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Building your personalized tech stack
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Quick answers to help you choose the best funnel builder, email marketing platform, or CRM for your business in 2025.
Depends on what you need. Kartra is fantastic if you want everything (funnels, email, courses, memberships) in one polished package. Systeme.io does similar stuff but has a free tier, which is wild. And if you're running an agency, GoHighLevel lets you white-label the whole thing.
Honestly, you can start at $0. Systeme.io has a legit free plan. Once you're ready to invest, GetResponse starts at $15/mo for email plus landing pages. For AI ad research, GetHookd is $19/mo. Most small businesses do fine spending $50-150/month total across a few tools.
100%. That's kind of the whole point of these tools now. Kartra has a really clean drag-and-drop builder. ClickFunnels basically invented this category (though it's pricey). Systeme.io keeps it simple. No coding, just drag stuff around.
For ad research and creative inspiration, GetHookd is incredible. It shows you what ads are actually working and helps generate scripts. GetResponse has solid AI for email subject lines and content. And if you want AI landing page copy, Kartra has been adding those features too.
Hard to recommend at $147/month when alternatives exist. Kartra does everything ClickFunnels does for less. Systeme.io has a free plan that covers most use cases. That said, ClickFunnels has a huge community and great training. Read our full review to decide.
GetResponse is our top pick for small businesses. Starts at $15/mo, includes landing pages and webinars, and the automation is surprisingly powerful. If you want email bundled with everything else, Kartra and Systeme.io both include email in their all-in-one packages.
Need help choosing? Browse our detailed reviews.
Explore All Tools →Answer one question. Get a recommendation in 3 seconds.
Need funnels, email, and courses without spending money yet.
Systeme.io
FREE
Automation, segmentation, and webinars included.
GetResponse
$15/mo
White-label platform to resell to clients.
GoHighLevel
$97/mo
Video hosting, memberships, and behavioral triggers.
Kartra
$99/mo
Spy on competitors, generate scripts, find what's working.
GetHookd
$19/mo
Automate workflows between 5,000+ apps.
Zapier
FREE
Whether you're starting a business or just landed your first marketing role, these guides will help you choose the right tools.
Stop wasting money on tools you don't need. Here's exactly what software stack to build as a new business owner.
A crash course on the marketing software stack you'll encounter at most companies, and which skills to develop first.
Build a complete marketing system without spending a dime. These free tools can handle everything until you hit scale.
The eternal debate: one platform that does everything, or best-in-class tools connected together? Here's how to decide.
Most email lists underperform because of these common mistakes. Fix them and watch your open rates climb.
Most CRM implementations fail because of adoption, not features. Here's how to make your team actually use it.
A lean, practical stack for product research, creatives, landing pages, and follow-up. No fluff.
Every tool, no distractions. Filter, sort, and control how many show per page.
A transparent look at the software I actually use day-to-day. Your needs may differ. these just work well for my setup.
I run a small content business, so my stack prioritizes affordability and simplicity over enterprise features. If you're an agency or larger team, some of these might not scale for you. Total cost: around $50-150/month depending on usage.
All-in-One Marketing Platform
What I use it for: Landing pages, email sequences, and course hosting. It handles most of what I need in one place. Not the most powerful option in any single category, but the all-in-one convenience works for my workflow.
Downsides: Templates are basic. Email deliverability isn't as strong as dedicated ESPs. Limited integrations compared to bigger platforms.
Email Marketing + Webinars
What I use it for: Email campaigns when I need better deliverability or run webinars. Their built-in webinar tool is solid and saves paying for a separate platform.
Downsides: Gets expensive as your list grows. Some features feel dated. Automation builder has a learning curve.
Complete Business Platform
What I use it for: Higher-end course delivery. Kartra's video hosting has behavioral triggers (e.g., "send email if student watches 75% of a lesson"). Useful for premium products where you want more control.
Downsides: Expensive starting point. Interface feels busy. Overkill if you're just starting out or have simple needs.
No-Code Automation
What I use it for: Connecting apps that don't have native integrations. The visual workflow builder helps me understand complex automations better than Zapier's linear approach.
Downsides: Steeper learning curve than Zapier. Some niche apps aren't supported. Can be confusing for simple one-step automations.
Notes, Docs, Projects
What I use it for: Content calendar, SOPs, and research notes. It's where I plan before executing in other tools.
Downsides: Can become slow with large databases. Offline mode is limited. Not great for real-time collaboration compared to Google Docs.
Ad Research + AI Creatives
What I use it for: Ad research and creative inspiration. Instead of scrolling through Meta Ad Library for hours, I use their 23M+ ad database to find what's actually working. The AI script generator saves time when I need fresh hooks.
Downsides: Credit system can feel limiting on the starter plan. Heavily focused on eCommerce, so B2B or SaaS ads are harder to find. AI scripts need editing before use.
Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I actually use, but your needs might be different, so do your own research.
GoHighLevel ($97-297/mo) is excellent for agencies who want to white-label and resell to clients. If that's your model, it might be a better fit than anything I listed. For solo creators, the white-label features add cost without much benefit.
HubSpot's free CRM is genuinely excellent for sales teams. If you do a lot of outbound sales or need pipeline tracking, it could be better than what I use. Their marketing tools get pricey though ($800+/mo for full features).
Rarely all at once. I mainly use Systeme + Notion day-to-day. GetResponse for webinars, Kartra for specific premium products, Make when I need to connect things. Most people only need 2-3 tools to start.
Pick one tool that covers your core need and stick with it until you outgrow it. For all-in-one simplicity, Systeme's free tier is hard to beat. For better email deliverability, start with GetResponse or ConvertKit. For sales-focused businesses, HubSpot's free CRM. Don't overthink it. you can always switch later.
Tell us about your business and let our AI recommend the ideal combination of tools based on your specific needs and budget.
Free / $27/mo • Complete All-in-One Platform
Unbeatable value with a genuinely free tier. Includes funnels, email marketing, courses, and automation for 2,000 contacts. The paid plans are still cheaper than competitors' entry tiers.
$119/mo • Powerful Automation Engine
Feature-rich all-in-one platform with the most powerful behavioral automation. Membership sites, affiliate management, and advanced tagging. Steep learning curve but incredibly capable.
$97/mo • White-Label & Multi-Client
The agency powerhouse. White-label everything, unlimited sub-accounts, and a full CRM + automation suite. Perfect for agencies managing multiple clients.
$147/mo • Proven Templates & Community
$15/mo • Email + Funnels Combo
$37/mo • Best Landing Pages
$74/mo • AI-Powered Optimization
$149/mo • Best for Courses
$79/mo • Enterprise Landing Pages
$47/mo • Budget All-in-One
Free funnels, email, courses & automation. No credit card required.
