The Solopreneur Stack
Five tools. About $111/mo at regular prices. Built to cover part of the work you might otherwise hire out.
By Carlos Gil · Updated · Prices checked on each vendor's official pricing page. Editorially reviewed from vendor documentation; BestStacked does not run hands-on tests of these tools.
The Lineup
Five Tools · One Workflow- 01.BrevoEmail and a CRM in one affordable tool.Free (300 emails/day) / Starter $9/mo
- 02.BufferSocial posts scheduled once a week.Free / $6 per channel/mo ($5 billed yearly)
- 03.LeadpagesLanding pages that capture leads and take payment.Pro $29/mo (monthly; annual billing saves 20%)
- 04.FreshBooksInvoices that chase themselves.Lite $23/mo (intro discounts often shown)
- 05.ClickUpEvery client and task on one board.Free / Core $12/user/mo ($9 billed yearly)
Why these five.
Solopreneurs do not need more tools; they need fewer tools that each do a full job. Every extra login is a small tax on attention, and attention is the one resource a solo operator cannot buy more of. The Solopreneur Stack is the smallest toolkit that covers the five jobs a one-person service business cannot skip: capture leads, stay in touch, stay visible, deliver the work and get paid.
Each tool owns one of those jobs. Leadpages turns an offer into a page that captures leads and can take payment. Brevo holds the list and the CRM in one place, so a lead and its email history stay together. Buffer keeps you visible with a weekly scheduling session instead of daily posting. ClickUp holds client work and deadlines. FreshBooks sends invoices, chases late payments and tracks time. There is no overlap, so you are never paying twice for the same job.
Run this stack for a month and measure two things: how many leads reached your list, and how many days invoices took to get paid. If both improved and you spent less time switching between apps, the stack is working. If not, the fix is usually the offer or the follow-up, not another tool.
— Carlos Gil, Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Who this stack is for
It's just you. You sell, you deliver, you invoice, you market. You can't afford a $500/mo stack and you don't need one — but you do need every dollar to pull triple duty. This kit is the maximum value, minimum sprawl setup for a one-person operation.
This stack is for the person who is the whole company: you find clients, do the work, send the invoice and still need to stay visible. It covers the five jobs that most often fall through the cracks in a one-person business, with one tool each, and it deliberately avoids overlap so you are not paying twice for email or task lists. Start with FreshBooks so you can invoice from day one, then Brevo so every lead lands in one list, then ClickUp to hold client work. Leadpages comes next when you have an offer worth a dedicated page, and Buffer last, once you have a posting habit to protect. Watch FreshBooks' pricing page: it often shows an introductory discount for the first months, so budget for the regular price we list here.
What each tool does in the stack
Brevo Email & CRM
Email marketing, transactional emails, and a built-in CRM in one affordable platform. The best value for solopreneurs who need email and CRM without paying for both.
Key feature: Free built-in CRM so you do not need a separate tool to manage contacts.
Plan to start on: Starter ($9/mo for 5,000 emails/month, or $8.08/mo billed yearly)
Buffer Social Media
Simple social media scheduling across every major platform. Set it and forget it so you stay visible without spending hours on social.
Key feature: AI assistant that helps repurpose one post into platform-specific versions.
Plan to start on: Essentials ($6 per channel/mo; $18/mo for 3 channels)
Leadpages Landing Pages
Build landing pages, simple sites and opt-in forms with AI to capture leads and sell services, with Stripe checkout on the page. No code or designer needed.
Key feature: AI page creation from a prompt or your existing website, with form leads sent straight to your email tool.
Plan to start on: Pro ($29/mo)
FreshBooks Invoicing & Accounting
Invoicing, expense tracking, and time tracking designed for freelancers and solopreneurs. Simpler than QuickBooks with a better mobile experience.
Key feature: Automatic payment reminders that chase late invoices so you do not have to.
Plan to start on: Plus ($43/mo regular price)
ClickUp Task & Project Management
Keep every project, client, and task organized in one place. Replace your sticky notes, Trello boards, and scattered to-do lists.
Key feature: Custom dashboards that show your entire business at a glance.
Plan to start on: Core ($12/mo, or $9 billed yearly)
What you can build with this stack.
Three example workflows this tool combination can support.
Lead magnet to first sale
Build a lead-magnet page in Leadpages, send signups into a Brevo welcome sequence that ends with your offer, and promote the page through a week of Buffer posts.
- Stack
- Leadpages + Brevo + Buffer
- Est. time
- 1 day
- Est. cost
- $56/mo
Client delivery and billing loop
Each new client gets a ClickUp board, a FreshBooks invoice schedule with automatic reminders, and a Brevo tag so check-ins and renewal emails go out on time.
- Stack
- ClickUp + FreshBooks + Brevo
- Est. time
- Half a day setup
- Est. cost
- $62/mo
Launch a new service in a weekend
Draft the offer page in Leadpages, email your existing list from Brevo, and track inquiries and delivery tasks in ClickUp so nothing slips once people say yes.
