50+ Essential Indie Hacker Tools to Build & Launch Faster

Every month, I see indie hackers on Twitter asking the same question: "What tools do you use?"

After building VibrantSnap and analyzing the stacks of 100+ successful solo founders—from Pieter Levels ($5.3M/year with Nomad List) to Marc Lou ($50K/mo with ShipFast)—I've compiled the definitive list.

This isn't just a tool dump. It's the actual stack that indie hackers use to build profitable products, organized by what you need at each stage.

The Indie Hacker Philosophy on Tools

Before we dive in, some principles:

1. Fewer tools, mastered — Pieter Levels runs multiple million-dollar products with basically PHP, jQuery, and a VPS.

2. Speed over perfection — The best tool is the one you already know.

3. Pay for leverage — Time is your scarcest resource. $20/month tools that save 5 hours/week are worth it.

4. Build on platforms — Leverage existing marketplaces and ecosystems before building from scratch.

Let's get into it.

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Development & Coding

Boilerplates & Starter Kits

Skip the setup. Start with something that already works.

My pick: ShipFast if you're using Next.js. It's what Marc Lou built and uses himself—proven in production across his 28 products.

Backend & Databases

My pick: Supabase. Auth, database, storage, and realtime in one. Most indie hackers I know use it.

Hosting & Deployment

My pick: Vercel for frontend, Railway for backend. Simple, works, affordable.

Auth & Payments

My pick: Clerk for auth (great DX), Lemon Squeezy for payments (they handle sales tax globally).

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Design & UI

Design Tools

My pick: Figma for design work. Canva for quick social graphics. That's it.

UI Components & Icons

My pick: shadcn/ui. Copy-paste components you own. Most indie hackers have standardized on this.

Images & Assets

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Marketing & Growth

Demo Videos & Screen Recording

Your product demo is your best marketing asset. Video converts better than text.

My pick: I built VibrantSnap specifically for this. Auto-removes silences, adds zoom on clicks, and shows you exactly where viewers drop off. It's what I wish existed when I was making demos for my projects.

Email Marketing

My pick: ConvertKit for newsletters. Resend for transactional emails.

SEO & Content

My pick: Start with Google Search Console (free). Add Mangools or Ahrefs when you're serious about SEO.

Social Media

My pick: Typefully for Twitter. It's built by indie hackers, for indie hackers.

Landing Pages

My pick: Carrd for MVPs ($19/year is insane value). Framer when you need more.

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Analytics & Feedback

Website Analytics

My pick: Plausible. Fast, simple, privacy-friendly, and indie-made.

User Feedback

My pick: Featurebase has a solid free tier. Tally for quick surveys.

Session Recording

My pick: Microsoft Clarity. It's free and genuinely useful.

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Customer Support

Help Desk & Chat

My pick: Crisp. The free tier is generous enough for most indie hackers.

Knowledge Base

My pick: Start with Notion. Upgrade to GitBook when you need proper docs.

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Productivity & Operations

Project Management

My pick: Linear for development. Notion for everything else.

Writing & Notes

AI Assistants

My pick: Claude for writing and analysis. Cursor for coding.

Time & Focus

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Legal & Business

Legal Documents

Tool	Type	Price	Best For
Termly	Privacy policy	Free tier	Basic compliance
Iubenda	Privacy/cookie	$29/year	GDPR compliance
Avodocs	Legal templates	Free	Startup docs
Clerky	Formation	$799	Delaware C-corp

Payments & Accounting

Tool	Type	Price	Best For
Stripe	Payments	2.9% + $0.30	Standard choice
Lemon Squeezy	MoR payments	5% + $0.50	Tax handling
Paddle	MoR payments	5% + $0.50	EU compliance
Mercury	Banking	Free	Startup banking
Wise	International	Low fees	Multi-currency
Finta	Financial sync	$10/mo	Investor updates

My pick: Lemon Squeezy if you sell globally (they handle all sales tax). Stripe if you want control.

