Essential tools
My favorite online business tools
I've tried and tested hundreds of products that made my life much easier. So, I curated a list of my top recommended tools for solopreneurs, creators, and one-person business owners.
Note: If you buy anything through my affiliate links, I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Check out my disclaimer.
Workflow automation platforms
Best for Beginners
Make
Make is a visual, no-code automation platform that’s easy to pick up and powerful enough to build complex workflows. Perfect for beginners and solo builders.
Best for Tech Savvy users
n8n
n8n is for tinkerers and technical users who want full control. It’s open source, can run on your own server, and blends visual workflows with custom code when needed.
Cold email outreach tools
Best for mass cold email outreach
Instantly
This is the tool I use to run cold email at scale. Multiple domains. Inbox rotation. Automated follow-ups. It handles all of it without deliverability issues. If you're serious about outbound and want a system that can grow with you, use Instantly. I’ve tested others — this is the one that stuck.
Appointment schedulers
Best for Appointment Scheduling
Cal.com
I moved from Calendly to Cal.com for one reason: control. Cal gives you free API access, accepts payment, and full embed options — things Calendly locks behind paywalls or doesn’t offer at all. While there’s still light branding on the free plan, you can self-host or upgrade to remove it. If you care about flexibility and developer-friendliness, Cal is the better pick.
Scraping
Best for web scraping
Apify
Web scraping once used to be a coders-only domain because you needed to know how to write custom scripts. But Apify has made it painless, powerful, and code-free.
Social media schedulers
Best Overall Social Media Scheduler
Hypefury
I use Hypefury to schedule all my social media posts on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. Although most of its features are dedicated towards X, it's a Swiss army knife for the other platforms.
Best Linkedin Scheduler
Taplio
If you want a whole suite dedicated to LinkedIn content management, then use Taplio. It has a bunch of additional lead generation, analytics, and extension tools that aren't available in Hypefury.
Social media analytics tools
Best LinkedIn analytics tools
Shield
Native LinkedIn analytics is barely available on the platform itself, while HypeFury and Taplio only provide basic features. I prefer this if you want to dive deep into your LinkedIn data.
Email marketing tools
Best overall email marketing tool
Kit
Kit (Previously ConvertKit) handles all my email marketing because it's the best for complete customization. You can create comprehensive automation, use custom liquid code, scale growth with their creator network, and more. There's a learning curve, but it's worth it.
Best for newsletters
Beehiiv
I used to use Beehiiv, but not anymore because I wanted full control over my email marketing. It's a great all-in-one solution to have the necessities in one place. Perfect if all you plan to do is start a newsletter. You'll start to feel limited when you start to scale.
Website hosting
Best overall Website Host
Cloudways
I love Cloudways because it offers complete control over the backend without being overwhelming. Coupled with pay-as-you-go pricing, excellent customer service, and solid infrastructure. Nothing beats it.
Best plug & play web host
WPX
If you don't want to deal with technicalities and want minimal clicking to host your site, go with WPX. It's fast, beginner-friendly, has excellent customer support with 24/7 live chat, and a 99.95% uptime guarantee.
Website analytics tools
Best Website analytics
Fathom
Fathom Analytics offers simple, privacy-first website tracking without the bloat. Get actual real-time stats, keep 100% data ownership, and enjoy fast load times—all while maintaining visitor privacy and avoiding complicated setup.
WordPress themes
My Favorite WordPress theme
Kadence
Look around my site. Do you like it? If so, everything is built using Kadence, from the custom layouts, popups, reusable snippets, etc. I can replicate most website designs with this theme without using any code.
WordPress plugins
Best Technical SEO WordPress plugin
RankMath
My favorite WordPress technical SEO assistant for my WordPress site. You could use Yoast, but Rankmath offers way more for less. For some perspective, some of Yoast's pro features are available on Rankmath's free plan. That's insane.
Best for optimizing images
Shortpixel
After managing dozens of image-heavy sites, I rely on ShortPixel to handle image optimization automatically. It quietly reduces file sizes without compromising quality in bulk saving me countless hours. Essential for any WordPress site.
Best for WordPress Performance
WP Rocket
WP Rocket is the most effective caching plugin for WordPress. My page load times dropped significantly, and the automatic optimizations saved me hours of manual configuration. Worth every penny for serious site owners.
