budget-stacks · checked 2026-06-29

How to Choose a Cheap AI Stack

A practical decision guide for choosing a small AI stack without subscription sprawl.

Answer

What to know first

Start with the repeated job: writing, coding, research, meetings, images, or internal knowledge.

Choose one main assistant. Add one specialist only when the main assistant creates a measurable weekly bottleneck.

Review the stack monthly. Cancel tools that feel impressive but do not remove work.

Structured answer

Step	Question	Output
1	What task repeats every week?	One primary use case.
2	Which tool already covers 70% of it?	One default tool.
3	What still fails?	One specialist candidate.
4	Can free or existing tools cover it?	Buy/no-buy decision.

Source trail

FAQ

How many AI subscriptions should a solo operator keep?

Usually one or two. More than that needs a clear weekly job for each paid tool.