Toolkit
My AI Hustle Stack
The AI tools and software I actually use and recommend, daily, across content, ops, and automation. I break down new picks and exactly how I use them on the blog and in the newsletter.
Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only list tools I use or have tested for a review.
Stack last verified: September 2026
If you only adopt three: Claude for the thinking and writing, Kit for owning your audience, and Make for the automations that buy your hours back. Everything else below earns its slot for a specific job.
Chat & reasoning
ChatGPT My default for drafting, brainstorming, and custom GPTs. · free tier; Plus $20/mo How I use it to replace a VA →
Claude Best for long-form writing, nuanced editing, and deep work. I pay for all three of these; Claude gets the hardest jobs. · free tier My Claude content prompts →
Gemini Google-native research with huge context windows. · free tier My Gemini prompt guide →
Meetings & transcription
Fireflies Records, transcribes, and summarizes every call. · free plan My full Fireflies review →
Otter Live transcripts and shareable meeting notes. · free plan Otter vs Fathom vs Fireflies →
Fathom The free AI notetaker I recommend for Zoom-first teams. · free plan My notetaker comparison →
Content & video
Descript Edit video and podcasts by editing the transcript. · free tier Descript vs CapCut vs Opus →
CapCut Fast social-video editing with AI effects and captions. · free tier My video editor comparison →
Opus Clip Turns long videos into ready-to-post short clips. · free tier How it stacks up →
Email & audience
Kit My newsletter platform: automations, forms, and creator tools. · free plan Beehiiv vs Kit vs Mailchimp →
Beehiiv Built-in growth tools and referral loops for newsletters. · free plan My newsletter platform comparison →
Automation
Docs & data
Airtable Databases that feel like spreadsheets, great for ops. · free plan My PM tools for founders →
Coda Docs, tables, and automations in one workspace. · free plan My PM tools for founders →
Blogging & travel deals
Bluehost Where I tell beginners to start a blog that can earn. · paid Start a blog with AI →
Going Cheap-flight alerts I actually pay for. · free + premium AI for cheap flights →
Airbnb hosting
Hospitable Guest messaging, scheduling, and reviews on autopilot. The first software I recommend to any host, and my link gets you 25% off for 3 months. · free plan My Airbnb automation comparison →
Built by me
Make the Leap My own AI assessments for career, health, money, and life decisions. The career one reads your written answers and hands back three named paths with income ranges. · free in full My transparent review →
Europe Flight Club My US-to-Europe flight deals club: 1,037 fares tracked from 26 airports, the best ones in your inbox weekly. · free
My reviews & head-to-heads
Before you pay for anything above, read the comparison. I test these on real work.
AI models
AI notetakers
Newsletter platforms
Career tools
Stack FAQ
- Which AI tools do you actually pay for?
- The paid seats that survive every cost review: all three chat models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini), Kit for email, Make for automations, Descript for video, and Going premium for flights. Most of the rest runs on free tiers, which is the point: start free, upgrade only when a tool has proven it saves you hours.
- What's the best free AI stack to start with?
- Claude or ChatGPT's free tier for thinking and writing, Fathom for meeting notes, Zapier's free plan for your first automation, and my free prompt pack to drive them. That covers thinking, meetings, and automation for exactly $0, and it's how I tell every beginner to start.
- How does a tool earn a spot in this stack?
- Three tests: I use it weekly across my real businesses, it survives my quarterly cost review, and cutting it would cost me hours. Nothing is listed because it has an affiliate program; several tools here pay me nothing.
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