TOOLS I RECOMMEND
Tools I Recommend
The software, platforms and services I use, recommend or believe are worth considering when you're building something online.
I've spent years building websites, businesses and digital projects. These are the tools I'd actually recommend, with a rating, a verdict, the plan I'd pick and who should stay away.
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE
Some links here earn a commission if you buy. It never changes the price you pay, and it never decides what appears on this page.
Tools with no affiliate programme are recommended just as readily, and tools with generous programmes are left off when they don't deserve the space. Every card says which kind of link it is.
AI Tools
01 · 14 TOOLS
ChatGPT
NO COMMISSION
★★★★★
Best for: General business tasks and first drafts
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The safest single AI subscription if you want one tool that does a bit of everything.
+Broadest feature set: text, images, data, voice
+Enormous ecosystem and integrations
−Writing needs more editing than Claude's
−Confident wrong answers on specifics
My recommended plan: The individual paid tier. The free tier is for deciding whether you like it.
Claude
NO COMMISSION
★★★★★
Best for: Long-document work and writing that needs least editing
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The tool I open when the work matters and the output is words.
+Holds a long brief without drifting
+Closest to a finished draft
−Usage limits bite on heavy days
−No image generation
My recommended plan: Individual paid. Start free for a week first.
Gemini
NO COMMISSION
★★★★★
Best for: Teams already working inside Google Workspace
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Worth it mainly for where it sits: inside Docs, Sheets and Gmail.
+Genuinely useful inside Workspace
+Strong at long context and research
−Output quality less consistent than rivals
−Feature naming and tiers change constantly
My recommended plan: Whatever comes bundled with your Workspace plan before paying separately.
Jasper
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Marketing teams needing brand-voice consistency at volume
Price: Paid / Free trial
My verdict: A workflow layer over models you can access more cheaply elsewhere. Worth it only for the workflow.
+Brand voice and templates for teams
+Campaign workflows rather than a blank chat
−Expensive next to a general assistant
−You are paying for the wrapper
My recommended plan: None, unless you are a team of three or more producing marketing copy weekly.
Writesonic
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: High-volume SEO article drafting
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Fine at producing drafts quickly. The drafts still need a writer.
+Fast bulk article generation
+Cheaper than most team-focused rivals
−Output is generic without heavy editing
−Feature sprawl across changing tiers
My recommended plan: The cheapest paid tier, and only if you will edit everything.
Perplexity
NO COMMISSION
★★★★★
Best for: Research you will have to defend later
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The one I use when I need sources rather than an answer.
+Citations on everything
+Excellent for unfamiliar subjects
−Weaker at writing than the assistants
−Sources need checking, not trusting
My recommended plan: Free tier covers most people. Pay only if you research daily.
Grammarly
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Catching errors in everything you type, everywhere
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The free tier is genuinely useful. The paid tier is for people who write all day.
+Works across every app and browser
+Catches what you stop seeing in your own writing
−Style suggestions flatten distinctive voice
−Paid tier overlaps with AI assistants
My recommended plan: Free, unless writing is most of your job.
Canva AI
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Non-designers producing on-brand graphics fast
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The AI features are a convenience layer on an already good tool. Both are worth having.
+Background removal and resizing save real time
+Brand kit keeps output consistent
−Generated imagery still reads as generated
−Best features are behind the paid tier
My recommended plan: Canva Pro. The free tier will frustrate you within a month.
Lovable
NO COMMISSION
★★★★★
Best for: Getting a working prototype in front of people this week
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Genuinely fast for prototypes and marketing sites. Not where I would build a business-critical app.
+Working app from a description in minutes
+Good for validating an idea cheaply
−Code quality needs review before production
−Costs climb quickly on iteration
My recommended plan: Free tier to test the workflow, then the lowest paid tier.
Replit
NO COMMISSION
★★★★★
Best for: Building and hosting small tools without local setup
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: An excellent place to learn and to ship small internal tools. Not a production platform.
+Nothing to install, works from a browser
+AI agent handles real scaffolding work
−Performance limits on cheaper tiers
−Not the right home for a serious product
My recommended plan: The core paid tier if you build weekly. Free otherwise.
Vapi
NO COMMISSION
★★★★★
Best for: Developers building voice agents for calls
Price: Usage-based
My verdict: A capable developer platform for voice AI. Not a product a small business can switch on.
+Real control over voice agent behaviour
+Usage-based pricing scales from nothing
−Requires development work
−Voice agents annoy customers if done badly
My recommended plan: Pay-as-you-go, with a small budget cap while testing.
Higgsfield
NO COMMISSION
★★★★★
Best for: Short AI-generated video and motion for social
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Impressive output for social clips. Not a replacement for filming anything real.
+Fast cinematic-looking short clips
+Cheaper than commissioning motion work
−Generated video reads as generated to many viewers
−Limited control over specifics
My recommended plan: The lowest paid tier, monthly, cancelled when the project ends.
Chatzy
NOT YET REVIEWED
On my list to test properly. I will not review a tool I have not used.
Category: AI chat and conversational tools
Visit Chatzy →
Gojiberry AI
NOT YET REVIEWED
On my list to test properly. I will not review a tool I have not used.
