How Much I Pay for Tools to Run My Solo Business
25 tools + use cases + pricing
As any solo business owner can attest, it costs money to run a business. I pay for accounting services, business insurance, taxes, a virtual assistant — and a lot of apps and tools.
Some tools are necessary (like accounting software). Most make my life easier.
I have a simple equation when it comes to tools. I ask myself, "Can this tool save me an hour of time each month?" If so, the cost of the tool is usually offset by the time saved. I'm willing to pay for a tool if it saves me time, because then I can focus on other parts of my business.
I've listed all the tools I use below. There's some overlap – like you'll wonder, "Why does she use X tool, when she's already paying for Y tool?" The answer is that I want the best tool for the job. If that means I have to pay for a separate tool, I'm fine with that (and then will figure out how to integrate it with other tools I use).
1. Airtable
Monthly cost: $20/month ($240 paid annually). I'm on a team plan and pay for two seats so my virtual assistant can also use Airtable.
How I use this tool:
Airtable* is my "source of truth" for everything related to my business. I keep track of clients, deliverables, payments, and my sales pipeline.
It's also my content library, where I keep track of everything I've published on The Internet. New content is automatically added to Airtable (picking up the RSS feed via Zapier).
I also LOVE Airtable AI. Field agents, in particular, can handle a lot of tasks that I couldn't previously do with automation alone.
Additional resources:
2. Buffer
Monthly cost: $36 ($6/channel and I have 6 channels connected)
How I use this tool:
Buffer* is really easy to use for social media scheduling. I've got a whole process to create social media posts based on my blog content, and send the drafts to Buffer (which I then edit before publishing).
Buffer has great Zapier integration. I have a ton of automation set up based on scheduling content in Buffer, and when content is sent from Buffer.
Additional resources:
3. Calendly
Monthly cost: $10/month ($120 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
Let's be honest: there are a LOT of calendar scheduling tools out there. I could even use the calendar scheduling tool included in my Google Workspace.
But I still choose and pay for Calendly. I think the experience is much better for the person scheduling the meeting, and that's what I care about.
Additional resources:
4. Canva
Monthly cost: $10/month ($120 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
About 18 months ago, I hired a brand designer. He created hundreds of brand templates for me to use in Canva. I use these across social media for assets like images, carousels, and more.
My virtual assistant does some work for me in Canva. But rather than pay for a team plan, I simply share links to editable files with her.
Additional resources:
- Automatically Extract Text from Canva Social Posts
- 4 Reasons You Need to Organize Your Freelance Brand Assets
5. Carrd
Monthly cost: $1.58 ($19 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
I'm not at a place in my business where I need a fancy website, so I use Carrd* for a simple one-pager. I have several Carrd sites, across different domains and subdomains.
Carrd also integrates with Kit, so I can collect email signups through Carrd, for things like webinar events.
Additional resources:
6. ChatGPT
Monthly cost: $20/month, plus a small API fee
How I use this tool:
ChatGPT had the benefit of "first to market" for a lot of things, so it's embedded into my workflows. I am using ChatGPT within Zapier, which costs a little extra on top of the monthly ChatGPT subscription. But I pay maybe $5 every few months – it's a nominal amount.
I use ChatGPT to repurpose my own blog posts into other content and to help me self-edit my writing. I have tons of Projects set up, which lets me add reference files, such as my own style guide. With Projects, I don't have to repeat my instructions each time.
Additional resources:
7. Cleft
Monthly cost: $2.41/month ($29 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
Cleft is my voice memo app. It does an amazing job of taking my stream-of-consciousness thoughts and organizing them into something coherent.
Cleft also works with Zapier. So when I add specific tags, the notes are sent to different apps (like Todoist or Trello).
Additional resources:
8. Fireflies
Monthly cost: $19/month ($228 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
Fireflies.ai* automatically joins all of my meetings, records the call, and produces a transcript.
There are a lot of AI notetakers on the market, but Fireflies works with Zapier. My meeting transcripts are automatically saved to my Google Drive, and I have a Zapier automation set up to add any action items to my to-do list.
Additional resources:
- Automatically Add AI-Generated Meeting Follow-Ups to Your To-Do List
- 3 Ways to Get a Transcript for a YouTube Video
9. Ghost
Monthly cost: $27 ($9 per website x 3 websites) ($324 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
Ghost hosts this tutorials website, my blog, and my personal blog. I like that Ghost has the ability to email blog posts to subscribers. Ghost also has the ability to collect subscription revenue, but I don't use that feature.
Additional resources:
- I Publish on Substack, Ghost, and Kit. Here's Why.
- Automatically Add Substack Subscribers to Kit (works for Ghost also)
10. Google Workspace
Monthly cost: $23.92 for two users ($287 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
I use Google Workspace for the obvious things like email and Google Drive. But I also use Google Meet for all meetings and collect eSignatures on contracts. I used to pay for a separate eSignature tool, but I collect so few signatures. Google Workspace's eSignature feature isn't great, but it gets the job done.
I pay for two users so I can share things with my virtual assistant on an email address that I can control (on my domain).
Additional resources:
11. Grammarly
Monthly cost: $12/month ($144 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
I have to self-edit a lot of my work. Grammarly catches spelling/grammar errors. I use the Chrome extension so Grammarly can review my writing on-screen, whether I'm working in Google Docs or on one of my websites.
Grammarly also suggests ways to improve the text. For the most part, I do not use this. I'll sometimes look at the suggestions, but I almost always prefer the way I wrote the sentence.
