A growing number of solo-business owners are using artificial intelligence to "vibe code"—building custom applications using AI tools and plain-English prompts—as an alternative to expensive, off-the-shelf software subscriptions. This trend allows them to create tools tailored to their specific needs, often resulting in significant cost savings and increased operational efficiency.
Media consultant Cody Luongo, based in Charleston, South Carolina, exemplifies this shift. After leaving his job last year, he opted against paying between $199 and $499 monthly for the marketing tool Semrush. Instead, he uses Base44, an AI-driven platform costing $40 per month, to build an app that tracks audience engagement for his PR clients. "You only want one or two features, but you're paying for everything," Luongo told Business Insider.
Replacing Subscriptions with Custom Solutions
For some, the move to AI-built tools means directly replacing established software services. Sacha Walton, a Virginia-based business strategist and owner of SWI Management Group, used Base44 to create a financial tool that handles bookkeeping and provides business advice. This tool has replaced her QuickBooks subscription, which cost between $38 and $275 per month, and the manual analyses she previously conducted.
Other solopreneurs find that a single AI subscription can consolidate multiple software needs. Beth Nydick, owner of Beth Nydick Media in New Jersey, was spending up to $300 monthly on various SaaS tools for research, analytics, and editing. She now uses Anthropic's Claude AI for $20 a month, which handles most tasks and frees up her time for content creation.
Beyond Cost: Control and Customisation
The appeal extends beyond mere savings. Amin Astaneh, a developer and founder of Boston-based Certo Modo, uses AI to create tools that help organisations prevent technology failures. He argues that traditional SaaS products force users into compromises based on the developer's decisions. "You're kind of making compromises rather than you being in the driver's seat," Astaneh said. Building his own tools, such as one for webinar sign-ups created with Claude, allows him to design a seamless user experience.
Sarah Busse, owner of Magdalene Design Co. in Wisconsin, reported saving an estimated $600 in time and licensing costs on a project by using ChatGPT to generate images instead of sourcing stock photos.
The Trade-Offs and Considerations
Despite the advantages, experts caution that vibe coding is not a universal solution. Astaneh highlights the significant time investment required to build, debug, and maintain custom AI-powered tools. "Solopreneurs only have so many hours in a week," he noted, advising solo operators to carefully weigh the ongoing maintenance burden against the benefits.
There are also strategic reasons to stick with existing software. Walton considered using AI to rebuild her business website but decided against it due to the sunk costs already invested in search engine optimisation for her current site. Astaneh emphasised that he only uses AI to code tools he can personally fix, warning, "If you're thinking you're going to vibe code your way out of the problems in your business, you may just trade one problem for another."
The trend underscores a broader movement where accessible AI empowers non-technical business owners to develop highly specific digital solutions, challenging the one-size-fits-all model of traditional software subscriptions.