First!
Introduction
Welcome to an overview of the technology I use to run my websites and support my clients. In this post, I’ll share the tools (including for WordPress) and hosting solutions that form the backbone of my digital presence, offering insights into my choices tailored for various needs. This page will evolve.
Affiliate Disclaimer
Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. I recommend these services because they are useful and effective, not because of the commissions I receive. If you are happy with my list, support me by clicking on affiliate links.
The currency symbol ¤ signifies an affiliate link.
Hosting
Whether you’re building a personal blog or a robust business website, selecting the right hosting provider is crucial. For my projects and client sites, I’ve found that the needs vary significantly, necessitating a flexible approach to hosting.
For My Personal and Professional Projects:
I rely on Hetzner ¤ for cloud server solutions, which offers robust performance at a competitive price. I recently read someone (on the WordPress Slack Hosting channel) recommending Oracle Cloud which includes a free tier and I am going to test that.
Managing multiple projects is streamlined through RunCloud ¤, a control panel that simplifies server management and optimises my workflow, as I’m not a system-admin. This combination provides a scalable and efficient infrastructure that supports the diverse requirements of my personal site, Web Presence Care, CMS Mondo and various upcoming projects.
For My Clients:
My clientele mainly comprises small businesses and local clubs who value simplicity and local support. Hence, the choice of hosting is tailored to ensure they receive service in their language and from within their region, which enhances their comfort and confidence in managing their digital presence.
- In the French-speaking part of Switzerland: I recommend Infomaniak ¤ (see below for domain names and email hosting) or Alphosting ¤. Both providers are well-respected for their reliable service and customer support in French.
- For German-speaking clients: Cyon is my go-to suggestion, known for its excellent support and robust hosting solutions.
- In France: o2switch ¤ stands out with its comprehensive hosting packages tailored for French users.
- In Spain: I advise using Wetopi, a provider that specialises in WordPress hosting, ensuring optimised performance and support in Spanish and Catalan.
All the above also offer support in English.
If you prefer an international host with includes CDN for a more global audience, these two are safe value: Hostinger (which also provides support in several languages) and Siteground ¤.
Choosing the right host is more than just about finding a place to store your site; it’s about making sure it’s on solid ground that supports growth, performance, and provides a seamless experience for both the site owner and their audience.
Domain names and email hosting
I manage my DNS and domain registration at Infomaniak ¤. They also offer one email address with each domain name registered with them. You can even get free hosting for a basic static site (no PHP/MySQL) with 10 MB, which could be enough for a simple “about us” page.
I then simply edit the DNS Zone and point the A and AAAA records to the server where the sites are hosted.
It’s also good not to have all your eggs in the same basket, if something fail at a provider, you can quickly modify and redirect to another.
CMSes
WordPress is my first choice, and makes things so simple especially now with the site editor and block themes (more below). I’m also a WordPress contributor (non-code contributor) and know well in advance the upcoming features, and it always keeps me excited for what is to come.
One of the best features of WordPress is multisite! That’s why I came back to WordPress in 2012 after some years with CMS Made Simple. For example, I use multisite to quickly spin off a site from my different template sites and then use the Prime Mover plugin (see below under “Plugins”) to move them around, such as on the family website. If you want to have fun, see my Crashtest beta multisite presentation post and video.
However, I want to stay up to date with other solutions too, and keep an eye and interest to other solutions, and I keep testing Typo3, Drupal, Grav, Ghost, Joomla, Kirby, etc. I also like the interactions between different open source communities.
It always depends on your needs.
I started a project previously called WPMondo but changed the name to CMSMondo to be able to also talk about other CMSes. The site has only 3 video interviews so far and those will soon resume for more episodes. Most importantly, it will soon have a directory to list all the agencies, plugin vendors, events, etc. as well as news aggregation, in several languages. You can subscribe here.
WordPress Themes
I’m now exclusively using the WordPress Site editor (aka FSE) and the Twenty Twenty-Five theme (Twenty Twenty-Four until last month) and I create child themes for the modifications only (see below for the Create Block Themes plugin). Another good one is Neve FSE.
