Agency Reporting: $0 Looker Studio Before Paid Tools
Client reporting for agencies: the free Looker Studio floor, the per-client math on paid tools, and why fixing inconsistent inputs beats any AI commentary.
Decision Guides
The lab's core: named operators, visible cost shape, and a keep-or-drop rule for the tools you are weighing up.
9 reports
AI for E-commerce: Where It Pays and Where It Doesn't
AI for small e-commerce: support triage, product copy and order updates, with real 2026 pricing and the per-resolution math that decides when it actually pays.
LLM API Pricing for a Micro-SaaS: Price the Workload
Price LLM APIs by successful workflow, using dated token rates, a 100,000-completion cost fixture, batch discounts, and explicit self-hosting limits.
n8n Pricing vs Zapier vs Make: What You're Billed Per
Compare n8n execution pricing with Make operations and Zapier tasks using 2026 plan prices, a worked unit-cost model, and self-hosting limits for operators.
Notion vs Airtable vs Linear: Where Work Data Lives
Put context in Notion, operating records in Airtable, and assigned work in Linear. See each boundary, what breaks, and the modelled three-seat stack cost.
Railway Hosting vs Render vs Fly.io: Billing Compared
How three hosts bill the same micro-SaaS: utilization, provisioned VM, and fixed service size. Dated prices, a worked example, and the keep-or-drop rule.
Self-Host Nango Only When the Connection Meter Bites
Self-host Nango only when the connection meter starts to bite. Where the hosted line stops paying, what self-hosting really costs you, and the switch signal.
Merchant of Record: Stripe vs Paddle vs Lemon Squeezy
A $3,000/month model comparing Stripe, Paddle, and Lemon Squeezy on merchant-of-record responsibility, fee math, migration risk, and when direct Stripe wins.
Supabase vs Firebase vs Postgres: Pricing and Platform Work
At 50K MAU, compare Supabase, Firebase, and plain Postgres by platform work, billing meters, failure modes, and when SQL control beats managed convenience.