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Last Updated on February 3, 2020

Between mountains of code, demanding clients, and long hours, freelance programmers have a challenging life. Fortunately, we’re not the only ones that realize this. In fact, there are loads of resources out there designed to make a freelance programmer’s life just a little bit easier, and we’ve highlighted 100 of them here. Cheat Sheets & Tutorials If you just can’t seem to remember a specific piece of code, or if you need a crash course in a new language, these resources are here to lend a hand.

Business Tools & Advice

If you rock at writing code, but can’t seem to keep your books straight, these resources are for you.

Find Work

Locate projects and new clients using these job sites that cater to freelance programmers.

Guru: Guru’s one of the biggest freelance sites out there, so you’re bound to find some programming work here. JibberJobber: Use JibberJobber to find work, manage relationships, and more. Flex Jobs: Programmers can find lots of work on this job site designed especially for web workers. Professional On The Web: Put your portfolio up on this site, and it will serve as a living resume for any prospective clients. Freelancer: This freelance advice site’s job board focuses primarily on web workers. We Work Remotely: Through We Work Remotely, you can find programming projects and get paid easily. Craigslist: Craigslist is an old favorite for programmers, but be sure to watch out for idiots who want something for nothing.

Usability

Stay on top of accessibility, information architecture, and usability with these resources.

Organization & Communication

Use these tools to stay on top of your work, sanity, and client contacts with ease.

YesWare: Sending out responses to yet another client who doesn’t understand your support policy can be taxing. Among many other features, YesWare allows you to create templates that you can send out instead. Spongecell: This online calendar works to help you schedule your time. TimeXchange: Use TimeXchange to stay on top of how much time you’re devoting to specific projects so that you can bill clients accordingly. eFax: If you’re working with corporate clients, a fax machine-even a virtual one-is essential. This one does the job. MailTags 2.0: This Mail.app plugin makes it easy to track communication using tags and notes. Zapier: An integration app that works with Gmail, Office 365, and Microsoft Exchange, and includes an IMAP integration so you can connect it to almost any other email service. TodoBot: Set up a TodoBot, and adding items to your todo list will never be further than your IM client. WordFast: Get easy translation using WordFast so that you can communicate with international clients. ClearContext: Get through the junk in your inbox by using ClearContext, a program that organizes and prioritizes email. CoreBlox: Use CoreBlox to provide support to clients with case management and more. Free Summarizer: This tool helps you get to the point by summarizing any text automatically.

Productivity

If you’re busy and successful, then you’re certainly always on the hunt for a better, faster way to do things. Hunt no more-these productivity tools will help you get the job done faster.

Ninja Freelance: You’re a programming ninja-now master the domain of freelancing with Ninja Freelance. O’Reilly Network: These guys wrote the book on programming-several, actually. They cover nearly every aspect of development you could hope to learn about. Lifehacker: Check out this blog for tips & downloads on getting things done. Envato Tuts+: This freelance advice site has tutorials, inspiration and videos to help you learn. W3Schools: Get tutorials to help you with scripts, languages and more, then test yourself with their quizzes. DZone: A Digg for developers, DZone is home to some of the best current news, tutorials and advice in programming. Notes on Design: This blog discusses design from the perspective of professionals and academics. A List Apart: A List Apart covers loads of issues in web design. Vitamin: Vitamin’s mix of resources for developers and entrepreneurs makes it a perfect publication for freelance programmers. JavaWorld Blogs: Stay on top of what bloggers are discussing with JavaWorld’s community for Java technology learners and pros. W3C: Get loads of advice about the Web from standards to accessibility from the authority on the Internet. Ajaxian: Ajax developers can’t miss this resource. Unclutterer: Learn how to get and stay organized, physically and virtually. Tweako: Freelance programmers can get access to advice and more through Tweako. Speckyboy Design Magazine: Get reviews, news, and features from Speckyboy. Slashdot: Slashdot covers interesting news for programmers and beyond. Smashing Magazine: Check out Smashing for loads of tools, tutorials, and advice for developers. Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association: Stay up to date on the latest in open access with this blog. TechCrunch: Find out about the latest new developments in the world of tech and programming with TechCrunch. UX Magazine: Get the latest and greatest in user experience with this magazine. Virtual Vocations: Stay up to date on the latest in telecommuting jobs with this blog and job board.

Industry News & Resources

Read these blogs, magazines, and news sites to stay on top of the latest in freelancing, programming and technology.