Published February 24, 2026 · 20 min read
Most businesses spend between $5,000 and $15,000 per year on software subscriptions. Design tools, SEO platforms, project management, email marketing, accounting, hosting, automation — the monthly charges add up fast. A solo founder running a typical SaaS or agency easily hits $800/month in tools alone.
What if you could replace all of it with free tools that actually work?
We did exactly that. This guide lays out a complete business tool stack using only free tools — many of which we built on spunk.codes. We break it down by category, show you what each paid tool costs, name the free replacement, and calculate your savings. At the end, you will have a full operational stack that costs $0 per month.
Professional design does not require professional-priced software. Here is the complete free design stack.
Replaces: Adobe Photoshop ($263.88/yr)
Photopea is a browser-based Photoshop clone that opens PSD, XCF, Sketch, and RAW files. It has layers, masks, smart objects, and most Photoshop features. For quick edits, resizing, and format conversion, use our Image Editor.
Annual savings: $263.88
Try Image EditorReplaces: Adobe Illustrator ($263.88/yr)
Figma Free handles most vector design work with unlimited personal files. Penpot is a fully open-source alternative with no usage limits. Together they cover logos, icons, illustrations, and UI design.
Annual savings: $263.88
Replaces: Adobe Premiere Pro ($263.88/yr)
DaVinci Resolve (free version) includes professional editing, color correction, audio mixing, and visual effects. It is used in Hollywood productions. The free version handles 4K editing, multi-track timelines, and advanced color grading.
Annual savings: $263.88
Replaces: Canva Pro ($149.99/yr)
Our free generators cover every social media format:
Annual savings: $149.99
Try Social Post GeneratorReplaces: Shutterstock ($348/yr) or Adobe Stock ($359.88/yr)
Unsplash (3M+ free photos), Pexels (free photos + videos), and Pixabay (images, vectors, music) cover 95% of stock media needs. For custom images, our AI Image Generator creates unique visuals from text descriptions.
Annual savings: $348
Try AI Image GeneratorReplaces: Loom Pro ($150/yr) or Camtasia ($312.99/yr)
OBS Studio is the gold standard for screen recording and streaming — completely free and open source. For quick recordings without installing anything, use our browser-based Screen Recorder.
Annual savings: $150
Try Screen RecorderTotal paid cost: $1,439.63 - $1,960.51/yr
Free stack cost: $0
Annual savings: $1,439 - $1,960
Download our spreadsheet with every tool, link, and savings calculation. Edit it with your own subscriptions to see your personal savings.
SEO tools are some of the most expensive SaaS products on the market. Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz all start at $99+/month. But the data they use largely comes from public sources that free tools can access too.
Replaces: Ahrefs Lite ($1,188/yr) or SEMrush Pro ($1,559.40/yr)
Google Search Console shows you the actual queries people use to find your site — direct from Google. Our Keyword Research Tool finds low-competition keywords with search volume estimates. Google Trends adds seasonal and trend data. AnswerThePublic (free tier) finds question-based keywords.
Annual savings: $1,188
Try Keyword Research ToolReplaces: Ahrefs Site Audit or SEMrush Site Audit
Our SEO Analyzer crawls your site and identifies issues with meta tags, headings, images, links, and performance. Google Lighthouse (built into Chrome DevTools) covers performance, accessibility, and SEO best practices. Together, they catch everything the paid tools catch.
Try SEO AnalyzerReplaces: Yoast Premium ($99/yr) or SurferSEO ($1,068/yr)
Our Meta Tag Generator creates optimized title tags and descriptions. The Readability Scorer ensures your content is accessible. The Schema Generator adds structured data for rich snippets.
Try Meta Tag GeneratorReplaces: Ahrefs paid backlink analysis
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (free, for your own sites) shows backlinks and referring domains. Our Backlink Checker supplements this with additional analysis. Google Search Console also shows your top linking sites.
Try Backlink CheckerReplaces: JetBrains IDEs ($289/yr) or Cursor Pro ($240/yr)
VS Code with free extensions (ESLint, Prettier, GitLens, Thunder Client) is a complete development environment. Add Codeium (free AI code completion) for an AI-enhanced experience comparable to Cursor or Copilot.
Annual savings: $240-$289
Replaces: GitHub Copilot Pro ($120/yr)
Codeium provides unlimited free AI code completions for 70+ languages. GitHub Copilot Free includes 2,000 completions/month. Our Code Generator handles boilerplate, functions, and code snippets.
Annual savings: $120
Try Code GeneratorReplaces: Postman Pro ($168/yr) or Insomnia ($60/yr)
Hoppscotch (open-source, browser-based) and Bruno (offline-first) replace Postman entirely. Our API Tester handles quick REST API tests in the browser. Our JSON Formatter validates and prettifies responses.
Annual savings: $168
Try API TesterReplaces: Vercel Pro ($240/yr) or Netlify Pro ($228/yr)
Cloudflare Pages offers free hosting with unlimited bandwidth and 500 builds/month. GitHub Pages hosts static sites for free. Supabase Free provides a PostgreSQL database, auth, and storage. Railway Free adds backend hosting.
Annual savings: $228-$240
Replaces: Various paid utilities ($200-$400/yr)
Our free developer tools cover the essentials:
Annual savings: $200-$400
Try JSON FormatterEarly supporters get lifetime access to our premium developer toolkit. Use code SPUNK to claim your spot. Only 700 spots remaining.
