Tool directory

The AI tools I actually use, scored and sourced.

Every tool below has been tested against the same rubric — fit for solo budgets, time-to-first-value, cancellation friction, real pricing — and reviewed with at least 35 cited sources. No affiliate ranking. No sponsored slots. The list updates quarterly.

If a tool is here, I've run it in production for at least 30 days. If a tool isn't here, it either hasn't been tested yet or it failed the rubric.

Tool
Category
Score
Pricing
Best for
CU
Cursor
coding
Coding
4.5/5
$0–$40/mo
Daily coding with AI assistance across any stack
CC
Claude Code
coding
Coding
5.0/5
$20–$100/mo
Autonomous feature implementation and refactoring
PX
Perplexity AI
research
Research
4.5/5
$0–$20/mo
Market research, competitor analysis, fact-checking
CL
Claude (Anthropic)
writing
Writing
5.0/5
$0–$20/mo
Article drafting, strategy docs, complex analysis
N8
n8n
automation
Automation
4.0/5
$0–$50/mo
Connecting tools, automating repetitive tasks, AI pipelines
MK
Make (Integromat)
automation
Automation
4.0/5
$0–$29/mo
Multi-step automations between SaaS tools
MJ
Midjourney
design
Design
4.0/5
$10–$60/mo
Landing page visuals, social graphics, product mockups
BH
Beehiiv
marketing
Marketing
4.5/5
$0–$99/mo
Running a paid or free newsletter as a solo founder
SB
Supabase
coding
Coding
5.0/5
$0–$25/mo
Backend for SaaS products without managing infrastructure
GP
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
writing
Writing
4.0/5
$0–$20/mo
Ideation, email drafts, customer support scripts
FR
Framer
design
Design
4.0/5
$0–$30/mo
Landing pages, marketing sites, portfolio sites
LN
Linear
automation
Automation
4.5/5
$0–$16/mo
Managing product roadmap and sprint tasks solo

Scores updated quarterly. Last refresh: April 2026. Next refresh: July 2026.

On affiliates

A few links on this site are affiliate links. The rule: a tool can only become an affiliate AFTER it's been reviewed and scored on its merits. The affiliate relationship has zero influence on whether a tool gets reviewed, what score it gets, or where it ranks.

If a tool is here, I'd recommend it whether or not I made a dollar from your signup. The reviews are sponsor-free and stay sponsor-free, regardless of affiliate status.

If you'd rather not use my affiliate link, every pricing column links directly to the vendor's pricing page — no tracking parameter attached.

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