Best Creator Tools: Insights from a Content Writer, Website Owner & SEO
written by
Victoria Kurichenko
updated on
January 16, 2025
Looking for the best tools to grow your online content business? You’re in the right place!
Since the moment I quit my full-time job in 2022 and switched to working solo, I’ve tried lots of different tools for content creators.
From newsletter platforms and content writing tools to AI content creator tools, ebook creators, and creator monetization tools—I’ve tested a ton of options.
Over time, I’ve narrowed it down to my favorites, and I’m sharing them all with you here.
Since I juggle several side hustles alongside my client work, I rely on many of these tools daily.
For example, beehiiv powers my newsletter. It’s actually the third email platform I’ve tried, and it’s been a great fit so far. If you’re curious, I’ve written a bunch of articles comparing newsletter providers and sharing my experiences.
I’ll also highlight the tool I use to sell my ebooks and monetize my audience (spoiler: it’s Gumroad).
And if you’re into creating courses, I’ve got tips on Teachable and some solid alternatives.
Besides, as an SEO writer, I’ll reveal the most reliable tools for SEO content writing.
As an SEO writer, I’ll also share my go-to tools for writing content that ranks well on Google.
So, whether you’re looking for the perfect tool for newsletters, content creation, monetizing your audience, building courses, or something else, I’ve got some great recommendations to help you out!
What are creator tools?
Creator tools are apps, software, or platforms that help people make and share content like videos, photos, blogs, or designs.
The main goal of these tools is to make your life easier and more efficient.
They save time and let you focus on being creative instead of worrying about all the technical stuff.
From Canva to Adobe, there’s a tool for almost every kind of creator out there. With the right creator tools, you’ll be able to write content faster, craft relatable emails, reach a wider audience online, and even monetize it.
Best content creator tools
- Best newsletter platforms: My top 5 picks I’ve tried and used since 2020.
- AI course creator tools: A curated list of AI-powered course creation tools to develop online courses without much effort.
- Online writing tools: A set of tools to help you improve your writing, including grammar, spelling, tone of voice, and headline creation.
- AI SEO tools: These are the SEO tools powered by AI that content creators can use to improve their website’s online visibility.
- Content writing tools for SEO: These tools are designed to help you create optimized content for ranking faster.
- Substack alternatives: If you are looking for alternatives to Substack, these are my go-to platforms.
- Mailchimp alternatives: If you are looking for the best alternatives to Mailchimp, these are my go-to email marketing platforms.
What makes the best creator tool?
Ease of use: For me, the best creator tools are simple and user-friendly and don’t require any prior knowledge or experience to use them.
Does it deliver?: If a tool can’t deliver on its promises, it’s a no-go. That’s why I personally test every creator tool before recommending it.
Pricing: Most of the tools I recommend are budget-friendly or even free, so you don’t have to break the bank to get started.
10 creator tools I use daily in 2025
1. beehiiv
beehiiv is a newsletter growth platform with lots of content monetization features for content creators.
I’ve used beehiiv for over 12 months and shared my experience in my beehiiv review.
The reason why I switched from Kit (former Convertkit) to beehiiv was lack of monetization opportunities. I had a solid audience but didn’t know how to monetize it beyond affiliate links and selling products.
Since I only had about 1–2 hours a week to write and send newsletters, I needed something that would let me earn from my newsletter without a lot of extra work. That’s exactly what beehiiv gave me!
Now, beehiiv Boosts pays me $1–$4 for every subscriber I refer to other content creators. Plus, their Ad Network automatically sends me sponsorship requests from brands. I’ve had the chance to work with well-known brands like HubSpot and Ahrefs through the Ad Network.
Honestly, I think beehiiv is one of the best tools for creators who are serious about growing and monetizing their audience.
As a beehiiv partner, I’ve got a special deal to help my audience use beehiiv for a longer time at a lower cost:
Apply this promo code: BEEHIIV2025 and get 20% off on all payments within the first 3 months. You can learn more about beehiiv and start a 30-day free trial here.
2. Gumroad
Gumroad is a free creator tool that makes selling your digital products online super easy.
I’ve been using it since August 2022 to sell my ebooks and services, and I love how simple and user-friendly the platform is. One of its standout features is the ability to create clean, no-fuss landing pages that let you start selling in minutes.
