Tool stack and costs
A low-cost stack for a first digital product, with fees and plan prices from each official pricing page.
Start with no monthly fees
Prices and fees below were taken from each tool's official pricing page on 9 Oct 2026. They're in US dollars unless stated, and most exclude tax. Some links on Slizzy OS are affiliate links; the affiliate disclosure page lists them.
| Job | Tool | Free tier | Paid / fees (as listed) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research, outlines, page drafts | Claude | Free plan | Pro US$20/month billed monthly, or US$17/month on annual (US$200 up front) | https://claude.com/pricing |
| Making the product | Google Docs / Sheets | Free with a Google account | — | — |
| Design and previews | Canva | Free | Pro US$144/year for one person | https://www.canva.com/pricing/ |
| Checkout and delivery | Gumroad | No monthly fee | 10% + US$0.50 per sale through your profile or direct links; 30% when a new customer finds you through Gumroad's Discover marketplace | https://gumroad.com/pricing |
| Email list (optional) | beehiiv | Free up to 2,500 subscribers | Paid plans on the pricing page; beehiiv says it takes 0% of digital product revenue, with Stripe's 2.9% + US$0.30 per transaction | https://www.beehiiv.com/pricing |
Why Gumroad for the first test
- No monthly fee, so a test that sells nothing costs nothing.
- Gumroad says it has been the merchant of record since 1 January 2025. It handles sales tax collection and remittance worldwide (including goods and services tax, VAT and US sales tax) where it has obligations. That's a big simplification for a first product.
- The trade-off is a higher per-sale cut. At a US$20 price, the listed direct-sale fee is US$2.50 (10% + US$0.50), leaving US$17.50 before any payout costs. Check what applies in your country.
The free blueprint names Shopify for a branded storefront. That makes sense once you have several products and steady sales. It isn't needed for a first test, so we didn't check its prices for this module.
Starting budgets
| Stage | Stack | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Test | Claude Free, Google Docs/Sheets, Canva Free, Gumroad | US$0 a month, plus Gumroad's per-sale fee |
| After first sales | Add Claude Pro, Canva Pro | About US$32 a month (US$20 + US$12, with Canva's annual price spread over 12 months), plus per-sale fees |