Best Creator Tools: Apps, Cameras, Marketing and More
Running a profitable creator business requires a few good tools. This list includes what I find to be the best creator tools in apps, plugins, tech, and resources. These are the tool I use to run my full-time creator business. Because the reality is this. Twenty minutes a day spent doing something manually is roughly 80 hours a year. I worked that out a few years ago while resizing images one at a time, and then I sat very still for a while, thinking about the two full working weeks I had donated to a task a computer would have done for free.
That is the trap with other creator tool lists. Most of us do not need more software. We need the right handful, set up once, then left alone long enough to actually do their job.
As an affiliate partner of various brands and sponsored content, HerPaperRoute may earn commission on qualifying purchases. Disclaimer
So this is not a list of everything that exists. It is what survived across my brands: the tools I would panic without, the equipment that earned its price back in a month, the marketing platforms that turn one idea into four weeks of content, and a few tools that help generate more money.
And for anyone who would rather acquire growth than grind for it, I have included the marketplace side too. Buying a site that already ranks beats waiting a year and a half for Google to notice you exist, after all.
Jump to section:
Top Picks for Best Tools for Growing a Business
Ultimate Claude Skills Bundle
24 complete, ready-to-use Claude skills trained on strategy, content, and revenue growth for your business. Just $24!
Creator Class
Learn how to launch your business in the creator economy in this workshop. You’ll discover a roadmap to gaining your first (or next) 1,000 followers, subscribers and dollars as a content creator, in 100 days!
Thrivecart
The leading cart software for checkouts, upsells and tripwire offers, and more.
» Read the reviews
HerPaperRoute Toolkit
The HerPaperRoute Profitable Entrepreneur Toolkit is a resource library packed with everything you need to grow your blog and biz! And you can access all of the resources for free by joining today!
Start a Blog Course
Thinking of starting a blog? You need to take this course to learn the ropes. From the initial setup tech, to choosing a niche, SEO foundations and knowing what to write, this course as it all. Take the first step and start a blog today.
Want to blow up on Instagram? Get my IG Trial Reels Kit!
Buy/Sell a Business
Curious about how much your online business could sell for? Get a free website valuation and a suggested listing price from us. Looking to acquire one?
Chelsea’s Books
Glow Up Yourself®
The reinvention playbook for rebellious women building wealth, habits, and confidence in life and business. Rebrand after failure, rewrite your story, and redefine success.
Glow Up Yourself® Audiobook
The official audiobook, narrated by Chelsea, and with bonus material!
Glow Up Yourself® Workbook
The official companion workbook to Glow Up Yourself. Each section of the workbook pairs with a different chapter in the main book.
Equipment for Creators
Email Marketing & List Building
FLODESK
A simple email system to collect subscribers and send newsletters. Get 50% off your first year via this link.
BEEHIIV
A powerful email marketing system with competitive pricing!
Kit (Formerly ConvertKit)
Convertkit is a professional email system to manage your newsletters, subscribers, opt-ins and landing pages. create and send campaigns (newsletters) manage opt-in forms, automation, and more.
INTERACT
Discover how to use quizzes as a list-building and blog growth marketing tool using this awesome quiz-building app!
CONVERTBOX
Add popups, email forms and exit-intent boxes to convert your website visitors into email subscribers, followers and customers.
EMAIL TEMPLATES
Email marketing templates you can use in your newsletters and sales funnels.
Funnels, Sales & Digital Product Selling
THRIVECART
The best cart and LMS for your business. Make more sales with upsells and tripwire offers, manage your affiliate program, and integrate with everything.! This one tool manages your membership, courses, affiliate program, and coaching programs. It’s amazing.
LEAD PAGES
Easy to use page builder for your sales pages and opt-in freebie pages.
KAJABI
Course and membership hosting platform.
SENDOWL
Deliver your digital products and manage your affiliate program from $10/month.
FUNNEL TEMPLATES
These funnel templates make it easy for you to build interest, offer value, and make money with a sales funnel. Grow your email list, host a webinar, create a tripwire, sell a digital product and more!
Running a Business
GUSTO
Set up your payroll and pay your team with ease. Trusted by more than 200,000 businesses and their teams.
EARTH CLASS MAIL
Use this virtual address to have all of your mail sent, where they will scan it and send it to you as an email.
ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD
Get access to all 19+ Adobe apps with the Creative Cloud Suite. Including Photoshop, Lightroom, Premier Pro and more.
Client & Project Management
HONEYBOOK
The only CRM you will ever need. Capture leads, manage projects and clients, send invoices, sign contracts online, get paid, and more. Get 50% off your first year today!
DUBSADO
The best online accounting tool. Track your blog’s profit and loss and so much more. Take 20% off with code HERPAPERROUTE
CLICKUP
Stay on track with your team, no matter where your team is located. Manage projects, launches, SOPs and never miss a deadline.
SEO & Traffic Growth
WP ROCKET
WP Rocket is a lightweight plugin that speeds up your website, handles caching, GZip compression, WebP image delivery, lazy loading images, CSS minification, database optimization and more
RANKIQ
Quickly optimize your articles with Rank IQ’s suggestions. Improve your score to know exactly how to rank your posts on SERPs.
LINK WHISPER
Make it easy for Google to crawl your site and interlink your content properly! LinkWhisper makes interlinking your blog posts simple.
FRASE
Frase AI helps you research, write, and optimize high-quality SEO content in minutes instead of hours.
KEYSEARCH
One of the best keyword research tools, trusted by top bloggers!
WP ROCKET
WP Rocket is a lightweight plugin that speeds up your website, handles caching, GZip compression, WebP image delivery, lazy loading images, CSS minification, database optimization and more
Pinterest Tools
TASTY PINS
Tasty Pins offers all the Pinterest marketing and SEO features you need to optimize your blog for increasing Pinterest traffic.
Legal Tools and Resources for Business Owners
REGISTER YOUR BUSINESS (USA)
Incorporate your company and access the greatest startup ecosystem on the planet. Firstbase is your organization’s first step.
REGISTER YOUR BUSINESS (CANADA)
Incorporate or register your business with ease and help keep your business compliant. Get 15% off with this link.
LEGAL BUNDLE
The Legal Bundle contains fill-in-the-blank templates for the 3 legal pages your website is required to have.
Stock Photography & Design
HAUTE STOCK
Premium stock photo membership with various lifestyle and workspace images. A modern, feminine photo membership. Unlimited downloads, and new collections are added each month, as well as limited time collections.
STYLED STOCK SOCIETY
Styled Stock Society is a stock photography membership for female entrepreneurs. Members get access to over 2,000 stock photos (plus tons of new photos are added every single month).
BLUCHIC
Quickly create your lead magnets, ebooks and digital products with these done-for-you lead magnet templates.
Video, Webinar & Summit Tools
EPIDEMIC SOUND
Massive library of royalty-free music and sound effects that you can use in your content across Youtube, Instagram and TikTok
OTTER
Otter is an AI transcription tool that transcribes your video and audio files – and even transcribes live!
Web Hosting
BEST OVERALL: BIG SCOOTS
The award for best professional-grade web hosting goes to Big Scoots! They provide the fastest FREE migrations, offer super-fast VPS and managed WordPress hosting and A+ customer service. Worth every dollar.
CHEAPEST: BLUEHOST
On a tight budget, and don’t need much customer service? Bluehost is the cheapest option! They are known for having less than stellar customer service, but if budget is an issue, you will save money. Get it for just $2.95/month.
WordPress Themes
KADENCE
The best WordPress theme framework. Build and customize anything your heart desires!
17TH AVENUE
Professional quality Genesis themes, with a feminine style. Beautiful themes to make your website look super stylish.
CHICSHOP
WordPress theme + funnel + landing pages kit for digital product eCommerce shops
Free Resources
How Websites Make Money
54-page guide to making money with a website, so you can earn from multiple revenue streams without having to be an influencer
How to Sell Your Business | eBook
You need an exit plan if you hope to sell your blog or online business.
How to Buy a Website
This guide helps you navigate your first website acquisition…perfect for beginners!
Other Apps & Tools
APP SUMO
AppSumo is a website that offers daily deals and special promotions on popular apps. Get incredible lifetime deals on useful tools and apps.
ohidden
VIRTUAL SUMMIT MONETIZATION KIT
Includes Canva sponsorship pitch deck template, summit CRM workshop, and strategies to monetize your summit in multiple ways at once!