Get Started Free →A funnel builder creates a series of pages designed to guide visitors toward a purchase: landing pages, opt-in forms, checkout pages, and upsells, all connected to maximize conversions.
Systeme.io is the clear winner for free funnel building. You get unlimited funnels, email marketing for 2,000 contacts, course hosting, and automation, all genuinely free, not a trial.
Yes, for most users. Kartra offers more powerful automation, better membership features, and includes email marketing, all at a lower price point. ClickFunnels has a stronger community and proven templates, but Kartra delivers more value per dollar.
Free / $27/mo • Complete All-in-One Platform
Unbeatable free tier: 2,000 contacts with full automation, funnels, and courses included. No other platform offers this much value at zero cost. Perfect for solopreneurs and small businesses.
$29/mo • Industry-Leading Automation
The gold standard for email automation. Best-in-class deliverability, visual automation builder, and deep CRM integration. Worth the premium for serious marketers.
$119/mo • Behavioral Email Automation
Powerful behavioral triggers and advanced segmentation. Email is just one part of this all-in-one platform. includes funnels, memberships, and affiliate management.
$15/mo • Best Value with Funnels
$9/mo • Best for Creators
$20/mo • Best for Ecommerce
Free / $9/mo • Best Budget Option
$25/mo • Best for Transactional
$12.50/mo • Reliable Veteran
Free / $13/mo • Most Popular
Free email marketing + funnels + courses for 2,000 contacts.
Get Started Free →Systeme.io offers the most generous free tier: 2,000 contacts with full automation, funnels, and courses included. MailerLite is also excellent with 1,000 free subscribers and a clean interface.
ActiveCampaign consistently ranks #1 in deliverability tests. GetResponse and ConvertKit also perform well. Avoid Mailchimp if deliverability is critical. their shared IPs can hurt inbox placement.
Klaviyo is the gold standard for Shopify email marketing. deep integration, purchase-based automation, and predictive analytics. Omnisend is a strong budget alternative with SMS included.
Free / $45/mo • Marketing + Sales Integration
The gold standard for free CRM. Unlimited users, 1M contacts, and seamless integration with HubSpot's marketing, sales, and service hubs. Best for growing businesses wanting an ecosystem.
$14/mo • Visual Pipeline Focus
Built by salespeople, for salespeople. The most intuitive visual pipeline in the industry. Great for teams that need to track deals without complexity. 14-day free trial.
Free / $14/mo • Full-Featured Ecosystem
Incredible value with AI assistant, workflow automation, and deep analytics. Part of the Zoho ecosystem (50+ apps). Free tier for 3 users, paid plans very affordable.
$25/mo • Enterprise Powerhouse
$97/mo • All-in-One Agency CRM
$12/mo • Visual Work OS
Free / $15/mo • AI-Powered
$49/mo • Built-in Calling
$29/mo • Google Workspace Native
$29/mo • Project Management + CRM
Free forever. Unlimited users. Up to 1 million contacts.
Read Full Review →HubSpot CRM is the best free CRM with unlimited users, 1 million contacts, and no time limits. Zoho CRM offers a free tier for 3 users with solid features. Freshsales also has a competitive free plan with AI-powered lead scoring.
Yes, HubSpot's core CRM is genuinely free with unlimited users and up to 1 million contacts. The catch is that advanced features (marketing automation, custom reporting, sequences) require paid Hub subscriptions starting at $45/month.
For most small businesses, HubSpot CRM (free) or Pipedrive ($14/mo) are the best choices. HubSpot is better if you want marketing tools, while Pipedrive excels for pure sales pipeline management with its visual interface.
CRM focuses on customer-facing activities: sales, marketing, and support. ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) manages internal operations: inventory, accounting, HR, and manufacturing. Large companies often use both systems integrated together.
Free / $19.99/mo • 7,000+ App Integrations
The industry standard for no-code automation. Connect virtually any app with the largest integration library. Perfect for beginners with an intuitive interface. Free tier includes 100 tasks/month.
Free / $9/mo • Complex Visual Workflows
More powerful than Zapier for complex automations at a fraction of the cost. Visual workflow builder handles branching, loops, and data transformation. Free tier includes 1,000 operations/month.
Free (Self-Hosted) / $20/mo Cloud • Open Source
The open-source automation powerhouse. Self-host for free with unlimited workflows. Write custom JavaScript/Python nodes. Best for technical teams wanting full control and data privacy.
$25/mo (Lifetime Available) • Budget King
$29/mo • Email + Marketing Automation
$19.99/mo • 1-Click Automations
$15/mo • Microsoft Ecosystem
Custom Pricing • Enterprise Grade
Custom Pricing • API-First Platform
Free / $3.49/mo • Simple Applets
Marketing automation uses software to automate repetitive marketing tasks: sending emails based on user behavior, scoring leads, posting to social media, syncing data between tools, and nurturing prospects through sales funnels, all without manual intervention.
Zapier is better for beginners who want simplicity and the largest app library. Make (formerly Integromat) is better for power users who need complex multi-step workflows with branching logic. Make is also significantly cheaper at scale. Most users start with Zapier then migrate to Make as their needs grow.
Absolutely. Tools like Zapier and Make are designed for non-developers. You build automations by selecting triggers (e.g., "new form submission") and actions (e.g., "add to email list") using visual interfaces. No coding required.
For self-hosting, n8n is completely free with unlimited workflows. For hosted solutions, Make offers 1,000 free operations/month (more than Zapier's 100 tasks). IFTTT is also free for basic automations, though limited to 2 applets on the free tier.
$74/mo • AI-Powered Smart Builder
The industry leader for conversion-focused landing pages. Smart Traffic AI automatically routes visitors to the best-performing variant. Drag-and-drop builder with 100+ templates and built-in A/B testing.
Free / $27/mo • All-in-One Platform
Unbeatable free tier includes unlimited landing pages, email marketing for 2,000 contacts, and sales funnels. No credit card required. Perfect for solopreneurs and startups on a budget.
$37/mo • Beginner-Friendly
The easiest landing page builder to learn. 200+ conversion-optimized templates, drag-and-drop editor, and built-in conversion guidance. Great for small businesses wanting quick results.
$119/mo • Advanced Marketing Suite
$79/mo • Enterprise Personalization
$147/mo • Full Funnel Builder
$29/mo • 400+ Templates
Free / $19/yr • Simple One-Pagers
$15/mo • Email + Landing Pages
$29/mo • Mobile-First AMP Pages
Unlimited landing pages, email marketing & funnels. No credit card required.
Get Started Free →A landing page builder is software that lets you create standalone web pages designed for a single conversion goal. capturing leads, selling products, or promoting offers. Unlike regular websites, landing pages remove distractions and focus visitors on one action.