Additional resources:
12. Journo Portfolio
Monthly cost: $9/month (paid annually)
How I use this tool:
Journo Portfolio hosts my writing portfolio. It is linked from my one-page Carrd site. When I add links to JournoPortfolio, it takes a backup PDF copy of my work. That way, if a client ever takes my work offline, I won't lose it.
I like how easy it is to add new links and maintain my portfolio with Journo Portfolio. Journo Portfolio has full websites (like a homepage with a link to the portfolio page), but I like the simplicity of Carrd more. That's why I use the combination of Carrd and Journo Portfolio.
Additional resources:
13. Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
Monthly cost: $49.17 ($590 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
Kit* (formerly ConvertKit) is my email marketing platform. I send my newsletter from Kit. I also have a lot of email sequences set up based on people downloading different resources or signing up for events.
I like the automations of Kit a lot. It's also tightly integrated with Gumroad, where I offer a lot of free resources.
Additional resources:
- How to Create and Maintain a Client Email List
- The Content Ecosystem That Grows My Audience as a Creator
14. LastPass
Monthly cost: $4/month ($48 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
LastPass is my password manager. I use complex passwords for everything, generated by LastPass. I can even securely share passwords with my virtual assistant.
Additional resources:
- Solopreneur Tech Support: How to Manage On Your Own
- 5 Ways to Prepare For Life's Worst-Case Scenarios
15. Loom
Monthly cost: $16.50/month ($198 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
Loom: I use Loom to record and share videos. Most videos are created for my virtual assistant or to document my processes.
I love Loom AI, which will create a Standard Operating Procedure based on a video. It's pretty accurate. I then save a copy of the SOP to my Google Drive. I pay extra for access to Loom AI.
Additional resources:
- Why You Need Standard Operating Procedures For Your Solo Business
- How to Organize Your Standard Operating Procedures
16. Midjourney
Monthly cost: $48/month ($576 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
Midjourney generates images for all of my blogs. I use different style codes for each publication. Style codes create a consistent look/feel for the images.
Midjourney is one of the most expensive tools I pay for, because I opt to keep my images private. If I didn't pay for a higher tier, my images would be visible to other Midjourney users.
It's important to note that I am not replacing a human with AI-generated images. Prior to Midjourney, I was using generic, free Unsplash images (which I hated). If at some point I'm able to do so, I will hire an illustrator. For now, Midjourney is a good alternative for me.
Additional resources:
17. QuickBooks
Monthly cost: $38/month
How I use this tool:
QuickBooks is my accounting tool. Honestly, I hate it. I only use it because that's what my accounting firm uses. I previously used Wave and was much happier, but my business eventually needed some of the more robust accounting features that QuickBooks offers.
Because I use an outsourced bookkeeper, I'm thankfully not in QuickBooks much. Mostly just to send invoices.
Additional resources:
18. Readwise
Monthly cost: $4.99/month
How I use this tool:
Readwise is my read-it-later app. I can bookmark articles, webpages, podcasts and more and then read them from a centralized feed. Readwise also lets me highlight text from articles and then syncs my highlights to my notetaking app, Reflect.
Note: I think I'm on legacy pricing, because the current pricing of Readwise is $7.99/month.
Additional resources:
19. Reflect
Monthly cost: $10/month ($120 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
Reflect is the app I use for note-taking and drafting long-torm content. Several outside sources sync to Reflect, including Readwise and Snipd.
Reflect is basically my "second brain" all in one place. I search through notes as I'm writing articles to find related ideas.
Additional resources:
20. Scribe
Monthly cost: $29/month
How I use this tool:
I use Scribe* to create tutorials for this website. Scribe will follow along with my mouse clicks and capture screenshots. It also lets me redact sensitive information (like email addresses or client data).
I could probably use Loom to do the same thing. Loom will grab screenshots as part of creating an SOP. But since Scribe is mouse-click-based, the screenshots are more focused. It's also easy to edit the screenshot (resize it). I'd spend a lot more time editing screenshots if I relied on Loom. So Scribe is saving me time.
Additional resources:
Tutorials created with Scribe.
21. Slack
Monthly cost: $7.25/month ($87 paid annually).
How I use this tool:
I'll use whatever communication tool my clients prefer, and some prefer Slack. I have to pay for a single user (me), and then my clients usually add me as an external connection.
Because I also use email a lot, I'll usually opt to receive Slack notifications via email. When I get the notification, I know to check Slack.
Additional resources:
22: Snipd
Monthly cost: $6.99/month ($83.88 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
I'm a podcast junkie. With Snipd, I can save snippets from podcasts. The snippets (the transcript and an AI-powered summary) are synced to Reflect, which is where I store research and notes for my writing.
Additional resources:
- How to Use Podcast Guest Appearances to Market Yourself
- How to Repurpose Podcast Content as Social Media Posts
23. Todoist
Monthly cost: $5/month ($60 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
Todoist* is my task list, which is separate from project management. Todoist does a great job with recurring tasks, in particular.
I've been a Todoist user for twelve years, which is a wild amount of time. The app is so easy to use. I also have tasks frequently added via Zapier, based on activity in other apps.
Additional resources:
24. Trello
Monthly cost: $10/month ($120 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
Trello is my project management tool for client deliverables. In a few instances, I've used Trello as a client-facing collaborative tool. But, in most cases, my clients already have project management set up on their end.
I also use Trello to plan my long-form content and other projects I'm working on (like webinars I want to host or resources I want to create).
Additional resources:
25. Zapier
Monthly cost: $39/month ($468 paid annually)
How I use this tool:
Zapier* sits at the heart of most of my tools. It automates hundreds of tasks between my different apps. The monthly amount is low compared to the amount of time it saves me.
Additional resources:
Check out my free guide for tools you need
at different stages of your business.
