$0
What I'd Buy at $0
The whole pipeline for nothing. If you have a laptop and an internet connection, this stack gets a chatbot live on your own site today.
Typebot (self-hosted) · Netlify · GitHub
Recommendations
What I'd buy at $X
The actual tools behind the videos, sorted by what they cost you. Drag the price range — the cards re-sort in real time. No affiliate links, just what I use.
$50/mo
What I'd Buy at $50/mo
The working builder's monthly stack. AI brains plus content repurposing — about $48/mo buys every moving part in my publish workflow.
Retune · Castmagic
$200
What I'd Buy at $200 (one time)
Skip the gear rabbit hole. This is the exact recording setup I'd start with — mic, key light, and boom arm — and it sounds/looks 10x better than a webcam mic.
Samson Q2U · Softbox key light · Boom arm + pop filter
Everything, sortable
The full kit
Free (self-host)
Typebot (self-hosted)
The open-source chatbot builder this entire channel runs on. Self-host it and the core tool stays free forever.
Check current priceFree tier
Netlify
This very site ships on it. Static hosting with built-in forms — the newsletter signup runs on the free tier.
Check current priceFree
GitHub
Version control for every bot you break at 2am. Free public repos are all you need to follow my code walkthroughs.
Check current pricefrom $5 top-up
OpenAI API credits
Start with $5 of credits. The vision and function-calling demos on the channel cost pennies per day to run.
Check current pricefrom $19/mo
Retune
Drop a GPT chatbot on your site and pipe it straight into Typebot. The ask-my-books demo is powered by it.
Check current pricefrom $29/mo
Castmagic
One recording in, show notes and posts out. It's the first stop of the publish workflow video.
Check current price~$30 once
Boom arm + pop filter
The cheapest upgrade that makes any mic look and sound professional. Get it before you get a better mic.
Check current price$39/mo
Typebot Pro
When self-hosting gets old: bigger uploads, folders, priority support, zero server babysitting.
Check current price~$70 once
Samson Q2U
USB and XLR in one body. The best first mic for talking-head tutorials — no audio interface required.
Check current price~$90 once
Softbox key light
High-contrast lighting starts with one good key light. This single purchase did more for my footage than the camera.
Check current price~$200 once
Elgato Key Light
The splurge. App-controlled brightness and color temp — flip to 'cinematic' before you hit record.
Check current pricePrices are ballpark at publish time and change constantly — always check the current page.