The 10 Best Free Mobile Apps for Business of 2016

If you've recently started a business, then you'll need to stay connected to your employees and their tasks even when you're not in the office. Most business software offers mobile application companions that allow you to take your work with you on smartphones and tablets. Unfortunately, many business tools are expensive and out of the reach of the smallest businesses.

Small to midsize businesses (SMBs) need to know which tools they should use to remain productive on the go, even if they don't have a budget to dedicate to mobile software. To help, we have compiled the following list of the best free mobile apps for business. Unless otherwise noted, all of the apps on this list are available on Android and iOS, which means your employees will be able to access them whether they're using Samsung or Apple devices (and most other smartphones, too).

1. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the ideal website on which to search for your future rockstar employee. It features an excellent job board where you can list your open positions, and it is a great place to post news about your company as well as opinion pieces by your brand's thought leaders. The iOS and Android apps feature easy contact and connection management as well as solid push notification customization.

2. Slack

Slack is the ideal business collaboration and messaging app for businesses of all sizes. You can chat with employees in large, open groups, or you can create small groups or one-to-one Slack channels for private conversations. Slack's Lite option is free and comes with 5 GB of file storage. With the Android, iOS, and Windows apps, you can stay connected to your employees 24 hours a day.

3. Asana

If you'd like to keep track of your company's tasks and workflows, then there's no better tool than Asana. The company's free plan supports up to 15 team members. With this plan, you can access iOS and Android apps that allow you to monitor, create, and update tasks from anywhere. You can also enable push notifications that give you insight into major changes that may have occurred to workflows while you were away from your desk.

4. Evernote

Evernote is the note-taking champion at nearly every price tier. At the entry level, you'll receive synchronization between two devices and up to 60 MB of data. Apps are available on Android, iOS, and Windows devices. With the mobile software, you'll be able to create notes on the go that will sync with your desktop account anytime. Had an important client meeting overseas? Type your notes on Evernote's mobile app and find them waiting for you at your desktop back home.

5. Google Drive

Google Drive is a productivity suite, a file syncing and online storage service, a document management tool, and a tool that enables real-time, remote collaboration. Google Drive is free to use with a Google account, and it comes with 15 GB of free storage. Files you create using Google Docs, Sheets, and other in-Drive apps (in Google's proprietary, online formats) don't count toward that quota nor do files shared with you. With the mobile apps, available on iOS and Android (obviously), you can create, edit, and share documents, see details of your files, and mark them to be stored offline on your device.

6. Join.me

Join.me offers excellent mobile video conferencing for free, for up to 10 meeting participants and five video feeds. You'll be able to share your screen and make internet calls to audio conferences. The tool features a modern user interface (UI) that's easy to use and offers plenty of features to enhance your online meetings. These features include easy meeting creation, solid video consistency, and online chat functionality. You'll get all of this on free Android and iOS apps.

7. Zoho Recruit

Zoho Recruit is a solid applicant tracking (AT) tool, especially if you already use other Zoho Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) apps. The free plan offers access to one administrator who can manage up to five jobs. This isn't a robust tool by any mean but it lets you input, publish, and track jobs, and you'll receive five custom email templates. The tool is available on both Android and iOS devices.

8. Zenefits

Zenefits is one of the best human resources software and management tools on the market. Although it's best-suited for startups and SMBs, it features a gorgeous UI and it integrates well with most major payroll processors. With the free plan, you'll be able to make employee updates, enable employees to view and update their own information, and get access to an employee directory. Zenefits is only available on iOS.

9. MailChimp

If you run a small business that is looking to get started with email marketing with the least amount of fuss, then MailChimp should be part of your toolbox. The Forever Free plan lets you send 12,000 emails per month to less than 2,000 accounts. MailChimp also offers a pay-as-you-go plan that's designed for businesses that discover the free plan isn't enough but for whom the monthly plans aren't quite right, either. Under the pay-as-you-go plan, you pay for each email. This plan's rates vary by volume: the more you buy, the lower the price. For example, 300 credits cost $9 or $0.01 per email, while 200,000 credits cost $1,000 or $0.05 per thousand emails. MailChimp's Android and iOS apps let you manage your lists, add new subscribers, send campaigns, and view reports.

10. Adobe Photoshop Express

Adobe Photoshop Express is a nifty, barebones photo editing app. It features a gorgeous and intuitive UI, fine image-correction tools, and a solid choice of effect filters. It's not the powerhouse tool that Photoshop for desktop is but, if you need to crop, straighten, or adjust images, then you'll be happy with this free iOS or Android app.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.