Category: AI workflow and assistant tooling
Visit Gojiberry AI →
Hosting
02 · 12 TOOLS
Hostinger
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Cheap, capable hosting for a first site
Price: Paid
My verdict: The best of the budget hosts. Check the renewal price before you commit to four years.
+Genuinely fast for the price
+Clean control panel and easy WordPress install
−Renewal prices multiply after the intro term
−Support quality varies by tier
My recommended plan: The middle WordPress tier on a one-year term, not four.
Kinsta
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Business WordPress sites where downtime costs money
Price: Paid
My verdict: Expensive and worth it when the site earns. Support alone justifies the difference.
+Fast infrastructure and real server caching
+Support that actually solves WordPress problems
−Costs several times budget hosting
−Visit limits need watching as you grow
My recommended plan: The entry Starter plan. Most small business sites never outgrow it.
WP Engine
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Agencies managing many client WordPress sites
Price: Paid
My verdict: Strong managed hosting with the best agency tooling. Priced for businesses, not hobbies.
+Excellent staging and site management tools
+Reliable performance and security handling
−Expensive at low volumes
−Some plugins are disallowed on the platform
My recommended plan: A multi-site plan if you manage three or more client sites.
Cloudways
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: More control than shared hosting without administering a server
Price: Paid
My verdict: The best value in managed hosting if you are comfortable with a slightly technical panel.
+Choose your cloud provider and scale easily
+Excellent performance per pound
−Panel assumes some technical confidence
−Email hosting is not included
My recommended plan: The smallest DigitalOcean or Vultr server, scaled up when traffic demands.
Bluehost
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Absolute beginners who want the most documented option
Price: Paid
My verdict: Adequate and heavily promoted. There are faster hosts at the same price.
+Every WordPress tutorial assumes it
+Cheap first term and simple setup
−Performance is unremarkable
−Aggressive upsells during checkout
My recommended plan: The basic shared plan for a first blog, with a plan to move later.
HostGator
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Low-cost hosting for a small brochure site
Price: Paid
My verdict: Cheap and unexceptional. Fine for a site with nothing to protect yet.
+Very low entry pricing
+Straightforward for simple sites
−Slower than modern budget rivals
−Renewal pricing is a significant jump
My recommended plan: The cheapest shared plan, one-year term.
DreamHost
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Shared hosting from a company with fair pricing
Price: Paid
My verdict: More honest pricing than most budget hosts, with performance to match the price.
+Transparent renewal pricing
+Good uptime record and included privacy
−Support is slower than managed hosts
−Not the fastest at this price point
My recommended plan: Shared Unlimited if you host more than one small site.
Namecheap Hosting
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Keeping domain and hosting in one cheap account
Price: Paid
My verdict: Convenient if your domains are already there. Not a performance choice.
+Very cheap and simple to manage
+Domains and hosting in one place
−Modest performance
−Basic support
My recommended plan: Stellar shared hosting only for low-traffic sites.
A2 Hosting
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Shared hosting where speed matters more than price
Price: Paid
My verdict: Their faster tiers are genuinely quicker than typical shared hosting.
+Turbo tiers noticeably faster
+Anytime money-back guarantee
−Turbo pricing approaches managed hosting
−Interface feels dated
My recommended plan: A Turbo tier, or spend the same on Cloudways instead.
InMotion Hosting
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: US-hosted business sites that need real support
Price: Paid
My verdict: Unfashionable and reliable. The support is the reason to pick it, not the marketing.
+Long money-back window and free migrations
+Support that actually knows the stack
−Interface feels dated next to newer hosts
−Best pricing needs a long commitment
My recommended plan: A shared business plan on a one-year term, or VPS if you have traffic.
Nexcess
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Managed WordPress and WooCommerce stores
Price: Paid
My verdict: Built for stores rather than blogs. If you run WooCommerce, this is the tuning you would otherwise pay a developer for.
+WooCommerce-specific caching and scaling
+Staging, backups and image compression included
−Overkill and overpriced for a simple site
−Fewer data centre choices than the big managed hosts
My recommended plan: The smallest managed WooCommerce plan, then scale on real traffic.
Thamara
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Cheap domains and hosting in one small account
Price: Paid
My verdict: A small provider with aggressive pricing, including lifetime hosting offers. Worth a look for a side project, not for anything you cannot afford to move.
+Very low entry pricing
+Domains and hosting under one login
−Small company with a short track record
−Keep your own backups, do not rely on theirs
My recommended plan: A short term first, and test a restore before you trust it with a real site.
Domains
03 · 6 TOOLS
Namecheap
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Buying and holding domains without being upsold
Price: Paid
My verdict: Where I register domains. Fair renewals and free privacy, which is the whole job.
+Free WHOIS privacy included
+Renewal pricing is reasonable
−Interface has a lot of adjacent products
−Support is chat-first
My recommended plan: Register for one year and turn off auto-renew reminders you do not want.
GoDaddy
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: People who want everything under one large provider
Price: Paid
My verdict: It works, and you will be sold something at every step. Fine if you can say no.
