The Solo Stack · 101 AI tools

101 AI tools that earn their place.

Not 700. Picked for solo entrepreneurs, small businesses and one-person marketing teams. Every tool tells you the job it does, what the free plan really gets you, and whether I use it myself.

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101 tools
10 jobs
Every listing checked Oct 2026
No paid placements

Member stacks

What other members actually run

Real stacks from members, with what they cost. My picks first, then the most recommended.

See all 7 stacks

3 toolsMaurice's pick

Digital product starter stack

by MG

To start$44.99/mo

All upgraded$61.99/mo

4 tools93% · 15 ratings

Selling my first digital product

by Ana R.

To start$0/mo

All upgraded$62/mo

4 tools82% · 11 ratings

Video once a week, no editor

by Dev P.

To start$0/mo

All upgraded$53/mo

4 toolsNew

Research to post in an hour

by Sam K.

To start$0/mo

All upgraded$57/mo

3 toolsNew

Client work on autopilot

by Sam K.

To start$0/mo

All upgraded$39/mo

Build your stackPick from the 101 and get your own receipt to share.

The list

Pick by the job, not the category.

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25 tools

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001
001
Claude
I use this
AI assistant for writing, coding, planning and automating
Free plan: chat on web, desktop and mobile, web search, files, memory and Artifacts, with usage limits.
Use it toDraft posts, emails and sales pages in your voice and coding projects
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
002
002
Stanley AI
I use thisMember deal
AI content manager you text to draft and post
No free plan. $44.99/mo with a 3-day free trial.
Use it toTurn voice notes into posts for 6 social networks
Not rated yet
PaidVisit
Member deal · ends 31 Oct
1 month free
Join free to see the code
003
003
beehiiv
I use thisMember deal
Newsletter platform with built-in growth and ads.
Free plan: up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, 1 publication, 30-day analytics.
Use it toRun and grow a newsletter with a website
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
Member deal
14-day trial + 20% OFF for 3 months
No code needed: the deal applies when you sign up through Visit.
004
004
ChatGPT
I use this
OpenAI's AI assistant for chat, writing, images and voice.
Free plan: unlimited chats with the base model; limited uploads, images, voice and deep research.
Use it toBrainstorm hooks and draft first versions
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
005
005
Perplexity
I use this
AI answer engine that cites its sources.
Free plan: cited answers with basic AI models and limited daily usage.
Use it toResearch a topic fast with linked sources
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
006
006
Descript
Edit video by editing the transcript.
Free plan: 1 hour of media a month, 100 one-time AI credits, 720p export with watermark.
Use it toCut podcasts and talking-head videos
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
007
007
Make
I use this
Visual drag-and-drop automation builder.
Free plan: 1,000 credits a month, 2 active scenarios, runs every 15 minutes at most.
Use it toBuild multi-step automations cheaply
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
008
008
ElevenLabs
Realistic AI voices, voice cloning and sound effects.
Free plan: 10k credits a month, 3 Studio projects, no commercial license.
Use it toVoice over videos, ads and audio versions of posts
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
009
009
Buffer
I use this
Simple scheduler for 12 social networks.
Free plan: 1 user, 10 scheduled posts per channel at a time, 100 ideas, AI assistant, basic stats.
Use it toSchedule a week of posts in one sitting
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
010
010
Zapier
Connects 9,000+ apps so they pass data automatically.
Free plan: 100 tasks a month, two-step automations only, includes Tables and Forms.
Use it toSend new subscribers to a sheet or CRM
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
011
011
Canva
All-in-one design tool with AI and templates.
Free plan: 1.6M+ templates, 5GB storage, one brand kit, up to 20 AI uses a month.
Use it toMake social posts, thumbnails and lead magnets
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
012
012
Gemini Notebook
Google's research notebook (formerly NotebookLM).
Free plan: up to 100 notebooks with 50 sources each.
Use it toTurn your sources into summaries and audio
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
013
013
Adobe Express
Quick design, photo and video tool with AI.
Free plan: 100,000+ templates, 1M+ stock assets, 5GB storage, limited AI credits.
Use it toDesign branded posts, flyers and short videos
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
014
014
Opus Clip
Turns long videos into short clips.
Free plan: 60 credits a month, 1080p with watermark, exports expire after 3 days.
Use it toCut a podcast into Shorts and Reels
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
015
015
Granola
AI meeting notes that work without a bot on the call.
Free plan: AI meeting notes and chat, 30 days of meeting history.
Use it toGet clean notes from client and partner calls
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
016
016
Kit
I use this
Email marketing built for creators (formerly ConvertKit).
Free plan: up to 10,000 subscribers.
Use it toSend newsletters and automated welcome sequences
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
017
017
Metricool
Social scheduling plus analytics and ads reports.
Free plan: 1 brand, 20 scheduled posts a month, 30 days of analytics, AI assistant.
Use it toPlan posts and track what performs
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
018
018
Gemini
I use this
Google's AI assistant, with Deep Research built in.
Free plan: Flash model, some Pro access, image generation, Deep Research, Canvas and Gems.
Use it toDraft copy and run deep research reports
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
019
019
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
Free Ahrefs SEO audit and keyword data for your own site.
Free: site audit, web analytics and keyword rankings for your verified websites.
Use it toSee what your site ranks for and fix SEO issues
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
020
020
Napkin AI
Turns your text into diagrams and infographics.
Free plan: 500 AI credits a week, PNG/PDF export, Napkin branding on visuals.
Use it toAdd a clear graphic to a blog post or newsletter
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
021
021
HeyGen
AI avatar videos and video translation.
Free plan: 3 videos a month, up to 1 minute each, 1 custom avatar.
Use it toMake talking-head videos without filming
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
022
022
Suno
Make full songs with vocals from a text prompt.
Free plan: 50 credits a day on free models, no commercial rights, no monthly downloads.
Use it toCreate jingles and background music for content
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
023
023
Wispr Flow
Voice dictation that turns speech into clean text anywhere.
Free plan: 2,000 words a week on desktop and 1,000 on mobile.
Use it toTalk out drafts of posts and emails
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
024
024
Publer
Low-cost social scheduler with AI writing help.
Free plan: 3 social accounts (no X), 10 scheduled posts per account, 25 drafts.
Use it toSchedule posts cheaply across many networks
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit
025
025
Notion
I use this
Notes, docs and databases in one workspace.
Free plan: unlimited pages for one person, trial of Notion AI; block limit with teammates.
Use it toRun your content calendar and wiki
Not rated yet
FreemiumVisit