If you prefer to use Classic themes, before the switch, I was very much using the Kadence ¤ Neve ¤ and Astra ¤ themes, with their pro versions. See below for their block companion plugins. They all allow to easily edit the header and footer, set global styles etc.
WordPress Plugins
Design
The Create Block Theme plugin (no premium version) is an essential tool for WordPress theme developers looking to embrace the full-site editing capabilities introduced in recent updates. This plugin simplifies the process of creating or modifying block-based themes directly within the WordPress admin dashboard. With it, users can instantly generate a new theme, clone and customise existing ones, or export their creations, all without touching a single line of code. It’s designed to streamline theme development, making it accessible to both novice designers and experienced developers eager to explore innovative layout possibilities.
Twentig (no premium version) is a plugin designed to enhance the customization options for the default Twenty Twenty-Five theme (or previous) or any block theme built for full site editing. It provides a wide range of patterns and readymade templates, as well as tools to elevate your site’s design, including custom fonts, layout modifications, and creative styling options. Twentig is perfect for users looking to transform their theme’s appearance without diving into code
General
Fluent series by WPManageNinja ¤
I link to the premium versions here below (except for FluentSMTP), but most, if not all, also have a free version on the WordPress.org plugin repository.
Fluent Forms ¤ is the ultimate user-friendly WordPress form builder. It allows for the quick creation of custom forms with a drag-and-drop interface, advanced data collection methods, pre-built templates and in-depth analytics to track user engagement. Its multi-column form layout and conditional logic make it highly adaptable for various needs from simple contact forms to complex review, subscription, quizzes or payment forms. We can also create conversational forms (à la Typeform).
FluentCRM ¤ is a powerful self-hosted email marketing automation plugin for WordPress, offering comprehensive tools for managing customer relationships directly from your dashboard. It features segmentation, automated email campaigns, triggers, actions and webhooks to integrate to a lot of internal and external tools. It details performance tracking to enhance your marketing strategies. Coupled with FluentSMTP an email sending service (I use Amazon SES), it’s a powerful alternative to ConvertKit, MailPoet, MailChimp, etc. as you keep your data under control.
Ninja Tables ¤ is a premium WordPress plugin designed for creating dynamic and responsive tables effortlessly. It supports multimedia additions, unlimited color schemes, and an AJAX-based table editing system. Perfect for managing large data sets, it integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce to display products and pricing options dynamically. It supports integration with other WPManageNinja products and external tools, such as Google Sheets, enhancing data presentation capabilities. Additionally, you can use Ninja Charts with it.
Fluent Support ¤ simplifies customer support with its comprehensive helpdesk solution integrated within WordPress. The plugin integrates with FluentCRM and offers ticket management, automatic agent assignment, and multi-channel communication to streamline support operations and enhance customer service. Great self-hosted alternative to HelpScout.
FluentBooking ¤ is a versatile scheduling plugin for WordPress that facilitates easy management of appointments and bookings directly from your site. It offers a user-friendly interface for both administrators and clients, featuring customisable booking forms, automated email notifications, and a flexible calendar view. FluentBooking supports multiple staff members and services. Great alternative to Calendly.
FluentBoards ¤ is a project management tool that brings efficiency and organisation to your WordPress dashboard. It features task scheduling, real-time collaboration, and progress tracking to help teams manage projects effectively from start to finish. Ideal for teams of all sizes, FluentBoards streamlines their workflows and improve productivity, ensuring project goals are met on time and within budget. Great alternative to Trello and the likes.
FluentCommunity ¤ is a dynamic plugin for building social networks and community sites on WordPress. It provides tools for creating user profiles, groups, forums and social feeds enabling rich interaction and engagement among users. The plugin is perfect for building vibrant online communities or adding a social layer to your existing WordPress site. Alternative to BuddyPress and bbPress or external tools such as Slack or Discord. You can even create simple courses as an alternative to more complex LMS.
FluentSMTP (free, no premium version) optimizes email deliverability through easy integration with popular SMTP providers like Amazon SES, Sendinblue, Brevo, Mailgun and others, including your custom SMTP service. It enables WordPress sites to send emails reliably, bypassing the default PHP mail function prone to spam filtering. FluentSMTP provides features like connection testing, email logging, and notifications to ensure successful email transmission.