Systeme.io offers the best free plan with unlimited landing pages, email marketing for 2,000 contacts, and sales funnels, all genuinely free, not a trial. Carrd is another excellent free option for simple one-page sites at just $19/year for pro features.
Unbounce is better for marketers who want AI-powered optimization and advanced A/B testing. Leadpages is better for beginners who want simplicity and lower pricing. Choose Unbounce for conversion optimization features; choose Leadpages for ease of use and budget-friendliness.
If your goal is conversions (leads, sales, signups), use a landing page builder because they're optimized for single-focus pages with A/B testing. If you need a full website with multiple pages, navigation, and content, use a website builder like WordPress or Webflow.
Answer 3 quick questions for personalized tool recommendations.
Building your personalized tech stack
Trusted by 5,000+ marketers • Honest reviews since 2024
Last updated: December 2025 • 8 min read
New business owners should start with an all-in-one platform like Systeme.io (free) or GetResponse ($15/mo). These tools handle email, landing pages, and automation in one place, so there's no need to juggle 5+ subscriptions from day one.
You've just started your business. You're excited. You start researching marketing tools and suddenly you're drowning in options: Should you get Mailchimp for email? ClickFunnels for landing pages? A separate CRM? What about automation?
Stop. This "best-of-breed" approach makes sense for companies with marketing teams and budgets. For a new business owner doing everything yourself, it's a recipe for:
Here's what most new businesses genuinely require:
If you're bootstrapping, start here:
All-in-one marketing platform
Includes email marketing (2,000 contacts), landing pages, sales funnels, online courses, and automation, all free. This is genuinely the best value in marketing software for beginners.
Read Full Review →If you can invest a bit, get more polish and features:
Email + Landing Pages + Webinars
More polished interface, better templates, and built-in webinar functionality. Great for service businesses and coaches who want to host live events.
Read Full Review →Start simple and add complexity only when you hit real limitations. For more on this decision, read our guide on all-in-one vs separate tools.
I've seen hundreds of new business owners make these same mistakes with their marketing tools. Learn from their pain:
Let's get concrete. Here's what most new businesses actually spend on marketing tools in their first year:
That extra $3,000-7,000 could go toward ads that actually bring in customers, or stay in your pocket until you actually need advanced features.
Here's exactly what to do in your first three months:
On a tight budget? Check out our complete $0 marketing stack guide.
Systeme.io has everything you need — funnels, email, courses — for free.
Try Systeme.io Free →Last updated: December 2025 • 10 min read
Most marketing jobs require familiarity with: email marketing (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign), CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce), automation (Zapier), and analytics (Google Analytics). Focus on learning one tool per category deeply rather than all of them superficially.
You've landed your first marketing role. Congratulations! Now you're staring at a dashboard you've never seen, surrounded by acronyms like "CRM," "MAP," and "CDP." Don't panic. every marketer has been there.
Here's the reality: most marketing teams use 5-15 different software tools. You don't need to master all of them on day one. Focus on understanding categories first, then learn the specific tools your company uses. If you're curious about how to choose between platforms, our all-in-one vs separate tools guide breaks it down.
What it does: Send newsletters, automated sequences, and promotional emails to your subscriber list.
You'll likely encounter:
What it does: Track every interaction with leads and customers. Sales and marketing both live here.
You'll likely encounter:
What it does: Connect different tools and automate repetitive tasks (e.g., "when someone fills out a form, add them to CRM and send welcome email").
You'll likely encounter:
What it does: Create dedicated pages for campaigns without bothering developers.
You'll likely encounter:
What it does: Measure website traffic, campaign performance, and user behavior. This is how you prove your work is actually working.
You'll likely encounter:
What it does: Schedule posts, manage multiple accounts, and track social engagement all in one place.
You'll likely encounter:
What it does: Create visual content, manage documents, and collaborate on marketing materials.
You'll likely encounter:
Your first 90 days matter. Here's a systematic approach that actually works:
Some certifications are worth your time: Google Analytics Certification (free, universally respected), HubSpot Inbound Marketing (free, great for understanding methodology), and Semrush SEO Fundamentals (free, practical skills). Skip the expensive certifications unless your employer pays.
Tools change. These skills don't:
Understanding metrics, reading dashboards, knowing which numbers actually matter. A marketer who can't interpret data is flying blind.
Email copy, ad copy, landing page copy, social captions. You'll write every single day. Get good at it.
How does email connect to CRM? What triggers this automation? Understanding the full picture makes you invaluable.
A/B testing, hypothesis formation, learning from failures. Marketing is experimentation, not guessing.
Instead: Master your daily drivers first. You'll naturally pick up other tools as projects require them.
Instead: Ask now. It's expected in your first 90 days. After 6 months, those same questions become awkward.
Instead: Always ask "why are we doing this?" Understanding the goal helps you execute better and prepares you for bigger roles.
Instead: Get to know Sales, Product, and Customer Success. Marketing doesn't exist in a vacuum, and these relationships will save you countless headaches.
By end of Week 1:
By end of Week 2:
By end of Month 1:
Interested in AI tools? Check out our guide on Best AI Marketing Tools in 2026 to see what's emerging. And if you're overwhelmed by all the options, try our AI Stack Advisor to get personalized recommendations based on your situation.
Systeme.io gives you funnels, email, and automation — all free to start.
Try Systeme.io Free →Last updated: December 2025 • 7 min read
You can build a complete marketing system for $0/month using: Systeme.io (email + funnels), HubSpot CRM (contact management), and Zapier Free (100 automations/month). This stack handles most small business needs.
Five years ago, free marketing tools were crippled versions of paid products. limited to the point of uselessness. Today, competition has forced companies to offer genuinely useful free tiers to attract users.
The catch? Free tiers have limits (contacts, emails, features). But those limits are often generous enough to run a real business until you're making money. For a broader strategy overview, see our guide on marketing software for new business owners.
Replaces: Mailchimp + ClickFunnels + Teachable
Replaces: Pipedrive, Salesforce Essentials
Connects everything together
With these three free tools, you can run a legitimate marketing operation:
Beyond the core stack, these free tools can fill specific gaps:
Let's be honest about the trade-offs:
Free tools often mean more manual work. No fancy automations, more clicking around, more time spent on tasks that paid tools would handle automatically.
Free tiers lock certain features. A/B testing, advanced segmentation, and premium templates often require paid plans.
Free users get community support or slow email responses. Paying customers get priority. When something breaks at a critical moment, this matters.
"Powered by" badges on your pages and emails. Some clients won't care. Some will judge you for it.
Upgrade signals to watch for:
When you outgrow free, consider GetResponse (starting at $15/mo) or ActiveCampaign ($29/mo) for email. Both offer significantly more features while staying affordable. For e-commerce specifically, Omnisend has a generous free tier and affordable paid plans.
