Essential Tools for the Modern Indie Hacker

As an indie hacker building products solo or with a small team, choosing the right tools can make all the difference in your productivity and time-to-market. Here’s my curated list of essential tools that have helped me launch multiple projects without breaking the bank.

Development

1. Vercel/Netlify

Deploy web applications with zero configuration. Both platforms offer generous free tiers, automatic deployments from Git, and preview URLs for pull requests.

2. Firebase/Supabase

When you need a backend but don’t want to build one from scratch, these platforms provide authentication, databases, storage, and more with simple client SDKs.

3. Next.js/SvelteKit

Modern frameworks that handle routing, SSR, and optimization out of the box. They strike a good balance between developer experience and performance.

4. TailwindCSS

Build beautiful interfaces without leaving your HTML. The utility-first approach accelerates development significantly once you get past the initial learning curve.

Design

1. Figma

The gold standard for UI design with a generous free tier. Create mockups, prototypes, and design systems all in one tool.

2. Unsplash/Pexels

Free, high-quality stock photos that don’t look like stock photos.

3. Midjourney/DALL-E

Generate unique illustrations and graphics for your project with AI.

Marketing & Analytics

1. Plausible/Simple Analytics

Privacy-friendly analytics that give you the insights you need without the bloat of Google Analytics.

2. Mailchimp/ConvertKit

Email remains one of the most effective marketing channels. Both offer free tiers for building your initial email list.

3. Buffer/Hypefury

Schedule social media posts across multiple platforms in batches to maintain consistent presence without the daily distraction.

Payments & Monetization

1. Stripe/Paddle

Accept payments with minimal hassle. Paddle handles VAT/sales tax automatically, which is a huge benefit for international sales.

2. Gumroad/Lemon Squeezy

Simpler alternatives for digital products with built-in checkout pages, affiliate programs, and email marketing.

Productivity & Project Management

1. Notion/Obsidian

Organize your thoughts, documentation, and plans. I prefer Obsidian for personal knowledge management and Notion for team collaboration.

2. Linear/Height

Beautiful, keyboard-focused issue tracking without the complexity of Jira.

3. Clockify/Toggl

Time tracking helps you understand where your hours go and how to price your services.

Customer Support

1. Intercom/Crisp

Chat widgets that let you talk directly to your users. Crisp has a generous free tier that’s perfect for early-stage products.

2. Help Scout/Groove

When you’re ready for a more robust help desk solution, these tools provide a great experience for both customers and support agents.

Infrastructure & DevOps

1. GitHub Actions/CircleCI

Automate your testing and deployment pipeline. GitHub Actions are particularly convenient if you’re already using GitHub.

2. Cloudflare

Free CDN, DDoS protection, and edge functions to make your application faster and more secure.

3. Updown.io/Better Uptime

Monitor your application’s uptime and get alerted when things go wrong.

Learning Resources

1. Indie Hackers

Community, podcasts, and interviews with successful indie founders.

2. ProductHunt

Launch your products and discover what others are building.

3. No CS Degree

Interviews and resources specifically for self-taught developers.

Conclusion

The modern indie hacker has access to an unprecedented array of tools that make it possible to compete with much larger teams. The key is choosing tools that accelerate your workflow without introducing unnecessary complexity.

What tools have you found indispensable in your indie hacking journey? Share your recommendations in the comments!