Thoughts & Perspectives
Building in public
Is Cursor Free? What the Hobby Tier Actually Gets You (2026)
Cursor has a free Hobby tier — genuinely free, genuinely an evaluation tier. It's enough to decide whether you like the editor and not enough to work in. Here's what free covers, how fast limited usage runs out under real work, and the honest entry price ($20 Pro) once you're actually building.
Is Base44 Free? What the Free Plan Actually Covers (2026)
Base44 has a Forever Free plan — 25 message credits, 100 integration credits, unlimited apps. That's enough to build one small working prototype, not enough to ship anything. Here's what the free tier really covers, how fast the credits burn, and the honest monthly number to budget when a prototype turns into a product.
OpenAI Codex Pricing (2026): What It Actually Costs, Tier by Tier
The Codex CLI is free and open source — the bill is the model usage behind it. As of 2026 that's $5-$15/month for light API use, $30-$60 moderate, $80-$250 for full-time agentic work — or bundled into ChatGPT Plus ($20) and Pro ($200). Here's the tier math from six months of daily use, when Plus stops being enough, and how Codex costs stack up against Claude Code and Cursor.
AI Agents vs Agentic AI: The Difference That Decides What You're Buying (2026)
One is a thing you buy. The other is a property a system has. Vendors blur the two on purpose, and it's costing buyers real money — here's the distinction, what it changes about a quote, and the three questions that cut through any demo.
Agentic Workflows: What They Are and How to Build One That Actually Runs (2026)
An agentic workflow is software that decides, not just software that executes. Here's the working definition, the four parts every one of them needs, and how to build your first one this week — from someone whose own business is run by seven of them.
7 Claude Code Alternatives in 2026 (From Someone Who Uses Claude Code Daily)
Claude Code is my daily driver — which is exactly why I know when it's the wrong tool. Seven alternatives compared: Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Copilot, Antigravity, Replit, and the prompt-to-app lane. With the four real reasons people leave.
GEO vs SEO: What's Actually Different (and What Isn't)
GEO (generative engine optimization) and SEO share about 90% of their tactics — the acronym war is mostly a marketing invention. But the 10% that differs is the part that decides whether an AI engine quotes you or ignores you. Here's the honest split: what carries over, the four things that genuinely change, and how to tell which one is failing you.
How Much Does an App Cost in 2026? The Three-Lane Answer
Apps cost anywhere from $200 in AI tooling to $200,000+ at an agency in 2026 — and the "average app costs $171,000" statistic every guide quotes is mostly an ad for the people selling the $171,000 version. Here's the three-lane answer: what each lane actually buys, the iOS-plus-Android double bill, the app-store tax nobody itemizes, and how to pick a lane before someone picks it for you.
Google Antigravity vs Cursor (2026): Free Preview vs Proven Meter
Antigravity is free and impressive; Cursor is paid and predictable. As of August 2026 that's the real comparison — a metered preview whose quotas Google keeps tightening, versus a $20-$200/month tool whose costs you can at least forecast. Here's the honest head-to-head on price, maturity, and workflow risk, from someone who bills for cleaning up what both produce.
How Much Does Custom Software Cost in 2026? Why Quotes Spread 10x
Custom software costs anywhere from $15,000 to $150,000+ in 2026 — and five shops will quote you five wildly different numbers for the same paragraph of requirements. Here's why the spread exists, what each price band actually buys, how AI-assisted building changed the bottom of the market (and created a new bill in the middle), and how to scope so you don't overpay.
AI Technical Debt: What Your Vibe-Coded App Actually Owes (2026)
AI technical debt is the maintenance burden that accumulates when AI writes code faster than humans understand it. I named it Vibe Debt, and it comes in three flavors: comprehension debt (nobody can explain the code), drift debt (five patterns for one job), and dependency debt (bloat nobody chose on purpose). Here's how it differs from classic tech debt, how to spot it, and what paying it down costs.
Technical Due Diligence in 2026: What I Actually Look At (Checklist Included)
Technical due diligence is a structured review of a company's codebase, architecture, team, and security before you buy it, invest in it, or bet your roadmap on it. In 2026 there's a new first question: how much of this code did AI write, and does anyone on payroll understand it? Here's my working checklist and the red flags that actually change deal prices.
Ready to scale your product vision?
I help high-growth startups bridge the gap between technical complexity and business revenue.
Book a Strategic Call