Wondering whether to go all-in-one or best-of-breed when you upgrade? Read our comparison guide. Or try our AI Stack Advisor to get personalized recommendations for your specific situation.
Systeme.io includes funnels, email, courses, and automation — all free. No credit card.
Start Free with Systeme.io →Last updated: December 2025 • 9 min read
All-in-one if: You're a solo operator, bootstrapped, or value simplicity. Separate tools if: You have a team, specific advanced needs, or budget for best-in-class software in each category.
Every marketer eventually faces this question: Do I get one platform that does everything (like HubSpot, Kartra, or Systeme.io), or do I pick the best tool for each job and connect them together?
There's no universally correct answer. But there IS a right answer for your specific situation. If you're just starting out, our new business owner's guide might help frame this decision.
Choose All-in-One if:
Choose Best-of-Breed if:
Let me paint some pictures to make this concrete:
Sarah sells online courses about productivity. She needs landing pages, email marketing, and course hosting. She's a one-person show with limited tech skills.
Recommendation: All-in-one (Systeme.io or Kartra). She doesn't have time to troubleshoot integrations, and having everything in one place means she can focus on creating content instead of managing tech.
Jake's clothing brand does $500K/year. Email is his #1 revenue channel. He needs advanced segmentation, SMS marketing, and predictive analytics to compete with bigger brands.
Recommendation: Best-of-breed with Klaviyo for email/SMS. The specialized e-commerce features (abandoned cart flows, predictive analytics, deep Shopify integration) are worth the complexity. All-in-ones can't match it for his use case.
A 5-person agency manages 15 clients. They need white-label capabilities, client reporting, and the ability to handle different industries.
Recommendation: GoHighLevel. It's technically an all-in-one, but built specifically for agencies. The white-labeling and client management features are purpose-built for this scenario.
A 20-person SaaS startup with a dedicated marketing team. They need serious SEO, content marketing, lead scoring, and sales/marketing alignment.
Recommendation: Best-of-breed with HubSpot as the CRM core, Semrush for SEO, and specialized tools for content. At this scale, the team can handle integration complexity, and each department needs the best tool for their job.
Here's a secret: you don't have to choose just one approach. Many successful businesses use a hybrid strategy:
HubSpot Free CRM as your contact database + ActiveCampaign for advanced email automation + Semrush for SEO. HubSpot tracks all contacts, ActiveCampaign sends sophisticated campaigns, and Semrush handles the keyword research HubSpot can't do well. Zapier syncs leads between them automatically.
A big factor people overlook: how hard is it to switch later?
The more you use an all-in-one, the harder it becomes to leave. Your email sequences, landing pages, courses, and automation workflows are all inside one platform. Moving means rebuilding everything. I've seen businesses spend 6+ months migrating away from an all-in-one they've outgrown.
With best-of-breed, you can swap out individual tools more easily. Don't like your landing page builder? Switch to another without touching your email system. But you trade this flexibility for more day-to-day complexity.
If you're reading articles about marketing tools, you're probably early-stage. Here's my advice:
Also consider where AI fits into your stack. See Best AI Marketing Tools in 2026 for what's worth adopting. And if you want a personalized recommendation, our AI Stack Advisor can analyze your specific situation.
Systeme.io replaces your funnel builder, email tool, and course platform — for free.
Try Systeme.io Free →Practical advice for building your marketing tech stack. without the fluff.
Last updated: December 2025 • 8 min read
Email marketing averages $42 ROI for every $1 spent, but only if you avoid these common mistakes that tank deliverability and engagement.
You've built a list. You're sending emails. But your open rates are stuck at 15% and clicks are abysmal. Sound familiar?
The problem usually isn't your email platform. It's these fixable mistakes. And if you're using AI tools to write your emails, don't miss our AI copywriting guide to avoid AI-specific pitfalls.
This is the fastest way to destroy your sender reputation. Purchased lists are full of spam traps, dead emails, and people who never asked to hear from you.
Fix: Build your list organically with lead magnets, content upgrades, and opt-in forms. Slower but infinitely more effective.
If you haven't set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, you're basically telling spam filters "I might be a scammer."
Fix: Every email tool (GetResponse, ActiveCampaign, MailerLite) has guides for setting this up. Do it today.
Haven't emailed your list in 3 months? Sending a blast to everyone is a mistake. Gmail sees a sudden spike in sends, low engagement, and unsubscribes, and flags you as spam.
Fix: Warm up gradually. Send to your most engaged subscribers first, then slowly expand.
Your subject line determines whether your email gets opened or ignored. Yet most marketers spend 5 seconds writing them.
Sending the same email to your entire list ignores that different subscribers have different needs. Someone who just signed up needs different content than a loyal customer of 3 years.
Fix: Segment your list by how they joined, what they've purchased, and engagement level. Tools like ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo make this easy.
Every email should have ONE clear action you want readers to take. Not three. Not five. One.
When you give people too many options, they choose the easiest one: doing nothing. Pick the most important action and build your entire email around driving that single click.
"Click here to learn more, or reply to this email, or check out our blog, or follow us on Instagram..."
"Click here to grab your 50% discount before Friday."
Dead subscribers hurt you twice: You pay for them, and their inactivity tanks your engagement metrics. Worse, consistently low engagement signals to email providers that your content isn't wanted.
Fix: Every 90 days, remove subscribers who haven't opened in 6+ months. This also ties into choosing the right tool. See our marketing tools guide for platform comparisons.
Stop obsessing over vanity metrics. Here's what to actually track:
% of recipients who opened
% of recipients who clicked
% who unsubscribed
Direct revenue attributed
Before you close this article, do at least one of these:
GetResponse starts at $15/mo with A/B testing, automation, and landing pages built in.
Try GetResponse Free →Last updated: December 2025 • 10 min read
70% of CRM implementations fail, not because of the software, but because nobody uses it. Here's how to beat those odds.
You researched for weeks. Compared HubSpot vs Pipedrive vs Salesforce. Finally picked one.
Three months later? Your sales team is still using spreadsheets. The CRM sits empty.
The problem isn't the CRM. It's the implementation. And this decision often comes down to whether you chose an all-in-one or standalone CRM in the first place.
Your team doesn't care about "data centralization." They care about their quota and going home on time.
Translate CRM benefits into their language:
If using the CRM is harder than NOT using it, people won't use it.
The #1 CRM killer? Too many required fields. Every field you add is friction.
If leadership doesn't use the CRM, nobody will. Period.
Run all meetings from the CRM. Pull reports from it. Ask questions that require CRM data to answer. When someone shares a deal update verbally, ask "Is that in the CRM?" Consistently.
Don't train "how to use the CRM." Train "how to close more deals using the CRM."