+Largest registrar with every extension
+Phone support exists
−Relentless upsells and add-on pricing
−Privacy and basics often cost extra
My recommended plan: Domain registration only. Buy hosting and email elsewhere.
Name.com
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: A clean registrar experience with fewer upsells
Price: Paid
My verdict: Straightforward, well-designed, slightly pricier than the cheapest. Worth it for the calm.
+Clean interface, minimal upselling
+Good DNS management
−Not the cheapest on renewals
−Fewer bundled extras
My recommended plan: Registration plus their free privacy. Nothing else.
BigRock
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Indian buyers who want to pay in rupees
Price: Paid
My verdict: The easiest option if you are in India and want local billing and support hours that match your day.
+Rupee pricing and Indian payment methods
+Wide extension range including .in
−Renewal prices jump after the first year
−Constant upsells at checkout
My recommended plan: Register the domain, decline everything else, and host elsewhere.
Domain.com
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Straightforward registration without a hosting bundle
Price: Paid
My verdict: Does the one job without much fuss. Nothing to love, nothing to complain about either.
+Simple registration and transfer process
+Reasonable first-year pricing on common extensions
−Privacy protection is a paid add-on
−Renewals are not the cheapest available
My recommended plan: Domain only, with privacy added if you are registering under your own name.
Network Solutions
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Businesses already holding domains there
Price: Paid
My verdict: One of the oldest registrars, and priced like it. I would not start here, but if your domains are already there, transferring out is straightforward.
+Long-established with enterprise support options
+Handles unusual extensions and legacy records
−Noticeably more expensive than modern registrars
−Heavy upselling through the account panel
My recommended plan: If you are already a customer, consolidate elsewhere at renewal.
WordPress Themes
04 · 10 TOOLS
Astra
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Fast general-purpose WordPress sites with template starters
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Popular for good reason, though the starter templates pull in more plugins than most sites need.
+Light and fast out of the box
+Huge template library
−Starter sites install several plugins
−Best layout control sits behind the paid add-on
My recommended plan: Free version first. Astra Pro only if you build several sites.
GeneratePress
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Content-heavy sites where speed is the priority
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The lightest serious theme I know. Deliberately plain, which is the point.
+Extremely light front-end footprint
+Excellent typography and hook control
−Plain by default, needs design input
−Fewer ready-made templates
My recommended plan: GP Premium, once. It is the best value theme purchase in WordPress.
Kadence
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Business sites needing layout control without a page builder
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: My usual recommendation for client sites. The free tier is genuinely usable.
+Strong header and footer builder
+Free version does real work
−Kadence Blocks adds another dependency
−Slightly heavier than GeneratePress
My recommended plan: Free, upgrading to the bundle only when you need the extra blocks.
Blocksy
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Sites wanting fine typography control on a free tier
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: An excellent free theme that competes directly with Kadence. Choose on which panel you prefer.
+Generous free feature set
+Good performance and type controls
−Smaller community than rivals
−Some settings are buried
My recommended plan: Free tier. Pro only for the extra header elements.
Divi
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Designers who want total visual control and will stay on it
Price: Paid
My verdict: Powerful and heavy, with real lock-in. I would not start a new site on it.
+Complete visual design control
+Lifetime licence option
−Heavy front-end and shortcode lock-in
−Leaving means rebuilding every page
My recommended plan: Only the lifetime licence, and only if you build many sites on it.
OceanWP
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Free multipurpose theme with WooCommerce support
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Capable and free, with more weight than the leaner options.
+Strong WooCommerce integration
+Generous free version
−Heavier than GeneratePress or Kadence
−Extensions sold individually
My recommended plan: Free version, adding only the single extension you need.
Neve
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: A light free theme with sensible defaults
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: A reasonable free choice that few people would regret, and few would fight for.
+Light and quick to set up
+Good starter templates
−Less control than Kadence for free
−Upsell prompts in the dashboard
My recommended plan: Free version. Pro adds little most small sites need.
Avada
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Agencies delivering heavily designed one-off sites
Price: Paid
My verdict: The archetypal multipurpose theme: does everything, weighs a lot, hard to leave.
+Vast design options and demos
+Long track record and support
−Significant front-end weight
−Content locked into its builder
My recommended plan: A single-site licence, budgeted as a five-year commitment.
Flatsome
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: WooCommerce stores wanting a designed shop quickly
Price: Paid
My verdict: Still one of the better WooCommerce themes, with the usual builder lock-in.
+Strong shop layouts and product pages
+Fast for a multipurpose theme
−UX Builder lock-in
−Occasional conflicts after Woo updates
My recommended plan: Single-site licence, on a store that is already selling.
Newspaper
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Magazine and news sites with many categories
Price: Paid
My verdict: Built for publishers and it shows. Heavy, and hard to move away from.
+Purpose-built magazine layouts
+Ad placement handling built in
−Very heavy and builder-dependent
−Overkill for a normal blog
My recommended plan: Only for a genuine multi-author publication.
WordPress Plugins
05 · 9 TOOLS
Elementor
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Building designed pages without touching code
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The most capable page builder with the largest ecosystem, and real lock-in. Know what you are signing up for.