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All of their plugins integrates well together, so it’s easy to add a tag to a FluentCRM contact, for example from the FluentForms plugin. They are all under active development.
I don’t use their other plugins, because I do not have the need, but tested some and recommend if you have a need for them: WPSocialNinja ¤, Paymattic ¤, AzonPress ¤.
WP All Import and WP All Export are powerful WordPress plugins designed to handle complex import and export tasks with ease. WP All Import allows you to import any XML or CSV file into WordPress, supporting posts, pages, custom post types, and even WooCommerce products. Its user-friendly drag-and-drop interface ensures data mapping is straightforward and error-free. Conversely, WP All Export complements it by enabling the seamless export of WordPress data to XML, CSV, or Excel files, allowing for easy data manipulation and reuse. Both plugins offer a range of add-ons.
PrettyLinks ¤ simplifies the management of your links by allowing you to create clean, simple URLs on your own domain. It also creates QRCodes that will persist even if you change the target url. Ideal for affiliate marketers, bloggers, and social media managers, Pretty Links provides the ability to shorten, cloak, track, and share your links easily from within your WordPress dashboard. This plugin enhances link trust with your audience, improves click-through rates, and provides detailed reports on link activity. The premium version allows to rotate links and display them based on time, geolocalisation or user tech (brower, OS). Great alternative to bit.ly and the likes, as well as external QRCodes generators.
Note: most of the links here (affiliate or not) are using PrettyLinks via my yl.is (Your Link is… ) site.
Complianz (free and premium) is designed to manage cookie consent and privacy regulations effectively. It automates the process of becoming compliant with laws such as GDPR, CCPA, and more, by generating legally required documents and managing user consents. Complianz simplifies the setup with a guided wizard and provides geo-specific configurations, ensuring that your website meets local and international legal standards.
Directorist ¤ is a feature-rich WordPress directory plugin that simplifies creating and managing any type of online directory or listing site, from business directories to classifieds. Directorist offers flexible options to customise listings, search forms, and monetisation through paid listings, memberships and a lot of integrations. The core plugin is free and premium addons are available on their site.
Feedzy RSS Feeds ¤ is a plugin that aggregates and displays RSS feeds on your website. It enables you to import content automatically from multiple sources. Feedzy helps you keep your site fresh and updated with the latest news or blog posts from external sites, enhancing user engagement. Additionally, it includes features like feed caching to improve website performance and image import settings to ensure visual consistency. I use it for the news on CMSMondo (more info soon). Be sure to also check the whole list of plugins and themes by Themeisle ¤.
GatherPress (no premium version) is an innovative WordPress plugin developed by our team to facilitate community-driven events. Originally crafted to replace Meetup for the WordPress.org community, GatherPress enables users to create, manage, and promote events directly from their WordPress dashboard. The plugin is versatile and can also be installed on standalone sites, making it a robust solution for any site owner looking to centralise event management in a familiar environment. Great alternative to Meetup, Eventbrite and other third-party event management systems.
If-So is a dynamic content plugin for WordPress that allows you to tailor web content to individual users based on predefined conditions. This plugin facilitates personalised user experiences by displaying different content based on factors like user location, time of day, device type, and past interactions. Ideal for boosting engagement and conversion rates, If-So seamlessly integrates with your website to deliver a more relevant and impactful user experience without any coding required. It’s a powerful tool for marketers
BuddyPress and bbPress (no premium versions) are long-standing WordPress plugins designed to add social networking and forum capabilities to WordPress websites, respectively. However, the codebase for these plugins, particularly bbPress, has become outdated, leading to limitations in modern web environments. I am actively exploring alternatives, such as FluentCommunity (see above), unless substantial updates and overhauls are made to these platforms. Currently, I use the bbP Style Pack plugin (no premium version) as a temporary solution to enhance and style bbPress forums.
Paid Memberships Pro ¤ (free and premium) is designed to help you create, manage, and control access to a membership-based website. It supports various membership levels and subscriptions, making it ideal for selling online courses, creating private communities, and offering premium content. The plugin includes features for handling member management, recurring payments, and flexible pricing levels, integrating seamlessly with popular payment gateways. Paid Memberships Pro also offers extensive add-ons to enhance its functionality making it a comprehensive solution for anyone looking to monetize their WordPress site through memberships.
