Free resource

Build income online.

This is my working shortlist of tools for making money online and running an online business. It's not a ranking and it's not a course, and nobody is selling you a dream. Pick the one that fits what you're trying to do and ignore the rest. Newer additions are tagged so you know I'm still testing them.

Where do I start? Download the PDF

49Tools

11Categories

$0PDF, no email

How the links work

A tool tagged Affiliate link is one where I earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. A tool tagged No affiliate link goes straight to the company, because I don't have a referral deal with them. Either way, it's on the list because I think it's worth a look. Nobody is promised income, and what you get out of any of this depends on what you put in. The full version is in my affiliate disclosure.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with what you want, not the tool.

49 tools is a lot. Here is where I would point a friend, depending on what they're trying to do.

I want to automate my businessGoHighLevel I want faceless video contentSyllaby and HeyGen I want to learn affiliate marketingWealthy Affiliate I want a monetized newsletterBeehiiv I want to rank on GoogleRanked AI and Semrush I want AI thumbnails and postsSkySnail and ViralSky I want a community to build withSkool: AI Mavericks I want to build a digital agencyBook a session with me

Every tool

Jump to a category.

CRM and Automation

4 tools

Affiliate link

GoHighLevel

CRM and automation

The all-in-one CRM, automation and marketing platform. Lead capture, text and email follow-up, booking calendars, pipelines and reputation management under one roof, and you can white-label it for clients. It's the backbone of my agency.

Best for: Anyone serious about running a digital agency or automating a business.

No affiliate link

ManyChat

Social automation

Automates replies on Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and SMS. Good for turning social comments and DMs into captured leads.

Best for: Anyone running lead generation through social media.

No affiliate link

Pabbly

Workflow automation

Connects your apps without Zapier's price tag. Handy for linking GoHighLevel, email platforms and the rest of your stack.

Best for: Anyone building multi-tool automations on a budget.

Affiliate linkNew, testing

BooSend

Sales automation

Handles Instagram comments, story replies and DMs for you, and works on WhatsApp and Telegram too. Built to sell through messaging without the price climbing as your contact list grows.

Best for: Creators and businesses who want to sell through direct messages.

AI Video

3 tools

No affiliate link

HeyGen

AI avatar video

Makes AI avatar videos with real-looking presenters in multiple languages, no camera needed. Good for faceless content and client video at scale.

Best for: Creators and agencies who need video without on-camera talent.

No affiliate link

Synthesia

Professional AI video

A polished AI video platform used by enterprise teams. The avatar quality is a step up from most, which suits training content and client work.

Best for: Agencies and teams that need professional-grade AI video.

No affiliate link

Descript

Video and podcast editing

Edit video like a document: change the transcript and the video follows. Also does AI voice cloning, screen recording and remote recording, and it cuts editing time a lot.

Best for: Creators and podcasters who want fast, accurate editing.

Content Creation

6 tools

Affiliate link

Syllaby

Video content

For people who want to publish video but don't know what to post. It researches viral topics, writes scripts and generates AI-narrated videos with b-roll, so faceless YouTube and short-form content gets simple.

Best for: Beginners who want consistent video output, and agencies delivering content.

No affiliate link

Submagic

Short-form video

Auto-captions and subtitles for short-form video, the kind that pop and keep people watching. A real engagement boost on Reels, TikTok and Shorts for very little effort.

Best for: Short-form creators who want better retention.

No affiliate link

Repurpose.io

Content distribution

Record once, publish everywhere. It connects YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and more in automated workflows.

Best for: Creators who want maximum reach with minimum manual work.

No affiliate link

Jasper AI

AI copywriting

AI copywriting for long-form content, ads, emails and social posts. Good for agencies producing a lot of client content, or bloggers who need to move faster.

Best for: Agencies and content producers who need steady written output.

No affiliate link

Writesonic

AI writing

AI writing for blog posts, landing pages and ads. More affordable than most of the alternatives, with a free tier to test it.

Best for: Budget-conscious content creators.

Affiliate link

Creative Fabrica

Design assets

Unlimited design assets, fonts, graphics and done-for-you content templates. Useful if you're building visual content at volume.

Best for: Creators who need design resources without hiring a designer.

SEO and Search

4 tools

Affiliate link

Ranked AI

Managed SEO

Managed SEO and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), done for you. It's the add-on I put on top of GoHighLevel setups, and I pass it through to clients white-labeled.

