A laptop is an essential tool for every Freelancer, not only for homework but also for watching videos on YouTube, Netflix, and more. So what are the best affordable laptops for Freelancers?

Freelancers on a tight budget can now get an entry-level laptop with a decent hard drive, graphics card, display, and good battery life for between $ 200 and $ 400. That said, with the sheer number of really nice laptops out there, we think it’s worth spending at least a few hundred more to get a machine with long battery life, a substantial hard drive, better performance, and better graphics. This list of the best affordable laptops for freelancers and college students — and, well, freelancers of all skill levels — is based on our own practical use and benchmark tests. We update it regularly as we review new products.

The average battery life of a Chromebook is excellent. But if you are looking for something that at the same time doubles as a gaming laptop, has a lot of storage, or can run heavy programs like video editing software, stay here because there are good options.

Explore the Contents

1 The Best MacBook for Freelancers
- 1.1 Apple MacBook Air with Retina Display (2020)
2 The Best Affordable Laptops for Freelancers

The Best MacBook for Freelancers

Apple MacBook Air with Retina Display (2020)

The latest Apple MacBook Air hits all the points: it starts at $999 and the new Magic Keyboard. Best of all, this laptop packs in the new Intel processors, a new Force Touch trackpad, and 256GB of storage in the entry-level configuration. The biggest downside is that the base model MacBook Air with Retina Display has an Intel Core i3 processor, and upgrading to the Core i5 will cost you an extra $100.

The Best Affordable Laptops for Freelancers

Dell XPS 13 9370

If you’re committed to the Windows operating system and want a balance of portability, power, and price, it’s hard to find a better laptop than the Dell XPS 13. Dell has made many improvements to this computer and it is hard to fault it. The design and components are second to none, which is reflected in the battery life and performance. It has 6GB of RAM, a 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe drive, and a 13.3-inch screen for hours and hours of writing trials.

Microsoft Surface Pro 7

The Surface Pro continues to be the bastion of Windows devices that double as laptop and tablet — even if they’re better tablets than laptops. (If you’re looking for the opposite, Lenovo’s two-in-one Yoga devices are better laptops than tablets.) In addition to the typical great performance and battery life you can expect, the seventh edition finally arrives with a USB-C port.

Its super portable size makes it ideal for freelancers who may be carrying too much stuff. Although the company still sells the Surface Pro without the essential Type Cover keyboard and Surface Pen included, they often come at a good price, sometimes with one or both accessories. Read more about Surface Pro 7.

Dell G5 15

Dell’s G-series offers a smart balance of build quality, battery life, and performance, with plenty of power in the graphics card for college students and freelancers looking to play the newest video games, when they aren’t doing homework. The slim and compact design hides its gaming machine pedigree, and since it’s not the newest – it has a 9th Gen Intel Core processor – there are plenty of bargains to be found. This machine currently starts at around $ 850, and we’ve found some pretty powerful setups for sale for around $ 1,000.

Lenovo Yoga Chromebook

The Yoga Chromebook is a versatile laptop for freelancers, as it doubles as a tablet. It has a 15.6-inch 4K touchscreen, solid battery life, an Intel Core i5 CPU, and 8GB of RAM.

Asus ROG Zephyrus S

You will love its 15.6-inch HD screen size and backlit keyboard. If you are looking for a more serious device for your video games, with a good processor, and that fits in a student’s budget, this laptop offers powerful components for what it costs.

Asus ExpertBook B9450F

A feather-light 14-inch laptop with a great battery, though it leaves a bit to be desired in terms of performance.

Dell Inspiron 15 3593

For less than $430, you get a sleek 15-inch laptop with a reasonable configuration: 10th Gen Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB SSD plus 1TB of storage.

Lenovo IdeaPad 3

The IdeaPad 3 comes in 14-inch and 15-inch models. The 14-inch model that costs US $380 integrates an AMD Ryzen 3 3250U card and 8GB of memory. The downside is that the screen resolution is low at 1,366×768.

HP 15

The HP 15 doesn’t have a true HD display, but its other specs are pretty good at under $500. They include a Ryzen 5 3500U processor, 256GB of solid state drive and 12GB of RAM.