Don't try to launch everything at once. Here's a proven timeline:
Instead: Start with defaults. Add customization only when you hit a real limitation. Most teams over-engineer their CRM before anyone uses it.
Instead: The person who has the conversation logs the conversation. No exceptions. "Admins will enter it later" = it never gets entered.
Instead: Start with HubSpot Free or Pipedrive's lowest tier. You can always upgrade. Most small teams don't need enterprise features.
Instead: Set a date. After that date, if it's not in the CRM, it doesn't exist. Commission only paid on deals in the system. Sounds harsh, but it works.
Before worrying about adoption, make sure you've picked the right tool:
Once your CRM is running smoothly, you might want to add AI-powered tools for even more automation and efficiency. And if you're still figuring out your overall tech stack, our AI Stack Advisor can help you see how CRM fits with your other tools.
GoHighLevel combines CRM, funnels, email, and automation for agencies and teams.
Try GoHighLevel Free →Last updated: January 2026 • 10 min read
Remember 2023 when everyone was saying AI would replace marketers? That didn't happen. What did happen is more interesting: AI became a genuinely useful tool that makes good marketers better and faster.
If you're just starting out, check out our guide on essential tools for your first marketing job - it covers the basics before you layer on AI.
Here's how I think about AI tools in marketing now:
What it does: Combines competitor ad research with AI script generation. You find winning ads, then generate variations and scripts based on what's working.
Why I like it: The AI is informed by actual performance data, not just random generation. Scripts need editing but they're a solid starting point.
What it does: AI email subject line generator, send time optimization, and content suggestions built into a solid email platform.
Why I like it: The AI is contextual to your list and past performance. Not just generic suggestions.
What it does: AI generates landing page copy, headlines, and CTAs. Also has Smart Traffic that automatically routes visitors to highest-converting variants.
Why I like it: Smart Traffic is genuinely useful. It's like having automated A/B testing that learns and adapts.
Be realistic about limitations:
If you're adding AI to your marketing workflow, here's what I'd prioritize:
GetHookd for ad research or similar. Biggest time savings come from faster research, not faster writing.
GetResponse or similar with AI subject lines and send time optimization. Easy wins.
Tools that generate variations and test at scale. Worth it if you're spending $5k+/month on ads.
AI marketing tools are worth it if you use them right. Think of them as productivity multipliers, not magic solutions. The marketers getting the most value are using AI to speed up the boring stuff (research, variations, first drafts) so they can spend more time on the strategic stuff that actually matters.
Start with one tool, get good at it, then expand. Don't try to "AI everything" at once. And if you're trying to decide between an all-in-one platform vs separate tools, that's a whole other decision worth thinking through.
GetHookd combines ad spying with AI script generation — just $19/mo.
Try GetHookd →Last updated: January 2026 • 8 min read
No, AI won't replace good designers. But it will let you test more variations faster, which often matters more than having "perfect" creative. For performance marketing, quantity of tests often beats quality of individual ads.
Here's what most people get wrong about AI creative tools: they think it's about making "better" ads. It's not. It's about making more ads faster so you can find winners through testing.
For a broader look at what's working in AI marketing right now, check out our Best AI Marketing Tools in 2026 guide.
Think about it this way:
The math usually favors volume when you're running performance ads.
Upload a product photo, get it in different backgrounds, different compositions, different styles. Some tools can even put your product in AI-generated hands or lifestyle scenes.
Reality check: Quality varies wildly. Good for testing concepts, but hero creative still often needs human touch.
Tools like GetHookd analyze winning ads and generate scripts for your product. Hooks, body copy, CTAs based on what's actually working in your niche.
Reality check: Great starting point. You'll want to edit for your brand voice, but saves hours of staring at blank docs.
See a competitor ad that's crushing it? Some tools let you upload it and generate similar concepts for your product. Different enough to be original, similar enough to leverage proven frameworks.
Reality check: Ethically gray territory. Use for inspiration, not direct copying. Also, what works for them might not work for you.
Here's how I actually use AI creative tools:
AI handles volume. Humans handle polish and strategy.
AI creative tools won't replace designers, but they'll change what designers focus on. Less time making variations, more time on strategy and hero creative. For marketers without design resources, these tools are a genuine unlock for testing at scale.
Start with the research/scripting side (cheaper, more immediately useful), then add image generation if you're doing high volume. Need help with the copy side? Read our guide on AI copywriting for marketing.
GetHookd gives you AI ad scripts + competitor spy tools for $19/mo.
Try GetHookd →Last updated: January 2026 • 7 min read
AI can write decent first drafts fast. It cannot write great copy that truly connects with your specific audience. Use it for speed and volume, not for replacing copywriting skill entirely. The best results come from AI + human editing.
Let's be specific about where AI actually helps. For a broader overview of AI in marketing, see our Best AI Marketing Tools in 2026 guide.
Here's the workflow that actually works:
Before you touch AI, know: Who's the audience? What's the key message? What's the desired action? What tone? AI can't figure this out for you.
Give AI specific prompts with your strategy context. "Write an email for [audience] about [topic] with [tone] that gets them to [action]." The more context, the better the output.
This is where the magic happens. Add your voice. Cut the fluff. Make it specific to your audience. Fix the parts that sound "AI-ish." A good editor makes AI output great.
Use AI to generate variations of your edited copy. Test them. Let data tell you what works. AI makes testing at scale possible.
The best AI copywriting tools are the ones built into platforms you already use:
AI subject line generation that learns from your list's behavior.
Generates landing page copy and headlines in context.
Creates ad scripts based on what's actually working in your niche.
These beat generic AI writers because they have context about what you're trying to do.
AI copywriting is a productivity tool, not a replacement for copywriting skill. The marketers getting the most value know how to prompt well, edit ruthlessly, and test constantly. AI handles the blank page problem and variation generation. Humans handle strategy, voice, and quality control.
If you're using AI to avoid learning copywriting, you'll produce mediocre content at scale. If you're using AI to amplify existing skills, you'll produce more good content faster. And don't forget - common email mistakes can tank your results regardless of how good your AI-assisted copy is.
Systeme.io handles funnels, email, and automation — no AI hype, just tools that work. Free.
Try Systeme.io Free →Last updated: January 2026 • 9 min read
Here's the thing. You don't need to hire a developer for most business stuff anymore. Seriously. The tools have gotten that good.
Five years ago, building a landing page meant either learning HTML or paying someone $500. Now? You drag some blocks around and you're done. Same with email automations, online courses, even basic apps.
The no-code movement isn't just hype. It's letting regular business owners do things that used to require a tech team. And honestly, for most small businesses, that's a game changer.
What you can build without code: Sales funnels, landing pages, email sequences, online courses, membership sites, affiliate programs, blogs. Basically everything a small business needs.