+Total layout control without code
+Enormous add-on and template ecosystem
−Adds meaningful page weight
−Pages break visually if you ever deactivate it
My recommended plan: Elementor Pro on one site. Skip the free version for anything commercial.
WP Rocket
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Fixing WordPress speed without configuring anything
Price: Paid
My verdict: The one paid plugin I recommend almost universally. Its defaults are better than most people's configuration.
+Works properly straight after activation
+Handles caching, lazy loading and CSS in one place
−No free version
−Redundant if your host caches at server level
My recommended plan: Single-site licence. Skip it if your host already caches.
Rank Math
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Complete on-page SEO control without paying
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The most generous free SEO plugin and the best schema controls of the three majors.
+Redirects and 404 monitor free
+Excellent structured data handling
−Many settings people enable without understanding
−Content score encourages keyword counting
My recommended plan: Free version. Pro only for multiple sites or advanced schema.
WPForms
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Building forms a non-technical person can maintain
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The friendliest form builder in WordPress, and forms are where most sites lose enquiries.
+Genuinely easy drag-and-drop building
+Reliable notifications and integrations
−Heavier than minimal alternatives
−Conditional logic is a paid feature
My recommended plan: WPForms Lite for a contact form. Pro when you need logic or payments.
UpdraftPlus
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Off-site WordPress backups you can restore yourself
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The plugin nobody appreciates until the day they need it. Install it before that day.
+Free version genuinely does the job
+Sends backups to your own cloud storage
−Interface is functional rather than pleasant
−Migration features are paid
My recommended plan: Free version with scheduled backups to your own Drive or Dropbox.
MonsterInsights
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Seeing analytics inside the WordPress dashboard
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Convenient, and it adds weight to show you a worse version of a report that already exists.
+Painless GA4 connection
+Reports where non-technical people will see them
−Adds load for a convenience
−Best reports are paid
My recommended plan: Free version, or connect GA4 manually and read it in Google.
LiteSpeed Cache
NO COMMISSION
★★★★★
Best for: Sites on LiteSpeed hosting wanting free server-level caching
Price: Free
My verdict: Excellent and free if your host runs LiteSpeed. Pointless if it does not.
+Server-level caching, faster than plugin caching
+Free, with image optimisation included
−Only fully useful on LiteSpeed hosts
−Many settings, easy to misconfigure
My recommended plan: Free. Enable page cache, browser cache and image optimisation, then stop.
Pretty Links
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Cloaking and tracking affiliate links
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Does one job well. Necessary once you have affiliate links in more than a few posts.
+Tidy branded links you can update centrally
+Click tracking per link
−Auto-linking features are paid
−Adds a redirect layer to manage
My recommended plan: Free version until you have fifty links, then Pro for auto-linking.
WooCommerce
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Selling products from a WordPress site you control
Price: Free / Paid extensions
My verdict: The right answer if you must sell from WordPress. Shopify is the right answer more often than people admit.
+Complete control and no platform fees
+Extension for almost every requirement
−Extensions add up fast in cost and weight
−You own hosting, security and performance
My recommended plan: Core plugin plus the two extensions you actually need, on managed hosting.
SEO Tools
06 · 5 TOOLS
Semrush
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Serious SEO and content marketing
Price: Paid / Free trial
My verdict: One of the most comprehensive SEO platforms for bloggers and businesses.
+Keyword, competitor and backlink data in one place
+Strong content and local SEO modules
−Expensive for a single small site
−More features than most users will ever open
My recommended plan: Pro monthly, cancelled between projects. Take the free trial first.
Ahrefs
NO COMMISSION
★★★★★
Best for: Backlink analysis and competitor research
Price: Paid
My verdict: The best link index in the business and the most pleasant interface. Priced accordingly.
+Best-in-class backlink data
+Fast, clean, well-designed reports
−No meaningful free trial
−Credit limits on cheaper plans
My recommended plan: Lite monthly, or Webmaster Tools free for your own site only.
SE Ranking
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Agencies and freelancers needing rank tracking on a budget
Price: Paid / Free trial
My verdict: Eighty per cent of the big platforms at a third of the price. The value pick.
+Excellent rank tracking for the money
+White-label client reporting
−Keyword and backlink data less deep
−Interface less polished than rivals
My recommended plan: The Pro tier, billed annually if you track clients monthly.
Surfer
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Structuring content against what already ranks
Price: Paid
My verdict: Useful as a structural check. Treat its content score as a hint, not a target.
+Fast, practical content briefs
+Genuinely improves inexperienced writers' structure
−Encourages keyword-count thinking
−Expensive if you publish infrequently
My recommended plan: The entry tier, monthly, during a content push.
Ubersuggest
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Beginners wanting keyword ideas without a subscription
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: A reasonable starting point. You will outgrow it within a year.
+Cheap, with a lifetime option
+Simple enough to use on day one
−Data less reliable than the major platforms
−Limited depth for competitive research
My recommended plan: The free daily searches, or the lifetime deal if you are certain.
