How to Build an AI Stack Under $100 a Month

You do not need a bloated stack to get value from AI. The goal is to cover the core jobs:

• thinking and drafting
• research
• meeting capture
• basic automation

A practical budget approach

Start with one premium general assistant, one research layer, and one lightweight workflow or note-capture tool. Do not buy overlapping subscriptions until you hit a real limitation.

Suggested allocation

• Core assistant: biggest share of budget
• Research tool: smaller secondary spend
• Automation or notes: optional based on workflow intensity

What to avoid

• Paying for five tools that all generate text
• Buying before a workflow exists
• Subscribing because the demo looked clever

Keep your stack lean, document what works, and upgrade only when a repeated use case earns it.