My Comprehensive App Stack: Tools I Use for Work and Beyond; John’s Application Stack 🥞

alt-text & source for Cover Image

Slug

my-app-stack

Meta Title

My Comprehensive App Stack: Tools I Use for Work and Beyond; John’s Application Stack 🥞

Meta Description

This article is an audit of my, John Guerra’s, app stack that I currently use to do whatever it is that I am doing with John at Work and my other channels, brands, and projects. The aim of this article is to help me better get a handle on what my stack is: the costs, the benefits, and general discovery.

Excerpt

In this article, I conduct a thorough audit of my current application stack, examining each app I use for various projects, brands, and channels. My goal is to understand the benefits, costs, and overall value of these applications, allowing me to identify areas where I can cut expenses and enhance productivity. From email and document management tools to graphic design and social media platforms, I evaluate how each app serves my needs, even if some come with high costs and low benefits. This ongoing process helps me streamline my operations and make informed decisions about the tools I choose to support my work. Join me as I share insights into my app usage and the adjustments I plan to make in the future.

Content Status'

Updated

Publish Date

Jul 6, 2023

Publish!

Feature!

Do not index

Hide in Main Feed

Hide Cover Image

Hide CTA

Fallback Cover

Extra Info

Canonical URL

Created by (created the item, not writer)

Created time

Jul 6, 2023 03:21 PM

Last edited by

Last Time Edited

Aug 14, 2024 10:03 AM

🚮 WALL [JaWtID]

⇝ pp_flow: John at

Benefit, Cost, & Value

Here is my complete app stack; every app I use, even if the use is low (and/or lacks value) and the cost is high 🤢 — sadly. But this is one of the main reasons for this article and public audit of my stack. To cut the fat, discovery features, and get value from my App Stack.

