Online marketing is a huge playing field - and without the right tools, it can quickly become confusing. Regardless of whether you want to generate leads, increase your reach or measure the performance of your campaigns: The right tools will help you with your endeavour. Here is a series of must-haves (free and paid) that you should definitely take a look at.
Tools for content creation
Canva
Canva is a real all-rounder when it comes to visual marketing. With thousands of templates for social media posts, presentations, banner ads and more, you can create stunning designs in no time - even without graphic design skills. It offers built-in stock photos, icons and fonts that make creating professional graphics a breeze.
Costs: Free of charge, Pro version from approx. 11.99 €/month.
Grammarly
This digital proofreader is your best friend when it comes to error-free and stylistically confident texts. Grammarly not only checks spelling and grammar, but also offers suggestions for writing style and readability. It's perfect for blogs, newsletters and social media.
Costs: Free of charge, premium version from approx. 12 €/month
Copy.ai / ChatGPT
These tools use artificial intelligence to produce creative texts. Whether you need social media captions, blog posts or advertising copy, they quickly provide you with ideas and ready-made texts that you can use or adapt straight away.
Costs: Free of charge, Pro versions from approx. 20 €/month
Tools for SEO and keyword research
SEMrush
SEMrush is a comprehensive tool for keyword research, SEO analysis, competition monitoring and content marketing. It offers detailed insights into your own website and those of your competitors. What is particularly practical is that it shows you which keywords you should target in order to improve your ranking.
Costs: From approx. 119.95 €/month
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a real powerhouse when it comes to backlink analyses, keyword research and site audits. It provides comprehensive insights into your competitors' SEO strategies and helps you identify the best opportunities for organic traffic.
Costs: From approx. 99 €/month
Ubersuggest
Developed by Neil Patel, Ubersuggest provides a user-friendly interface for keyword analyses, site audits and content ideas. It is particularly useful for small businesses and sole traders looking for a quick overview of their SEO performance.
Costs: Free of charge, Pro versions from approx. 29 €/month
Google Keyword Planner
This free tool from Google is a classic in keyword research. It offers comprehensive data on search volume, competition and potential advertising CPC - perfect for finding profitable keywords for your campaigns.
Costs: Free of charge
SISTRIX
SISTRIX is a powerful SEO tool that is particularly suitable for analysing the competition. It offers detailed visibility indices, keyword analyses and backlink monitoring - ideal for professional SEOs.
Costs: From approx. 99 €/month
XOVI
XOVI is a comprehensive SEO suite that covers everything from keyword analysis and backlink tracking to competitor analysis. It is a cost-effective alternative to the big players and offers an extensive set of tools for comprehensive SEO optimisation.
Costs: From approx. 99 €/month
Tools for social media management
Buffer
Buffer is a simple but powerful tool for planning and publishing social media posts. With Buffer, you can plan your content in advance and analyse the performance of your posts directly in the tool.
Costs: Free of charge, Pro versions from approx. 6 €/month
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is the classic social media management tool. It offers extensive analysis and planning functions and supports a wide range of networks, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram
Costs: From approx. 19 €/month.
Later
Later is particularly popular for visual social media marketing, especially on Instagram and Pinterest. It offers a drag-and-drop interface for scheduling posts and visualising your feed.
Costs: Free of charge, Pro versions from approx. 15 €/month
? Tip: Many social media platforms such as Facebook (Meta), Instagram and LinkedIn also offer their own free tools for managing and analysing content. Examples include the Meta Business Suite and the Facebook Creator Studiowhich include extensive planning and analysis tools. These native solutions can often replace or usefully supplement many paid tools - especially if you are mainly active on these platforms.
Tools for email marketing and automation
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is the classic solution for newsletters and email automation. It is ideal for small and medium-sized companies that want to reach their target groups effectively by email.
Costs: Free of charge, Pro versions from approx. 13 €/month
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is a powerful CRM and email marketing tool with extensive automation options. It offers personalised campaigns and detailed analyses for advanced marketers.
Costs: From approx. 29 €/month.
Sendinblue
Sendinblue is a cost-effective and powerful alternative to the big players - perfect for small teams and start-ups.
Costs: Free of charge, Pro versions from approx. 19 €/month
Tools for web analysis and conversion optimisation
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is the standard for web analytics - comprehensive, free and indispensable. It offers detailed insights into user behaviour, the origin of traffic and the performance of your campaigns. However, the dashboard is too confusing for many users and overloaded with functions that are not necessarily needed in everyday life. There are also always concerns about data protection. Reason enough to take a look at the numerous Google Analytics alternatives such as our Web analysis tool Trackboxx to dedicate to the future.
Costs: Free of charge.
Google Search Console
The Google Search Console is an indispensable tool for search engine optimisation. It shows you how your website performs in the search results and which search terms bring visitors to your site.
Costs: Free of charge.
Piwik PRO
Piwik PRO is the extended, enterprise version of Matomo. It offers even more extensive data protection and security functions and is therefore ideal for companies with strict data protection requirements.
Costs: Depending on the number of users, price on request.
Hotjar
Hotjar visualises user behaviour with heatmaps, session recordings and surveys. It is perfect for optimising the user experience and identifying the weak points of your website.
Costs: Free of charge, Pro versions from approx. 32 €/month.
Crazy Egg
Crazy Egg is another great tool for user tracking and conversion optimisation. It offers features such as heatmaps, scroll tracking and A/B testing to improve the effectiveness of your website.
Costs: From approx. 29 €/month.
Summary - Overview of free and paid tools
| Canva | Yes | 11.99 €/month |
| Grammarly | Yes | 12 €/month |
| Copy.ai / ChatGPT | Yes | 20 €/month |
| SEMrush | No | 119.95 €/month |
| Ahrefs | No | 99 €/month |
| Ubersuggest | Yes | 29 €/month |
| Google Keyword Planner | Yes | – |
| SISTRIX | No | 99 €/month |
| XOVI | No | 99 €/month |
| Buffer | Yes | 6 €/month |
| Hootsuite | No | 19 €/month |
| Later | Yes | 15 €/month |
| Mailchimp | Yes | 13 €/month |
| ActiveCampaign | No | 29 €/month |
| Sendinblue | Yes | 19 €/month |
| Google Analytics | Yes | – |
| Google Search Console | Yes | – |
| Matomo | Yes | 19 €/month (cloud version) |
| Piwik PRO | No | Price on request |
| Hotjar | Yes | 32 €/month |
| Crazy Egg | No | 29 €/month |
Important note: We assume no liability for the topicality and correctness of the prices quoted.
