Stackcut blog
What to use instead, and what it really costs
Vendor by vendor: who should switch and who shouldn't, every way out we've priced, how to leave, and the paths we tested ourselves. Numbers come straight from the Stackcut catalog, so they match the recipes and the MCP server.
- 18 alternatives guides
- 2 lab receipts
- 5 use cases
- Catalog of 2026-09-25
Modeled, not measured. Savings use public prices and planning assumptions: the bill you stop paying, minus the new tool, your upkeep time and your setup time at $50/hour, over the first 12 months. Results marked Tested by Stackcut are Stackcut's own test, not a customer. Every price links the page it came from.
Receipts from our lab
We run the replacement ourselves, on our own products, and publish the numbers. Stackcut's own tests, not customers.
FormsWe had an agent replace Typeform in 26 minutes: the receiptsWe gave a coding agent the Stackcut build packet for a Typeform intake flow and timed it. Here is everything we measured: the build, the tests, the outside security check that found what the tests missed, the import of our Typeform export, and why a free plan still wins for most people.Lab run 2026-09-25 · Stackcut's own testSEO dataKeyword data per call vs a $139 Semrush seat: what we measuredWe ran the same 10 keywords from one of our own sites through Semrush and 3 per-call data providers, and read the cost off the balance after each call. Here are the volumes side by side, the gaps, the cost per keyword, and where a Semrush seat still makes sense.Lab run 2026-09-25 · Stackcut's own test
Alternatives, vendor by vendor
Each guide ranks the ways out by modeled first-year saving, prices them at your size, and shows how to leave.
SEO dataSemrush alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsMost founders on a Semrush seat use a slice of it: a few keyword checks a month, a rank check, a CSV. Here is every way out we've priced, what each one covers, how to leave, and the one we tested on our own site.8 ways out · Tested by Stackcut · Updated 2026-09-25SEO dataAhrefs alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsAhrefs now starts at a low entry price, so cutting it is less about switching and more about picking the right tier. Here is what each plan costs as your team grows, the free and open-source ways out, and how to leave.4 ways out · Updated 2026-09-25FormsTypeform alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsFor an intake form with some logic, uploads and a webhook, a free plan usually does the job. Here is what each way out covers, what it costs at 100, 1,000 and 10,000 responses a month, how to leave with your files, and what happened when we had an agent build the replacement.4 ways out · Tested by Stackcut · Updated 2026-09-25SupportZendesk and Intercom alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsA small team answering email and chat rarely needs a per-agent help desk. Here are the ways out we've priced for 1, 5 and 20 agents, how to leave Zendesk, Intercom and Help Scout without losing tickets, and the agent skill we tested on our own inbox.4 ways out · Tested by Stackcut · Updated 2026-09-25Video recordingLoom alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsMost Loom seats record a few quick walkthroughs a month and share a link. Here is what that costs on Loom, Cap and free tools at 1, 5 and 20 people, and how to leave without losing your videos.3 ways out · Updated 2026-09-25Team chatSlack alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsSlack Pro is priced per person, so the bill grows with every hire. Here is what chat costs at 1, 5 and 20 people on Slack, on the suites you may already pay for, and self-hosted, plus exactly what you lose on the free plan.4 ways out · Updated 2026-09-25KnowledgeNotion alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsNotion is free for one person and per member for a team. If your workspace is mostly docs and a handbook, here is what it costs at 1, 5 and 20 people, the open-source options, and how to export everything before you go.4 ways out · Updated 2026-09-25Internal dataAirtable alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsAirtable charges per editor, so a base that runs one approval workflow for 20 people gets expensive. Here is what each way out costs at 1, 5 and 20 editors, when replacing it with AI pays, and how to get your records and attachments out.5 ways out · Updated 2026-09-25CRMSalesforce and HubSpot CRM alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsMost small sales teams use contacts, companies, deals, tasks and one pipeline. Here is what that costs per user on Salesforce, HubSpot and lighter CRMs at 1, 5 and 20 people, and how to get your data out of each.4 ways out · Updated 2026-09-25Email marketingMailchimp alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsMailchimp's price climbs with your list. Here is what a newsletter costs at 500, 2,500 and 10,000 subscribers on Mailchimp and the tools people move to, which free plans skip automations, and how to export before you pause or delete.4 ways out · Updated 2026-09-25AutomationZapier alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsA handful of stable zaps rarely needs Zapier's price per task tier. Here is what 750, 2,000 and 10,000 runs a month cost on Zapier, Make and open-source tools, why building your own rarely pays at a small bill, and how to export your Zaps.6 ways out · Updated 2026-09-25SchedulingCalendly alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsFor one person with a booking link, a paid scheduler is often a duplicate. For a team, the cheaper-looking switch can cost more. Here is the math at 1, 5 and 20 people, and how to cancel Calendly.6 ways out · Updated 2026-09-25DocumentsDocusign alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsIf you send a few PDF templates for signature, you're paying per user for a lot of agreement software you don't touch. Here are the open-core and hosted options priced at 1, 5 and 20 users, and what to download before you close the account.5 ways out · Updated 2026-09-25HostingVercel alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsVercel Pro is billed per deploying seat plus usage. If you use Git deploys, previews, functions and a custom domain, here is what that costs elsewhere at 1, 5 and 20 people, why Hobby isn't an option for a business, and how to downgrade.4 ways out · Updated 2026-09-25DatabasesSupabase alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsSupabase Pro is a flat monthly fee until your users, database or egress outgrow it. Here is what it costs at 10,000 to 250,000 monthly active users, when the free plan is enough, and how to take your data with you.3 ways out · Updated 2026-09-25Email infrastructureResend and SendGrid alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsTransactional email is priced by volume, and the cheapest provider changes as you grow. Here is what 3,000 to 300,000 emails a month cost on Resend, SendGrid, Postmark, Mailgun and Amazon SES, which free plans are really free, and how to cancel.2 ways out · Updated 2026-09-25AI chatChatGPT and Claude seat alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costs2 or 3 AI chat subscriptions per person add up fast. Here is what ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini seats cost at 1, 5 and 20 people, when paying per token is cheaper, and how to export your chats before you cancel.2 ways out · Updated 2026-09-25AI codingCursor and GitHub Copilot alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costsAI coding tools are priced per developer, so a second tool is a second bill for every person. Here is what Cursor, Copilot and the bring-your-own-key agents cost at 1, 5 and 20 developers, when the free tiers are enough, and how to cancel and get a refund.6 ways out · Updated 2026-09-25
Use cases
Starting something new? What each job costs at your volume, before you sign up for anything. All use cases.
Transactional emailTransactional email for a startup: what it costs from 3,000 to 300,000 emails a monthSign-up confirmations, receipts and password resets. Here is what each email API in the Stackcut catalog costs at your volume, which free plans are really free, and the one question to ask your agent.Use case · 2026-09-25Database and authDatabase and auth for an MVP: what it costs from 1,000 to 250,000 usersPostgres plus sign-in, for something you're about to launch. Here is what each option in the Stackcut catalog costs as users and data grow, which free tiers pause, expire or run out, and what to ask your agent.Use case · 2026-09-25SEO dataSEO data for AI agents: what keyword and search data costs per callAn agent that plans content or checks rankings needs keyword volumes and live search results, not a seat in an SEO suite. Here is what that data costs per call, what we measured ourselves, and which free sources cover your own site.Use case · 2026-09-25SupportA support inbox for a 3-person team: what it costs, and when an agent skill is enough3 people, 1 support address, maybe a chat widget. Here is what each help desk costs per agent, which free plans fit 3 people, and what happened when we answered our own support email with an agent skill instead.Use case · 2026-09-25Email marketingA newsletter for your first 10,000 subscribers: what it costs at each sizeMost newsletter tools are free at the start and priced by list size after that, and the free plans differ on automations. Here is what 500, 2,500 and 10,000 subscribers cost on each tool in the Stackcut catalog.Use case · 2026-09-25