Free tools for trainers

List of tools

Disclaimer: Inclusion in this list does not imply a recommendation.

Each situation is different and so you may need to experiment or get personal advice.

Name Categories Notes
Zoom Virtual meeting Free for meetings of up to 40 minutes
Google forms Surveys & polls Requires a Google account
Typeform Surveys & polls Beautiful interface
Pixabay Stock photos Great source of photos and other images for your materials
Qsnap Screen capture & recording Chrome extension
Iris Screen capture & recording MacOS only
Skitch Screen capture & recording MacOS only - great for annotating images
Zamzar File convertor Convert all sorts of files from one format to another
OBS Studio Screen capture & recording Open source - a bit complex initially
Flashback Express Screen capture & recording Windows only
Screencast-o-matic Screen capture & recording Simple but effective
Pixlr Photo & image editing Browser-based tool
The GIMP Photo & image editing Powerful image editor
Canva Photo & image editing Comprehensive design tool
LibreOffice draw Diagramming Part of the excellent LibreOffice suite
Openshot Video editing & publishing Powerful & open source editing tool
Shotcut Video editing & publishing Powerful & open source editing tool
Vimeo Video editing & publishing Video streaming platform
Youtube Video editing & publishing Video streaming platform
Wordpress Website creation Popular tool for publishing articles
Google sites Website creation Requires a Google account
Dropbox File sharing Popular amongst trainers
PCloud File sharing Based in Switzerland
WeTransfer File sharing Great for sending large files
GoToMeeting Virtual meeting Free for up to 3 people for 40 minutes
Note.ly Collaboration Add sticky notes to a shared board
Pinup Collaboration Add sticky notes to a shared board
Stormboard Collaboration Shared sticky notes and whiteboard. Free for teams of up to 5 people
Keynote Presentations Only for MacOS
LibreOffice Impress Presentations Part of the open-source LibreOffice suite
Prezi Presentations A different way of doing presentations
Freemind Mind mapping Open source tool
CmapTools Mind mapping Designed to build sophisticated concept maps
The Brain Mind mapping Personal knowledge management tool
VUE Mind mapping Open source tool
Coggle Mind mapping Online tool
Audacity Audio & podcast Powerful & popular open source tool
Garageband Audio & podcast MacOS only
Ardour Audio & podcast Open source digital audio workstation
Podomatic Audio & podcast Audio recording and podcast hosting
Spreaker Audio & podcast Create and distribute your podcast
Free music archive Music & sound effects Remember to follow the license conditions
Youtube audiolibrary Music & sound effects Great source of professional quality music and sound effects
PacDV free sound effects Music & sound effects Royalty free sound effects and music
Audionautix Music & sound effects Remember to credit the source
Pinterest Curating Great if you're wanting to share collections of images
Pocket Curating Best for personal knowledge management
Diigo Curating Great for sharing collections of bookmarks
eLink Curating Create beautiful pages of content to share
Wakelet Curating Organise and share content from across the web
Trello Organising Perfect for planning and organising lists of things - for yourself or your group
Miro Whiteboard Free for up to 3 boards
Conceptboard Whiteboard Free for unlimited boards of up to 50 objects per board
Explain Everything Whiteboard Free for up to 3 projects
Whiteboard Fox Whiteboard Good for one-off whiteboard sessions
AWW Whiteboard Good for one-off whiteboard sessions
Web Whiteboard Whiteboard Good for one-off whiteboard sessions
Ziteboard Whiteboard Free for up to 3 boards
Stormboard Whiteboard Free for teams of up to 5 people
Whatsapp Group communication Secure and commonly used
Google Groups Group communication Email-based group communication
Facebook Groups Group communication Public or private communication
Groups.io Group communication Powerful email-based group communication
Jitsi Group communication Fully encrypted open-source video conferencing
Google Keep Curating Great for keeping notes and checklists - even includes a tool to convert images to text
Da Vinci Video editing & publishing High-powered video and audio editing suite
Palleton Graphics Fantastic tool to help you choose a good set of colours
Traktion Waveform Free Audio & podcast Established provider of solid digital audio workstation software - with many professional features