle app is my way of using the same phone for something that isn’t work.
I carry my whole library, adjust the font and night mode, and pick up the book right where I left off even if I switch devices. Ten pages before bed instead of endless scrolling. The app is free and it sounds like a small thing, but unplugging is also taking care of the head you work with.
My setup, in short
If you work for yourself, your iPhone is your office, and it’s worth choosing well what lives inside it. Mine rests on these five: AI Money to keep money in sight, Notion so no idea gets lost, EpocCam to show my face, RustDesk to fix things from afar, and Kindle to unplug.
And if you can only install one today, make it the money one. The rest make your life more comfortable; that one puts it in order. Download AI Money here and stop ending the month wondering where it all went.
AI Money
AI expense tracking
Start free, in under a minute
- Free forever
- No card
- Your data stays on your device
