Minescout AI

Tools I Use

Honest reviews only. No sponsored picks. These are the tools I actually use daily for building Minescout AI, client projects, schoolwork, and FRC robotics. I list where things fall short too.
AI & Language Models
Cloudflare Workers AI Free tier Core
★★★★★

Runs Llama 3 at the edge — no GPU server, no API bill. Every Minescout AI client widget runs on this. The free tier covers thousands of requests per day, which is more than enough for small business scale.

Works well for
Production AI at zero cost. Globally distributed, fast response times, no cold starts.
Watch out for
Llama 3 is capable but not as polished as Claude or GPT-4 on nuanced tasks. Requires Cloudflare setup knowledge.
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Claude Free
★★★★★

My personal AI assistant for writing code, drafting proposals, and thinking through problems. I use the free plan. Not used in client widgets — Cloudflare Workers AI handles that — but Claude is my daily driver for everything else. Anthropic's focus on being genuinely helpful makes it feel more like a collaborator than a chatbot.

Works well for
Code, long documents, nuanced writing, complex multi-step tasks, anything where accuracy actually matters.
Watch out for
Free tier has message limits. Web browsing requires the paid plan.
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Perplexity Free / Pro
★★★★★

Replaced Google for me on anything research-related. Gives cited, sourced answers instead of a list of links to click through. When I'm researching a business before pitching them, or need to understand a technical concept quickly, Perplexity is faster and more useful than any search engine.

Works well for
Current events, research with citations, quick fact-finding, comparing options without opening 10 tabs.
Watch out for
Not great for creative tasks or long-form writing. Pro is worth it if you research a lot, but free covers most use cases.
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ChatGPT Free / Plus
★★★★★

I use ChatGPT when I need image generation via DALL-E, or want a second opinion on something. It's capable and the free tier is generous, but for most writing and coding tasks I find Claude more precise and less prone to confidently wrong answers. Still a strong tool — just not my first pick.

Works well for
Image generation via DALL-E, brainstorming, casual tasks, voice mode on mobile.
Watch out for
Can be overconfident with incorrect information. I prefer Claude for anything where accuracy is critical.
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Gemini Free / Advanced
★★★★★

Good for anything that benefits from Google integration — Docs, Sheets, Search. I use it for generating CSV data, working inside Google Workspace, and tasks where I want Google's ecosystem plugged in. Not my daily driver, but earns its place for specific jobs.

Works well for
Google Workspace integration, generating structured data, tasks tied to Search or Maps context.
Watch out for
Feels more corporate than Claude or ChatGPT. Not as strong on nuanced writing tasks.
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Google AI Studio Free
★★★★★

Where I prototype system prompts and test API calls before wiring them into real projects. A free browser-based playground for Gemini's API — test models, adjust parameters, see raw responses without writing any backend code. Essential for building AI-powered apps on a budget.

Works well for
Testing prompts, experimenting with parameters, prototyping before committing to code. Completely free.
Watch out for
It's a dev tool, not a polished product. Rate limits on the free tier can slow things down.
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Hosting & Infrastructure
Cloudflare Free tier Core
★★★★★

DNS, CDN, SSL, DDoS protection, Pages hosting, and Workers — all in one. Every client site runs through Cloudflare. Zero downtime since I started using it. The free plan is genuinely production-grade and I haven't needed to pay for anything.

Works well for
Everything. If I could recommend one tool to any small business, it would be this. Fast, free, and bulletproof.
Watch out for
Dashboard can be overwhelming at first. Workers has a learning curve if you've never touched serverless.
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Firebase & Firestore Free tier Core
★★★★★

Authentication and real-time database for every client portal and admin dashboard. Firestore stores all conversation logs, client business info, and FAQs. The free Spark plan comfortably handles current scale.

Works well for
Auth + database in one. Real-time updates, generous free tier, great documentation.
Watch out for
Security rules take real time to learn correctly. Easy to accidentally lock yourself out if you rush them.
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Development
VS Code Free
★★★★★

My primary code editor. Extensions I use daily: Prettier, ESLint, and the Cloudflare Workers extension for local testing. Industry standard for a reason — nothing to add.

Works well for
Everything. Free, fast, endlessly extensible. No reason to use anything else.
Watch out for
Extension overload is real — too many slow it down. Keep it lean.
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GitHub & GitHub Pages Free
★★★★★

Version control for every project. Private repos for client work, public for open-source. GitHub Pages hosts static preview builds before I push to Cloudflare. If you're writing code and not using Git, start today — no exceptions.

Works well for
All code projects. Free static hosting, version history, backup, and collaboration all in one place.
Watch out for
Git has a learning curve. GitHub Pages is limited to static HTML/CSS/JS — not suitable for dynamic backends.
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Design
Canva AI Free / Pro
★★★★★

Fastest way to produce a polished graphic without being a designer. The AI features — Magic Write, background remover, image generation — make it genuinely useful. I use it for social graphics, pitch decks, and quick mockups. Honest caveat: heavy Canva use makes everything start to look the same.

Works well for
Quick presentations, social graphics, background removal, anything where speed matters more than originality.
Watch out for
AI image outputs can feel generic. Everything looks like Canva if you use default templates.
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Tried — not for me
🔑
GitHub Copilot
I wanted to like it, but inline autocomplete in the editor never clicked for me the way a proper chat interface does. I'd rather describe what I want and get a full solution than tab-complete my way through code. If you love in-editor suggestions it might work for you — just not my workflow.
🐢
Replit
Good concept — browser-based coding with AI assistance — but too slow and too limited compared to working locally with VS Code and deploying via Cloudflare. The AI features felt bolted on rather than integrated. Might be useful if you can't install anything locally, but it's not for me.