hewStack Join the waiting list
For business owners

Stop renting
your software.

You pay every month for tools your business could own. hewStack shows you the free ones that can replace them, tells you which are safe to rely on, and gets you started, without needing to be technical.

Join the waiting listSee it solve a real problem

Every tool you rent is a bill per person, and it grows with your team.

Safe to usea plain verdict on every tool
1 sentenceis all it takes to start
Every dayit rereads GitHub for you
Adopt scoreranks what a business can rely on

What hewStack solves for a business

The problem A dozen subscriptions, each going up, and no time to research what could replace them.

Your stack, priced against free.

List the paid tools your business uses. Under each one, hewStack puts the free tools that could replace it, best first, each with its verdict.

  • Tap a name you pay for, or type your own
  • Ranked by the Adopt score: safe, easy to start, proven, alive, yours to control
  • Kept with your lists, on every device
Your stack: Notion, Zapier and Calendly added; instead of Notion, docmost and platform are safe to use and focalboard is use with care, each with its Adopt score.
Instead of Notion: 2 safe to use

The problem Comparison articles are written by people selling something, and they don't answer the questions you have.

The top three, side by side, in plain words.

Getting started, using it at work, who's behind it, whether it needs a server, whether real people use it, and security. One table, coloured so you can see the answer before you read it.

  • Green is good, amber means check, coral means a risk
  • Our call is marked, with the reason
  • Every word with a dotted line explains itself
docmost, platform and focalboard compared: getting started, safe to use at work, who's behind it, works without a server, real people use it, security.

The problem Your developer, a friend or a forum suggests a tool. You've no way to judge it.

Check any tool before you rely on it.

Paste its GitHub link, or ask “Is n8n safe for a business?”. hewStack answers with its verdict and the reason: how it's looked after, what its licence allows, and how many real people use it.

  • Launch-then-quiet projects are called out
  • Known security problems in what it's built on are shown
  • Fake-looking popularity is flagged
The verdict on docmost: safe to use, with setting it up, using it at work, who's behind it and used by real people explained.
Who's behind it, in one line

The problem Even with the right tool, switching feels like a project you never get round to.

Try it with me: three steps, today.

Follow its install steps, try one small real task, then use it for a week alongside the paid tool. hewStack keeps your place, and keeps an eye on it after.

  • Written for people, not developers
  • Tells you if it stops being looked after or changes its licence
  • Hear when a better one appears, on your phone
Try docmost with me: 1 follow its install steps, 2 try one small thing, 3 use it for a week alongside Notion.

The problem Good new tools appear every week, and you'll never read GitHub to find them.

Your best options, waiting each morning.

Picks leads with the one to look at first, by the Adopt score, and the five best behind it. Watch any search and a new tool that fits reaches your phone within the hour.

  • One headline, three numbers, one picture
  • Watched searches alert you when something new fits
  • Your shortlist follows you to every device
Picks: your best options, look at dograh first, the top five by Adopt score.
Three ways businesses use it

From a problem to a decision, in minutes.

Cut the software bill

“We pay for Notion, Zapier and Calendly.”

  1. Add them to Your stack
  2. Open the top replacement marked Safe to use
  3. Try it with me, for a week, next to the paid one

One subscription fewer, on a tool you own.

Check before you commit

“Our developer wants to use this. Is it OK?”

  1. Paste its link into “check”
  2. Read the verdict and the one-line licence answer
  3. Keep an eye on it, so you hear if anything changes

A clear yes or no, with the reason, before you depend on it.

Stay ahead, without the reading

“Tell me when something better turns up.”

  1. Ask “free tools for invoicing for a small team”
  2. Follow up: “only the safe ones”
  3. Watch the search

A note on your phone the day a better one appears.

Free alternatives

A free, open-source alternative to the apps you pay for.

Name any app and hewStack shows the open-source tools that do the same job, best first, each with a plain verdict. People start with these:

  • Notion
  • Slack
  • Zapier
  • Calendly
  • Typeform
  • Trello
  • Airtable
  • Adobe Acrobat
  • Mailchimp
  • Zendesk
  • HubSpot
  • Google Analytics
  • DocuSign
  • Jira
  • Intercom
  • Dropbox
  • Photoshop
  • Figma
  • Asana
  • QuickBooks
Invite only, for now

Get your invite to hewStack.

We're letting people in a few at a time, so every one of them gets answers that work. Join the list and we'll send your invite as soon as there's room.

  1. 1
    Tell us who you are and what you'd like to solve. Thirty seconds.
  2. 2
    Your invite arrives by email: one link, no password to make.
  3. 3
    Ask your first question and see the best few, with a plain verdict on each.
I'm

We use your email only to send your invite and the odd note about hewStack. Nothing else, never sold. Privacy

You're on the list.

Watch your inbox: your invite comes from hewStack with one link. Open it on the phone or computer you'd like to use, and you're in.

Invite only, for nowJoin the waiting list