Email Marketing
07 · 10 TOOLS
Kit
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Writers, creators and consultants selling to an audience
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The best platform for content-led email. Plain-text-first, which is what actually performs.
+Elegant tagging and sequence model
+Strong free tier and creator features
−Weak for e-commerce
−Deliberately limited design flexibility
My recommended plan: Free until 1,000 subscribers, then the Creator tier.
MailerLite
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Small businesses wanting capable email without paying much
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The honest value recommendation for most small businesses. Does the job, cleanly.
+Excellent value at every list size
+Clean interface with automation included
−Approval process can be slow
−Fewer integrations than the big names
My recommended plan: Free up to 1,000 subscribers, then the cheapest paid tier.
Brevo
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Large lists mailed occasionally
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Priced on emails sent rather than contacts held, which suits big infrequent lists.
+Send-based pricing saves money on large lists
+Includes SMS and transactional email
−Interface less polished
−Automation builder is fiddly
My recommended plan: Free tier while testing, then the lowest send volume that covers you.
GetResponse
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Businesses wanting email plus funnels and webinars
Price: Paid / Free trial
My verdict: A capable all-rounder that does several things adequately rather than one thing well.
+Webinars and funnels included
+Solid automation for the price
−Jack-of-all-trades feature quality
−Costs rise steeply with list size
My recommended plan: Marketing Automation tier if you will genuinely use the funnels.
ActiveCampaign
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Complex automation and light CRM in one place
Price: Paid
My verdict: The most powerful automation short of enterprise tooling. More than most small businesses need.
+Deep, flexible automation builder
+Built-in CRM and lead scoring
−Steep learning curve
−Expensive as the list grows
My recommended plan: The Plus tier, only if somebody will build the automations properly.
Mailchimp
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Businesses that want the most familiar option
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Competent and no longer cheap. Fine if you are already on it; not the value pick for a new list.
+Familiar to everybody, integrates with everything
+Good templates and editor
−Pricing has risen substantially
−Counts unsubscribed contacts on some tiers
My recommended plan: Essentials, and check the price at double your current list size.
beehiiv
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Newsletters intended to grow and earn revenue
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The best newsletter-first platform right now, with growth and monetisation built in.
+Excellent growth and referral tooling
+Native ad network and paid subscriptions
−Not built for transactional or e-commerce email
−Newsletter-shaped, which constrains other uses
My recommended plan: Free tier to launch, Scale once the list is earning.
Moosend
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Cheap automation for a growing list
Price: Paid / Free trial
My verdict: Underrated on price, with automation better than its profile suggests.
+Very competitive pricing
+Automation included at entry level
−Smaller ecosystem and community
−Templates feel dated
My recommended plan: The Pro tier, billed annually.
AWeber
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Simple broadcast email with reliable delivery
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Dependable and dated. There is no strong reason to choose it in 2026.
+Long-standing deliverability record
+Straightforward and stable
−Interface and automation feel behind
−Priced against better rivals
My recommended plan: Free tier only, if you are already invested in it.
Constant Contact
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Non-technical small businesses wanting phone support
Price: Paid / Free trial
My verdict: You are paying for hand-holding. Reasonable if that is what you need.
+Real phone support
+Event and survey tools included
−Expensive for the feature set
−Weak automation
My recommended plan: The lowest tier, and only for the support.
Marketing Software
08 · 5 TOOLS
HubSpot
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Growing teams wanting CRM, email and marketing in one system
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Excellent when you have a sales team. An expensive configuration project when you do not.
+One system, shared data, no integration work
+Genuinely useful free CRM tier
−Tier jumps are severe
−Hard and expensive to leave
My recommended plan: The free CRM. Paid Marketing Hub only with a sales team using it daily.
Systeme.io
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Solo creators selling courses on one cheap platform
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Remarkable value for a one-person business. Not the best at any single function.
+Funnels, email, courses and affiliates in one
+Generous free tier
−Each module is basic
−Design flexibility is limited
My recommended plan: Free tier to launch, Startup once you are selling.
Leadpages
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Fast standalone landing pages without touching your site
Price: Paid / Free trial
My verdict: Useful for campaign pages. Usually unnecessary if you already have a decent website.
+Quick, conversion-focused templates
+Hosted separately from your main site
−Duplicates what your site can do
−Monthly cost for occasional use
My recommended plan: Standard monthly, during a campaign, then cancel.
Unbounce
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Paid campaigns where landing page testing pays for itself
Price: Paid / Free trial
My verdict: The best landing page tool if you spend enough on ads to justify it.
+Strong A/B testing and variant handling
+Excellent page performance
−Expensive for small ad budgets
−Overkill without real traffic
My recommended plan: The entry tier, once you spend over about £3,000 a month on ads.
Instapage
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Teams running paid traffic to many landing pages
Price: Paid
My verdict: The strongest landing page builder if you are spending real money on ads. The price only makes sense when the pages are earning.
+Fast page builder with proper A/B testing
+Ad-to-page personalisation and post-click analytics
−Expensive for anyone not running paid campaigns
−More platform than a small site needs
My recommended plan: Start on the entry plan and only upgrade once ad spend justifies it.
