Best Digital Tools in 2025 Every Freelancer Should Try

Raj Kumar
Tools
September 15, 2025 12:32 PM

If you're a student, a finance grad, a career-changer, or a pro aiming for investment banking, this post is for you. I'm going to walk you through the best digital tools of 2025 that freelancers should try, and explain why many of them double as must-haves for anyone serious about breaking into banking.

I've noticed that people often treat "freelancer tools" and "investment banking tools" as separate worlds. In my experience, they overlap a lot. The same tools that make independent consultants faster, more credible, and easier to hire also sharpen the exact skills banks look for: data wrangling, financial modeling, clear communication, and tight project management.

Quick overview: Why tools matter

Tools are the multiplier. They help you do more in less time, reduce mistakes, and make your output look polished. For freelancers, that means more clients and higher rates. For aspiring investment bankers, it means better modeling, smarter research, and stronger interview stories.

This guide targets four groups:

Students trying to land internships or build finance-related freelance gigs.
Finance graduates who want to level up technical skills and land IB roles.
Career changers considering a move into investment banking.
Working professionals who freelance part-time and want to stay competitive.

Throughout the post I’ll call out tools by category, explain how they’re used in real work (and interviews), and give practical tips on adopting them without feeling overwhelmed. No BS. Just tools that actually save time and look good on a resume.

Investment banking essentials: skills, salary, and growth briefly

Before we jump tools, a quick reality check on the role. Investment banking is about deal-making: M&A, capital raising, restructurings, and advisory. The day-to-day varies, but the core expectations are consistent.

Core skills: accounting, financial modeling (DCF, comps, LBOs), valuation, Excel, PowerPoint, presentation skills, market research, and strong written communication.
Technical extras that win interviews: Python for data pulls, SQL for simple querying, visualization (Tableau/Power BI), and familiarity with market data platforms (Bloomberg, Capital IQ, PitchBook).
Salary expectations (2025 snapshot): Analyst base salaries in major US banks typically start around $100k–$120k base (depending on city and bank) plus bonuses. Associates and above scale quickly. Remember, location, firm, and deal flow matter.
Growth path: Analysts → Associates → VPs → Directors/MDs. Many people leave at associate level into PE, hedge funds, or join startups.

For freelancers, mastering these skills lets you offer high-value services: financial models, pitchbooks, diligence support, or market research. For candidates, a few well-chosen tools demonstrate competence faster than extra coursework.

How digital tools improve your IB candidacy

Want a simple rule? Show, don’t tell. Instead of saying “I’m proficient in Excel,” show a clean model or a workbook using modern add-ins. Instead of claiming “I know market research,” share a short report with charts pulled from APIs.

Tools help you do that. They let you:

Produce clean deliverables faster (templates + add-ins).
Automate repetitive work (saves hours each week).
Pull live market data for up-to-date analysis.
Collaborate with clients or teammates remotely.
Securely manage sensitive client information (non-negotiable in deals).

Let’s go category by category. I’ll list tools I use or recommend, explain when they matter, and flag common mistakes.

Productivity & remote work tools

2025 saw a big refinement in remote-first tools. They’re not flashy anymore; they just work. Pick a small stack and stick with it.

Notion : My go-to for knowledge management. Use it for deal checklists, interview prep, and a personal knowledge base. Templates for modeling checklists and pitchbook outlines save time.
Obsidian : If you like local files and linking notes. Great for building mental models or storing interview snippets. Use plugins for backlinks and graph views.
Google Workspace / Microsoft 365 : Both are ubiquitous. Google is faster for collaborative drafts; Excel (Microsoft) still wins for heavy modeling. I use both depending on the task.
Slack / Microsoft Teams : Real-time comms. Treat Slack like email; set boundaries. I’ve seen freelancers lose hours to constant pings : set “office hours” blocks.
Zoom / Whereby : Video meetings. Use Loom or Descript for asynchronous updates : clients love quick walkthrough videos of models.
Calendly : Booking, no back-and-forth. Connect it to Stripe to collect retainer payments at sign-up if you freelance.

Common mistake: chasing every new app. Pick what fits your workflow. Too many apps equals context switching, which kills deep work.

Time tracking, billing, and contracts

Freelancers live or die by billing. For aspiring bankers doing side projects or consulting, a clean invoicing flow is professional and reduces disputes.

Harvest / Toggl Track : Lightweight tracking, great for hourly work and client reports.
Bonsai / And.co : Contracts, proposals, invoices, and tax-friendly templates. They’re freelancing Swiss army knives.
Stripe / PayPal / Wise : Payment rails. For cross-border client work, Wise is often cheaper.
DEEL : If you hire contractors internationally, it simplifies contracts and compliance.

Tip: Always use retainer clauses and clear deliverable milestones in contracts. I’ve seen unpaid projects evaporate when scope isn’t nailed down.

Financial modeling, Excel, and add-ins

Excel is still the lingua franca. But modern add-ins and tools make models cleaner, faster, and audit-friendly.

