You're a freelance writer: here's the minimal stack that's actually enough for you

It's Monday morning. You have 3 active clients. You need to write 5 articles this week. You also need to manage your invoices, your deadlines, and your client emails.

You look at your computer. You have 12 applications open. Notion, Google Docs, Grammarly, Canva, Calendly, Stripe, ChatGPT, Gmail, Slack, Loom, 1Password, and Zapier.

You think: "Do I really use all these tools? How much am I paying per month for all this?"

You open a spreadsheet. You add it up. $240 + $120 + $144 + $120 + $96 + $29 + $36 + $15 + $20 + $12.50 + $36 + $15 = $883/month.

Almost $900 a month. For what? To write articles.

It's too much. And you know it.

Most freelance writers think they need all these tools. That each tool solves a specific problem. That without them, they can't work.

Wrong.

The problem isn't the tools. The problem is that you don't have a system. You add a tool every time you encounter a problem. You never delete anything. You accumulate.

Result? $883/month for a solo writer who makes $3,000/month. That's 29% of your income going to tools.

Here's the truth: a freelance writer only needs 5 tools. Not 12. Not 8. Five.

1. Google Docs (free)

Why: It's your text editor. It's where you write your articles.

Cost: $0

Alternatives: Notion, Microsoft Word, Hemingway Editor. But Google Docs is free and sufficient.

What it does:

• Collaborative editing (your clients can comment)
• Version history (you can go back)
• Export to PDF (to send to your clients)
• Easy sharing (shareable link)

What it doesn't do:

• Advanced grammar checking (you'll use Grammarly for that)
• Idea generation (you'll use ChatGPT for that)

Verdict: Keep it. It's free and it works.

2. ChatGPT Plus ($20/month = $240/year)

Why: It's your writing assistant. You use it to generate ideas, write introductions, correct texts.

Cost: $20/month

Alternatives: Claude Opus ($20/month), DeepSeek (ultra-cheap), Perplexity (free for search).

What it does:

• Generate content ideas
• Write introductions and conclusions
• Correct and improve texts
• Translate
• Explain complex concepts

What it doesn't do:

• Write the entire article (you need to do that yourself)
• Check grammar (use Grammarly for that)

Verdict: Keep it. It's profitable if you use it 1h+/day.

3. Grammarly ($12/month = $144/year)

Why: It's your grammar checker. You use it to catch mistakes you miss.

Cost: $12/month

Alternatives: LanguageTool (free), Antidote ($99/year), Reverso (free).

What it does:

• Detect spelling and grammar errors
• Suggest a more professional tone
• Check for plagiarism (Premium)

What it doesn't do:

• Write for you
• Generate ideas

Verdict: Keep it. For a writer, it's essential.

4. Notion (free)

Why: It's your project management system. You use it to track your articles, deadlines, clients.

Cost: $0 (free)

Alternatives: Airtable (free), Monday.com (paid), Asana (paid).

What it does:

• Create a database of your articles (title, status, deadline, client)
• Create a database of your clients (contact, hourly rate, articles written)
• Create an editorial calendar
• Track your invoices

What it doesn't do:

• Write for you
• Check your grammar

Verdict: Keep it. It's free and you can manage your entire business inside it.

5. Stripe (free, commission per transaction)

Why: It's how you get paid. You use it to create invoices and receive payments.

Cost: Free, but 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction

Alternatives: Bank transfer (free), PayPal (3.49% + $0.49), Wise (free for transfers).

What it does:

• Create automatic invoices
• Receive card payments
• Track your income
• Manage your clients

What it doesn't do:

• Write for you
• Check your grammar

Verdict: Keep it. It's profitable if you have international clients.

Canva Pro ($120/year)

Why you have it: You thought you needed to create images for your articles.

Why you should cancel it: 95% of your articles don't need images. And when you do, ChatGPT can generate images now.

Savings: $120/year

Calendly Pro ($96/year)

Why you have it: You thought you needed to schedule client meetings.

Why you should cancel it: You can use Google Calendar (free). Or simply ask your clients to propose time slots.

Savings: $96/year

Loom ($120/year)

Why you have it: You thought you needed to record videos for your clients.

Why you should cancel it: You probably never recorded a video. And if you need to, QuickTime (free on Mac) or OBS (free) are enough.

Savings: $120/year

1Password ($36/year)

Why you have it: You thought you needed a password manager.

Why you should cancel it: Google Password Manager (free) does the same thing. Or just use your browser's built-in password manager.

Savings: $36/year

Zapier ($15/month = $180/year)

Why you have it: You thought you needed to automate your workflows.

Why you should cancel it: You probably never created an automation. And if you need to, Make (free) or IFTTT (free) are enough.

Savings: $180/year

Slack ($12.50/month = $150/year)

Why you have it: You thought you needed to communicate with your clients.

Why you should cancel it: Email is enough. Or WhatsApp (free). Or Telegram (free).

Savings: $150/year

You save $259 per year. That's $21.60 per month.

It doesn't seem like much. But it's $259 you can use for:

• A copywriting course ($200)
• A better computer ($1,000 over 4 years)
• A rate increase (you can charge $5 more per article)

Here's how you work with this stack:

Monday morning: planning

1. Open Notion
2. Add the 5 articles you need to write this week
3. Add the deadlines
4. Add the clients

Time: 10 minutes

Monday-Friday: writing

1. Open Google Docs
2. Use ChatGPT to generate an introduction
3. Write the body of the article
4. Use ChatGPT to generate a conclusion
5. Use Grammarly to check grammar
6. Send to your client

Time: 2-3 hours per article

Friday evening: invoicing

1. Open Stripe
2. Create an invoice for each client
3. Send the invoice by email

Time: 15 minutes

Total per week: 3h30 of work + 25 minutes of admin

Cancel Canva Pro, Calendly Pro, Loom, 1Password, Zapier, and Slack immediately.

You'll save $259 per year. That's money you can use for something more useful.

Keep only:

• Google Docs (free): your text editor
• ChatGPT Plus ($240/year): your writing assistant
• Grammarly ($144/year): your grammar checker
• Notion (free): your project management system
• Stripe (commission): your payment platform

That's all you need. Honestly.

1. Export all your projects from Notion. Make sure you have a local backup.

1. Cancel Canva Pro, Calendly Pro, Loom, 1Password, Zapier, and Slack. Do it now. Not tomorrow.

1. Use Google Calendar instead of Calendly. It's free and it works.

1. Use Google Password Manager instead of 1Password. It's free and it works.

1. Use email instead of Slack. It's free and it works.

1. Measure your time saved. For 1 month, note how much time you save without these tools. You'll see you didn't need them.

A freelance writer only needs 5 tools. Not 12. Not 8. Five.

Google Docs, ChatGPT Plus, Grammarly, Notion, and Stripe. That's it.

You'll save $259 per year. You'll gain time. You'll be more productive. And you'll be happier.

Start now. Cancel the useless tools. Keep the 5 essential ones.

Need help choosing your tools? Take the free diagnostic →

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