Hey, it's Chris.
Welcome to the first issue of The SoloStack.
I'm going to start with something I did last week that felt surprisingly significant: I cancelled my ChatGPT subscription.
Not because it's a bad tool. But because I realized I wasn't choosing it anymore - I was just still paying for it out of habit.
That's worth talking about.
The AI subscription problem nobody is auditing
Remember when streaming services started multiplying? First Netflix. Then HBO. Then Disney+. Then Apple TV. Before you knew it you were paying $60/month to watch three shows and feel vaguely guilty about the rest.
AI tools are doing the exact same thing right now.
Claude. Gemini. ChatGPT. Midjourney. ElevenLabs. Perplexity. Each one is $15-25/month. Each one promises to save you hours. Add them up and you're quietly spending $150-200/month on a stack you've never properly audited.
I know because I was doing it.
Why I dropped ChatGPT
For a long time ChatGPT was my default. Quick questions, small tasks, first drafts. It was the reflex tool.
But over the last few months something shifted. Gemini got noticeably better and started handling those everyday tasks faster and more reliably. Claude pulled ahead for anything requiring real depth - coding, workflow building, research, complex problem solving.
ChatGPT didn't get worse. The competition just got better. And when I looked at what I was actually opening ChatGPT for I couldn't find a strong answer anymore.
So I cancelled it. Saved $25/month. Zero regret so far.
My current honest stack and what I actually use each tool for
Claude - My primary work tool. Coding, scripts, building automation, deep research, complex writing. If I'm doing something that requires real thinking this is where I go. Also my vibecoding partner for building actual tools.
Gemini - My everyday tool. Quick questions, summarizing, research starting points, anything Google Workspace related. The integration with Google's ecosystem is underrated.
Nano Banana - Gemini-powered image generation and visual work. Genuinely impressive output and still one of the more underrated image tools in the current stack.
ElevenLabs - Audio and voice. Genuinely impressive and getting better fast.
Google NotebookLM - Criminally underrated. If you're not using this for research and synthesizing long documents you're missing one of the best free AI tools available right now.
My own built tools - Vibe coded with Google AI Studio and Claude. More on that story soon.
The honest audit I'd suggest you do this week
List every AI and software subscription you're paying for. Write the actual monthly cost next to each one. Then ask one question for each: did I open this tool at least 10 times last week?
If the answer is no you have your answer.
The best stack isn't the biggest stack. It's the one where every tool earns its place every single week.
That's Issue 1 of The SoloStack. Short, honest, no fluff.
Hit reply and tell me - what's in your current AI stack and what are you thinking about cutting?
— Chris
The SoloStack · thesolostack.co