Microsoft Excel (desktop) : Master it. Learn shortcuts, named ranges, INDEX/MATCH/XLOOKUP, and array formulas. If you’re aiming for IB interviews, know how to build a DCF from scratch.
Macabacus : Templates, formula auditing, and charting shortcuts. It’s the pro kit for modeling.
Alteryx / Power Query : Clean and transform large datasets without clunky formulas. Power Query in Excel is underused but huge for repeatable work.
Python (pandas) + Jupyter : For more complex data work. Even basic pandas skills let you pull, clean, and merge financial datasets faster than Excel for big tables.
F9 / FactSet add-ins : If you have access through a university or employer, they pull financial statements straight into Excel.
ModelOff resources : Practice for modeling competitions and interview prep; real-world scenarios that sharpen speed and accuracy.

Note: In interviews, speed matters. Practice building a mini-model under time pressure. Tools help, but muscle memory in Excel wins interviews.

Market data, research, and news

Accurate, timely data separates good work from great work. Use APIs and platforms to back claims with real numbers.

Bloomberg / Refinitiv / Capital IQ / FactSet : The usual suspects for investment banking. They’re expensive, but if you can get university access, use it daily for screeners and comps.
PitchBook : Great for private:markets, deal comps, and venture activity.
Alpha Vantage / IEX Cloud / Yahoo Finance APIs : Useful, low-cost APIs for pull-throughs into spreadsheets or Python scripts.
EDGAR / SEC APIs : Free source for filings; perfect for diligence and verifying EBITDA adjustments.
Perplexity / AlphaSense : Fast, AI-backed research engines that summarize filings and transcripts. Useful for initial reconnaissance.

Pro tip: Combine a free API pull with a manual check from filings. Automation helps but never fully replaces reading the 10-K when the deal is real.

best digital tools

Pitchbooks, presentations, and design

Presentation polish matters in banking. A clean pitchbook signals attention to detail.

PowerPoint : Still the standard. Learn master slides, consistent formatting, and how to make financial tables readable.
Beautiful.ai / Pitch : Faster slide layout and modern templates. Use them for initial drafts; then polish in PowerPoint if you need corporate fidelity.
Canva : Quick visuals and infographics. Great for social posts and client-facing reports that need a visual lift.
Piktochart / Tableau / Power BI : When you need interactive charts or dashboards during due diligence.

Common mistake: overdesign. Clean beats flashy. Think like an analyst : clarity first, aesthetics second.

Deal rooms, e-signatures, and legal

Deals involve documents. Having secure, auditable tools matters for credibility and compliance.

Intralinks / Merrill Datasite : Enterprise data rooms used in M&A. Get familiar if you’re doing transaction support work.
DocuSign / Adobe Sign : Standard e-signature tools. Use them for engagement letters and client contracts.
Dropbox / Google Drive (with encryption) : For sharing drafts. Add an extra layer like Boxcryptor if you’re handling sensitive data.

Automation & AI assistants (2025)

AI is no longer a novelty. It’s a workflow accelerator. But it’s a tool : not a substitute for judgment.

ChatGPT / OpenAI / Claude : Use them for quick research summaries, drafting client emails, or generating model documentation. Always verify outputs.
Copilot / Github Copilot : Speeds up code, Python scripts, and VBA macros. Handy for automating recurring pulls or cleanups.
Zapier / Make / n8n : No-code automation between apps. For example: new client → auto-generate invoice → create folder in Drive → schedule kickoff.
Perplexity / Elicit : Research assistants that surface sources and summarize findings saves hours when prepping industry overviews.

Rule of thumb: Use AI to draft and automate low-risk work. For numbers and legal content, do the verification yourself.

Security & identity

This section is short because it’s non-negotiable.

Password managers: 1Password or Bitwarden use them.
Two-factor authentication: Authy or hardware keys like YubiKey for critical accounts.
VPN: ProtonVPN or NordVPN for public Wi‑Fi. Encrypt anything sensitive.

Freelancers often skimp here and later regret it. If you handle financial data, treat security like part of your product.

Customer acquisition and marketplaces

Landing clients takes strategy. The tools below help you find gigs and present professional offerings.

LinkedIn : Still the best for professional discovery. Publish short reports, model walkthroughs, or deal post-mortems. Content drives inbound inquiries.
AngelList / LinkedIn Jobs / Handshake : Useful for project-based roles and internships.
Upwork / Toptal / Fiverr Pro : For one-off modeling gigs. Quality clients hang out in Toptal and specialized platforms.
Clarity.fm : Charge for advisory calls and build a consulting funnel.

Pitching tip: lead with outcomes, not tasks. “I build a 3-statement model and valuation that helps you decide between sale and growth” is clearer than “I do financial modeling.”

Tool stacks for common freelance finance offers

Different gigs need different setups. Below are practical stacks you can pick and adapt.

1. Pitchbook & valuation contractor

Core: PowerPoint, Excel, Notion.
Data: Capital IQ / PitchBook (or API pulls via Alpha Vantage + SEC filings).
Delivery: Dropbox, DocuSign for engagement, Calendly for calls.