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The Complete Indie Hacker Stack

Here's my recommended stack for different budgets:

Bootstrap Stack ($0-50/month)

Category	Tool	Cost
Frontend	Next.js + Vercel	$0
Backend	Supabase	$0
Auth	Supabase Auth	$0
Payments	Lemon Squeezy	% only
UI	shadcn/ui + Tailwind	$0
Analytics	Plausible	$9
Email	ConvertKit Free	$0
Landing	Carrd	$1.50/mo
Support	Crisp Free	$0
Demo videos	VibrantSnap	$19
Total		~$30/month

Growth Stack ($50-150/month)

Category	Tool	Cost
Frontend	Next.js + Vercel Pro	$20
Backend	Supabase Pro	$25
Auth	Clerk	$0
Payments	Stripe	% only
UI	Tailwind UI	One-time
Analytics	Plausible + PostHog	$9
Email	ConvertKit	$29
SEO	Mangools	$29
Landing	Framer	$5
Support	Crisp Pro	$25
Demo videos	VibrantSnap	$19
Total		~$160/month

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Tools by Stage

Idea Validation Stage

Focus: Learn if people want this

Essential:

• Carrd (landing page) — $1.50/mo
• Tally (waitlist form) — Free
• ConvertKit (email capture) — Free
• Twitter/X (audience building) — Free

Total: Under $5/month

MVP Stage

Focus: Build and ship fast

Add:

• ShipFast or similar boilerplate — One-time
• Supabase (database + auth) — Free
• Vercel (hosting) — Free
• Plausible (analytics) — $9
• VibrantSnap (demo video) — $19

Total: Under $50/month

Early Traction Stage

Focus: Get paying customers

Add:

• Lemon Squeezy (payments) — % only
• Crisp (support chat) — Free tier
• ConvertKit (email marketing) — $29
• Typefully (Twitter tools) — Free

Total: Under $100/month

Growth Stage

Focus: Scale what works

Add:

• Ahrefs (SEO) — $99
• Intercom (support) — $39
• PostHog (product analytics) — Free tier
• Customer.io (email automation) — $100

Total: Under $350/month

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What NOT to Use

Skip these unless you have a specific reason:

Notion for production databases — Use a real database. Notion APIs are slow.

WordPress for SaaS — Modern frameworks are faster and more appropriate.

Custom auth — Use Clerk, Supabase Auth, or Auth.js. Don't roll your own.

Mailchimp for transactional email — Use Resend or Postmark. Mailchimp is for marketing.

Enterprise tools — Salesforce, Marketo, Adobe Creative Cloud. You don't need them yet.

VC-backed tools with no free tier — They'll change pricing or pivot. Use indie alternatives.

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My Personal Stack

Here's exactly what I use for VibrantSnap:

Category	Tool	Why
Frontend	Next.js	Fast, great DX
Hosting	Vercel	Seamless deploys
Database	Supabase	All-in-one backend
Auth	Supabase Auth	Integrated
Payments	Lemon Squeezy	They handle taxes
UI	shadcn/ui + Tailwind	Own my components
Analytics	Plausible	Simple, private
Email	Resend	Beautiful API
Support	Crisp	Great free tier
Design	Figma	Industry standard
AI	Claude + Cursor	Speed boost
Notes	Notion	Everything else

Total monthly cost: Under $100

That's enough to run a profitable SaaS. You don't need more.

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Conclusion: Tools Don't Build Products

Here's the truth indie hackers don't talk about enough: the tools matter less than shipping.

Pieter Levels built multiple million-dollar products with PHP and jQuery. Not because those are the best tools—but because he shipped fast and iterated.

Pick a stack you know. Ship something. Make money. Then optimize.

The best tool is the one that lets you ship today, not the one that will be perfect someday.

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Want to create product demos that convert?

Try VibrantSnap free — Record your screen, and we automatically remove silences, add zoom effects, and give you analytics on viewer engagement. Built by an indie hacker, for indie hackers.