Tool Hut
Founder stack playbook
A real, deployed AI web product that can validate demand without a recurring platform bill while usage stays inside published free allowances.
A pre-revenue solo founder willing to monitor quotas and accept sleep, rate, support, and capacity limits.
Strictly US$0 recurring infrastructure, no paid SLA, low traffic, no guarantee that free-tier terms remain unchanged, and a migration trigger documented in advance.
US$0 while every service remains inside its free allowance. Domain registration, tax, excess usage, backups, and your time are not free.
A static client builds quickly and avoids paid server rendering when the backend is already separate.
Skip if: SEO, authenticated server rendering, or server actions are central to acquisition and product behaviour.
Alternatives: Astro, SvelteKit static, Next.js static export
The open-source framework adds no runtime service or monthly design-system cost.
Skip if: the founder is faster with plain CSS, an existing component library, or a different established system.
Alternatives: Plain CSS, Sass, shadcn/ui
Global static delivery, preview deployments, TLS, and Git integration fit comfortably inside an early free-tier product.
Skip if: the framework depends on a server runtime better supported by Vercel, Netlify, or a container host.
Alternatives: Vercel Hobby, Netlify Free, GitHub Pages
One free project supplies Postgres, authentication, storage, and row-level security without separate vendors.
Skip if: project pausing, free limits, or absent paid backups create unacceptable launch risk.
Alternatives: Firebase, Neon plus Clerk, PocketBase
Its developer allowance can validate latency-sensitive open-model features before paying for inference.
Skip if: the chosen model, guaranteed capacity, data controls, or production SLA is unavailable on the free tier.
Alternatives: Google AI Studio, OpenRouter free models, Local Ollama
The free request allowance is enough to hide keys, validate sessions, and rate-limit an early AI feature.
Skip if: model calls exceed execution limits or an existing backend can proxy requests without another runtime.
Alternatives: Supabase Edge Functions, Vercel Functions, Netlify Functions
Tests and deployments run beside the repository with a useful included allowance for a small project.
Skip if: private-repository minutes, specialised runners, or supply-chain policy require another CI system.
Alternatives: GitLab CI, CircleCI, Bitbucket Pipelines
The free developer tier provides more launch protection than relying on console logs and user screenshots.
Skip if: telemetry policy forbids it or another free observability tool is already installed and reviewed.
Alternatives: Better Stack, Axiom, Self-hosted GlitchTip
Verification note: Free-tier availability checked 12 July 2026. This stack is a validation tactic, not a promise of permanently free production; record quota thresholds and the first paid upgrade before launch.