Softwares
VS Code
The no-brainer code editor. It seems like every new dev tool or language integrates with it first. The plugin ecosystem is massive and incredibly useful.
Affinity Photo & Designer
Fantastic alternative to Adobe's suite, and way kinder on the wallet with its one-time purchase for a lifetime license. I use these constantly for image editing and document design.
Services
Mailchimp
Awesome for email marketing, managing lists, and sending out newsletters. Super easy to use, and the free tier is generous enough to get you started.
Google Workspace
I use the whole suite: Chat, Meet, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and even Classroom. It's simple, straightforward, and everything just works together. Even the lowest paid tier is worth it for professional use.
Platforms
Cloudways
My top pick for managed WordPress VPS hosting. Super reliable and I don't have to sweat the server management. It scales vertically with ease, which is perfect for my client's high-traffic e-commerce site.
Hostinger
Great for shared hosting and WordPress projects. Especially good for static sites or WordPress sites that aren't overly dynamic. Affordable and gets the job done.
Shopify
If you need an all-in-one e-commerce solution that's quick to set up and performs well, Shopify is the standard. It handles so much of the complexity out of the box.
Wordpress.com
An all-in-one platform for building websites. Wordpress.com is an easy and quick place to have a website up and running with WordPress; it even has a free account.
Game Development
Godot Engine
A powerful, free, and open-source 2D and 3D game engine. It's incredibly versatile, has a friendly community, and is a fantastic choice for indie developers.
Personal Favorites
Plex
Absolutely love Plex for organizing and streaming my personal media library. It's great for watching all my ripped content on any streaming device, plus they have some surprisingly good free movies and shows too.