The short list. No twenty-item roundups, no tools I don't open weekly. Some links may earn a commission on a live site — it never changes what's listed.
Publishing
Ghost — this site. Website, newsletter, and memberships in one tool, 0% platform fee. The reason this list is short is that Ghost replaced four things on it.
A custom theme — templates make you look like everyone else. Mine was built by People Who Grow; if you write for a living, your site is worth designing.
Money
Stripe — member payments go straight here. My account, my customers, exportable any day.
Writing
A plain text file — drafts live outside every platform. The essay survives even if the tool doesn't. That's the theme of this whole publication, in miniature.
The one rule
Before adopting any tool, ask: can I leave with everything? If the answer is no, the price isn't the subscription — it's the exit.