Why it's on this list: The free plan is genuinely useful. Not some stripped-down demo. You can run a real business on the free tier. And the drag-and-drop builders are surprisingly intuitive. I've seen complete non-tech people launch full course businesses on this.
The catch: It's not the prettiest. The templates are... fine. If you want gorgeous design, you might be disappointed. But if you want functional and free, it's hard to beat.
What you can build without code: Everything Systeme does, but with better design and more polish. Plus video hosting, helpdesks, calendars, and some really sophisticated automation workflows.
Why it's on this list: If Systeme is the Honda Civic of no-code platforms, Kartra is the BMW. It just feels more premium. The page builder is smoother, the templates look better, and the automation builder lets you create pretty complex stuff without touching code.
The catch: It's not cheap. $99/month adds up. But if your business is making money and you want something that looks professional without hiring designers, it's worth considering.
What you can build without code: Email campaigns, automation sequences, landing pages, webinars, and basic sales funnels. All drag-and-drop.
Why it's on this list: Sometimes you don't need everything. You just need email and maybe some landing pages. GetResponse does this really well, and at $15/month it's not breaking the bank. The automation builder is visual and honestly pretty fun to use once you get the hang of it.
The catch: It's not an all-in-one like the first two. No course hosting, no membership sites. But if email marketing is your focus, this is a great no-code option.
What you can build without code: Social media graphics, presentations, documents, videos, websites (yes, really), print materials, logos, and about a million other things.
Why it's on this list: I know, everyone knows Canva. But it belongs here because it's genuinely eliminated the need for Photoshop skills for 90% of business design needs. The templates are good, the editor is intuitive, and you can look like you have a design team when you definitely don't.
The catch: The free version has some limitations on stock photos and templates. But $12.99/month for Pro is pretty reasonable if you're using it a lot.
What you can build without code: Automations that connect your apps together. New email subscriber → add to CRM → send Slack notification. Form submission → create invoice → notify team. Endless possibilities.
Why it's on this list: Even if you're using the all-in-one platforms above, you'll probably need to connect something eventually. Zapier is the duct tape of the no-code world. It connects 5,000+ apps and the interface is dead simple. If this, then that. No coding required.
The catch: The free plan only gives you 100 tasks per month, which you can blow through fast. Paid plans get pricey. But for critical automations, it's usually worth it.
Let's be real about the limitations:
But here's the thing. Most small businesses will never hit these limits. If you're running a coaching business, selling courses, doing email marketing, or running a small ecommerce store, no-code tools can handle everything you need.
If I were starting a business today with zero coding skills, here's exactly what I'd use:
Systeme.io (free) + Canva (free) + Zapier (free tier). Total cost: $0. Seriously.
Kartra ($99/mo) + Canva Pro ($13/mo) + Zapier Starter ($20/mo). Total: ~$132/mo for a full business stack.
GetResponse ($15/mo) + Canva (free) + Zapier (free). Total: $15/mo for solid email marketing.
No-code tools have genuinely changed what's possible for non-technical business owners. You don't need to learn to code. You don't need to hire expensive developers. You just need to pick the right tools and learn how to use them.
Start with one platform that handles most of what you need (Systeme.io if you're budget-conscious, Kartra if you want more polish), add Canva for design, and use Zapier when you need to connect things. That's the whole stack.
And if you're specifically interested in how AI fits into all this, check out our Best AI Marketing Tools in 2026 guide. A lot of these no-code platforms are adding AI features, and it's worth knowing what's actually useful versus what's just hype.
Systeme.io lets you build funnels, email, and courses for free. No coding required.
Start Free with Systeme.io →Last updated: January 2026 • 10 min read
AI won’t magically make a bad product sell. But it will help you move faster: find better angles, produce more creatives, and automate follow-up. The “right” stack is the smallest set of tools that helps you test quickly and stay organized.
Most dropshipping failures aren’t because people lack tools. They’re because they don’t test enough offers, don’t iterate creatives fast enough, and don’t follow up with buyers.
A good AI-enabled stack does three things:
Use it for: competitor mining (angles, offers, creatives) and turning what’s working into new variations.
Pro tip: don’t copy ads. Copy structures (hook → proof → offer → CTA) and test fresh angles.
Use it for: rapid creative variations (thumbnails, product callouts, UGC-style frames, offer overlays).
Pro tip: make 10 variations of the same ad, change one variable at a time (hook text, proof, offer, CTA).
Use it for: abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase sequences, and launch broadcasts.
Pro tip: your email list is the only asset you truly own. Start collecting from day one.
Use it for: lightweight ops automations (new order alerts, spreadsheet logging, simple notifications).
Pro tip: automate only what happens every day. Don’t build 50 zaps before you’ve made your first 50 sales.
Be realistic about limitations:
If you want help picking the right tools based on your situation, try our AI Stack Advisor.
Start lean, test fast, and only add tools when they pay for themselves.
Get a Personalized Stack →Last updated: February 2026 • 9 min read
Most landing pages fail because they try to do too much. One page. One offer. One action. That's the formula. Everything else is decoration that hurts your conversion rate.
I've built probably 200+ landing pages over the years. You know what I've learned? The pretty ones usually underperform. The ugly ones with a clear message and a big button? Those print money.
The average landing page converts at 2.35%. The top 25% convert at 5.31% or higher. The difference isn't design talent. It's understanding what makes people click.
Here's every rule I follow now.
If your landing page has a navbar with 6 links, it's not a landing page. It's a homepage pretending to be one. Remove every escape route. No navigation menu. No footer links. No "also check out..." sidebars. The only clickable thing should be your CTA button.
Most visitors decide to stay or leave within 3 seconds. Your headline needs to answer one question immediately: "Is this for me?" Don't be clever. Be clear. "Get 3x More Leads From Your Website" beats "Revolutionary Lead Generation Solutions" every single time.
Some people are ready to act the second they land. Don't make them scroll past 4 sections of social proof to find the button. CTA above the fold. Always. Then repeat it after every major section.
If your ad says "Free marketing toolkit" and your landing page headline says "Grow your business today," you've already lost. Message match is probably the single biggest conversion lever and most people ignore it completely.
"Trusted by thousands" means nothing. "Used by 14,000 marketing teams including Shopify and HubSpot" means everything. Numbers, names, logos, screenshots of real testimonials. The more specific, the more believable.
Every field you add drops your conversion rate by roughly 11%. Name + email is usually all you need. If you're asking for phone number, company size, and job title on a free ebook download... you're filtering out 70% of leads for data you probably won't use.
"Submit" is the worst button text ever invented. "Get My Free Guide" converts 30-40% better. Use first person ("Get My..." not "Get Your...") and make it about what they receive, not what they're doing.
