Vetted stack

Tools we recommend

Every platform here has shipped on real client work. We update this list as the landscape shifts.

Our pick

Vercel

Hosting & deploy

4.9

The fastest way to ship a modern site, with zero-config previews.

Best for:Next.js & React sites

What we like

Instant global CDN & previews
Best-in-class Next.js support
Generous free tier

Watch-outs

Bandwidth costs add up at scale
Overkill for a tiny brochure site

From

Free, then $20/mo

Read our review

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Featured in our guides: Choosing a website platform in 2026, How we build travel sites that actually book, The website tool stack we deploy in 2026

Best value

Hostinger

Hosting

4.6

Cheap, fast managed hosting that punches well above its price.

Best for:WordPress & small business

What we like

Excellent price-to-speed ratio
Friendly control panel
Free domain on annual plans

Watch-outs

Renewal prices jump
Support quality varies

From

From $2.99/mo

Read our review

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Featured in our guides: Choosing a website platform in 2026, The website tool stack we deploy in 2026

Top rated

Framer

No-code builder

4.7

Design-grade sites you can launch without a developer.

Best for:Landing pages & portfolios

What we like

Stunning animations out of the box
Real CMS included
Fast to launch

Watch-outs

Less control than hand-coding
Costs scale with traffic

From

Free, then $10/mo

Read our review

Visit FramerAffiliate link

Featured in our guides: Choosing a website platform in 2026, The website tool stack we deploy in 2026

Webflow

Visual development

4.5

Pixel-perfect visual development with a powerful CMS.

Best for:Content-heavy marketing sites

What we like

Granular design control
Robust CMS & collections
Clean exported markup

Watch-outs

Steep learning curve
Pricing tiers get confusing

From

From $14/mo

Read our review

Visit WebflowAffiliate link

Featured in our guides: Choosing a website platform in 2026, The website tool stack we deploy in 2026

Our pick

Ahrefs

SEO toolkit

4.8

The SEO data we trust most for keywords, backlinks, and audits.

Best for:Serious keyword & link research

What we like

Largest live backlink index
Reliable keyword data
Excellent site audit

Watch-outs

Expensive for hobby sites
No free plan

From

From $129/mo

Read our review

Visit AhrefsAffiliate link

Featured in our guides: The SEO basics every small business site needs, The website tool stack we deploy in 2026, Core Web Vitals for small sites: a practical checklist

Sanity

Headless CMS

4.6

A flexible content backend that editors actually enjoy using.

Best for:Custom Next.js content models

What we like

Real-time, structured content
Great developer experience
Customisable editor

Watch-outs

Requires developer setup
Query language to learn

From

Free, then $15/mo

Read our review

Visit SanityAffiliate link

Featured in our guides: The website tool stack we deploy in 2026

Kit

Email marketing

4.5

Creator-friendly email and automation without the enterprise bloat.

Best for:Newsletters & lead nurture

What we like

Simple, powerful automations
Clean signup forms
Strong deliverability

Watch-outs

Templates are basic
Reporting is light

From

Free, then $25/mo

Read our review

Visit KitAffiliate link

Featured in our guides: The website tool stack we deploy in 2026

Best value

Plausible

Analytics

4.7

Lightweight, privacy-first analytics with no cookie banner needed.

Best for:GDPR-friendly traffic insight

What we like

No cookies, GDPR-friendly
Tiny script, fast
Clear single-page dashboard

Watch-outs

Fewer deep features
No funnels on cheapest plan

From

From $9/mo

Read our review

Visit PlausibleAffiliate link

Featured in our guides: The SEO basics every small business site needs, The website tool stack we deploy in 2026

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