The AI tools I actually run my business on.

My main driver, the one I trust for real thinking, real writing, and real work. It now includes Claude Code, so you can build real tools and small agents just by talking to it, and it runs on your phone. The link below gets you a free week. I get a small credit if you subscribe. Use it or don't, the list works either way.

Free · Pro from US$20/mo

My second opinion, and it includes Codex for writing code. Different strengths, good for cross-checking Claude. Running two models and comparing is a habit worth building.

Free · Plus US$20/mo

The automation backbone. A visual canvas where you connect your tools with boxes and lines, so a whole workflow runs on its own without you clicking anything. This is where "wiring it up" stops being a phrase and becomes the actual work.

Free to self-host · cloud plans paid

A plain-text second brain. I keep everything about me and the business in it, so my AI never starts from zero and never guesses who my clients are or how I talk. The AI is only as good as what it knows about you, and this is where you store that.

Free for personal use

Generates images, video, and audio from the best models in one place, without hopping between ten different apps. If you want cheaper alternatives, Kling and Higgsfield are both strong and popular right now.

Pay per generation

Lets me talk instead of type. I dictate most of my work, and talking is far faster than typing once you get used to it, which matters when you are making content every day.

Free tier · paid plans

Posts to every platform from one place instead of doing it by hand ten times over, and it can turn a comment into an automatic DM. It is how my reels reach all seven platforms every day.

Paid plans

Turns my raw filming into word-level transcripts, so editing is search-and-cut instead of scrubbing through footage. Part of the second layer under my content system: not a day-one tool, listed for the honest full picture.

Free, open source

Renders my captions, motion graphics, and video finishes in code, the same way every time. It is why my reels look consistent without an editor touching each one.

Free for individuals

A robot browser that screenshots and tests my web work before anyone sees it. Every page on this site gets checked by it at four screen sizes.

Free, open source

Pulls public data for research, like what competitor content is actually performing, so decisions come from numbers instead of vibes.

Free tier · pay per use

The cheap workhorse model for mechanical jobs where a frontier model would be overkill. Formatting, churning, file edits: route the boring work here and save the good model for judgment.

Pay per use, famously cheap

The boring backbone. Sheets is the database for my whole content and lead system: planning, tracking, approvals. You almost certainly already have it.

Free with a Google account