Every second of load time costs you 7% in conversions. Compress your images. Ditch the fancy animations. Kill the video autoplay. A fast, simple page beats a slow, beautiful one every time.
60%+ of your traffic is probably mobile. If you're designing on desktop and hoping it looks okay on phones, you've got it backwards. Design for mobile first. Then adapt for desktop. Not the other way around.
Stock photos of smiling people in offices don't sell. Screenshots of your actual product, mockups of your lead magnet, or demo videos do. Show them what they're getting. People need to see it to believe it.
"Free trial," "money-back guarantee," "cancel anytime," "no credit card required." These aren't just nice-to-haves. They directly reduce the anxiety that kills conversions. Put your risk reversal near the CTA button, not buried in the FAQ.
Don't redesign the whole page and call it an A/B test. Change the headline. Measure. Change the CTA color. Measure. Change the social proof. Measure. Incremental testing beats wholesale redesigns because you actually learn what works.
You don't need to code any of this. Here's what I use:
Before you publish any landing page, run through this:
Hit all 10? You're already ahead of 90% of landing pages out there. Want more on connecting your landing page to email follow-up? Read our email list building guide. And if you're not sure which builder to use, our all-in-one vs separate tools comparison might help.
Systeme.io includes a free landing page builder with conversion-optimized templates.
Build a Free Landing Page →Last updated: February 2026 • 10 min read
Marketing automation isn't about building some 47-step workflow with branching logic. It's about setting up 3-4 simple sequences that work while you sleep. Start with a welcome email, an abandoned cart reminder, and a re-engagement sequence. That's 80% of the value right there.
Let's strip away the jargon. Marketing automation means: "when X happens, automatically do Y." That's it. Someone signs up for your newsletter? Automatically send them a welcome sequence. Someone adds to cart but doesn't buy? Automatically send a reminder. Someone hasn't opened an email in 60 days? Automatically send a re-engagement offer.
You're not replacing human connection. You're just not manually sending the same 5 emails to every new subscriber anymore.
Trigger: Someone subscribes to your list.
What to send:
Expected results: 40-60% open rate on email 1. This sequence alone can generate 30%+ of your revenue on autopilot.
Trigger: Someone starts a purchase but doesn't finish.
70% of carts get abandoned. Even recovering 5-10% of those is found money. Send a reminder at 1 hour, 24 hours, and 72 hours. The 72-hour email can include a small discount. This sequence literally pays for your entire marketing stack.
Trigger: Someone hasn't opened an email in 60-90 days.
Dead subscribers hurt your deliverability. Send 2-3 "we miss you" emails with your best offer. If they still don't engage, remove them. A clean list of 500 engaged people beats 5,000 ghosts.
Trigger: Someone buys from you.
Most businesses stop communicating after the sale. Big mistake. Send a thank-you email, a "how to get started" guide, and 2 weeks later ask for a review. 4 weeks later, recommend a complementary product. Existing customers are 5x more likely to buy again.
Here's the honest breakdown:
If you need help with the email part, read our guide on 7 email marketing mistakes that kill conversions. And for the landing page, check out our landing page conversion tips.
Systeme.io includes free automation workflows. No credit card required.
Start Automating Free →Last updated: February 2026 • 11 min read
A sales funnel is just a series of steps that guide someone from "never heard of you" to "take my money." That's it. The gurus made it complicated so they could sell you $2,000 courses about it. You can build one this afternoon.
Forget the fancy diagrams. A sales funnel has 4 stages:
That's it. Every business already has some version of this, even if they don't call it a funnel. The software just makes each step measurable and automatic.
There are like 47 types of funnels the gurus talk about. You need one of these three:
Best for: Service businesses, coaches, consultants, anyone building an audience.
How it works: Free valuable resource (PDF, video, template) → Landing page collects email → Welcome sequence delivers value → Pitch your paid offer on email 4-5.
Expected conversion: 20-40% opt-in rate on the landing page. 2-5% of those buy your offer.
Cost to build: $0 with Systeme.io. Seriously. Landing page, email sequence, and delivery all included free.
Best for: High-ticket offers ($500+), courses, coaching programs.
How it works: Registration page → Reminder emails → Live or recorded webinar that teaches and pitches → Follow-up sequence for non-buyers.
Expected conversion: 30-50% show up, 5-15% of attendees buy.
Best tool: GetResponse has built-in webinar hosting + email in one platform for $49/mo. No need for separate webinar software.
Best for: E-commerce, digital products, course creators.
How it works: Low-price offer ($7-27) → Checkout page → Upsell page ($47-97) → Order bump at checkout. The front-end product breaks even on ad spend. The upsell is your profit.
Expected conversion: 3-8% buy the tripwire. 20-30% of buyers take the upsell.
Best tool: Kartra — built-in checkout, upsells, order bumps, and analytics all in one. Or ClickFunnels if you want the community.
Here's the real decision tree:
For a deeper comparison, read our Top 10 Funnel Builders ranking. Or if you want the big-picture view on whether you need an all-in-one or separate tools, check this guide.
People spend 3 weeks perfecting their funnel design before they have any traffic. Please don't do this.
Build it ugly. Get 100 people through it. Look at the numbers. Fix the step with the biggest drop-off. Repeat. Optimization beats perfection. Every. Single. Time.
The beautiful funnel with zero traffic makes $0. The ugly funnel with 1,000 visitors and a 3% conversion rate makes money.
Systeme.io has free funnel templates — build a lead magnet funnel in under an hour.
Build a Free Funnel →Last updated: February 2026 • 8 min read
Create something useful. Give it away for free. Put a form in front of it. Share it everywhere you already have attention. That's the whole strategy. The first 1,000 subscribers are the hardest, but they're also the most valuable because they validate your audience.
Social media followers aren't yours. Instagram can change the algorithm tomorrow and your reach drops 80%. It's happened before. It'll happen again.
Your email list? That's yours. No algorithm. No pay-to-play. You write an email, it goes to their inbox. Period. Email marketing averages $36-42 return for every $1 spent. No other channel comes close.
Nobody gives their email for "sign up for our newsletter." That stopped working in 2015. You need to offer something specific and immediately useful.
The best lead magnets solve one specific problem in under 10 minutes. That's the formula.
Your landing page needs exactly 4 things:
You can build this in Systeme.io for free in about 20 minutes. Their templates already follow this structure — just swap the text and you're live. For more tips, see our landing page conversion guide.
You don't need ad budget. You need to go where your audience already hangs out.
Put the link in your bio. Mention it in posts. Create content that naturally leads to your lead magnet. If your lead magnet is "50 Email Subject Lines," post your 5 favorites and say "get the other 45 free — link in bio." Simple. Direct. Works.
Create free content that's related to your lead magnet. End every piece with a CTA to download it. A blog post about "how to write better emails" naturally leads to downloading "50 proven subject lines."