The best part? Gumroad doesn’t charge you upfront—it’s completely free to use. They only take a 10% commission from each sale you make.
For content creators, Gumroad offers plenty of features to help you sell more, like:
- Product bundles
- Upsells
- Promo codes
- An affiliate program toolkit
- Gumroad Discover to get your products in front of more buyers
Here’s a peek at my product page for the Writer Bundle. It’s clutter-free and highlights all the key details customers need to make a purchase.
So far, I’ve earned over $14,000 on Gumroad—mostly passively, without heavy promotion. It’s been a game-changer for selling my digital products!
If you want to learn more about the platform and its opportunities for content creators, check out my Gumroad review.
3. Koala Writer
Koala Writer is an easy-to-use AI content writing tool for creators that can help you generate the following content types:
- Blog posts
- Listicles
- Amazon product reviews
- Rewrite blog posts
- More!
I’ve tested plenty of AI writing tools, but I keep coming back to Koala because it’s simple yet powerful—perfect for content creators.
On top of letting you generate various content types, you can indicate your target keyword, and Koala will include it in the content.
You can also customize the tone of voice, the language of writing (it supports 97 languages!), and specify the word count.
One feature I absolutely love is the ability to customize outlines. Since I rarely like the recommended outlines, I prefer creating my own outlines and providing detailed instructions for what I want in a post—and Koala makes that easy.
I’ve used Koala to create plenty of reviews, and I’ve shared my thoughts and experiences in this detailed Koala Writer review.
As a Koala partner, I’ve got a special deal to help my audience use beehiiv for a longer time at a lower cost:
Apply this discount code to get 15% off on all payment plans: COUPON15
4. Medium
As a content creator, I’ve published over 350 blog posts on Medium. It’s a platform that helps you build your personal brand, share your message with a global audience, and even earn money when users read your content.
Medium holds a special place in my heart because it’s where my journey as a solopreneur and content creator began!
In the past four years, I’ve earned over $25,446 on Medium, averaging about $5–7k annually. I post around 2-3 times a month, using the platform to strengthen my personal brand, support brands I believe in, and connect with other creators.
The payments from Medium are a nice bonus for doing something I enjoy. If you’re curious about how Medium works and how it could benefit you, check out my detailed Medium review.
Here’s the first Medium payout I got in 2025 for publishing 3 articles in December 2024.
5. Semrush
Semrush is a powerful all-in-one online marketing toolkit with over 55 features to manage all kinds of marketing tasks.
Here’s a quick rundown of what you can do with it:
- Keyword research
- Building backlinks
- Tracking keyword rankings and organic traffic trends
- Seeing which keywords your competitors rank for that you don’t
- Getting on-page SEO tips
- Finding and analyzing keywords for paid ads
- Managing social media campaigns
- And so much more!
I used Semrush Pro quite often when I worked as a full-time SEO specialist. When I shifted to being a solo creator, it became my go-to tool for client projects, keyword research, and keeping an eye on my website’s performance.
One thing I love about Semrush is that, unlike other tools like Ahrefs, it offers a free plan that anyone can try. With the free plan, you can do 10 searches a day, run a Site Audit, and track up to 10 keywords—all without spending a penny.
If you decide to explore further, one report I highly recommend is the Organic Research report. It’s packed with valuable insights, like which pages on your site are performing the best.
I’ve noticed that some of the data here overlap with Google Search Console, especially when it comes to traffic patterns and top-performing pages. However, the traffic numbers are slightly different in my experience.
I’ve gone over all the details of using Semrush in my Semrush review.
As a Semrush partner, I’ve got a special deal to help you test the tool for free and see whether it works for you:
If you want to test all the Semrush Pro features, register for a 14-day free trial via this link.
6. Cloudways
I’ve been using Cloudways website creator tool to host my website for years now. I originally switched from Bluehost, even though it was super affordable because my site was loading too slowly.
Turns out, Bluehost’s shared hosting plan was one of the reasons my page load times were dragging, so I started looking for other options. Honestly, most of the hosting reviews I came across online felt a bit too biased to trust.
