Uses /
Things I use and recommend.
Stuff I actually use. Some links are affiliate links.
Hardware
Camera · Beginner
DJI Osmo Pocket 4
All-purpose video camera
All-in-one, easy to use, professional quality.
$550
Camera · Intermediate
DJI Osmo Action 6
Action camera
8K waterproof action cam with a 1/1.1" square sensor and variable aperture (f/2.0–f/4.0). Rugged, versatile, and pro-quality.
$496
Camera · Beginner
DJI Pocket 3 w/ Creator Kit
All-purpose video camera
All-in-one, easy to use, professional quality.
$669
Camera · Intermediate
Sony ZV-E10 II
YouTube camera
This is my go-to YouTube camera.
$998
Microphone · Beginner
Shure MV7+
Desk microphone
USB-C + XLR, onboard DSP, broadcast-ready right out of the box.
$269
Computer · Beginner
Apple MacBook Air 13" (M5, 2026)
Laptop
Fast, silent, great battery life. Built for AI with the M5 chip.
$950
Computer · Intermediate
Apple Mac Mini M4 Pro
Desktop computer
Incredible value computer.
$599
Computer · Pro
Apple MacBook Pro 16" (M5 Max, 2026)
Pro laptop
M5 Max with 18-core CPU and 40-core GPU, 48GB unified memory, 16.2" Liquid Retina XDR. Built for AI and heavy video workloads.
$4,000
Microphone · Intermediate
DJI Lavalier Microphone
Microphone
Smaller, more subtle mic that pairs with the DJI wireless transmitter in the Pocket 3 Creator Kit.
$45
Microphone · Intermediate
DJI Mic 2
Wireless microphone system
All-in-one wireless mic with intelligent noise cancelling, 32-bit float internal recording, and 250m range. Works with iPhone, Android, and cameras.
$199
Mouse · Pro
Logitech MX Master 4 for Mac
Mouse
Pairs with 3 devices, horizontal scroll wheel is great for video editing, haptic feedback, beautiful design overall.
$120
Phone · Camera · All
Google Pixel 10 Pro
Cell phone
$700
Computer · Intermediate
CanaKit Raspberry Pi 5 Starter Kit
AI / homelab workstation
My AI, homelab, and experimental workstation.
~$150
Accessory · Beginner
InnoGear Microphone Suspension Boom Arm Stand
Mic arm / suspension boom
I bought this mic arm in 2021 for less than $20, and it's still going strong.
~$20
Accessory · Pro
OWC Express 1M2 SSD Enclosure
External NVMe storage
Big tip on storing videos and lots of data: use NVMe drives.
Varies
Lighting · Intermediate
NEEWER CB60B LED Video Light
Video lighting kit
Solid video lighting home kit.
Varies
Lighting · Beginner
NEEWER NL660 LED Studio Light
Desk lighting for video calls
Great panel light for the desk on video calls.
Varies
Software
- Video Descript: Video creation. All-in-one, simplest video creation tool out there.
- Video DaVinci Resolve: Video creation. Incredibly powerful and full-featured. Does pretty much everything at the free tier.
- Video HyperFrames: AI-driven motion graphic design. Connects with an AI tool of your choice to turn HTML, CSS, and JS into frame-perfect MP4 video.
- Design Canva: Simple thumbnails / graphic design. User-friendly.
- Design Affinity: Advanced graphic design & photo editing. Professional version of Canva.
- AI Claude: Coding. Great for making software.
- AI Grok: General-purpose AI chatbot. Quality and accuracy of responses.
- AI Grok Bot: AI agent / bot builder. My video walkthrough of Grok Bot and what it can do.
- AI Gemini: General-purpose AI chatbot. Runner-up favorite LLM.
- AI Nano Banana & Nano Banana Pro: AI image generation and photo editing. Current best AI photo generator/editor.
- AI Eleven Labs: Text-to-speech and AI voices. The gold standard for text-to-speech and AI voices.
- AI HeyGen: AI avatars. The gold standard for avatars.
- AI Higgs Field: AI video generation. The gold standard for AI video generation.
- Business AppSumo: Software deals. Inexpensive, lifetime deals on software.
- Productivity Zoom (+ Zoom AI notetaker): Video calls. Reliable, everyone is familiar with it, does everything, AI notetaking is awesome.
- Video TubePull: YouTube video downloader. My favorite YouTube tool because it's simple, it's browser-based, and it works well.
- Video OBS Studio: Live streaming. Free, open-source, and the industry standard for streaming and recording.
- Productivity Wispr Flow: Voice dictation. I don't have to type anymore.
- Productivity Brave: Web browser. Built-in ad blocking, Chromium-based, works great.
- Productivity Perplexity Comet: Web browser. AI-boosted web browsing.
- AI Perplexity: AI search engine. Best AI-powered search.
- Learning Anki: Flashcards / learning. Open-source, compatible across devices.
- Learning Preply: Online tutoring. I've used over 200 hours of tutoring for learning Spanish.
- Utilities CrossOver: Run Windows apps on Mac. Lets me run Windows software on macOS.
- Productivity Notion: Second-brain app. Incredibly powerful note-taking app.
- Productivity Standard Notes: Note-taking app. Security-focused note app.
- Productivity Cal.com: Calendar booking software. Runs my entire booking calendar.
- Productivity Google Calendar: Calendar. Integrates with everything; easy to use.
- Productivity Proton Mail: Email. Privacy-focused Gmail alternative.
- Utilities LocalSend: Sending files between devices. Works across all platforms, free and open-source.
- Productivity Luma: Event planner. Beautiful design, easy to use.
- Business Lovable: Vibe coding. Easy to use, fast, good design, not expensive.
- Business Kajabi: Course platform. My entire business runs on Kajabi.
YouTube tools
- Free Thumbnail Grabber: Download thumbnails
- Free ThumbsUp.tv: Preview thumbnails on different devices
- Free Social Blade: Data and forecasts on audience
- Free 1of10: Outlier scores for videos
- Paid Thumbnail Test: A/B test thumbnails and titles
- Free TubePull: YouTube video downloader. My favorite because it's simple, browser-based, and works well.