FUTURE PROOF MARKETER/PLAN · Solo · <€100/mo
Cut my tool bill in half
Inventory, three kill questions, downgrade before cancel, then one automation layer so the survivors talk to each other. About ninety minutes of work and a month of watching.
Built for: Anyone whose statements show more marketing tools than they can name from memory.
The stack
3 tools
2 paid, 1 on free tiers or included
Monthly, at list price
≈ €29/mo
budget under €100 a month · dollar prices counted as euros
The metric
Monthly tool spend
half of today's number by week 4, with zero capabilities lost
Some links below are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It funds the testing budget and never changes a verdict — affiliate policy.
The four weeks
- Week 1Spreadsheets & data
The inventory
Export three months of statements, upload the CSV to your assistant, ask for every recurring charge with annual plans divided by twelve. Next to each: the job it does, from memory. If you can't name it, that's finding one.
The toolYour assistant's data mode (Claude / ChatGPT)
included in the $20/mo assistant · checked 2026-09
A small company does not need a big-data query. Export, upload, ask. Repeat monthly.
Counted: free · Also fits: Rows · on the radar
- Week 2Assistant & research
Three kill questions
For each tool: what did it produce in the last thirty days, what would you do without it, would you buy it today at today's price. Two fails of three goes on the list. Your assistant runs the interview; you answer honestly.
The toolOne €20 assistant (Claude Pro / ChatGPT Plus / Google AI Pro)
$20/mo · checked 2026-09
The one subscription every size needs. Pick by the work you do most: Claude for writing-heavy, ChatGPT for breadth, Gemini for the Workspace bundle.
Counted: ~€20/mo counted at list price · Also fits: NotebookLM · on the radar
Our review → - Week 3
Downgrade before you cancel
Check the free or entry tier of every survivor against your actual usage — CRMs, schedulers, SEO suites you can rotate monthly. Contact-priced tools get a list clean first: a smaller list is a smaller bill.
No new tool. This week is about tiers, not products — the radar's 'not yet' table is the checklist.
- Week 4Agents & automation
One automation layer
Connect the survivors with one automation tool so no tool exists just to move data between two others. Three automations, not thirty.
The toolMake
€0 (paid from ~€9–15/mo) · checked 2026-09
Best value on rung one once you have more than a handful of flows; the visual canvas is a feature at Small and a liability at Solo.
Counted: ~€9/mo counted at list price · Also fits: Zapier · on the radar
Our comparison →
Your stack at a glance
| Tool | Price · checked | Counted |
|---|---|---|
| Your assistant's data mode (Claude / ChatGPT) | included in the $20/mo assistant · 2026-09 | €0 · free |
| One €20 assistant (Claude Pro / ChatGPT Plus / Google AI Pro) | $20/mo · 2026-09 | ≈ €20/mo · ~€20/mo counted at list price |
| Make | €0 (paid from ~€9–15/mo) · 2026-09 | ≈ €9/mo · ~€9/mo counted at list price |
| Total | ≈ €29/mo |
Don't buy yet
- –A 'cheaper all-in-one' that replaces four tools with one you'll pay for forever
- –Annual plans bought at 40% off in a moment of ambition
- –Anything new for ninety days
Different size, budget or channel?
The steps stay; the tools and the total change. Or pick another outcome.
Every week
When a tool on this plan gets tested, you'll hear first
One tool tested, one workflow, one future signal, one deal — every week. The plans update when the radar does.
One email with the goods, then the weekly letter. Unsubscribe anytime.