Tutor LMS ¤ (free and premium) is a learning management system (LMS) designed to create and manage engaging online courses. It offers a drag-and-drop course builder, quiz creation tools, and advanced monetisation options, making it ideal for educators and e-learning platforms. With features like AI integration, interactive lessons, multimedia integration, and detailed reporting, Tutor LMS facilitates an enriching learning experience. Its compatibility with WooCommerce allows for easy payment processing and membership management.
Uncanny Automator ¤ (free and premium) is a versatile WordPress plugin that creates seamless integrations between your website’s plugins and external apps. This powerful tool allows you to automate tasks without any coding by setting up triggers and actions across around 200 WordPress plugins and third-party apps. Uncanny Automator helps streamline complex workflows, such as user registrations and e-commerce transactions, enhancing efficiency and connectivity between your WordPress site and external services.
WP Go Maps (free and premium) enables the integration of custom maps into your website using either Google Maps or OpenStreetMap (Leaflet library). This plugin offers customisation options, including draggable markers, polyline support, and the capability to import or export markers. Ideal for showcasing business locations, planning events, or providing comprehensive navigational directions
HappyFiles (free and premium) is designed to organise your media library into manageable, categorised folders. This plugin simplifies the process of sorting and accessing various media types, from images to videos and documents, directly within the WordPress dashboard. With drag-and-drop functionality and an intuitive interface. Note: the media management is under overhaul on WordPress core.
WP Sheet Editor ¤ (free and premium) is a powerful plugin that transforms your site management by providing a spreadsheet-like interface for editing posts, pages, products, and more. This tool allows you to quickly view, edit, and manage all your website data in a single, intuitive dashboard, saving time and simplifying workflows. Ideal for bulk editing and handling large volumes of data, WP Sheet Editor supports and creates various post types and custom fields.
H5P (no premium version) is an innovative WordPress plugin that enables users to create, share, and reuse interactive HTML5 content directly within their website. It offers a variety of content types, including interactive videos, quizzes, and presentations, enhancing engagement and learning experiences for visitors. H5P is ideal for educators, marketers, and content creators. Have a look and play on my 404 Not found page.
GamiPress ¤ (free and premium) is a plugin that gamifies your website by integrating badges, points, and rewards to engage and motivate users. It allows you to set up achievement systems where users earn rewards through actions like completing tasks, learning new skills, or interacting with site content. GamiPress is highly customizable, offering a lot of integration options.
Squirrly SEO (free and premium) is a feature-rich WordPress plugin designed to enhance your site’s SEO performance. It offers a comprehensive toolkit including keyword research, SEO live assistant, performance analytics, and automated SEO auditing. Squirrly SEO helps both beginners and experienced marketers improve search visibility and drive more traffic. It provides real-time feedback on content optimization and tracks SEO progress to ensure your site ranks higher in search engines.
Accessibility New Window Warnings enhances site accessibility by providing warnings to users before opening links in new windows or tabs. This feature is crucial for users who rely on screen readers and prefer not to be surprised by sudden changes in their browsing context. The plugin is easy to configure and helps website owners comply with accessibility standards, ensuring a more inclusive user experience. You can see it in action on all external links on this very page.
ActivityPub, Webmention, Webfinger (by Matthias Pfefferle and other contributors), and Friends (by Alex Kirk) (all free, no premium versions) are a collection of WordPress plugins designed to enhance social interaction and connectivity on your WordPress site. ActivityPub allows your site to interact with other platforms that support the ActivityPub protocol, essentially turning your blog into a federated social network, where your posts are federated on the Fediverse. Webmention enables your posts to receive and display notifications from other sites when they link to your content, fostering a network of interconnected discussions. Webfinger facilitates user identification across different servers, enhancing user interaction and data sharing capabilities. Finally, the Friends plugin allows users to connect with each other privately on your site, creating a more engaging and community-focused environment. Together, these plugins significantly expand the social capabilities of WordPress sites, promoting richer engagement and networking among users.
