Set these up before you build. You can ask Polar to create the accounts and connect them to Cursor for you.
AI models, 2 or more$20+ eachYour thinking partner for research, design, architecture and debugging. Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok or Perplexity.
PolarFree to tryYour browser now. It does the setup and busywork across websites for you. [Discount link]
Cursor$20Where the app actually gets built. It reads your blueprint and writes the code.
GitHubFreeThe safe home for your code, with every version saved.
SupabaseFree to startYour backend: database, login and file storage.
VercelFree to startThe default place to put a Next.js app online. Start here unless you have a specific reason to use different infrastructure.
SentryFree to startTells you when the app crashes or throws errors.
PostHogFree to startShows what people actually use, plus surveys and feedback.
Google FontsFreeFree fonts that give your app its own voice.
Apple Developer$99 / yearRequired to put an app on the App Store. Google Play is a one-time fee.
What it costs per month
~$60/ month, plus $99 a year for Apple when you ship
2 AI plans at the standard tier$40
Cursor Pro$20
Everything else on free tiers$0
Approximate prices. Plans change often, so check before you buy. Most tools have a free tier that's plenty until real people are using your app. Cancel the extra AI plans after your first intense month.
AI skills
Set these up once
A skill is a reusable instruction set. Different AI tools call them different things: skills, project instructions, custom instructions, agents or memory. The goal is the same: your AI should use the right behavior automatically when it becomes relevant.
Plain-English TranslatorKeeps technical explanations understandable without talking down to you.
Architecture GuardianStops the build from drifting and protects the blueprint as the app gets bigger.
Product Pressure TesterKeeps the product useful, focused and grounded in the person it is for.
Verification LoopProves a change is real before the build moves on.
Meticulous QA ReviewLooks at the finished experience like a picky real user before anyone else sees it.
Optional: TDD HelperWrites the test first when a mistake would be expensive, risky or likely to come back.
Production Safety CheckReminds the AI that a working demo and a trustworthy product are not the same thing.
Use the Set up your builder skills prompt in the Prompt library. If your AI can save persistent instructions, let it. If it cannot, the prompt tells it to give you one block to paste into the right settings area. You should not need to remember a /skill command every time.
Spend or save
Worth paying for
Pro plans on at least 2 AI models
Cursor Pro
Apple Developer account, when you're ready to ship
Don't pay yet
Paid tiers of Supabase, Vercel, Sentry and PostHog
Logo designers and agencies
Courses that teach you to code from scratch
The stuff I wasted money onDraft
Vibe coding apps for everythingThey're fast at the start and get expensive fast once the app gets real. If you go that route, Replit is my favorite.
Building before deciding the shapeSwitching from web to iPhone halfway through is a rebuild. Decide the platform first.
Skipping the architectureWithout a blueprint, the AI drifts. You pay again to fix what it forgot.