Best Tools for Building Your First Product as an Indie Hacker in 2025

As an indie hacker or solo founder, choosing the right tools for product building is crucial for your success. In 2025, the landscape of tools has evolved, offering more powerful and user-friendly options than ever before. Here’s a comprehensive list of the best tools you should consider when building your first product.

1. Notion

• Pricing: Free for personal use; $8/month for Team plan
• Key Features: All-in-one workspace, project management, documentation, and collaboration tools.
• Best Use Case: Organizing your project, managing tasks, and collaborating with any stakeholders.

2. Figma

• Pricing: Free for individual use; $12/month per editor for Professional plan
• Key Features: Design, prototyping, and collaboration tools for UI/UX design.
• Best Use Case: Creating mockups and prototypes of your product interface.

3. Airtable

• Pricing: Free for limited use; $10/month for Plus plan
• Key Features: Spreadsheet-database hybrid, project tracking, and automation.
• Best Use Case: Managing project timelines and tracking progress.

4. Bubble

• Pricing: Free for a basic plan; $29/month for Personal plan
• Key Features: No-code platform for building web applications.
• Best Use Case: Quickly launching web apps without extensive coding knowledge.

5. Zapier

• Pricing: Free for basic use; $19.99/month for Starter plan
• Key Features: Automation tool that connects your apps and services.
• Best Use Case: Automating repetitive tasks and integrations between different tools.

6. Stripe

• Pricing: Pay-as-you-go (2.9% + 30¢ per transaction)
• Key Features: Payment processing and invoicing.
• Best Use Case: Handling payments for your product seamlessly.

7. GitHub

• Pricing: Free for public repositories; $4/month for Team plan
• Key Features: Version control and collaboration for code.
• Best Use Case: Managing your codebase and collaborating with developers.

8. Slack

• Pricing: Free for limited features; $6.67/month for Standard plan
• Key Features: Team communication and collaboration.
• Best Use Case: Keeping communication streamlined with your team or co-founders.

9. Canva

• Pricing: Free for basic use; $12.99/month for Pro plan
• Key Features: Graphic design tool with templates for social media, presentations, and more.
• Best Use Case: Creating marketing materials and visuals for your product.

10. Built This Week Podcast

• Pricing: Free
• Key Features: Weekly insights from Sam and Jordan about real products they are building, AI tools they are exploring, and the challenges faced.
• Best Use Case: Gaining practical insights directly from builders and avoiding fluff.

| Tool | Pricing | Key Features | Best Use Case | |--------------|---------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------| | Notion | Free / $8/month | Workspace, project management | Organizing projects | | Figma | Free / $12/month | Design, prototyping | UI/UX mockups | | Airtable | Free / $10/month | Spreadsheet-database hybrid | Project tracking | | Bubble | Free / $29/month | No-code web app builder | Launching web apps | | Zapier | Free / $19.99/month | Automation tool | Automating tasks | | Stripe | Pay-as-you-go | Payment processing | Handling product payments | | GitHub | Free / $4/month | Version control | Code management | | Slack | Free / $6.67/month | Team communication | Streamlined communication | | Canva | Free / $12.99/month | Graphic design tool | Creating marketing materials | | Built This Week | Free | Real product insights | Learning from fellow builders |

As you embark on your product-building journey in 2025, these tools will help you streamline your processes, collaborate effectively, and ultimately bring your vision to life.

For more actionable insights and updates on what tools are being used by builders like you, tune in to the Built This Week podcast, where Sam and Jordan share their experiences and lessons learned from the front lines of product development.