Best for: Business owners and agencies who want managed search visibility.

No affiliate link

Semrush

SEO research

The industry standard for keyword research, competitor analysis and SEO audits. Pricey but thorough, and worth it for serious SEO work or agency deliverables.

Best for: Serious SEO work and agency client deliverables.

No affiliate link

Local Viking

Local SEO

Google Business Profile scheduling, rank tracking and reporting, built for service businesses. A good fit for the kind of clients I work with.

Best for: Service businesses and agencies managing local SEO.

Affiliate linkNew, testing

MyAEO

AI search tracking

Tracks whether AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini mention your brand, compares you against competitors, and suggests content changes to get recommended more often.

Best for: Brands that want AI assistants to recommend them.

Email and Landing Pages

3 tools

Affiliate link

Beehiiv

Newsletter platform

A newsletter platform built for growth, with monetization, referral programs and analytics baked in. The best option if you want an email list that earns direct revenue.

Best for: Creators building a monetized newsletter.

No affiliate link

Flodesk

Email design

Beautiful email design at flat-rate pricing, so growing your list doesn't cost you more. Good for people who want polished emails without a developer.

Best for: Creators and small businesses who care how their emails look.

No affiliate link

Leadpages

Landing pages

A landing page builder with email capture built in. Good for affiliate marketers and anyone running paid traffic who needs quick pages without a full website.

Best for: Affiliate marketers and direct-response campaigns.

Design and Websites

2 tools

No affiliate link

Canva

Design tool

The go-to design tool for non-designers. Social graphics, presentations, thumbnails and documents, all drag and drop. The Pro asset library alone is worth it.

Best for: Anyone who needs design work without hiring a designer.

Affiliate link

Elegant Themes (Divi)

WordPress builder

The drag-and-drop WordPress page builder used by more than 974,000 web professionals. It's what this site runs on, and it builds professional client sites and affiliate blogs without code.

Best for: Anyone building a WordPress site or an affiliate blog.

Productivity and Building

6 tools

No affiliate link

ClickUp

Project management

Tasks, docs, timelines and automations in one place. It keeps client projects organized so nothing falls through the cracks.

Best for: Agencies and teams juggling several projects.

No affiliate link

Notion

Docs and databases

Docs, databases, wikis and SOPs in one workspace. Great for building your own systems and client-facing deliverables, and the free tier is genuinely useful.

Best for: Solo operators and small teams building operating systems.

Affiliate link

Replit

Build and deploy

Build and deploy apps, tools and automations in the browser with no local setup. Good for custom client tools, or for learning to build without a dev environment.

Best for: Tech-curious builders who want to make their own tools.

No affiliate linkNew, testing

Blink

AI app builder

An AI builder that turns a plain-language description into a website, web app, mobile app or AI agent, with the database, sign-in, payments and hosting included. You can start without paying.

Best for: Small businesses, agencies and founders who want to build without code.

Affiliate linkNew, testing

Overskill

AI app builder

An AI builder, currently invite-only in beta, that turns a described idea into a web app you can shape and test. Start with one workflow, then add sign-in, saved data and payments.

Best for: Anyone who wants a simple custom app, like a booking tool or client portal.

Affiliate linkNew, testing

SideAI

ChatGPT sidebar

A browser extension that puts ChatGPT in a sidebar. Summarize pages, ask questions about what you're reading, get writing help in emails and forms, and see AI answers next to Google results. There's a free plan with daily limits.

Best for: Anyone who uses ChatGPT for research and writing.

YouTube Tools

2 tools

No affiliate link

TubeBuddy

YouTube growth

A browser extension that adds keyword research, tag suggestions, competitor analysis and A/B testing right inside YouTube Studio.

Best for: Anyone building a YouTube channel who wants data behind their choices.

No affiliate link

vidIQ

YouTube analytics

Shows why videos rank, which keywords to target and what competitors are doing. A solid partner or alternative to TubeBuddy.

Best for: YouTube creators who want to understand their growth.

Communities and Learning

5 tools

Affiliate link

Wealthy Affiliate

Affiliate education

Training for learning affiliate marketing from scratch: niche selection, SEO, website building and monetization, with a big active community. It's an education, not a magic button, but if you do the work it's a solid foundation.

Best for: Complete beginners who want structured affiliate training.

