Freelance dev.
Code, show, get paid without a product stack.
The stack map.
The core is visible immediately; expand only the add-ons you need.
Code & version
Produce the project and keep a clean history.
Core: GitHub. Add-ons only when the deliverable requires it.
Show the client
Share an accessible version without building a product factory.
Core: Vercel. Add-ons based on your actual use.
Document
Centralize specs, decisions, and project follow-up.
Core: Notion. Add-ons based on your actual use.
Get paid
Invoice and receive payments simply.
Core: Stripe. Add-ons based on your actual use.
Track without bloat
Organize tasks without recreating a product team.
Choose based on your deliverables.
AI & automation
Speed up without multiplying copilots or automating too early.
Choose based on your deliverables.
Real budget: $0 to $37/month.
GitHub and Vercel free plans are enough to start and ship solo.
ChatGPT Plus and Notion Plus only when you use them every week.
Stripe charges a fee only when the client pays.
Do not add these too early.
CRM before sales flow
Delay CRM while sales follow-up fits in a page or spreadsheet.
Several AI copilots
Keep one main copilot, add an AI IDE only if code work is weekly.
Automations too early
Pay for automation when the flow is stable and frequent.
Frequently asked questions.
Is this stack enough to ship a client website?
Yes, if the core need is coding, sharing a preview, documenting decisions, and getting paid. It becomes too light when you need advanced QA, complex staging, or several developers.
Should you add Linear or Jira?
Not by default. Solo, Notion is often enough for context, decisions, and client tracking. Linear or Jira become useful when several people prioritize and ship at the same time.
When should you pay for an AI coding tool?
When you ship code weekly and the tool truly reduces debugging, refactoring, or generation time. Otherwise, a well-configured general copilot is enough.
If this stack does not quite match your use case.