AutoBlue (by Daniel Post, no premium) integrates WordPress with Bluesky, allowing users to automatically share posts to Bluesky and will display interactions such as likes and replies on their WordPress site in a future version. It enhances user engagement by seamlessly showing social proof directly on the posts. The plugin is currently in alpha and supports automatic sharing for regular posts, with ongoing updates to expand its capabilities and fix known issues.
Multilingual
Multisite Language Switcher (by Dennis Ploetner, no premium version) is a THE plugin designed to manage multilingual content across a multisite network. It allows you to easily connect and switch between corresponding translations of posts, pages, custom post types, categories, and taxonomies within your multisite setup.
If you prefer not to use multisite, Polylang (free and premium) and WPML ¤ (premium) are two prominent WordPress plugins I’ve employed or inherited on some client sites to create multilingual websites on single WordPress installations. Polylang is particularly suitable for those who prefer a simpler, user-friendly approach to manage multilingual content without complexity.
Loco Translate (by Tim Whitlock, free and premium) facilitates the translation of themes and plugins directly within the WordPress dashboard. This tool provides an interface for managing localisation files, including PO, MO and .json files. Loco Translate is ideal for developers and site administrators who need to quickly and efficiently adapt their sites for multiple languages without leaving the WordPress environment. With features like in-browser editing of translation files and integration with automatic translation services.
Multisite
Multisite Enhancements (by Frank Bültge from Syde, no premium version) is a practical plugin designed to augment the administration of multisite networks. It adds several useful functionalities to the network admin interface, such as indicating which blogs have which themes and plugins activated, and enhancing the menu with additional information about each site. This plugin is particularly beneficial for network administrators who manage multiple sites, providing clearer visibility and quicker access to site-specific data within the network.
Prime Mover (free and premium) is a plugin for both single-site and multisite environments. It supports backing up, restoring, or migrating entire sites across domains or hosts. It makes it easy to move a site part of a multisite to another multisite or as a standalone installation and vice versa. The premium version adds advanced features such as migrating the main site and database encryption
Multisite Language Switcher (see above under Multilingual)
Management and security
Note: a full post on WordPress security is coming!
MainWP is a powerful WordPress management plugin that enables users to control multiple WordPress sites from a single dashboard, and it’s self-hosted! It simplifies the process of managing updates, plugins, themes, and content across various sites, ensuring consistent administration and security. The core functionality is free, but MainWP also offers premium extensions for enhanced features such as advanced uptime monitoring, backup solutions, and SEO tools. This makes MainWP an excellent choice for agencies, freelancers, and website administrators looking for a scalable, efficient way to manage multiple WordPress installations without external services.
WPVivid ¤ (free and premium) is a backup, restoration, and migration plugin. It offers a user-friendly interface that simplifies the processes of creating backups, transferring sites between hosts, and restoring WordPress sites from backups. WPVivid supports both manual and scheduled backups, with the ability to store backup files on multiple cloud storage options like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Amazon S3. The premium version enhances these capabilities with features such as incremental backups, multisite support, inclusion of non-WordPress files and advanced migration options.
Solid Security (formerly iThemes Security/Better WP Security) – (free and premium) is a robust WordPress plugin designed to enhance your site’s security by protecting it against common vulnerabilities and attacks. It offers features such as two-factor authentication, brute force protection, malware scanning, and activity logging to safeguard your site. The plugin’s premium version includes advanced tools like real-time security monitoring, scheduled malware scans, and passwordless login options.
Note: a lot of security settings can be done manually, I’ll soon write a post about it
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) (free version) is a versatile WordPress plugin that enhances site administration and user experience through a suite of advanced features. It offers a customisable admin dashboard, performance optimisation, and extensive user role management. Additionally, ASE includes a maintenance mode, a private site mode for restricted access, snippets and various optimisations for the dashboard. This plugin is an excellent alternative to separate maintenance, private site, role editor, performance optimisation, code snippet plugins, consolidating multiple functionalities into a single, efficient tool.
Stream (no premium version) is a robust WordPress plugin that tracks user activity on your site (including multisite), providing a detailed audit log within the WordPress dashboard. It records changes, updates, and administrative actions, enhancing security and accountability. Stream is perfect for administrators needing to monitor interactions and maintain protocols, serving as an effective alternative to multiple security and auditing plugins.