Affiliate link

Side Hustle Summit

Income strategies

A curated event and resource hub built around real side income strategies, not theory. A good first stop if you want to see several income models before committing to one.

Best for: Beginners comparing income paths before picking one.

Affiliate link

Skool: AI Mavericks

AI community

A community for people building with AI tools, covering automation, content and online income. Skool communities tend to be more focused and practical than general Facebook groups.

Best for: Anyone making AI a core part of their income or business.

Affiliate link

AI Study Prompts (Vertech Academy)

AI education

AI tutors, courses and study tools that help students make hard topics click. Worth a look if you or someone you know is learning something new.

Best for: Students and educators who want AI-assisted learning.

Affiliate linkNew, testing

Generative AI and Prompt Engineering Course

AI course

A self-paced course from AI Skill Studio that teaches beginners and everyday AI users how to write consistent prompts. It's a one-time payment with lifetime access, so check the price on their page.

Best for: Beginners who want to get better results from AI tools.

AI Content and Growth

8 tools

Affiliate link

Youfiliate

Smart links

Turns any affiliate link into a geo-targeted, app-opening smart link, so international viewers land in their own local store. Includes click analytics and link monitoring at flat-rate pricing.

Best for: YouTube creators and affiliate marketers with an international audience.

Affiliate link

ViralSky

Social post AI

Writes human-sounding posts and threads in seconds, with templates built on proven viral patterns for X, LinkedIn, Facebook and Threads.

Best for: Creators and businesses growing an audience on text-first platforms.

Affiliate link

SkySnail

AI thumbnails

Generates click-optimized thumbnails for YouTube, TikTok and Reels from a description, an upload or a link. No design skills needed.

Best for: Creators and agencies who want fast, consistent thumbnails.

Affiliate link

Virality AI

AI growth

An AI-powered growth platform built to help creators make content and go viral faster. One to test if short-form content is part of your plan.

Best for: Creators who want AI help growing on short-form.

Affiliate link

Pandorra.AI

AI avatars

Generates photorealistic digital creators for videos, product reviews and ads, with no actors, filming or production costs. A budget-friendly alternative to influencer deals.

Best for: E-commerce sellers and marketers who want ad content without influencer fees.

Affiliate link

PostSnag

Facebook research

A free Chrome extension that captures Facebook posts as you scroll a profile, page or group, then ranks them by engagement in a dashboard. Handy for seeing what content is working.

Best for: Creators, strategists and agencies researching Facebook.

Affiliate linkNew, testing

ClimbX

X growth

An AI co-writer for X. It finds posts doing well in your niche and drafts posts in your voice, to help you grow an audience and monetize it on X.

Best for: People who want to grow on X.

Affiliate linkNew, testing

Magicfit

AI marketing agent

An AI marketing agent for Shopify, Amazon and WooCommerce stores that makes ads, graphics, UGC-style videos and social posts. There's a free plan to try it.

Best for: E-commerce brands, solo founders and lean teams.

Business Tools

6 tools

No affiliate link

AppSumo

Lifetime deals

Lifetime deals on software: pay once, use forever. Worth checking before you commit to any monthly subscription.

Best for: Budget-conscious entrepreneurs building a tool stack.

No affiliate link

Jotform

Forms and intake

Online forms, surveys and intake processes with payment collection built in. Good for onboarding and lead capture without a developer.

Best for: Agencies and service businesses that need clean client intake.

No affiliate link

CallTrackingMetrics

Call tracking

Shows which marketing channels are driving phone calls. Useful attribution data for service businesses running ads or SEO.

Best for: Service businesses and agencies who want call attribution.

Affiliate link

Chief Content Officer

Content strategy

Tools and training for building and running a content operation at scale. Worth exploring if content marketing is your main growth channel.

Best for: Anyone making content marketing their main growth channel.

Affiliate linkNew, testing

ProfitMap

Profit dashboards

Turns an uploaded profit and loss report into dashboards, a 12-month forecast and AI suggestions for growing profit. There's a 14-day free trial.

Best for: Business owners, coaches, accountants and bookkeepers.

Affiliate linkNew, testing

Anderro

Affiliate marketplace

A marketplace where businesses list affiliate programs and affiliates find them, with commissions tracked in one dashboard. Affiliates never pay to join.

Best for: Creators and affiliate marketers looking for programs to promote.

Take it with you

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