Don't spam. Actually help people. Answer questions. When it's genuinely relevant, mention your free resource. One genuine reply in a subreddit can drive 50+ signups if it's the right audience.
Find someone with a similar-sized list in a complementary niche. Promote each other's lead magnets. You get their audience, they get yours. Both lists grow. This is the most underrated strategy at the 0-1000 stage.
Don't just collect emails and never send anything. Set up a simple 3-email welcome sequence in your email tool:
For more advanced automation, read our marketing automation guide.
Systeme.io: free landing pages + email sequences for up to 2,000 subscribers.
Start Collecting Emails Free →Last updated: February 2026 • 7 min read
Most solopreneurs are paying for 8-12 different tools when 3-4 would do the same job. I've spent months testing stacks and the sweet spot is around $50/month for everything — marketing, sales, automation, and organization. Here's the exact setup.
It starts innocently. Mailchimp for email ($13). ClickFunnels for landing pages ($147). Calendly for booking ($8). Zapier to connect everything ($20). Canva Pro for graphics ($13). Notion for notes ($8). Slack for... talking to yourself apparently ($0 but still).
Suddenly you're spending $200+/month on tools, half of which overlap, and you're spending more time managing software than actually running your business.
I call this "tool creep" and it kills solopreneurs. Here's the antidote.
Your marketing HQ
Replaces: ClickFunnels ($147), Mailchimp ($13), Teachable ($39), ThriveCart ($495 one-time)
You get: Landing pages, sales funnels, email marketing (2,000 contacts), course hosting, automation workflows, blog, and affiliate program management. All free.
Why it works for solopreneurs: One login. One dashboard. No integrations to manage. Everything talks to everything else automatically. It's not the prettiest tool, but it's the most complete free option that exists.
If you need better email
Use instead of Systeme when: Email is your primary revenue driver and you need A/B testing, advanced segmentation, webinar hosting, or better template design.
Replaces: Mailchimp ($13) + Zoom webinars ($13) + a separate landing page builder ($37+)
Connects everything else
Replaces: Zapier ($20+). Make does the same thing for less money and with more operations per dollar.
Use for: "New Stripe payment → add tag in email tool → send Slack notification → log in Google Sheets." Automate the boring stuff.
Your second brain
Replaces: Trello ($5), Asana ($11), Google Docs (free but scattered), Evernote ($8).
Use for: Content calendar, project management, SOPs, client notes, meeting notes, everything. One workspace for your entire business brain.
Design without a designer
Replaces: Photoshop ($22), stock photo subscriptions ($29+), hiring freelance designers for basic assets.
Use for: Social media graphics, presentation decks, lead magnet design, ad creatives, thumbnails. The free version works fine for starters, but Pro unlocks brand kit and background remover which save hours.
Total: $22-37/month
Total: $340+/month
Annual savings: ~$3,600+
This stack works until you hit these triggers:
Want a personalized recommendation? Try our AI Stack Advisor — it analyzes your business type, budget, and goals and recommends the best tools.
Tell us about your business and we'll recommend the right tools.
Try AI Stack AdvisorEffective Date: December 2025
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Our name pays tribute to history's first documented bad review. written nearly 4,000 years ago.
Around 1750 BCE in ancient Mesopotamia, a copper merchant named Ea-Nasir sold low-quality copper to a customer named Nanni. Nanni was so frustrated that he carved his complaint onto a clay tablet. a formal grievance about receiving "bad copper" and being treated poorly.
The original complaint tablet, now in the British Museum. Photo: Wikipedia
"Tell Ea-nasir: Nanni sends the following message:
When you came, you said to me: 'I will give fine quality copper ingots.' You left then but you did not do what you promised me...
What do you take me for, that you treat somebody like me with such contempt?
How have you treated me for that copper? You have withheld my money bag from me in enemy territory;
it is now up to you to restore my money to me in full."
This tablet survived for nearly 4,000 years. It's now one of the most famous artifacts in the British Museum, not because of great military victories or religious texts, but because one frustrated customer refused to stay silent about bad service.
Ea-Nasir became an internet legend in the 2010s when historians shared translations online. He's now the patron saint of bad Yelp reviews, proof that customers have been calling out shoddy products since the Bronze Age.
We named this site Ea-Nasir.co as a reminder: honest reviews matter. People have been writing them for millennia.
Our mission is the same as Nanni's. to call out substandard products and help you avoid wasting money on "bad copper." We're just doing it for software instead of metal ingots.
Ready to find software that won't disappoint?
Browse Our Reviews →We're marketing people who got really, really tired of reading software reviews that were basically ads.
So here's the thing. We spent years trying to find good marketing software, and every "Top 10" article we read felt like we were being sold something.
You know exactly what I mean. The #1 recommendation that somehow never mentions any downsides? Rankings that shuffle around for no apparent reason? Reviews that read like they were written by someone who used the free trial for 10 minutes and called it a day?
We started Ea-Nasir.co because we were frustrated. It's still a side project, honestly, our actual jobs pay the rent. But that's kind of the point. We don't need this to make money, so we can just... tell the truth.
Like, actually use it. Real campaigns, real client data, the whole thing. We're not doing a quick free trial and writing about it the next day. We spend weeks with this stuff before we have anything useful to say.
Cool features are great and all, but if they don't pay for themselves? Who cares. We keep asking one question: will this actually make you more money than it costs? That's it. That's the whole thing.
Honestly, this is the part we enjoy the most. If something's slow, overpriced, or the support is a nightmare? We're gonna tell you. We don't care how big the company is or how nice their marketing team was to us.
There's no "best" anything. What works for a solo freelancer is totally different from what works for a 50-person marketing team. We try to be really clear about who each tool is actually good for, and who should probably skip it.
Okay, let's talk about this. Yes, we use affiliate links. If you click one and buy something, we might get a small commission. Doesn't cost you anything extra.
But here's what we don't do: we don't let that affect what we recommend. Seriously. We've trashed tools that pay well and praised tools that pay us nothing. Check our reviews, you'll see.
The way we see it, our reputation matters way more than some one-time referral fee. If we steer you wrong, you're never coming back. And honestly? We'd deserve that.
Okay so this is actually kind of fun. Ea-Nasir was this copper merchant in ancient Mesopotamia, like almost 4,000 years ago. And he was apparently terrible at his job, because one of his customers got so mad he literally carved a complaint onto a clay tablet. That tablet is still around. It's in the British Museum.
It's basically the world's oldest one-star review. We thought that was hilarious, so we named the site after him. Also it's a good reminder that people have been selling "substandard copper" (or, you know, overhyped software) since forever.
Read the full story →Anyway, that's us. Want to find some software that doesn't suck?
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