My Actual Stack
Full transparency on every AI tool I pay for. What it's used for, the real monthly cost, and why I keep paying for it. Updated quarterly.
Why transparency matters
Most affiliate sites hide their real relationships with tools. Not here. This page shows exactly what I use and pay for. If I'm recommending a tool, you'll know if I actually use it myself.
| Tool | What I use it for | Monthly Cost | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airtable Cloud database and collaboration platform with AI | workflows ops | $20/month | Try free → |
| AWS SageMaker Comprehensive AWS ML service for model development | data research | Free tier | Try free → |
| Bubble No-code web app builder for complex applications | workflows ops | $32/month | Try free → |
| Canva Pro Design anything with AI-powered tools | content creation | $12.99/month | Try free → |
| ChatGPT OpenAI's conversational AI for content creation and Q&A | content creation | $20/month | Try free → |
| Claude Anthropic's advanced AI assistant for complex tasks | writing copy | $20/month | Try free → |
| Codeium Free AI code completion and chat | coding | $12/month | Try free → |
| Cursor The AI-first code editor | workflows ops | $20/month | Try free → |
| ElevenLabs Ultra-realistic AI text-to-speech and voice cloning | content creation | $5/month | Try free → |
| Grammarly AI-powered writing assistant for grammar and clarity | content creation | $12/month | Try free → |
| HubSpot CRM and inbound marketing platform with AI features | marketing | $20/month | Try free → |
| Make.com Connect any app to any app without code | workflow automation | $9/month | Try free → |
| n8n Free and open workflow automation tool | workflows ops | Free tier | Try free → |
| Notion Connected workspace for wiki, docs, and projects with AI | productivity | $10/month | Try free → |
| Perplexity Pro AI search engine that cites sources | data research | $20/month | Try free → |
| Microsoft Power BI Self-service BI with AI-powered insights | data research | $10/month | Try free → |
| Reclaim.ai Smart calendar to optimize schedules and habits | productivity | $8/month | Try free → |
| Retool Low-code platform for internal tools and dashboards | workflows ops | $10/month | Try free → |
| Semrush Comprehensive SEO, PPC, and social media marketing suite | marketing | $129/month | Try free → |
| Stable Diffusion Open-source text-to-image model with full control | content creation | $7/month | Try free → |
| Total Monthly Cost | $376.99 | ||
My tool selection philosophy
I only pay for tools that earn their keep. Every tool in this stack either saves me significant time or enables something I couldn't do otherwise. If a tool isn't delivering value, I cancel it.
Free tiers first. I always start with free tiers to validate that a tool actually solves my problem. Only after I'm confident it's valuable do I upgrade to paid plans.
Recurring subscriptions add up fast. At $376.99/month, this stack is intentionally lean. Every tool justifies its cost through concrete productivity gains.
Stack changelog
Updated quarterly. Last update: February 2026