Analytics
09 · 2 TOOLS
Google Analytics
NO COMMISSION
★★★★★
Best for: Measuring whether marketing is working
Price: Free
My verdict: Awkward, unavoidable and free. Set up four events and ignore the rest of the interface.
+Free at almost any scale
+Integrates with Search Console and Ads
−GA4 interface is genuinely unpleasant
−Data is increasingly modelled
My recommended plan: Free. Configure conversion events on day one, then leave it alone.
Microsoft Clarity
NO COMMISSION
★★★★★
Best for: Watching how people actually use your pages
Price: Free
My verdict: Free session recordings and heatmaps. There is no reason not to install it.
+Completely free, no traffic limits
+Recordings show conversion problems immediately
−Not a replacement for analytics
−Recordings take time to watch properly
My recommended plan: Free. Watch ten recordings of your main page this week.
Automation
10 · 3 TOOLS
Zapier
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Connecting tools that do not talk to each other
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The easiest automation tool and the most expensive at volume. Check native integrations first.
+Connects almost everything, with no code
+Reliable and well documented
−Costs climb quickly with task volume
−People build automations nobody maintains
My recommended plan: Free tier for two or three automations, Starter beyond that.
Make
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: More complex automations at lower cost than Zapier
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Better value and more capable than Zapier, with a steeper learning curve.
+Far cheaper per operation
+Visual builder handles complex logic
−Harder to learn
−Error handling needs attention
My recommended plan: Free tier, then the Core plan. It goes a long way.
n8n
NO COMMISSION
★★★★★
Best for: Technical users wanting automation they own
Price: Free self-hosted / Paid cloud
My verdict: The best option if you can self-host. Real control, no per-task pricing.
+Self-host free with unlimited executions
+Handles code steps and AI workflows well
−Self-hosting requires maintenance
−Not for non-technical users
My recommended plan: Self-hosted on a small server, or their cloud starter if not.
Productivity
11 · 6 TOOLS
Notion
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: One place where documents, notes and light project work live
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: What I use as the business's second brain. Resist building an elaborate system in it.
+Flexible enough to replace several tools
+Excellent free tier for individuals
−Easy to over-engineer instead of working
−Weak as a true project manager
My recommended plan: Free for solo use. Plus when you need real team sharing.
ClickUp
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Small teams wanting everything configurable
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Enormously capable and easy to over-configure. Budget time to set it up properly.
+Does almost everything a team needs
+Strong free tier
−Interface density overwhelms new users
−Performance can lag on big workspaces
My recommended plan: Free tier first. Unlimited only once the team is genuinely using it.
monday.com
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Teams that need people to actually adopt the tool
Price: Paid / Free trial
My verdict: The most likely to be used by a non-technical team, which matters more than features.
+Clear, visual and easy to adopt
+Good automation and dashboards
−Priced per seat in bands, so small teams overpay
−Less flexible than ClickUp or Notion
My recommended plan: Standard, at the seat count you actually have.
Asana
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Task and project tracking for teams that want structure
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Reliable, unfashionable and clear. A safe choice nobody regrets.
+Clean task management that people understand
+Good free tier for small teams
−Timeline and reporting are paid
−Less customisable than rivals
My recommended plan: Free up to fifteen people. Premium for timelines.
Trello
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Simple visual boards for small workflows
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The simplest thing that works. For many small businesses that is the correct answer.
+Immediately understandable
+Free tier covers most small use
−Outgrown once projects get complex
−Reporting is minimal
My recommended plan: Free. Standard only if you need more automations.
Reclaim AI
NO COMMISSION
★★★★★
Best for: Protecting focus time in a calendar full of meetings
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Quietly excellent if your calendar is the problem. Pointless if it is not.
+Defends focus blocks automatically
+Smart scheduling around real priorities
−Only useful with a busy shared calendar
−Needs calendar access to work
My recommended plan: Free tier. Starter if you manage a team's time.
Design
12 · 5 TOOLS
Canva
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Non-designers producing regular on-brand content
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Fast enough for social and good enough for most small-business needs.
+Anybody can produce decent work in minutes
+Brand kit, resizing and templates
−Template look is recognisable
−Not a substitute for real design work
My recommended plan: Canva Pro. The brand kit and resizing justify it alone.
Adobe Creative Cloud
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Professional design, photo and video production
Price: Paid
My verdict: Still the professional standard and still priced like it. Overkill for most small businesses.
+Industry-standard tools, full control
+Deep photo and video capability
−Expensive, with annual commitments
−Steep learning curve
My recommended plan: A single-app plan for the one thing you use, not the full suite.
Figma
NO COMMISSION
★★★★★
Best for: Designing and reviewing interfaces collaboratively
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The standard for interface design, with a free tier that covers most small teams.
+Best-in-class collaboration
+Free tier is genuinely usable
−Not built for print or photo work
−Overkill for simple graphics
My recommended plan: Free for one or two projects. Professional when you need more files.
Envato Elements
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Unlimited stock assets, templates and fonts on one subscription
Price: Paid
My verdict: Good value if you use it monthly. A wasted subscription if you do not.