2. Financial modeling & forecasting

Core: Excel + Macabacus, Power Query, Python (for large datasets).
Automation: Zapier to push invoices from completed deliverables.
Tracking: Toggl for hours and Harvest for invoices.

3. Due diligence & data room support

Core: Intralinks/Datasite, Excel, SQL for data pulls.
Security: 1Password, hardware 2FA for accounts.
Collaboration: Slack + Google Drive.

Pick a stack that lets you deliver reliably. Clients value consistency more than flashy tools.

Common mistakes and pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

I've seen a few repeatable errors. Avoid these and you’ll save time and credibility.

Over-tooling: You don’t need ten apps. Start with three core tools and expand only when a real need appears.
Shiny-object syndrome: Don’t switch CRMs or billing systems mid-project. Migrate at natural breaks.
Poor version control: Always keep dated backups of models (Model_v1_2025-09-15.xlsx). Google Drive versioning is your friend.
Relying on AI without verification: Don’t accept model outputs, legal text, or valuations without double-checking.
Ignoring security: A single leaked spreadsheet can kill credibility. Lock it down.

How to evaluate and adopt a new tool (quick checklist)

Trying a new tool? Follow this five-step habit I use:

Define the specific pain you want to solve (e.g., “reduce time spent formatting pitchbooks by 50%”).
Test for 7 days with real work not just sandboxing.
Measure impact: time saved, fewer edits, faster responses.
Standardize the process in your Notion templates or checklists.
Remove redundant apps don’t keep two tools that solve the same problem.

This keeps your stack lean and effective.

Interview-ready projects and portfolio ideas

If you want to stand out for IB roles, build small, demonstrable projects using these tools:

Weekly sector brief (Notion + simple dashboard): pull data via API, write a 500-word summary, include 2 charts.
Mini DCF and comps package for a public company: Excel model + 10-slide pitchbook. Host it behind a password-protected link.
Automated market monitor: Python script that emails you weekly top movers and valuation outliers show the code on a GitHub repo.
Data-room checklist template in Notion for M&A due diligence practical and shows process thinking.

These projects are conversation starters in interviews and show you can connect tools to outputs.

Real-world example: How I used a lean tool stack to win a client

Quick anecdote: A startup wanted a fast valuation and go-to-market model. I set up a 48-hour sprint:

Pulled revenue benchmarks via PitchBook API and public filings.
Built a 3-statement model in Excel with Macabacus shortcuts and Power Query for the historic numbers.
Created a three-slide summary in Beautiful.ai and then exported to a polished PowerPoint.
Sent a 6-minute Loom walkthrough and delivered a signed engagement letter via DocuSign.

Result: client signed a retainer for an expanded diligence project within a week. The stack let me move fast, look professional, and reduce back-and-forth. That’s the freelancer + IB combo in action.

Growing beyond tools: people skills and industry knowledge

Tools get you noticed. People skills get you recommended.

Practice concise written summaries, clear slide decks, and calm client calls. Banks hire for temperament as much as technical skill: accuracy, stamina, and the ability to explain complex numbers simply.

Also, immerse in industry knowledge. Read earnings calls, follow deal activity on PitchBook, and track a few key metrics per sector. Over time you’ll build intuition the underrated part of valuation and advisory work.

Getting started: a one-month plan

If you want a practical start, here’s a simple 30-day roadmap that balances learning with deliverable creation.

Week 1: Set up your stack. Install Notion, Excel + Macabacus, 1Password, Calendly. Create templates for a model and a pitchbook.
Week 2: Build a mini-project a one-company DCF + 5-slide investment memo. Post a short summary on LinkedIn.
Week 3: Automate a part of your workflow (e.g., invoice template + Zapier to populate client folder).
Week 4: Pitch a small gig (Upwork, LinkedIn outreach, or to a network contact) and offer a fixed-price "model + memo" package.

Repeat: the goal is consistency. One finished deliverable is worth ten partially started ones.

Final checklist: tools to try in 2025 (short list)

Notion, Obsidian
Excel (desktop) + Macabacus, Power Query
Python (pandas) + Jupyter
Bloomberg / Capital IQ / PitchBook (if available)
PowerPoint + Beautiful.ai
DocuSign / Intralinks
ChatGPT / Copilot / Perplexity
Zapier / Make / n8n
1Password + YubiKey
Calendly + Stripe (for payments)

Try one from each category first: note-taking, modeling, data, automation, and security. That combination covers the broad needs for both freelance work and building an investment banking profile.

Helpful links & next steps

Want a quick walkthrough of a model or a tool stack tailored to your background? If you’re juggling school, a full-time job, or applications, pick one tool to master this month. Small, consistent improvements compound faster than trying to learn everything at once.

Good luck and if you try one of these tools and want feedback on a mini-project (a model or a pitchbook), drop me a link. In my experience, a short review will shave hours off your next project and give you a sharper story for interviews.