Back to directory
The Growth Strategy

What is a Free Tool?

A standalone product that provides real value at no cost, while strategically driving awareness and leads to a company's paid offering.

The Growth Funnel

Free Tool

Provides instant value

User Trust

Builds credibility

Paid Product

Natural conversion

Why Free Tools Work

Free tools are one of the most effective growth strategies because they align value with marketing.

SEO Traffic

Free tools rank for valuable keywords like "free email finder" or "color palette generator", bringing organic traffic 24/7.

Trust Building

Users experience your product quality before paying. If the free tool is great, they trust the paid product will be too.

Viral Sharing

People love sharing useful free tools with colleagues and on social media, creating organic word-of-mouth growth.

Lead Generation

Capture emails for extended features or results. These leads are already qualified - they've used your product.

Real Examples

See how successful companies use free tools to drive growth.

Backlink Checker

by Ahrefs

Free tool to analyze any website's backlinks

Ahrefs SEO Toolkit ($99/mo)

Website Grader

by HubSpot

Free tool to analyze website performance and SEO

HubSpot CRM & Marketing Hub

Color Palette Generator

by Canva

Free tool to create beautiful color schemes

Canva Pro design platform

Email Finder

by Lemlist

Free tool to find verified email addresses

Lemlist email outreach platform

Explore the Directory

Discover free tools from companies and indie hackers, and see exactly what paid products they drive leads to.

Browse Free Tools