+Unlimited downloads across every asset type
+Commercial licensing included
−Quality varies considerably
−Easy to forget you are paying for it
My recommended plan: Monthly, during a project, then cancel until the next.
Envato Market
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Buying a single theme, plugin or asset outright
Price: Paid
My verdict: The one-off purchase counterpart to Elements. Useful when you need one specific thing and do not want a subscription.
+Pay once for a specific item
+Reviews and sales counts make quality easier to judge
−Item quality varies widely by author
−Support and updates depend on the individual seller
My recommended plan: Buy from authors with high sales and recent updates, and check the changelog first.
Video
13 · 6 TOOLS
Descript
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Editing video and audio by editing the transcript
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The tool that made video editing possible for people who do not edit video.
+Text-based editing is genuinely transformative
+Good filler-word and gap removal
−Not a full professional NLE
−Export and processing can be slow
My recommended plan: The Hobbyist or Creator tier depending on hours.
VEED
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Fast subtitled social video in a browser
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Quick, browser-based and good at subtitles, which is most of what social video needs.
+Excellent automatic subtitles
+Nothing to install
−Watermark on the free tier
−Limited for longer-form editing
My recommended plan: The Lite tier for regular social output.
InVideo
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Template-driven video for people with no editing skills
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Fine for template video. The output looks like template video.
+Very fast from template to finished clip
+Large template and stock library
−Recognisable, generic results
−Rendering limits on cheaper tiers
My recommended plan: The lowest paid tier, monthly.
Riverside
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Recording remote interviews and podcasts at real quality
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The right tool for remote recording. Local recording per participant is the whole point.
+Records each guest locally, so quality survives bad wifi
+Transcripts and clip tools included
−Guests must cooperate with the setup
−Storage limits on lower tiers
My recommended plan: The Standard tier if you record monthly.
Loom
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Replacing meetings and long emails with a short recording
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: One of the highest-return tools on this list for the time it saves.
+Record and share in seconds
+Free tier covers most individual use
−Video length capped on free tier
−Not an editing tool
My recommended plan: Free, upgrading to Business only if you send them daily.
Pictory
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Turning articles and scripts into stock-footage video
Price: Paid / Free trial
My verdict: Automates a format that rarely performs. Test the format before buying the tool.
+Very fast script-to-video
+Automatic captions and voiceover
−Output is stock footage over narration
−Generic results that struggle for attention
My recommended plan: The trial first. Only buy if the format works for your audience.
Writing Tools
14 · 6 TOOLS
Writesonic
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: High-volume SEO article drafting
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Fine at producing drafts quickly. The drafts still need a writer.
+Fast bulk article generation
+Cheaper than most team-focused rivals
−Output is generic without heavy editing
−Feature sprawl across changing tiers
My recommended plan: The cheapest paid tier, and only if you will edit everything.
Grammarly
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Catching errors in everything you type, everywhere
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The free tier is genuinely useful. The paid tier is for people who write all day.
+Works across every app and browser
+Catches what you stop seeing in your own writing
−Style suggestions flatten distinctive voice
−Paid tier overlaps with AI assistants
My recommended plan: Free, unless writing is most of your job.
ProWritingAid
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Longer-form writers wanting deeper style reports
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: More thorough than Grammarly on structure and style, less convenient day to day.
+Detailed reports on pacing, repetition and style
+Lifetime licence available
−Slower and busier interface
−Report volume can paralyse
My recommended plan: The lifetime licence if you write long-form regularly.
Copy.ai
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Marketing teams generating variants at volume
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Competent generation with a workflow layer. A general assistant does most of this cheaper.
+Good for bulk variants and short-form copy
+Workflow automations for teams
−Duplicates what ChatGPT or Claude already do
−Output needs rewriting for voice
My recommended plan: None for individuals. The team tier only if the workflows earn it.
QuillBot
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Rephrasing and tightening sentences you have already written
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: A useful narrow tool. Do not use it to disguise generated text as your own.
+Genuinely good at rephrasing awkward sentences
+Free tier is usable
−Narrow use case
−Encourages paraphrasing rather than thinking
My recommended plan: Free. Premium only if you rewrite text daily.
Rytr
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Very cheap short-form copy generation
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Cheap and basic. Adequate for short copy, outclassed by general assistants.
+Among the cheapest paid options
+Simple, no learning curve
−Weaker output than the major assistants
−Limited for long-form work
My recommended plan: Free tier. Spend the money on a general assistant instead.
CRM
15 · 3 TOOLS
HubSpot CRM
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: A first CRM that costs nothing to start
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: The best free CRM available. Watch the upgrade path before you commit your data.
+Genuinely capable free tier
+Scales into a full platform
−Paid tier jumps are steep
−Migration away is painful
My recommended plan: Free CRM. Do not buy hubs until a sales team needs them.
Pipedrive
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Small sales teams who want a pipeline, not a platform
Price: Paid / Free trial
My verdict: The CRM small businesses actually use, because it does one thing clearly.
+Pipeline view people adopt immediately
+Fair per-seat pricing
−Marketing features are add-ons
−Reporting is basic on lower tiers
My recommended plan: The Advanced tier for most small teams.
