When Google announced the death of Google Reader last month, the most repeated aphorism was this: if you’re not paying for it, you’re the product.

And it is one that most freelance journalists (indeed most freelancers) ignore because whether the tools are free, freemium or low cost their practical application either can’t be found elsewhere or only can at great expense. So if one day the benevolent / scheming software companies take them away from us, well we’re willing to take that risk.

A month into my current freelance stint, here are six tools I’m finding invaluable. It’s an utterly subjective list and there are likely to be alternatives to each of the tools I cite below that may even do a better job. Nor is the list comprehensive – so if you have other tools to suggest, leave a comment below.