Here's what I recommend: if you wanna stay under $20 and still get pro results, you gotta look past the big monthly subscriptions. I've been running a niche site for a while now and my total bill is usually under $5 cuz I use pay-as-you-go options. For writing, I'm super SATISFIED with the Claude.ai Free Tier. Honestly, the Claude 3.5 Sonnet model writes way better than most paid tools imo, it just feels more human and less like a robot. But the real pro move is using the OpenAI API with a cheap interface like TypingMind. Instead of $20 every month regardless of use, you just pay for what you actually generate. I basically wrote 10 long-form blogs last month and it cost me maybe $2.50 using GPT-4o mini. For the social graphics, you should definitely check out Leonardo.ai. They give you free daily tokens that reset, and the quality for professional blog headers or Instagram posts is just insane compared to basic free editors. Quick comparison of my current stack:
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet vs OpenAI API: Claude is better for creative drafting, but the API route is way cheaper for bulk content if you use a light frontend.
- Leonardo.ai vs Adobe Express Free Plan: Leonardo is way better for generating unique, high-end AI art from scratch, while Adobe is better if you just need to slap text on a template. Anyway, it's totally doable on a budget if you mix and match these gems. Works well for me and my wallet is happy! gl!!

For your situation, I'd honestly stick to the free versions of Microsoft Copilot and Canva Free plan because they're basically free forever if you're careful!! I've been doing the same thing for my side project and haven't spent a dime yet. For writing, Microsoft Copilot is amazing because it actually uses GPT-4 tech for $0—it’s seriously a cheat code for blog posts. If you need cool social graphics, Leonardo.ai is my favorite hidden gem because they give you 150 free credits every day. It’s basically pay-as-you-go but... well, free lol. Also, Claude.ai Free version is way better than ChatGPT for making stuff sound like a real person wrote it. You definitely dont need to drop $20 a month right away. gl!! 👍

Seconding the recommendation above. honestly, switching to pay-as-you-go slashed my monthly costs to under $5... it’s way more practical than a subscription when youre just starting out tbh.

Gonna try this over the weekend. Will report back if it works!

bump

Huh interesting. I had no idea. The more you know I guess 🤷

.