ShipSoloThe Solo Builder's Stack

The Playbook

5 stages.
From $20/mo.
One-person company.

This isn't a tool directory. It's a roadmap. Follow the stages. Pick the tools. Ship solo.

Stage 1$20–40/mo

Build

From zero to working MVP

The tools that turn your idea into a working product. One person, one week, ship it.

Claude Code

AI-powered CLI for software development

Included with Claude Pro ($20/mo)~15h/wk saved
My cost: $20/mo

Cursor

AI-first code editor built on VS Code

Free / Pro $20/mo~10h/wk saved
My cost: $20/mo

v0

AI UI generation by Vercel

Free / Premium $20/mo~3h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

GitHub Copilot

AI-powered code assistant that helps write code faster

Free for qualified open-source projects / Pro starts at $10 per month~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Replit

Build apps and sites with AI assistance

Free / Pro $9/mo~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

GitKraken

AI-assisted Git tools that cut busywork for developers and surface insights for leaders.

Free / Pro $89/year (50% off until April 2023)~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Postman

The AI-native API Platform to develop, test, manage, and distribute APIs and services.

Free / Basic $8/mo / Professional $16/mo / Enterprise Custom~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Jupyter Notebook

An interactive computing environment for creating and sharing computational documents across various programming languages.

Free~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Snyk

AI-native security platform to secure code, models, and dependencies

Free / Team / Enterprise~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Articoolo

Generates unique, high-quality articles for your website or blog.

Free / Pro $49/month~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Grammarly

AI-powered writing assistance to improve clarity, credibility, and impact

Free / Pro $12/mo~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Hemingway Editor

Improve your writing with AI-powered editing and grammar checking.

Free / Plus starts at $29.99/year~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

TextSynth

Access to AI models for text and image generation through a REST API

Free / Pay per request for no limitation~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Canva

Simplify social media graphics, presentations, posters and more.

Free / Pro $12.95/mo~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Figma

Collaborative interface design tool for brainstorming, designing, prototyping, and building with your team

Free / Professional $12/mo / Organization $49/mo~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Adobe XD

Adobe XD is a user experience design tool that helps create and prototype user interfaces, wireframes, and animations.

Adobe XD is available as part of various Creative Cloud plans, starting from $9.99/month for individuals.~3h/wk saved
My cost: $9.99/mo

Gitpod

Run a team of AI software engineers in the cloud.

Free trial available, pricing details not detailed on website.~5h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Visual Studio Code

The open source AI code editor that boosts developer productivity.

Free~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

CircleCI

Autonomous validation platform for AI era to keep your code tested, trusted, and ready to ship with minimal human oversight.

Free / Grow / Scale / Custom (etails not provided)~3h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

CodeSandbox

Instant cloud development environments for rapid prototyping and collaboration

Free / Plus $19/mo / Business $39/mo~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Inkscape

Inkscape - A powerful vector graphics editor for scalable graphics creation.

Free~3h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Brackets

An open-source editor for web development with live preview, inline editing, and preprocessor support.

Free~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Gravit Designer

A full-featured vector design app for solo designers

Free for unlimited projects~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Adobe Spark

Quickly create stunning visuals, web pages, and videos for your brand.

Free / Premium $9.99/mo / Team $29.99/mo~3h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Lunacy

A free cross-platform vector design tool

Free~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Boxy SVG

A straightforward SVG editor for solo developers

Free tier available, with additional features in paid plans~2.5h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo
Stage 3$0–49/mo

Grow

From 0 to 1,000 users

Get found. Get read. Get shared. These tools handle SEO, content, and audience building while you sleep.

Beehiiv

Newsletter platform built for growth

Free up to 2,500 subs / Scale $49/mo~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Surfer SEO

AI-powered SEO content optimization

$49/mo~3h/wk saved
My cost: $49/mo

Typefully

Write, schedule & grow on Twitter/X

Free / Pro $12.50/mo~2h/wk saved
My cost: $12/mo

Algolia

AI-powered search and retrieval platform that enhances user experience and drives engagement.

Starts from Free / Community $39/mo up to Enterprise Custom pricing~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Jasper.ai

AI-powered content creation and marketing platform to automate end-to-end workflows

Starts with a 7-day free trial, pricing not explicitly stated on the website~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Copy.ai

AI-powered platform to revolutionize GTM strategies and content creation.

Plans start from a free trial, followed by tiered enterprise pricing.~3h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Lumen5

Generate Videos from Text Online

Lite $49/mo, Pro $199/mo, Business $499/mo~3h/wk saved
My cost: $49/mo

SEMrush

Your Unfair Advantage for Growing Brand Visibility

Free trial / Plans start from $99.95/month~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Ahrefs

AI Marketing Platform for SEO, content creation, and social media management

Starts from $99/mo for Lite plan, scales up to $999/mo for Enterprise~3h/wk saved
My cost: $99/mo

Moz Pro

User-friendly SEO tools for keyword research, site audits, and link building

Starter $99/mo, Pro $149/mo, Premium $299/mo~4h/wk saved
My cost: $99/mo

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Industry leading website crawler for technical SEO audits.

Free for 500 URLs / €245 Per Year for unlimited URLs~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Ubersuggest

A free SEO tool for keyword research, content ideas, and site audit reports.

Free~2h/wk saved
My cost: $0/mo

Keyword Surfer

AI-driven SEO tool for finding profitable keywords and optimizing content

Starter $29/mo, Pro $59/mo, Business $139/mo~4h/wk saved
My cost: $29/mo

Serpstat

Marketing Tool for SEO and Content Tasks

Starts from $49 per month for the Pro plan~2h/wk saved
My cost: $49/mo
Stage 5$0–50/mo

Scale

One person, 1,000 customers

Automate support, monitor everything, keep your sanity. The tools that let one person run a real business.

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