About

Small Studio Stack is a set of practical guides to the tools small creators use to design their work, sell it and stay in touch with the people who buy it. It is written for one-person shops, makers and side projects, not for large teams.

Who writes this

Small Studio Stack is written by reo, an engineer based in Japan who works on client projects. Most of my days are spent as an engineer, but design tools are part of the job, and along the way I’ve used Figma, Penpot, FigCraft, Canva, Illustrator and Photoshop. This site collects what I learn while choosing tools for small projects, including the ones I’m still testing.

How we choose and review tools

• We only describe hands-on use for tools we have actually used. When we haven’t used a tool, we say so and base the comparison on the official site and public documentation.
• Each guide lists what a tool does, who it suits, a rough price and at least one honest downside.
• Prices and plans change. Every guide shows the date it was last checked.
• We never accept payment for a better position in a list.

How this site makes money

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