Cloudways caught my attention because they offered a 3-day free trial—no credit card needed. Plus, they made switching from Bluehost incredibly easy. I didn’t have to lift a finger—their support team handled everything.
It’s worth noting that Cloudways has a very responsive and helpful support team. In most cases, they solved my technical problems on their own, including the one where I accidentally created a redirect loop on my website and couldn’t access my website.
Speaking of support, Cloudways has one of the most responsive and helpful teams I’ve dealt with. They’ve solved multiple technical issues for me, including the time I accidentally created a redirect loop and locked myself out of my own site!
Right now, I pay $16.50/month for hosting, and I’m happy with the performance so far.
If you want to give Cloudways a shot, I’ve got a special deal for my readers—you can get $25 in free credit when you sign up through this link.
7. PayPal
I use PayPal to receive payments from clients around the world, and it’s such a handy tool for managing payments. It offers a bunch of options to get paid, like:
- Creating and sending an invoice
- Sharing a personalized payment link
- Adding a payment button
- Creating a payment QR code
- And more!
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that PayPal can be a bit tricky if you don’t verify your account before accepting payments. I learned that the hard way when my old PayPal account got blocked after receiving $300 from a client (weird, right?).
They told me something was off but never explained what. They just locked my account and made me wait 6 months before I could withdraw my money.
I took that experience as a lesson and made sure to follow all the rules when setting up my second PayPal account.
Now, PayPal works great for me, especially for monetizing my audience.
Another thing to know: PayPal has a transaction fee. For me, it’s a 4% commission on payouts. If I transfer funds to my bank account domestically, there are no fees, but if I use a credit or debit card, there’s a 2.9% fee plus a fixed fee.
You can learn more about the different types of charges on the PayPal merchant fees page.
8. PartnerStack
PartnerStack is an affiliate marketplace that connects companies with content creators, influencers, and marketers who can promote their products or services in exchange for a commission.
For content creators, it’s a great way to monetize your audience by promoting products you believe in and earning passive income.
I’ve joined a few partner programs on PartnerStack, where I earn between 30-50% commission on each sale.
For example, you can see my dashboard from the Kit Partner Program, which I recently joined. Since I’ve used Kit before and know the platform well, I mention it in some of my blog posts with affiliate links. That’s how I made my first affiliate sale with Kit.
PartnerStack has over 300 brands offering affiliate programs, so if you’re looking for a tool to manage all your affiliate promotions in one place, it’s worth checking out.
9. Bitly
Bitly is a simple creator tool that shortens long URLs, making them easier to share.
It not only makes your links look cleaner, but also gives you the ability to:
- Track how many clicks your links get
- See which links perform best
- Find out where your clicks are coming from (by country)
- Monitor click trends over time
- And more!
This is super helpful because you can understand your audience better, so you can tweak your content to meet their needs.
You can also customize your links to make them more in line with your brand.
I signed up for the Bitly Core annual plan for $96 on December 18th, 2024. Now, a month later, I’m already seeing over 1,000 clicks on my Bitly links, and the number keeps growing.
10. Canva
Canva is a super easy design tool for creators that lets you design stunning visuals—even if you have zero graphic design skills.
It comes packed with tons of ready-made templates for things like:
- LinkedIn posts
- Instagram posts and reels
- Ebook covers
- Presentations
- TikTok stories
- YouTube Shorts
- Website designs
- … and plenty more!
I’ve been using Canva since my very first full-time job back in 2015. As a junior marketing specialist juggling multiple tasks, it was a lifesaver. Over the years, I’ve watched it evolve, adding more templates and features that make content creation even smoother.
Most of the time, I stick to the free version to design visuals for my website, ebooks, and blog posts. The only time I splurge on Canva Pro is during the holiday season when I need top-notch visuals for my ad campaigns.
My in-depth creator tool reviews
I’ve reviewed multiple content creation tools and shared my honest opinion with my readers worldwide. If you want to learn more about a particular tool, click on the corresponding card below.
What tools do you use and why? Let me know in the comments.
Hello there!
My name is Victoria.
I am an SEO expert, Medium top writer, solopreneur, and the founder of Self Made Millennials. I help companies create optimized content and attract potential customers through organic search results. In addition, I share how content creators can monetize their writing skills.
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2 Responses
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