Stacks Hub
Solopreneur Marketing Stack: $0, $50, and $150/mo
A solopreneur stack is the smallest set of tools that gets the job done without forcing a tool migration six months in. These three tiers map to the three stages most operators move through. Pick the one that matches where you actually are, not where you'd like to be.
Stage 1 · Free
| Role | Tool | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Email + automation | MailerLite free | 1,000 subs, 12,000 monthly emails, visual automation, signup forms, one landing page. |
| Site / blog | Astro / WordPress on free hosting | Static publishing. Cloudflare Pages or Netlify free tier. |
| Forms / capture | MailerLite forms (built in) | Inline, popup, and embedded forms. No second subscription needed at this stage. |
| Analytics | Google Search Console + Plausible free trial | Search performance + privacy-friendly traffic analytics. |
| Scheduling | Cal.com free | Discovery calls, sales conversations, podcast bookings. |
Trade-off: Hard caps everywhere. Plan to migrate or upgrade by month six. The free tier exists to prove your offer works, not to scale on.
Stage 2 · Growing
| Role | Tool | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Email + automation | GetResponse Email Marketing | $19/mo for 1,000 subs. Visual workflow builder, contact scoring, conditional paths, landing pages, webinars all in one bill. |
| Site / blog | Astro / WordPress on Cloudflare Pages | Free hosting. Real domain $1–$2/mo amortized. |
| Workflow glue | Make Core (optional) | $9/mo for 10,000 ops. Add only when a non-native tool needs to talk to your email list. |
| Analytics | Plausible Hobby | $9/mo for 10k pageviews. Replaces the GA setup you don't have time to maintain. |
| Scheduling | Cal.com Pro | $15/mo for paid bookings, multiple event types, integrations. |
Trade-off: No CRM yet. Webinar trigger and visual automation are real differentiators. Skip Make until you have something specific to wire.
Stage 3 · Real business
| Role | Tool | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Email + automation + CRM | ActiveCampaign Plus | $70/mo for 1,000 contacts, full CRM, lead scoring, predictive sending, conditional logic. Or Klaviyo if ecommerce-first. |
| Site / blog | Astro / WordPress on Cloudflare | Free hosting. Add real CDN if needed. |
| Landing pages / forms | Bundled in ActiveCampaign or a $30/mo dedicated tool | Pages built for paid traffic. Avoid running two LP tools. |
| Workflow glue | Make Pro | $16/mo for 10k ops, advanced scheduling, custom apps. Skip Zapier unless a specific app is missing. |
| Analytics + tracking | Plausible Business + UTM discipline | $19/mo for 100k pageviews and shared dashboards. Stop guessing which channel works. |
| Scheduling + paid bookings | Cal.com Pro | $15/mo. Same tool as Stage 2; no migration. |
Trade-off: Buys real behavioral automation and a CRM that pays back the bill. Pricing scales with revenue. Migration from MailerLite/GetResponse to ActiveCampaign is a one-time cost; budget two days for the rebuild.
When to move up a tier
- $0 → $50: When you cross 800 subscribers, your free plan is about to throttle. Move before the throttle, not after.
- $50 → $150: When linear sequences stop converting and you need behavioral triggers (page visits, abandoned carts, scoring). If a CRM would change a real decision, move.
- Don't move up early. Spending Stage 3 money on a Stage 1 list slows you down. Pricing matters less than picking the right stage.
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