Software I use daily and recommend

I get asked about the tools that I use daily and be productive. Here is a list of my favorite software programs, gadgets, and other recommendations.

CMS

  • WordPress

    CMS & WooCommerce

    WordPress

    Since 2026 I've been working with WordPress and WooCommerce for one of Synoptek's clients. The work covers a wide range of implementations: custom code for plugins, data migrations, a HubSpot integration, and integrations with various third-party APIs. Security best practices are part of every piece of it.

  • Kentico

    Digital Experience Platform

    Kentico

    I oversee Kentico development at Synoptek, and I hold the Kentico content modeling certification. Good content modeling is what keeps a Kentico site easy for editors to use and for developers to extend.

  • Astro

    Web Framework

    Astro

    This website is built with Astro, which turns every page into fast, static HTML, styled with Tailwind CSS.

Cloud

  • AWS

    Cloud Platform

    AWS

    I've been working with AWS since 2012, from moving legacy applications off simple hosting to designing scalable, highly available architectures. I'm an AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate.

  • Azure

    Cloud Platform

    Azure

    I'm newer to Azure. Working with Microsoft Entra ID and Azure infrastructure has started me on the path toward Azure system administration.

Developer Tools

  • Tailwind CSS

    CSS Framework

    Tailwind CSS

    A utility-first CSS framework packed with classes like flex, pt-4, text-center and rotate-90 that can be composed to build any design, directly in your markup.

  • VS Code

    Code Editor

    VS Code

    Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a source-code editor developed by Microsoft for Windows, Linux, and macOS.

IDE

  • JetBrains

    Development IDE

    JetBrains

    I still use JetBrains IDEs for development: PhpStorm for PHP/Laravel and JavaScript applications, GoLand for Go CLI tools, and Rider for Xperience by Kentico.

  • Zed

    Code Editor

    Zed

    These days most of my work is code review, and Zed has become my editor for it. It's lightweight and fast, so I can open a branch, read through the changes and move on without waiting for a full IDE to load.

AI Agents

  • Claude

    Daily Driver

    Claude

    Claude is my daily driver. I use it for programming, code review, brainstorming and research, and it's usually the first tool I open when I start working on something.

  • ChatGPT & Codex

    Code Review & Grammar

    ChatGPT & Codex

    I use ChatGPT and Codex mostly for code review and grammar checks, which gives me a second set of eyes alongside Claude.

  • Hermes Agent

    Reminders & Projects

    Hermes Agent

    Hermes Agent takes care of my reminders and helps me with project management, so tasks and follow-ups don't slip through the cracks.

Productivity

  • Paper Notebooks

    Daily & Weekly Planning

    Paper Notebooks

    I still plan on paper. A pocket-sized 3.5 × 5.5 inch notebook holds my daily tasks, and an A5 notebook holds my weekly notes.

  • Goodnotes

    Meeting Notes

    Goodnotes

    Meeting notes go into Goodnotes on my iPad Air, so every meeting's notes stay in one place.