Showing the first 25. The other 76 unlock with your email.

76 more tools · free

Get all 101, plus a new tool in every Weekly Drop.

Join the Weekly Drop, my free newsletter. Already a reader? Use the same email and sign in, and the full list opens.

Start here

Don't browse the whole list. Start with a stack.

The free stack$0 a month

Starting from zero

Everything a solo marketer needs to ship every week, on free plans only.

ClaudeWrite
beehiivEmail
PerplexityResearch
DescriptVideo
CanvaDesign

The starter stackYour first upgrades

What to pay for first

The upgrades that save the most hours. Start paying here, nowhere else.

ClaudeWrite
beehiivEmail
DescriptVideo
ZapierAutomate
Opus ClipVideo

The video stackFree plans to start

Show your face, or don't

Record once, cut it into a week of clips, and voice it without a mic.

DescriptVideo
ElevenLabsAudio
CanvaDesign
Opus ClipVideo
HeyGenVideo

How I pick

Four rules. A tool breaks one, it's off the list.

01
It does one job well for a solo marketer
If I can't say in one line what you'd use it for this week, it isn't here. No "AI platforms" that do everything and nothing.
02
It's alive
A real company that shipped updates in the last few months, with a working site. Dead tools and thin wrappers get cut at every monthly check.
03
A real free plan or a fair price
Every listing says what the free plan actually gets you, in plain English, so you don't find out at checkout.
04
Nobody pays to get on
Some links earn me a small commission. That never decides what makes the list, and those links are marked.

Some links are affiliate links. They never decide what makes the list.

101 AI tools that earn their place.

What other members actually run

Digital product starter stack

Selling my first digital product

Video once a week, no editor

Research to post in an hour

Client work on autopilot

Pick by the job, not the category.

Claude

Stanley AI

beehiiv

ChatGPT

Perplexity

Descript

Make

ElevenLabs

Buffer

Zapier

Canva

Gemini Notebook

Adobe Express

Opus Clip

Granola

Kit

Metricool

Gemini

Ahrefs Webmaster Tools

Napkin AI

HeyGen

Suno

Wispr Flow

Publer

Notion

Get all 101, plus a new tool in every Weekly Drop.

Don't browse the whole list. Start with a stack.

Starting from zero

What to pay for first

Show your face, or don't

Four rules. A tool breaks one, it's off the list.

It does one job well for a solo marketer

It's alive

A real free plan or a fair price

Nobody pays to get on