- Stack
- Leadpages + Brevo + ClickUp
- Est. time
- 1 weekend
- Est. cost
- $48/mo
Implementation difficulty
Easy. Sign up, configure, ship. Most tools work on day one.
What it replaces, and what it costs.
- Virtual assistant
- Bookkeeping/admin help
- Design contractor
- Writing assistant
- Various SaaS sprawl
- Brevo Starter$9/mo
- Buffer Essentials (3 channels)$18/mo
- Leadpages Pro$29/mo
- FreshBooks Plus$43/mo
- ClickUp Core$12/mo
- Total$111/mo
We don't print a team-cost total or a savings figure. Labour rates vary too much by market and seniority to state one honestly, and these tools support the roles on the left rather than replace every responsibility in them. To compare, price those roles at your own local rates and set them against the software total.
What each tool costs
Prices checked on each vendor's official pricing page. US dollars, before tax. The total uses monthly billing and ignores first-month or first-year promotions.
- BrevoFree plan availableFree (300 emails/day) / Starter $9/moPlan we would start on: Starter ($9/mo for 5,000 emails/month, or $8.08/mo billed yearly)
- BufferFree plan availableFree / $6 per channel/mo ($5 billed yearly)Plan we would start on: Essentials ($6 per channel/mo; $18/mo for 3 channels)
- LeadpagesNo free planPro $29/mo (monthly; annual billing saves 20%)Plan we would start on: Pro ($29/mo)
- FreshBooksNo free planLite $23/mo (intro discounts often shown)Plan we would start on: Plus ($43/mo regular price)
- ClickUpFree plan availableFree / Core $12/user/mo ($9 billed yearly)Plan we would start on: Core ($12/mo, or $9 billed yearly)
- Estimated total: $52/mo (free tiers plus Leadpages Pro and FreshBooks Lite) to $111/mo (plans we recommend at regular prices)
Set it up in this order
Each step leaves you with something that works on its own, so you can stop after any step and still have a usable setup.
- 1
FreshBooks
Set up invoicing so you can get paid from day one. Connect your bank account and create your first invoice template.
- 2
Brevo
Import your contacts, set up a welcome email, and add the Brevo CRM tag to your most important leads.
- 3
ClickUp
Create your project and client boards. Start with one board per client and one master 'Today' view.
- 4
Buffer
Connect your social accounts and schedule a week of posts using the AI assistant to repurpose existing content.
- 5
Leadpages
Build a landing page for your main offer or lead magnet. Connect the form directly to Brevo.
Who should skip this stack?
If one of these sounds like you, a different Stack Pack will fit better.
Course creators who need a dedicated course platform.
See The Course Creator StackSales teams who need advanced CRM features and call intelligence.
See The Sales Pro Stack
Get notified when Solopreneur Stack ships.
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Read the deep reviews.
Read the individual reviews for evidence, pricing and tradeoffs.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Solopreneur Stack cost?
About $111/mo on the plans we recommend at regular prices: Brevo Starter $9, Buffer Essentials $18 for three channels, Leadpages Pro $29, FreshBooks Plus $43 and ClickUp Core $12 (ClickUp shows $9 billed yearly as a reduced price; Core replaced the Unlimited plan). With free plans for Brevo, Buffer and ClickUp and FreshBooks Lite, it is about $52/mo. Prices were checked on October 19, 2026.
Is Brevo's free plan enough to start?
Often, yes. Brevo's free plan sends up to 300 emails a day once your account is approved, which covers a small list. Starter ($9/mo for 5,000 emails a month) removes the daily cap.
Why FreshBooks instead of free invoicing tools?
FreshBooks combines invoicing, automatic payment reminders, expenses and time tracking, which matters when you bill by the hour. If you only send a few fixed-price invoices a month, Stripe Invoicing (0.4% per paid invoice) is a cheaper alternative.
Do I need Leadpages if I have a website?
Only if your site makes it slow to launch a focused offer or lead-magnet page. Leadpages has no free plan; Pro is $29/mo, and annual billing saves 20%.
Can ClickUp replace the CRM in Brevo?
It can track clients, but Brevo's CRM is tied to your email list, so contacts and their email history stay together. Use ClickUp for delivery work and Brevo for leads.
Sources
Official sources and verification dates
Every product, price and audit fact on this page comes from the vendor's own website or the audit announcement it links to. Competitor facts never come from another vendor's comparison page. Prices are in US dollars unless marked, exclude tax, and can vary by country and promotion.
Core stack pricing pages
- Brevo pricing (checked )
- Buffer pricing (checked )
- Leadpages pricing (checked )
- FreshBooks pricing (checked )
- ClickUp pricing (checked )
Add-ons and alternatives mentioned
- Stripe Invoicing pricing (checked )