Discover AI tools worth paying for that help indie founders ship faster and smarter. Real reviews and workflows from Built This Week's weekly builds.
The game has changed for founders who actually build.
You don't have to waste time on every free AI tool that promises the moon. You need AI tools that deliver real impact, save hours, and accelerate your product development.
That's exactly what we focus on every week at Built This Week - testing AI tools worth paying for that actually help founders ship faster and smarter, not just sound impressive in marketing copy.
Here's a list of the AI tools we actually use, love, and talk about on the show.
What it replaces: Manual coding and boilerplate writing.
GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered code assistant integrated into your IDE. It suggests code snippets, completes functions, and helps generate tests.
Why we use it: It saves hours on repetitive coding and keeps you focused on the unique product logic, speeding up MVP launches and iterations.
What it replaces: Hiring copywriters or spending hours writing marketing content.
Jasper AI uses GPT-4 to generate high-quality marketing copy, blog posts, ad copy, and emails based on your input.
Why we use it: It accelerates writing workflows and eliminates the blank-page problem, freeing up your time to focus on growth and product.
What it replaces: Paying for expensive designers or stock photos for unique visuals.
Midjourney generates stunning, unique images from text prompts, helping founders create brand assets and marketing visuals fast.
Why we use it: It cuts design cycles from days to minutes, empowering solo founders without graphic design skills.
What it replaces: Manual note-taking, meeting summaries, and content planning.
Notion AI helps you organize your thoughts, summarize meetings, and generate content ideas within your workspace.
Why we use it: It keeps your projects organized and helps you manage knowledge without juggling multiple tools.
What it replaces: Manual prototyping and debugging delays.
Replit Ghostwriter offers real-time AI coding help in the browser, perfect for quick prototypes and debugging.
Why we use it: It lets you ship prototypes faster without setting up complex environments.
Every week on Built This Week, Sam and Jordan test these AI tools in real product builds. They show you the code, the workflows, and the honest trade-offs.
You hear exactly what these tools solved, what held them back, and how they fit into a rapid shipping mindset.
Free tools might get your foot in the door, but premium AI tools worth paying for unlock real productivity.
They offer better support, fewer limits, and features optimized for builders who ship quickly.
Founders on Built This Week consistently show that investing in the right AI tool can save days each week.
That's it.
Built This Week proves it’s not about having more tools — it’s about having the right ones.
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Because if you're solo, your speed is your edge. Ship something this week.