User Switching (by John Blackbourn, no premium version) is a valuable WordPress plugin that allows administrators to quickly switch between user accounts. It facilitates seamless testing and management by enabling you to log in as any user with a single click, without requiring passwords. This tool is wonderful for debugging user-specific issues or verifying the user experience
WP Crontrol (by John Blackbourn, no premium version) is a powerful WordPress plugin that allows you to view and control what’s happening in the WP-Cron system. It enables you to edit, delete, and add custom cron jobs directly from the WordPress admin area. This tool is essential for site administrators who need to manage scheduled events efficiently
Query Monitor (by John Blackbourn, no premium version) is an essential developer tool for WordPress that offers advanced debugging capabilities. It allows you to monitor database queries, hooks, conditionals, HTTP requests, and more, directly within the admin bar. Ideal for developers looking to optimize performance and diagnose issues, Query Monitor is an effective replacement for several debugging and performance profiling plugins.
WP Vulnerability (by Javier Casares, no premium version) is a proactive WordPress plugin that scans your site for known vulnerabilities in plugins, themes, and core files. It provides timely alerts and recommendations for updates or fixes to help secure your site against potential threats. This plugin is particularly valuable for site administrators who want to stay ahead of security issues by regularly monitoring their installations for any exploitable weaknesses. I use it on my Crash Test site, see the presentation to have a global view on all the plugins I may use.
WordPress Templates
Libraries I do not use if they are connected to their plugins, but I look at for design inspiration and I replicate in the Site editor.
Websitedemos.net by Brainstorm Force
Demosites.io by Themeisle
Templately.com by WPDeveloper/Startise
WordPress.org pattern list
Starter templates by Kadence
Services / SaaS
ChatGPT Pro is an advanced version of the AI language model developed by OpenAI, offering faster response times and priority access to new features and improvements.
ArtSpace AI ¤ is an innovative platform that leverages artificial intelligence to create unique digital art. It allows users to generate original artworks by inputting their ideas and preferences, which the AI then interprets to produce visually captivating pieces. The platform is designed for both artists seeking new forms of expression and enthusiasts looking to explore the intersection of technology and art.
CopySpace AI ¤ is an advanced platform that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to assist users in generating high-quality, engaging written content. Ideal for marketers, bloggers, and businesses, it provides tools to efficiently create diverse text types—from marketing materials and blog posts to emails and social media content.
RunwayML is a pioneering platform that democratises artificial intelligence for creative projects, offering tools and infrastructure to effortlessly integrate AI into creative workflows. Designed for artists, designers, and developers, it facilitates the exploration and implementation of AI capabilities such as image generation, video editing, and motion capture. You can create and reuse models. RunwayML provides an intuitive interface and a collaborative environment that supports both novices and professionals, enabling them to create cutting-edge content by leveraging advanced machine learning models without needing deep technical knowledge.
Glorify ¤ is a specialised design tool tailored for entrepreneurs and businesses to create high-quality marketing and eCommerce visuals. It features a background remover, logo maker, and a rich template library ideal for crafting engaging product images and social media graphics. Designed for ease of use, Glorify helps enhance branding with consistent and visually striking designs, making it perfect for non-designers seeking professional results swiftly and efficiently. It’s an alternative to Canva.
Wave.video ¤ is a user-friendly online video editing and live streaming platform designed for creating and broadcasting high-quality videos. It supports live streaming capabilities, offers subtitle creation with voice recognition and easy edition, it can generate videos directly from text with a vast library of stock assets and it allows to easily resize videos for different formats and aspect ratios, enabling quick creation of engaging videos.
Butter ¤ is an innovative online platform designed to transform virtual workshops and meetings by integrating presentation, interaction, and whiteboarding tools into a seamless experience. It simplifies virtual collaboration by providing a single platform that combines features like pin-on-image, polls, and structured canvases, making it easy to engage participants and achieve impactful outcomes. Ideal for facilitators looking to enhance their virtual sessions, Butter allows for easy setup and real-time interaction without the complexity of multiple tools.
