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
[and soon one more that I am working on – SafeLimit – prevents me from being banned on LinkedIn, so I will not lose my account.]
What are your five?
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Just 3 atm...
cursor
claude cowork
google workspace with gemini
My 5:
1. Xcode, Zed, Terminal for software development
2. Figma, Final Cut, Ableton for design, video & music production
3. Codex for agentic workflows
4. Gmail, Telegram for communication
5. tinypad for bookmarks & links
I've been exploring what tools can help reduce the time I spend on frontend UI design.
my 5:
- Claude code
- ChatGPT
- Docker
- Supabase
- Vercel
Great list, Nika! Totally get the Gmail reminders and Figma for quick visual fixes.
Here are the 4 I absolutely need to keep my workflow running:
Claude – My go-to for brainstorming, copy, and working through ideas.
Brevo – Crucial for handling all our email marketing and automation.
Canva – For throwing together clean marketing assets and visuals quickly.
Outlook & Teams – The essential hub for all client comms and staying aligned.
My 5:
1. Claude Code - my co-founder #2
2. Claude Code - my co-founder #3
3. Claude Code - my co-founder #4
4. Claude Code - my co-founder #5
5. Obsidian - sync my thoughts between devices, offload my brain
As a solo dev I need to leverage the agentic tools.
Solo founder building HealthOS — voice biomarkers + on-device AI for health coaches. My 5:
Claude Code — I'd describe it as a junior CTO that never sleeps. I talk to it like a co-founder, it keeps the codebase consistent, drafts docs, and catches things I miss. Easily my #1.
2. Cursor — for when I want to stay in editor mode and not context-switch to terminal
3. Notion — single brain dump for everything: research notes, ICP docs, weekly reviews
4. Linear — solo sprints feel more real when something is tracking your commitments
5. SQLite — technically a database, but for a solo founder it's the most freeing "tool" in the stack: no server, no ops, just a file that scales further than you'd expect
The common thread for me: tools that compress the cognitive load of doing everything yourself. Curious if others on that solo/small team journey have found the same.
I use, in order:
Microsoft Edge (browser)
Gmail
Google Calendar
ChatGPT
Android phone (Google Pixel 9 XL Pro)
Here are mine:
Claude for coding and drafting replies,
VS Code for viewing and modifying code,
Instagram for creating Reels and commenting on posts,
OBS for streaming on YouTube,
Cooldesk for project orchestration using Spotlight.
I like how everyone's interpreting tools and not just mentioning products.
My top 5 are:
1. Pen & Paper / Whiteboard
2. Figjam
3. Claude
4. QuillBot
5. Zoom