Page builders
Best No-code page builder
Webflow
Webflow is a no-code builder that lets you design, build, and launch responsive sites visually. Perfect for designers and businesses needing full creative control and fast, high-performance websites.
Best one-page page builder
Carrd
Carrd is the one-page builder for sleek, responsive sites. Ideal for portfolios, landing pages, and personal sites. Launch in minutes with no coding—simple, fast, and effective.
Keyword research tools
Best for beginners
Clicks
Clicks.so is the easiest, most affordable site builder I’ve used. Perfect for beginners who want a clean, simple site without the hassle.
Best for power users
Semrush
Semrush is hands down the best keyword tool out there. I rely on it daily to uncover hidden traffic gems and outpace competitors.
Best for reddit keyword research
GummySearch
GummySearch is my go-to for Reddit insights. It’s the fastest way I’ve found to catch trending discussions before they blow up.
Best for finding emerging topics
Exploding Topics
Exploding Topics if you want to stay ahead of the curve, this is it. I’ve found countless winning ideas here before they go mainstream.
Best for youtube keyword research
vidIQ
VidIQ is a must for YouTube growth. I use it to track trends, optimize videos, and boost visibility. It’s like having a secret weapon for your channel.
AI writing tools
Best AI agent for blogging
SEObot
SEObot is at the moment the best AI agent for blogging. It can handle your content SEO completely hands-free. Perfect for busy people.
Best for blog posts
Agility Writer
AgilityWriter saves me hours on blogs. It’s fast, accurate, and SEO-friendly. I just enter a topic, and it cranks out detailed, ready-to-publish articles.
Best for SEO optimizing
SurferSEO
SurferSEO makes optimizing content simple. I use it to include semantic keywords and other on-page elements. I can't do with it.
Best SurferSEO alternative
NeuronWriter
NeuronWriter is equally as good when compared to SurferSEO for optimization. I honestly just swap between the two.
Best writing assistant
Grammarly
Grammarly catches any mistakes before I make a fool of myself online. It keeps my writing sharp, clear, and professional.
Best for bypassing ai detectors
Undetectable AI
Undetectable AI rewrites content so smoothly it feels human. I use it to bypass AI detectors without losing quality or authenticity.
AI detectors
Best AI Detector
Originality AI
Originality AI is my go-to for ensuring content authenticity. It accurately detects AI-generated text and checks for plagiarism, giving me confidence in my work's originality.
Best originality ai alternative
Winston AI
I trust Winston AI for its precise AI detection and plagiarism check, keeping my work authentic. The user-friendly interface and image analysis are game-changers for my content.
AI voice
Best AI Voice Generator
Eleven Labs
Eleven Labs is my choice for professional AI voice cloning and text to speech. It can literally make a sample of your voice so accurate not even you could tell the difference.
Productivity
Best overall project management tool
ClickUp
I run my automation agency, Nimbflow, completely on ClickUp and can't imagine life without it. It's my operations mothership.
Best for knowledge base
Notion
Notion is my go-to for building killer internal relational databases. It's slick, highly customizable, and has amazing UI/UX despite its quirks.
Best for second brain
Kortex
Kortex is the one true Second Brain tool. Imagine if Notion, Obsidian, and Apple Notes had a baby. It's the only tool (so far) to get frictionless quick capture right.
Screen capturing
Best Screenshot tool for mac
CleanShot
CleanShot takes the cleanest and sexiest screenshots straight out of a YC combinator SaaS company. Edit directly in the app without another design tool.
Best Screen recorder for mac
Screen Studio
Screen Studio is by far the best screen recorder for Mac I've ever used. You can even edit videos, process audio, and caption. Nothing beats it.
Testimonials
Best to collect testimonials
Senja
Ever since I found Senja, it was like, “Why haven't I known about this before?” Collect testimonials ASAP. You'll thank me later.
Hiring
Best For Hiring Talent
OnlineJobs Ph
An affordable website to hire freelancers/contractors from the Philippines. They are highly skilled and proficient in English. Just ensure you have proper hiring processes to find the right candidate.
Funnel building
Best For Building funnels
Click Funnels
A quick and easy tool for creating funnels if you don't want a website. Many world-class marketers use this.
