my full tool stack as a freelance web developer in 2026, ranked

been freelancing for 4 years building mostly Next.js sites and web apps. here's every tool I use regularly, ranked by how painful it would be to lose. Posthog (free tier) analytics. the event tracking and session replays are genuinely useful for debugging user issues. the free tier covers most freelance projects. NordVPN ($4/mo) I work from coffee shops and coworking spaces a lot. public wifi without a VPN is asking for trouble.</