Field guides · v2026.Q3 · updated 2026-08-06

One question, one verdict, one table.

Guides

24

✻ · Stack guides

  1. ✻The AI stack for solo founders (2026)
  2. ✻The minimal AI stack under $100/month (2026)

01 · Intelligence

  1. 1Fm — Best frontier model for startups (2026) · pick: Claude

02 · Build

  1. 5Ca — Best coding agent for solo founders (2026) · pick: Claude Code
  2. 6Vb — Best vibe builder for non-technical founders (2026) · pick: Lovable
  3. 8Dp — Best deploy platform for AI apps (2026) · pick: Vercel

03 · Agents & Automation

  1. 10Wf — Best workflow automation for AI startups (2026) · pick: n8n
  2. 12Mc — MCP connectors: where to start (2026) · pick: MCP Registry
  3. 9Ag — Best agent framework (2026) · pick: LangGraph

04 · Knowledge & Memory

  1. 17Mt — Best AI meeting notetaker for founders (2026) · pick: Granola
  2. 18Re — Best deep research tool for founders (2026) · pick: Perplexity
  3. 15Kw — Best knowledge base for AI agents (2026) · pick: Notion

05 · Creative & Design

  1. 19Im — Best AI image generator for brand work (2026) · pick: gpt-image-2
  2. 23De — Best design tool for AI startups (2026) · pick: Figma
  3. 22Vo — Best AI voice generator (2026) · pick: ElevenLabs

06 · Distribution & Growth

  1. 29Em — Best newsletter platform for founders (2026) · pick: beehiiv

07 · Sales & Revenue

  1. 33Cr — Best CRM for AI-native startups (2026) · pick: Attio
  2. 31En — Best data enrichment tool for outbound (2026) · pick: Clay

08 · Support & Success

  1. 35Sa — Best AI support agent for early-stage startups (2026) · pick: Fin

09 · Back-office

  1. 40Ac — Best AI accounting for startups (2026) · pick: Digits
  2. 39Bk — Best bank for startups (2026) · pick: Mercury

10 · Data & Analytics

  1. 44An — Best analytics for solo founders (2026) · pick: PostHog

11 · Trust & Compliance

  1. 47Ev — Best LLM evals & observability tools (2026) · pick: Langfuse
  2. 48Cm — Best compliance automation for startups (2026) · pick: Vanta

Every guide opens with the verdict, shows the contenders in one table, and links the element's seat on the table. Picks are editorial, dated, and never paid for — the charter is the contract.