The best tools for startup founders
59 hand-picked tools across 14 categories - curated by founders who actually ship. No affiliate links, no sponsored placements. Just the tools we'd recommend to a friend.
Curated Stacks
Idea Researcher
Validate your idea before writing a single line of code
MVP Builder
Ship your first version in a weekend
Solo Founder
Everything you need to go from zero to revenue alone
Content & Growth
Build an audience and drive organic traffic
Automation Stack
Automate repetitive tasks and scale without hiring
AI Research
Perplexity
AI-powered research engine that cites sources. Perfect for market research and competitive analysis.
FreemiumClaude
Anthropic's AI assistant. Best-in-class for long-form analysis, brainstorming, and writing business plans.
FreemiumChatGPT
OpenAI's conversational AI. Great for quick idea validation, customer persona generation, and copywriting.
FreemiumGrok
xAI's model with real-time X/Twitter data access. Useful for tracking trending topics and sentiment.
FreemiumGoogle Gemini
Google's AI with deep web integration. Strong for market sizing and trend analysis with live data.
FreemiumAI Coding
Cursor
AI-first code editor built on VS Code. Autocomplete, chat, and multi-file edits powered by frontier models.
FreemiumClaude Code
Anthropic's agentic coding tool. Runs in your terminal, edits files, runs tests, and commits code autonomously.
PaidBolt
AI full-stack app builder. Describe what you want, get a deployable app with frontend, backend, and database.
Freemiumv0 by Vercel
Generate React UI components from text prompts. Ships production-ready code with Tailwind and shadcn/ui.
FreemiumLovable
AI-powered app builder that generates full-stack apps from natural language. Connects to Supabase for instant backends.
FreemiumReplit
Browser-based IDE with AI coding assistant. Build, test, and deploy without leaving the browser.
FreemiumGitHub Copilot
AI pair programmer that suggests code inline. Integrates deeply with VS Code, JetBrains, and Neovim.
PaidIdea Validation
LaunchKit
AI-powered startup idea reports with deep evidence, scoring, and market analysis. Get validated ideas daily.
FreemiumGoogle Trends
See search interest over time for any keyword. Essential for validating demand signals before building.
FreeExploding Topics
Spots rapidly growing trends before they peak. Find underserved niches with rising demand signals.
FreemiumSparkToro
Audience research tool. Find where your target customers hang out, what they read, and who they follow.
FreemiumSimilarWeb
Competitive traffic analysis. See any website's traffic, sources, and audience demographics for free.
FreemiumMVP & No-Code
Supabase
Open-source Firebase alternative. Postgres database, auth, storage, and real-time subscriptions out of the box.
FreemiumFirebase
Google's app development platform. Auth, Firestore, hosting, and cloud functions with generous free tier.
FreemiumBubble
Most powerful no-code app builder. Build complex web apps with databases, workflows, and APIs - no code needed.
FreemiumRetool
Build internal tools fast. Drag-and-drop components that connect to any database or API.
FreemiumAirtable
Spreadsheet-database hybrid. Build lightweight CRMs, project trackers, and content calendars without code.
FreemiumLanding Pages
Framer
Design and publish stunning landing pages. Built-in CMS, animations, and SEO - the go-to for indie founders.
FreemiumCarrd
Simple one-page sites for $19/year. Perfect for MVPs, waitlists, and link-in-bio pages.
FreemiumTypedream
Notion-like website builder. Build beautiful landing pages with a block-based editor in minutes.
FreemiumWebflow
Professional website builder with designer-level control. CMS, animations, and hosting included.
FreemiumDesign
Figma
Collaborative design tool. Create UI mockups, prototypes, and design systems. Free for up to 3 projects.
FreemiumCanva
Design anything - social posts, pitch decks, logos. Massive template library with AI features.
FreemiumMidjourney
AI image generation. Create product mockups, hero images, and brand assets from text descriptions.
PaidExcalidraw
Virtual whiteboard for sketching architecture diagrams, user flows, and wireframes. Free and open source.
FreeEmail & Marketing
Resend
Modern email API for developers. Beautiful emails with React components. 3,000 free emails/month.
FreemiumLoops
Email platform built for SaaS. Transactional emails, drip campaigns, and newsletters with a clean UI.
FreemiumBeehiiv
Newsletter platform with built-in growth tools. Referral programs, recommendations, and monetization baked in.
FreemiumConvertKit
Email marketing for creators. Visual automations, landing pages, and commerce features. Free up to 10K subs.
FreemiumSEO & Content
Ahrefs
Industry-standard SEO toolset. Keyword research, backlink analysis, and content gap identification.
PaidSemrush
All-in-one marketing toolkit. SEO, content marketing, competitor analysis, and PPC research.
PaidUbersuggest
Neil Patel's SEO tool. Keyword ideas, content suggestions, and site audits with a generous free tier.
FreemiumTypefully
Write and schedule Twitter/X threads. AI writing assistant, analytics, and cross-posting to LinkedIn.
FreemiumAnalytics
PostHog
Open-source product analytics. Event tracking, session replays, feature flags, and A/B testing. Generous free tier.
FreemiumPlausible
Privacy-friendly web analytics. Lightweight, GDPR-compliant alternative to Google Analytics. No cookies.
PaidHotjar
Heatmaps, session recordings, and user surveys. See exactly how visitors interact with your site.
FreemiumMixpanel
Advanced product analytics. Funnels, cohort analysis, and retention tracking for data-driven founders.
FreemiumPayments & Billing
Stripe
The payments standard for internet businesses. Subscriptions, invoicing, and checkout with best-in-class DX.
PaidLemon Squeezy
Merchant of record for digital products. Handles taxes, payments, and compliance globally - you just build.
PaidPaddle
Revenue delivery platform. Handles billing, taxes, and compliance as your merchant of record.
PaidBackend & Hosting
Vercel
Deploy frontend apps instantly. Git push to deploy with automatic previews, edge functions, and analytics.
FreemiumRailway
Deploy any backend in seconds. Databases, cron jobs, and services with automatic scaling. $5/mo free credit.
FreemiumCloudflare
CDN, DNS, Workers, R2 storage, and DDoS protection. Essential infrastructure with an incredibly generous free tier.
FreemiumRender
Cloud hosting for web apps, APIs, and databases. Automatic deploys from Git with free tier for static sites.
FreemiumNeon
Serverless Postgres. Branches your database like Git branches. Free tier with auto-suspend to save costs.
FreemiumAutomation
Zapier
Connect 6,000+ apps with automated workflows. Move data between tools without writing code.
FreemiumMake
Visual automation platform (formerly Integromat). Build complex workflows with branching logic and error handling.
Freemiumn8n
Open-source workflow automation. Self-hostable with 400+ integrations. Code when you want, no-code when you don't.
FreemiumCommunity & Support
Crisp
All-in-one customer messaging. Live chat, chatbot, knowledge base, and shared inbox with a solid free tier.
FreemiumDiscord
Build a community around your product. Free voice/text channels, bots, and roles for user engagement.
FreeCanny
Collect and prioritize feature requests. Let users vote on ideas and see your public roadmap.
FreemiumLegal & Finance
Stripe Atlas
Incorporate your startup in Delaware in days. Bank account, tax ID, and legal templates for $500 one-time.
PaidMercury
Banking built for startups. Free business checking, treasury, and venture debt with modern API access.
FreeClerky
Legal paperwork for startups. Incorporation, fundraising docs, and contractor agreements used by YC companies.
PaidGot the tools. Now get the idea.
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