What are the 5 tools you simply couldn't do your work without?
This could be related to your industry, or even a side project you're working on.
Here are my 5 (I couldn't function without them):
Grammarly – proofreading my texts, not just posts, but also client communication
ChatGPT / Claude – mostly brainstorming, help with copy, and summarising
Figma – I can put the basic graphics together quickly.
Translator – sounds incredibly old-school, but English is not my mother tongue
Gmail – and not only for communication, but also for storing ideas and sending myself email reminders for posts
What are your five?
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my top 5:
1. cursor - programming
2. perplexity - long research and drafts
3. loom - async communication
4. gehirn.md - geo texts and content for our products
5. google search console
Why use Grammarly when you can do that with Claude/OpenAI ?
For me, Claude + custom skills is more than enough for all text operations ..
my top 5 stack is:
- Figma, Framer, Affinity (for design)
- VS code, Vercel, Github, Claude Code (for coding)
- Claude (best llm for me)
- Google Docs, Sheets, Gmail, Looms, Google Meet, and Slack (for client communication)
- X (for networking)
Good list. The "email myself reminders" one is underrated, I do a version of that too.
Here are my 5, coming from the paid ads / building side:
Meta Ads Manager. 12+ years in and it's still where I live. Most of my judgment got built staring at this thing watching money work or die.
Claude / ChatGPT. Same as you, mostly thinking out loud, pressure-testing copy, and turning messy notes into something readable. Less a writer for me, more a sparring partner.
Figma. Quick mockups and ad concepts before anything goes into production. Cheap way to kill a bad idea early.
A spreadsheet. Sounds boring next to AI tools, but I'm an analytical guy at heart. Every real decision I've made traces back to a sheet at some point.
Notion. Where loose ideas, post drafts, and product thinking get parked before I forget them.
I'm building an AI ads tool right now (Vibelets), so my list is shifting under me as we go. The dream is half this stack collapsing into one thing that actually thinks like a marketer. Not there yet, but that's the work.
My top 5 are
- Takivo
- Figma
- Claude
- Grammarly
- Zoom / Fathom
As a founder and startup mentor, mine would be:
ChatGPT — my thinking partner for brainstorming, research, and writing.
Google Meet — where most of my mentoring and founder conversations happen.
Notion — my second brain for notes, projects, and ideas.
Google Calendar — keeps my work and life from turning into chaos.
Slack — the communication hub for almost everything I do.
Curious how this list will look in another 5 years.
Mine would probably be Claude/Codex for building, Linear or GitHub Issues for keeping work honest, Figma for quick product thinking, Raycast for daily speed, and Product Hunt itself for market awareness. The pattern is less “best tools” and more “tools that reduce context switching.”
Cursor - building platform
GitHub - building platform
Zoom - meetings/educational how-to videos & sessions
Outlook/MS 365 - self-explanatory
Descript - video editing software
I have other, but those are used a lot.... along with service provider API keys.
Does calendar count?
i work in inside sales for building products. I sell decking, railing, columns etc. I built my own tool for doing my takeoffs and quotes.
1: Deckplan pro, quotes, takeoffs etc
2: Chatgpt, spreadsheet analysis
3: Codex, making teammates to do things i don't have time to do, (quote followups, checking spreadsheets for stale orders, etc)
4: Excel, putting markup and margins on vendor delivered quotes
5: Outlook/gmail, my main two email programs for customer interaction
Here's mine:
CodeBuddy-my coding tool at work, I do SEO\GEO\SKill on this tool
ChatGPT-some simple questions I will ask it
Mauns-best tool for generating reports\PPT
CapCut-it is where I generate and edit videos, and it currently has many wonderful AI functions
Wechat-communicate with my friends/colleagues