Courses
Ludo Salenne is an entrepreneur and educator specialising in digital marketing and artificial intelligence. He offers a course (in French) on ChatGPT, designed to teach users how to maximise the capabilities of AI in various applications. Additionally, Ludo runs a YouTube channel (in French) where he shares tutorials, tips, and insights on using ChatGPT and other AI tools. His content aims to help both beginners and advanced users harness the power of AI to enhance productivity, creativity, and decision-making in their personal and professional projects.
CreatorU (by SamCart) is a comprehensive online platform designed to help creators build and monetize their online presence effectively. It offers a vast array of resources, including over 100 strategies from top creators, tailored learning paths, and tools such as the Creator AI Assistant to streamline content creation. CreatorU is ideal for individuals looking to enhance their skills and succeed in various digital arenas, providing essential training, community support, and personalized coaching. For a limited time, you get the whole CreatorU for one year and the 5 Day Challenge for only $7
Membership Geeks is a resource dedicated to helping individuals and businesses create and manage successful membership websites. The platform provides expert guidance on everything from planning and launching to growing and scaling membership sites. It features a wealth of learning resources, including step-by-step guides, live events, and access to Membership Academy ¤ for ongoing support and training. Ideal for entrepreneurs looking to build recurring revenue through membership models.
On computer and Cloud
Apps
PortableApps.com is a platform I’ve been using for nearly 20 years, offering a collection of portable applications that run directly from a USB stick, cloud drive, or local folder without Windows installation. This platform includes a lot of well known open-source softwares across essential categories like web browsers, email clients, and office suites. You can also install additional portable software independently by placing them in a subfolder of Portableapps. You can even add fonts that will load only when launching Portableapps. It provides the convenience of not having to reinstall profiles or settings when switching computers.
OBS Studio is a versatile open-source software for video recording and live streaming, available on PortableApps.com. It supports high-performance video/audio capture and mixing, with features tailored for content creators streaming on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. OBS offers functionalities such as custom transitions, scene compositions, and audio mixing. It’s an ideal tool for broadcasters and video professionals
Browsers: I use different browsers, mostly Firefox (Portable), and Google Chrome (Portable), as Google Chrome is the only one that made easy to setup different profiles. Curently also trying Vivaldi.
Email clients: Thunderbird (Portable) and Betterbird (Portable version).
Others tools: Notepad++ (Portable), Filezilla (Portable), 7Zip (Portable), PuTTY (Portable), SumatraPDF (Portable), KeePassXC (Portable), etc.
Affinity Series by Serif includes three powerful design software products: Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher. Each program for specific tasks: photo editing, graphic design, and desktop publishing, respectively. The suite is known for its high performance, cross-platform compatibility, and one-time purchase model, making it a popular choice among professionals and enthusiasts seeking an alternative to subscription-based software such as Adobe.
Genealogy software: Gramps and a Grampsweb self-hosted on a Docker install. More information will come on another post about genealogy.
Cloud storage
kDrive by Infomaniak ¤ is a secure and privacy-focused cloud storage solution designed to facilitate collaboration and file sharing. Available across all devices, and on the cloud with easy edition of documents with an office suite, kDrive offers real-time document editing, seamless team collaboration, and comprehensive data protection. It’s an ideal choice for businesses and individuals in Switzerland or Europe looking for a Data Protection Act, FADP or GDPR-compliant storage service with no compromise on privacy. Alternative to Google Drive.
PCloud ¤ (Lifetime link ¤) is a bit similar than kDrive, without the file edition. It is a cloud storage provider that offers secure and comprehensive solutions for storing, sharing, and accessing files from any device. Known for its strong data protection and privacy features, pCloud allows users to sync files across devices with ease. It also provides unique options like encrypted folders and extended file history for enhanced security and data recovery.
Google tools: as I’m working on some teams, I have to use Google Drive as well. I also created Gmail addresses for all of my projects, and of course: Youtube channels!
Hardware
I’m currently not well equiped at all and will fill this section later.
I may have forgotten some and will edit this page when needed. I have used numerous other solutions in the past that I don’t use or recommend anymore.
These opinions and texts are mine, with the assistance of ChatGPT solely to improve the quality of the English language.