Enter Code SPUNK Learn MoreReplaces: QuickBooks ($360/yr) or FreshBooks ($204/yr)
Wave Accounting is completely free: invoicing, accounting, receipt scanning, and financial reports. Our Invoice Generator creates professional invoices in seconds. Our Profit Margin Calculator and Budget Calculator handle financial planning.
Annual savings: $360
Try Invoice GeneratorReplaces: Monday.com ($348/yr) or Asana Premium ($131.88/yr)
ClickUp Free includes unlimited tasks, unlimited members, and 100MB storage. Trello Free offers unlimited personal boards. Our Project Planner and Kanban Board provide visual task management.
Annual savings: $132-$348
Try Project PlannerReplaces: Notion Plus ($120/yr) or Confluence ($60/yr)
Obsidian is free for personal use with unlimited local files and powerful linking. Notion Free includes unlimited personal pages and blocks. Logseq is another free, open-source option.
Annual savings: $60-$120
Replaces: 1Password ($36/yr) or LastPass ($36/yr)
Bitwarden Free includes unlimited passwords across all devices. Open-source and audited. Our Password Generator creates strong passwords.
Annual savings: $36
New free tools and alternatives delivered every week. Join 2,500+ subscribers building businesses without expensive software.
Replaces: Mailchimp Standard ($240/yr) or ConvertKit ($348/yr)
Brevo Free sends 300 emails/day with unlimited contacts and automation workflows. MailerLite Free supports 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails/month. Our Email Sequence Builder plans your automation flows.
Annual savings: $240-$348
Try Email Sequence BuilderReplaces: Hootsuite Professional ($1,188/yr) or Buffer Pro ($72/yr)
Buffer Free schedules posts on 3 channels. Our social tools generate the content:
Annual savings: $72-$1,188
Try Social CalendarReplaces: Jasper AI ($468/yr) or Copy.ai ($432/yr)
ChatGPT Free and Claude Free handle most AI writing tasks. Our AI Writer generates blog posts, ad copy, product descriptions, and email sequences. Our Headline Generator creates click-worthy titles.
Annual savings: $432-$468
Try AI WriterReplaces: Mixpanel ($300/yr) or Amplitude ($0-$600/yr)
Google Analytics 4 (free) covers website analytics. Microsoft Clarity (free) adds heatmaps and session recordings. Plausible or Umami (free, self-hosted) provide privacy-friendly alternatives. Our Analytics Dashboard visualizes key metrics.
Annual savings: $300-$600
Replaces: Zapier Professional ($588/yr)
n8n (self-hosted, completely free) provides unlimited workflows. Make.com Free offers 1,000 operations/month. Our Automation Builder and Workflow Automator help plan and visualize automations.
Annual savings: $588
Try Automation BuilderReplaces: Salesforce Essentials ($300/yr) or Pipedrive ($168/yr)
HubSpot CRM Free includes unlimited contacts, deals, and basic marketing tools. It is genuinely free (not a trial) and covers contact management, deal tracking, email integration, and reporting. Freshsales Free is another solid option.
Annual savings: $168-$300
Replaces: Zoom Pro ($179.88/yr)
Google Meet (free, 60-minute meetings) and Jitsi Meet (free, no time limits, no account needed) handle all video conferencing. Discord adds free voice/video with screen sharing.
Annual savings: $180
Replaces: Calendly Pro ($120/yr)
Cal.com is open-source scheduling with a generous free tier. Calendly Free handles one event type. TidyCal offers a one-time $29 payment for lifetime access.
Annual savings: $120
Replaces: Slack Pro ($100.80/yr per user)
Slack Free keeps 90 days of messages (sufficient for small teams). Discord provides unlimited free messaging, voice, and video with no message limits. For async communication, Loom Free handles video messages.
Annual savings: $100-$400
Replaces: Microsoft 365 ($72-$132/yr)
Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are free with a Google account. Real-time collaboration, commenting, and sharing. Our Spreadsheet Tool and Document Editor add browser-based alternatives.
Annual savings: $72-$132
Step-by-step checklist for migrating from paid tools to this free stack. Includes data export guides and transition tips.
| Category | Paid Stack Cost | Free Stack Cost | Annual Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design (images, video, graphics) | $1,440-$1,960 | $0 | $1,440-$1,960 |
| SEO (keywords, audit, backlinks) | $1,188-$1,560 | $0 | $1,188-$1,560 |
| Developer (IDE, AI, hosting, APIs) | $756-$1,217 | $0 | $756-$1,217 |
| Business (accounting, PM, notes) | $252-$864 | $0 | $252-$864 |
| Marketing (email, social, content) | $1,800-$3,792 | $0 | $1,800-$3,792 |
| Communication (calls, chat, docs) | $473-$985 | $0 | $473-$985 |
| TOTAL | $5,909-$10,378 | $0 | $5,909-$10,378 |
That is $865/month back in your pocket. Invest it in growth, pay yourself more, or save it. Either way, it is not going to software companies for features you can get for free.
Do not try to switch everything at once. Here is the order we recommend:
Always export your data from paid tools before canceling. Most SaaS tools allow data export (Settings → Export or Account → Download Data). Back up templates, campaigns, project data, and any content you have created in the paid tool.
200+ free tools on spunk.codes. No signup. No credit card. Enter code SPUNK for premium features free.
Explore All Free Tools Get Free Premium AccessEvery week we find the best free alternatives to expensive software. Join 2,500+ readers who refuse to overpay.
200+ free tools
Digital art & NFTs
Free crypto casino
Code & tech predictions
© 2026 SpunkArt · Follow us on X @SpunkArt13