Applications	Benefit	Cost	Value
App Suites	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Zoho One	Email, Document/File Management, Ticketing and Support, Chat bots, …	$45 per month (1 user)	2️⃣
Google Workspaces	Document/File Management, Email, Chat, …	$12 per month (1 user)	2️⃣
Notes and Documentation	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Notion	CMS, Notes, Planner, Project Management, Documentation, …	$50 per month (2 users)	3️⃣
Zoho Notebook	Quick, multimedia note capture and content drafting	Part of Zoho One Membership ($45 for 1 per user)	2️⃣
Website Builders (and tools)	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Carrd	One page websites: landing pages, micro-sites, …	$49 per year	3️⃣
Feather	Headless Blog that works with Notion (databases) as the CMS	$19 per month	3️⃣
Webflow	Build websites for clients and self	$42 per month (1 user, few clients)	2️⃣
Relume	ㅤ	$19 per month	2️⃣
Bio Sites (Squarespace)	`testing`	ㅤ	ㅤ
Graphic Design, Prototyping	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Figma	ㅤ	$0 — considering the paid version	3️⃣
SEO and Web Marketing	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Zoho Analytics	ㅤ	Part of Zoho One Membership ($45 for 1 per user)	2️⃣
Google Analytics	ㅤ	Part of Zoho One Membership ($45 for 1 per user)	2️⃣
Zoho PageSense	ㅤ	Part of Zoho One Membership ($45 for 1 per user)	2️⃣
SEMflow	SEO tools for Webflow that runs in the browser — for SEO novices like me	$15 per month	2️⃣
SEMRush	ㅤ	$0 — considering the paid version	2️⃣
Blog & Writing	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Medium	Weblog to the Medium audience and reach	$5 per month (1 user)	3️⃣
Substack	Weblog to the Substack audience and reach	$0 — transaction fees?	3️⃣
Search, Browsers, & AI	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
ChatGPT	Generative AI writing, research help	$0 — considering the paid version or other alternatives	2️⃣
~~Neeva~~ `acquired`	Search the web outside of Google — been acquired by Snowflake	$0 — ~~considering the paid version~~	3️⃣
Notion AI	Generative AI writing, research help integrated into Notion	$20 per month (2 users)	3️⃣
Zoho Zia	ㅤ	Part of Zoho One Membership ($45 for 1 per user)	ㅤ
WolframAlpha	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Workona	Navigate the web better via browsers - across devices	$0 — considering the paid version	3️⃣
Payment Apps	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Ko-fi	Collect tips	transaction fees	2️⃣
Paddle	testing now	unsure	❔
Patreon	Not yet using	transaction fees	2️⃣
Stripe	Get Paid	transaction fees	3️⃣
Banking	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
~~Chase Bank~~	ㅤ	was a $12 fee per mondy	2️⃣
Lilly Bank	ㅤ	ㅤ	2️⃣
Novo Bank	ㅤ	ㅤ	3️⃣
Video and Photos	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Android Camera	ㅤ	ㅤ	3️⃣
ClipChamp	ㅤ	ㅤ	2️⃣
Google Photos	ㅤ	ㅤ	3️⃣
LumaFusion	Edit videos from Chromebook	$15 one time	2️⃣
DaVinci Resolve	Edit videos from PC	$0 — considering the paid version	2️⃣
Youtube	ㅤ	ㅤ	2️⃣
Diagram & Virtual Workspace	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Miro	Replace my white board and walls of my office so I can work away from my desk and with people & teams across the world	$15 per month	3️⃣
The Doodle Library	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Email	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Gmail	ㅤ	ㅤ	2️⃣
Zoho Mail	ㅤ	Part of Zoho One Membership ($45 for 1 per user)	2️⃣
Chat	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Google Chat	Use to communicate with clients and other groups who use this platform.	paid for with Google Workspaces subscription ($12 per month)	2️⃣
Slack	Use to communicate with clients and other groups who use this platform.	$15 per month	2️⃣
Discord	Use to communicate with groups who use this platform.	ㅤ	2️⃣
Zoho Desk	ㅤ	ㅤ	2️⃣
Social	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Twitter	🤷🏽‍♀️	$0 — never bought a check (I mean, I have 30 followers)	1️⃣
LinkedIn	👩🏽‍💼	$0 — was paying for it in the past, may do so again, soon ($X?)	2️⃣
Instagram	🐈‍⬛	ㅤ	2️⃣
Mastadon	🤓	ㅤ	2️⃣
Product Hunt	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Files and Documents	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Google Drive	ㅤ	ㅤ	2️⃣
Google Storage	ㅤ	ㅤ	2️⃣
Zoho WorkDrive	ㅤ	ㅤ	2️⃣
Capture & Record	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Microsoft Lens	Seems to work the best	ㅤ	2️⃣
Passwords & Security	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Dashlane	ㅤ	ㅤ	3️⃣
Zoho Vault	ㅤ	Part of Zoho One Membership ($45 for 1 per user)	2️⃣
Audible	ㅤ	ㅤ	2️⃣
Devices and Data	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Duet Display	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Dell XPS 13	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Pixel 6 (Google)	ㅤ	ㅤ	2️⃣
Verizon	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Operating Systems	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Android OS	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Chrome OS	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
Windows OS	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ
iOS	ㅤ	ㅤ	ㅤ

🗒️

The table is organized by applications types, then by alphanumeric order.

Some apps may have multiple groups they could belong to, but I do not one to list them more than once.

🗒️

Value Column Explained This is value to me, personally. I use a simple 1 → 3 score (3 being the most valuable, 0 is no value). Some apps may be higher or lower for others, based on their requirements and experiences.

🗒️

I use all these apps in this table — love them or hate them. If I no longer use them or do not recommend them anymore, for whatever reason, I will update this post and/or create a follow up post.

High Benefit & Value, Low Cost

For some apps on the list above, I do not use the app and still spend money on it. This is Low Benefit & Low Value at a High Cost — the opposite of this header 👆🏽 I do not know exactly what the future will look like or even what I want it to look like but I know I want to do have a low operating cost — for fuck sure not waste money. Bad finances does not scale well.

Removed But Still Recommended

Some apps above will be removed from my stack over the next weeks — the stack is an evolving, ever morphing collection of software (and hardware). Though I may stop using a particular app in the stack, this does not mean you should. I advocate for and refer many apps that are of no use (or too expensive) for me and my work. Your work and other factors may be different.