Tools I actually use.

Obsidian

My go-to note-taking app. Local files, markdown-based, and incredibly flexible. Nothing leaves your machine unless you want it to.

Notion

Best for shared workspaces, project tracking, and anything that needs a database. The free tier covers most personal use cases.

Raycast

Spotlight replacement for Mac that actually saves you time. Launcher, clipboard manager, and a dozen other things in one keystroke.

Bitwarden

Open source password manager. Free tier is genuinely excellent. If you're not using a password manager, start here.

ProtonMail

End-to-end encrypted email based in Switzerland. Better privacy than Gmail with a good enough free tier for most people.

Mullvad VPN

The VPN I actually trust. No accounts, no logs, flat rate. Not the cheapest, but the most privacy-respecting I've found.

TP-Link Deco

Best mesh WiFi for most homes. Easy setup, reliable, and good enough performance for the price. I recommend this to family constantly.

Pi-hole

Network-wide ad blocking running on a Raspberry Pi. Blocks ads on every device in your home without installing anything on them.

Tailscale

Makes your devices act like they're on the same private network anywhere in the world. Free for personal use and absurdly easy to set up.

Claude

My primary AI assistant. Better than most for writing, reasoning, and longer conversations. The free tier is usable; Pro is worth it if you use it daily.

Perplexity

AI-powered search that cites its sources. I use it when I need current information or want a quick summary of something complex.

Make

Automation between apps without writing code. More powerful than Zapier for complex flows, better free tier too.