SUMMIT PROMOTION BUNDLE
With this bundle, you’ll get a marketing calendar, promotion strategy training, 7 email scripts, 7 pieces of social media swipe copy, a Facebook ad strategy overview, Facebook ad swipe copy, and Facebook ad graphic templates.
BLUCHIC
Quickly create your lead magnets, ebooks and digital products with these done-for-you lead magnet templates.
ENVATO ELEMENTS
Unlimited downloads to millions of stock photos, website themes, graphic elements, templates, logos, and more.
DESIGN BUNDLES
Access to 136,466 exclusive products with Commercial Use. So you can use the designs on the digital and physical products you sell
ACCESSIBILITY WIDGET
Trusted tool that makes a website accessible to people with various disabilities.
ADA & WCAG TEMPLATE BUNDLE
With this ADA and WCAG Compliance legal bundle, you get Amira’s ADA guide, WCAG checklist, Website Accessibility template, and more!
ADA COMPLIANCE NOW COURSE
This course will walk you through the required steps to become compliant with ADA and Unruh Act
LLC OPERATING CONTRACT
The Contract Shop® provides contract templates and all the legal paperwork you need to run your business well. No expensive attorneys required.
COACHES BUNDLE
All of the legal contracts your coaching business needs in one easy-to-use collection.
NEW BUSINESS BUNDLE
All the legal documents you need to protect and grow your business. Plus sales call scripts so you always know what to say!
AFFILIATE TEAM CONTRACT
Have an affiliate program? Make sure you have everyone on your team sign this contract before they start promoting your products.
SPONSORED POST CONTRACT
Lawyer written contract template you need to easily work with brands to produce any kind of sponsored content and build lasting relationships with them, while also protecting your financial and legal interests in the process.
BRAND COLLAB / SPONSORSHIP CONTRACT
This template sets clear expectations of your relationship from the beginning by defining timelines, revision guidelines and what exactly the brand can or cannot do with the materials you create
LEGAL COURSES
Protect your content, website, products and courses by applying what you learn in these step-by-step legal trainings.
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR CONTRACT
Whether you provide services to clients or you are hiring a freelancer to perform work for you, you need this template to protect yourself.
In order to grow and scale, you need to invest in your business
When you decide to start a blog and/or business, oftentimes it can quickly feel like an expensive undertaking.
There are many tools, courses and ‘things’ you will want to invest in. You don’t need to spend much money when starting a blog, but you should spend some money on it.
One of the hardest parts of running a successful blog is figuring out which tools you need, and which you don’t. In this ultimate roundup, I break down the best blogging tools and best business tools for social media, growing your email list, and making money online. Including Courses, tech, and more!
I have discovered some fantastic tech and software, taken some incredible courses, and used some awesome tools to stay organized and on track in my business.
And today, I’m rounding them all up for you! I’ve kept the descriptions relatively brief, but where possible and linked to extra resources where you can learn more about that tool or course.
On this page, you will find some supreme discounts on premium blogging tools here, plus many free ones, too!
For any ones that aren’t free, I have included a free trial wherever possible. Here are the tools, tech, apps and educational resources I use to run all of my websites.
Fact: You’ll never get ahead as a creator or business owner if you don’t have the right tools, systems and mentors. Instead, use these awesome and tools to manage your time, store your digital files, and prep for a productive and profitable year.
Conclusion
I know how researching software feels like chore. But I hope this list of the best creator tools helps you today.
To note, the instruction is not “buy all of these.” It is: pick one for each category you need support im. Specifically the one that fixes the bottleneck currently annoying you most, the task you keep doing by hand while quietly resenting it. Set it up this week. Ignore the rest of the list until that one is genuinely running without you.
Tell me in the comments which one you are actually setting up, and I will tell you if I think it is the right call. What tools, courses, and resources are you loving in your business? Any awesome tools I haven’t tried yet that I need to look into? Leave a comment and fill me in!
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- Ergonomics: Yeti features studio controls for headphone volume, pattern selection, instant mute, and microphone gain putting you in charge of every level of the recording process
- Improved Dual Pixel CMOS AF and eye detection AF 24.1 Megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor with is 100–6400 (H: 12800)
