Tools / what I actually use
What's running all this.
A regular laptop and a short list of tools. No code, no team, no mystery stack. Here's the whole list with the links, starting with the five I'd hand somebody on day one. Want the deep-dives? The AI tools I actually use.
Links checked 25 Jul 2026
Some of these are affiliate links, so if you sign up I might earn a little, at no extra cost to you, and a couple even save you money. I only ever list tools I actually use. That's the deal.
Start here
What do I need to build my first thing?
05 toolsYou don't need twenty tools. This is the short list I'd hand a total beginner, in the order you'll actually use them. Every one is free to start.
01 · The brainClaude
Name your thing, write your words, build your site, and unstick yourself anytime. Free to start.
Start free → 02 · Make it look goodCanva
Describe what you want, it designs it, you publish. Free.
Start free → 03 · Put it onlinebeehiiv
Your site, your newsletter, and a store that takes payments, all in one place.
Start free, 20% off → 04 · Let people book and pay youCal.com
The free plan does what Calendly charges for: payments at booking, reminders, embeds anywhere.
Start free → 05 · Keep it legalCookieYes
Runs the cookie-consent banner every real site needs. The least glamorous tool here and the one that keeps you out of trouble. Free, no card.
Start free → The workhorses
What I pay for, and why.
06 toolsNone of these are needed to start. Each one earned its place by doing a job I was already doing badly by hand.
PaidElevenLabs
The AI voice on my videos. I type a script and get a real-sounding narrator. A little bit magic, honestly.
My honest review →Try it → PaidvidIQ
How I figure out what to make for YouTube, and whether a title or thumbnail will land before I waste a day on it.
My honest review →Try it → PaidFirecrawl
Pulls clean data off any website so the AI can actually use it inside a build. Quietly powers a lot of what I make. Readers get 10% off.
Get 10% off → PaidCloudways
Where I'd move a site that outgrew light hosting, when it wants its own server and real speed. I've run real sites on it; these days mine are on Vercel.
My honest review →Check it out → PaidImagine.art
Where my video b-roll comes from. Type the scene you want, pick a model (Kling, Hailuo, the good ones live here under one subscription), get a cinematic clip. No camera, no stock-footage hunting.
Try it → PaidBlotato
Posts my short videos to TikTok and Pinterest on a schedule. I built my own posting server for Facebook, Instagram, X and Bluesky, but building one is a project in itself, and it never covered those two — so I still pay for this and still use it. If you want one tool that makes short videos and schedules everything at once with no build, this is the no-fuss version of what I made.
My honest review →See Blotato →