Zoho CRM
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Businesses wanting a cheap CRM inside a wider suite
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Extremely good value, with an interface that shows its breadth.
+Very cheap per seat
+Part of a large integrated suite
−Interface feels dated and busy
−Setup takes real configuration
My recommended plan: The Standard tier, or free for up to three users.
Business Tools
16 · 10 TOOLS
Shopify
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Selling more than a handful of physical products
Price: Paid / Free trial
My verdict: If you sell products, start here. Do not build a real shop on anything else.
+Everything commerce-related handled for you
+Best app ecosystem in e-commerce
−Transaction fees unless you use Shopify Payments
−Monthly cost plus app costs add up
My recommended plan: Basic Shopify. Upgrade only when volume justifies the lower fees.
Jotform
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Complex forms with logic, payments and approvals
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Does more than a website form plugin, cheaply. Ugly by default, capable underneath.
+Powerful conditional logic and payments
+Generous free tier
−Default styling needs work
−Submission limits on lower tiers
My recommended plan: Free tier, then Bronze if you exceed submissions.
Typeform
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Surveys and applications where completion rate matters
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: You pay for the experience, and the experience measurably improves completion.
+Best-in-class form experience
+Higher completion on long forms
−Expensive relative to alternatives
−Tight response limits on cheaper plans
My recommended plan: The Basic tier for occasional use, Plus for regular surveys.
Calendly
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Ending the back-and-forth of arranging calls
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: One of the few tools that pays for itself in the first week.
+Removes scheduling admin entirely
+Free tier covers most individuals
−Multiple event types need the paid tier
−Some clients dislike booking links
My recommended plan: Free for one meeting type, Standard for more.
FreshBooks
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Freelancers and consultants billing by project or hour
Price: Paid / Free trial
My verdict: The friendliest invoicing for service businesses. Less of an accounting system than QuickBooks.
+Excellent invoicing and time tracking
+Simple enough to use without training
−Weaker as full accounting software
−Client limits on lower tiers
My recommended plan: The Plus tier for most freelancers.
QuickBooks
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Small businesses whose accountant needs proper books
Price: Paid / Free trial
My verdict: Choose whichever of QuickBooks or Xero your accountant prefers. That is the deciding factor.
+Complete accounting with VAT handling
+Every accountant knows it
−Interface is dense for beginners
−Costs rise with features you may not need
My recommended plan: The tier your accountant asks for, and no higher.
Thinkific
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Hosting a course on a platform you control
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Solid, no-nonsense course hosting with fair pricing and no revenue cut.
+No transaction fees on paid plans
+Clean course-building experience
−Marketing features are basic
−Design customisation limited
My recommended plan: The Basic tier once you have a paying student.
Teachable
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Selling courses with minimal setup
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Easy to launch on, with fees that matter. Compare the maths against Thinkific.
+Very quick to get selling
+Handles payments and tax
−Transaction fees on lower tiers
−Less flexible than rivals
My recommended plan: The Basic tier, and check the fee percentage first.
Dropbox
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Reliable file sync and large file sharing
Price: Free / Paid
My verdict: Still the most reliable sync. Usually redundant if you already pay for Google Workspace.
+Sync that simply works
+Good large-file sharing and versioning
−Expensive per terabyte
−Overlaps with Workspace or 365
My recommended plan: None, if you already have Workspace. Plus if you need pure sync.
Google Workspace
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Business email, documents and storage on your own domain
Price: Paid
My verdict: The first subscription I would buy for any new business. Email on your own domain is not optional.
+Email, docs, storage and meetings in one
+Cheap per user and universally compatible
−Storage fills faster than expected
−Admin console is more complex than it looks
My recommended plan: Business Starter per user, upgraded only when storage runs out.
Website Builders
17 · 2 TOOLS
Squarespace
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: Design-led sites you do not want to maintain
Price: Paid
My verdict: The best-looking way to get a site up without touching WordPress. You trade control for never thinking about updates again.
+Templates that look good with no design work
+Hosting, SSL and updates all handled
−Limited control compared with WordPress
−Moving off later means rebuilding
My recommended plan: The Business plan if you need commerce or code injection, Personal otherwise.
Site123
AFFILIATE
★★★★★
Best for: A single simple page put up in an hour
Price: Free tier and paid
My verdict: Genuinely quick and genuinely limited. Fine for a placeholder or a one-page site, not for anything you plan to grow.
+Up and running faster than any alternative
+Free tier is enough to test the idea
−Very little design and structural control
−Weak for SEO and for anything content-heavy
My recommended plan: Use the free tier to test, and move to WordPress or Squarespace when it matters.
HOW I DECIDE WHAT GOES ON THIS PAGE
I have either paid for these tools myself, used them on client work, or tested them long enough to have a view worth reading. Where I have not used something enough, the card says so rather than pretending otherwise.
Ratings are mine and they are relative to the price. A five-star cheap tool and a five-star expensive one are not the same recommendation, which is why every entry carries a recommended plan as well as a rating.
If a tool stops being the right answer, it comes off. Pages are dated so you can see how current the view is.