You don’t need 50 tools. Here’s the lean tech stack I recommend for non-technical entrepreneurs who want to build with AI.
FOR LEARNING AND PROTOTYPING: Claude Pro ($20/month) — Your primary AI coding partner. This is where you’ll spend most of your time.
FOR BUILDING FULL APPS: Cursor Pro ($20/month) — When you’re ready to build multi-file applications. It integrates AI directly into a professional code editor.
FOR INSTANT DEPLOYMENT: Bolt.new or Lovable — Build and deploy web apps entirely in the browser. Great for MVPs. FOR HOSTING: Vercel (free tier) — Deploy your web apps for free. This is what we use in the Starter Kit. Supabase (free tier) — Database and authentication without managing servers.
FOR DESIGN: Canva Pro ($13/month) — Logos, social posts, and marketing materials.
FOR BUSINESS OPS: Notion (free) — Project management and docs. Stripe — Accept payments.
TOTAL COST TO START: Under $55/month. That’s less than most people spend on subscriptions they don’t use.
Start simple, add tools only when you hit a real limitation. What’s in your current tech stack? Share below! 👇