Wanna build online income without wasting time? You don’t need a giant stack of software to get started.
You need a simple setup that helps you:
- build an audience
- collect email subscribers
- create offers
- recommend products
- stay organized long enough for the work to compound
That’s what this page is for.
Below, you’ll find the tools I’d most seriously consider if I were building an online income stream today. I’ve organized them by goal so you can choose the path that fits what you want to build.
Affiliate Disclosure: If you purchase products through links on this page, I’ll earn commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I believe are useful, and affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to earn passive income. So you get two benefits from this page—a list of products you can use to make money, and an example of a passive income strategy in action. I get the benefit of making money. Everybody wins.
The affiliate platforms (AWin, CJ and PartnerStack) are not affiliate links, they’re places where you can GET affiliate links.
My Top Recommendations
If you want the fastest version, start here.
1) Kit — Best for creators building an email list and selling digital products
If you want to grow an audience, send emails, build landing pages, and eventually sell products, recommendations, or services, Kit is one of the best places to start.
It’s especially strong for creator businesses that want a setup that is powerful without becoming a mess.
Best for: creators, bloggers, writers, educators, digital product sellers
Why I recommend it: clean email system, creator-friendly, flexible, built to support monetization
2) Beehiiv — Best for newsletter-first businesses
If your main goal is to grow a newsletter and build a business around publishing, Beehiiv is a very strong option.
It’s built with growth in mind and makes a lot of sense for people who want content and audience-building to be the core of the business.
Best for: newsletter businesses, media-style brands, publishing-focused creators
Why I recommend it: growth-oriented, strong publishing model, good fit for newsletter operators
3) Kartra — Best for an all-in-one business setup
If you want more of an all-under-one-roof system for landing pages, funnels, email, offers, and automation, Kartra is worth serious consideration.
This is the better fit for people who want more built-in selling infrastructure and fewer disconnected tools.
Best for: entrepreneurs, marketers, offer-based businesses, funnel builders
Why I recommend it: centralized setup, strong for selling, fewer moving parts
4) AWeber — Best for straightforward email marketing
If you want a more traditional email platform with a long track record and a simple approach, AWeber is still a solid option.
Best for: beginners, classic email marketing, list-building
Why I recommend it: practical, established, approachable
Which Tool Should You Choose?
If you want to build an email list
Building an email list is one of the smartest long-term moves you can make online. Social media can help you get attention, but your email list is the audience you actually own.
Choose Kit if you want flexibility for content, offers, and creator monetization.
Choose Beehiiv if you want a newsletter-first growth model.
My picks
- Kit — best for most creator businesses
- Beehiiv — best for newsletter-first growth
- AWeber — best for a simpler, more traditional email setup
If you want to sell digital products
Start with Kit.
If you’re planning to sell guides, templates, courses, memberships, consulting, or anything audience-driven, Kit is my favorite starting point from this list.
It helps you do the core things that matter:
- capture leads
- build trust
- send useful emails
- promote your offers over time
Best choice for digital product creators
If you want one platform that does more under one roof
Start with Kartra.
If you know you want funnels, pages, automations, and offer infrastructure all in one place, Kartra makes more sense than patching together a pile of random tools.
Best choice for all-in-one business builders
If you want to stay organized while you build
Try Flowlu.
A lot of people get excited about offers and traffic but ignore operations. Then the whole thing turns into chaos. If you want a tool to help manage your projects, workflows, and business systems, Flowlu is worth a look.
Best choice for operational organization
If you want to find more affiliate programs to promote
Use affiliate networks.
Once your site or audience starts growing, affiliate networks can help you expand your monetization options by giving you access to a lot of brands in one place.
My recommended networks
These make the most sense once you’re serious about content, SEO, and recommending useful products consistently.
My Recommended Starter Stacks
If you do not want to overthink this, here are the cleanest paths.
Option 1: Best for most people
Build an audience + recommend products + sell simple offers
- Kit
- one lead magnet
- one email sequence
- useful content published consistently
Best first move:
Option 2: Best for newsletter-first businesses
Build a niche publication and grow a subscriber base
- Beehiiv
- one clear niche
- one useful recurring newsletter
- simple monetization over time
Best first move:
Option 3: Best for centralized selling systems
Build funnels, pages, and automations in one place
- Kartra
- one clear offer
- one funnel
- follow-up automation
Best first move:
Tools I Recommend
Email Marketing and Audience Building
Kit
A strong choice for creators and online business builders who want to grow an audience and sell over time.
Best for: creators, bloggers, digital products, email-driven businesses
Use it for: email list building, landing pages, automation, offer promotion
Beehiiv
A strong choice for people building a newsletter-led business.
Best for: newsletter businesses, media-style publishing, audience growth
Use it for: newsletter publishing, subscriber growth, content monetization
AWeber
A simpler, more traditional email platform for people who want straightforward list-building.
Best for: beginners, simpler email setups
Use it for: email campaigns, list growth, basic follow-up
Funnels and Business Infrastructure
Kartra
A good fit for businesses that want pages, funnels, email, and selling tools in a more centralized system.
Best for: all-in-one business setups, marketers, digital sellers
Use it for: funnels, landing pages, automation, offer delivery
Flowlu
A useful operations and organization tool for people trying to build a real business without dropping balls everywhere.
Best for: organization, workflow management, business operations
Use it for: tracking projects, systems, internal management
Affiliate Networks
These are platforms where you can get affiliate links to products to market. You’ll earn commissions when your audience buys things through these links.
Awin
A broad affiliate network with access to many brands and categories.
CJ
A long-established affiliate network useful for expanding monetization options.
PartnerStack
Especially useful for B2B and software-related affiliate programs.
What I’d Do If I Were Starting Today
If I were starting from scratch and wanted the highest chance of actually getting momentum, I would do this:
Step 1
Choose one core platform.
For most people, that would be Kit or Beehiiv.
Step 2
Create one clear lead magnet or signup incentive.
Examples:
- a checklist
- a resource guide
- a short email course
- a tool stack recommendation
Step 3
Publish useful content tied to a real niche.
Step 4
Use email to build trust and make recommendations.
Step 5
Stay consistent long enough for traffic, subscribers, and commissions to compound.
That is the real game.
Not chasing every shiny object.
Not signing up for ten tools and using none of them.
A simple system, used consistently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need all of these tools?
No. Most people need one primary platform, one clear offer path, and consistent execution.
What should I choose first?
For most people:
- Kit if you want to build a creator business
- Beehiiv if you want a newsletter-first business
- Kartra if you want a more centralized all-in-one setup
- AWeber if you want a simpler traditional email tool
Why not just use everything?
Because complexity kills momentum. The goal is to start with the smallest useful stack and build from there.
Start Here
If you’re ready to take one real step, these are the tools I’d look at first:
Best overall starting point
Best for newsletter businesses
Best for all-in-one business builders
Best for simpler email marketing
And when you’re ready to expand your monetization options: