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My 2026 AI Tool Deck (Varadius-Style)


Relax — this isn’t dogma. These are just tried, tested, and genuinely useful tools you can mix and match.

If you’re building, researching, prototyping, or just trying to stay sane in the ever-accelerating AI landscape, this is the stack I keep coming back to.


Think of it as a practical AI toolkit for 2026, tuned for founders, developers, and curious non-coders alike.


The Everyday Workhorse: Research, Thinking & Second Opinions


For general queries, deep web research, summaries, business thinking, and acting as a reliable “second brain” (including coding reviews):


ChatGPT (Paid — Plus to start) https://chatgpt.com


This is still my go-to for broad thinking and fast iteration. Start with Plus, and only upgrade if you actually hit the limits.

👉 Ideal for:

  • Market research & synthesis

  • Strategy drafts and business reasoning

  • Code explanations and review

  • “Am I missing something obvious?” checks


High-Grade Coding for Serious Builds


If you’re an enthusiast or advanced developer shipping real applications:

Augment Code (Paid — Indie or Standard) https://augmentcode.com


This shines when you’re deep in a codebase and need structured, high-signal assistance rather than autocomplete fluff.

👉 Ideal for:

  • Complex application logic

  • Refactoring at scale

  • Maintaining quality under pressure

Choose your tier based on workload, not hype.


Non-Coders: Turning Ideas Into Real Apps


If you don’t code but want to prototype a real web app for your business — or clearly communicate functionality to developers — these are excellent entry points:


The Easiest On-Ramp


Lovable (Paid — Pro) https://lovable.dev


If your goal is speed and clarity, this is about as frictionless as it gets.


A Bit More Power, Still Friendly


Replit (Paid — Core) https://www.replit.com


Great when you want to go slightly deeper without fully committing to a traditional dev environment.


💡 Tip: Start on the cheapest tier for both. Upgrade only when you hit a real constraint.


Offline AI: When the Internet Is Not an Option


Sometimes you want — or need — AI without a connection.


The Simplest Offline Entry Point



An easy way to run models locally without drowning in configuration.


Local Models Worth Exploring


If you have the GPU memory:

  • GPT-OSS:20b (or GPT-OSS:120b if you’re well-equipped)

  • In ollama, run "ollama pull gpt-oss:20b" to pull the model down to your computer and then run "ollama run gpt-oss:20b" to start chatting!


These are surprisingly capable for general knowledge and coding offline.⚠️ Caveat: they are not as reliable as online models. Fact-check outputs and review code carefully — but for “no internet, must try” scenarios, they’re absolutely worthwhile.


The Best All-Round Offline LLM Experience



Available on Mac, Windows, and Linux, this is currently the smoothest way to manage and run local LLMs without friction.

👉 Ideal for:

  • Experimentation with multiple models

  • Offline workflows

  • A clean, user-friendly local AI setup


Final Thoughts

This isn’t about chasing shiny tools — it’s about using the right level of AI for the job at hand. Start simple, stay pragmatic, and upgrade only when your work demands it.

If this post resonated, take a look at the other articles on this blog for deeper dives into:

  • AI-assisted coding workflows

  • Tool comparisons

  • Practical lessons from real-world use


Build calmly. Experiment often. And don’t let the tooling outrun the thinking.

 
 
 

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