What tool do most creators use to grow & monetize?

Slack is the most-adopted tool for this job among the creators we track: 20 tracked creators have an active usage record for it. 91% of its classified mentions are organic, meaning no sponsorship signal was found in them (mentions we cannot classify are excluded from that ratio). Adoption counts, not editorial opinion, order this list, and the receipts behind it are linked above.

What is the runner-up to Slack, and when is it the better choice?

Discord is the runner-up with 17 active creators, against 20 for Slack, in the same category. We do not editorialize the gap. What the data offers: 100% of Discord's classified mentions are organic, versus 91% for Slack. Read the receipts on both tool pages and weigh the quotes yourself; that is what they are there for.

How is this ranking decided?

By counting creators, not opinions. Every mention we ingest carries a receipt: a source link, a timestamp or position, a verbatim quote of at most 120 characters, and a sponsorship classification (organic, sponsored or ambiguous). The list orders tools by how many tracked creators actively use each one; organic mentions weigh four times more than sponsored ones in scoring. Affiliate links on this page have no path into that computation. Full detail is on the methodology page.

How fresh is this data?

The scores behind this ranking are snapshotted weekly, and the data behind the current list was computed on 30 Jul 2026, the same date the stamp at the bottom of this page shows. After a recompute, the page refreshes within roughly ten to twenty minutes (two stacked 600-second caches). Recency also shapes the ranking itself: mention weight decays with a 14-day half-life, so current usage counts more than last year's.

Are these affiliate recommendations?

No. Some links on this page, marked with an arrow, are affiliate links, and if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That revenue has no path into the ranking: positions, trending scores and sponsorship labels are computed exclusively from creator-mention data. The full disclosure, in FTC wording and the German paragraph 5a UWG wording, sits on this page above the list.

Where do these creator mentions come from?

From public content by the creators we track: YouTube videos, podcast episodes, X posts and newsletters. When a tracked creator mentions a tool there, we ingest the mention together with its receipt: a source link, a timestamp or position, a quote of at most 120 characters, and a sponsorship classification. Rankings are computed exclusively from that mention data; money never changes them.

What do creators use to grow and get paid?

Slack is the most-adopted tool for this among creators we track, used by 20 creators (91% of its mentions organic). This ranking counts real, receipt-backed creator usage — no editorial opinion, no paid placement.

Spans: 3 categories · ranked by active tracked creators

Affiliate links · Werbung›

Affiliate disclosure: links marked with ↗ on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This never influences rankings, trending scores or organic/sponsored labels — those are computed exclusively from creator-mention data.

Werbehinweis gemäß §5a UWG: Mit ↗ markierte Links auf dieser Seite sind Affiliate-Links (Werbung). Bei einem Kauf über diese Links erhalten wir eine Provision; für Sie entstehen keine Mehrkosten. Dies hat niemals Einfluss auf Rankings, Trend-Scores oder Organisch/Gesponsert-Kennzeichnungen — diese werden ausschließlich aus Creator-Erwähnungsdaten berechnet.

1
SlackCommunity
Team chat organised in channels, with searchable history and connections into most other work tools.
20 active creators · 23 mentions · 91% organic
“Viktor is an AI employee that lives inside our Slack account, which makes it ridiculously easy for anyone on the team to” — Ali Abdaal source ↗
try Slack receipts →
2
DiscordCommunity
Voice and text chat organised in servers and channels, originally for gaming, now widely used for communities and support.
17 active creators · 25 mentions · 100% organic
“the discord server I've setup has nearly 60 users in it” — DesignCourse source ↗
try Discord receipts →
3
InstagramCommunity
Meta's platform for photos, short video and direct messages.
15 active creators · 26 mentions · 96% organic
“we will open up the Instagram app on your iOS device and head straight into your Direct Messages inbox” — ProgrammingKnowledge2 source ↗
try Instagram receipts →
4
GmailEmail & Newsletters
Google's email service, with labels instead of folders, strong spam filtering and search across the whole mailbox.
15 active creators · 29 mentions · 100% organic
“Send personalized emails to hundreds of people directly from Gmail using a 100% free mail merge add-on.” — Kevin Stratvert source ↗
try Gmail receipts →
5
WhatsAppCommunity
End-to-end encrypted messenger for chats, calls and groups, with a separate track for businesses.
13 active creators · 24 mentions · 100% organic
“If you are an avid user of WhatsApp, you may have recently noticed a major change” — ProgrammingKnowledge2 source ↗
try WhatsApp receipts →
6
SubstackEmail & Newsletters
Newsletter and media platform where writers publish free or paid posts, podcasts, video and Notes. No upfront cost — the platform takes roughly 10% of paid subscriptions — with a recommendation network that drives subscriber growth.
12 active creators · 39 mentions · 100% organic · Free to publish; Substack keeps ~10% of paid subscription revenue
try Substack receipts →
7
TelegramCommunity
Messenger with cloud history across devices, very large groups, broadcast channels and an open bot API.
11 active creators · 13 mentions · 100% organic
try Telegram receipts →
8
SkoolCommunity
Community platform combining discussion feed, courses ('classroom'), calendar and gamified leaderboards in a deliberately simple package at one flat price. Popular with course sellers and cohort programs; co-owned by Sam Ovens and Alex Hormozi.
10 active creators · 195 mentions · 99% organic · ~$99/month flat per community
“I became co-owner of which is a platform for people to build communities online” — Alex Hormozi source ↗
try Skool receipts →
9
StripePayments & Monetization
Payments infrastructure for the internet: card processing, subscriptions (Billing), invoicing, Checkout, Connect marketplaces and tax handling via APIs and no-code surfaces. The default payment rail for SaaS and creator businesses.
10 active creators · 11 mentions · 100% organic · Pay-as-you-go, ~2.9% + 30¢ per successful card charge (US)
“We use Gmail, Google Docs, Zoom, Stripe, Calendly, and a basic CRM.” — The AI Advantage source ↗
try Stripe receipts →
10
PatreonPayments & Monetization
Membership platform where creators take recurring support in exchange for exclusive work.
6 active creators · 7 mentions · 100% organic
try Patreon receipts →
11
SuperhumanEmail & Newsletters
Speed-focused email client for Gmail and Outlook: keyboard-first triage, split inboxes, snippets, follow-up reminders and AI drafting. Marketed at founders and executives; acquired by Grammarly in 2025.
6 active creators · 15 mentions · 93% organic · From ~$25–30/month per user
“I also share one of my favorite productivity tools, Superhuman Mail, which helps me manage emails faster with AI” — Ishan Sharma source ↗
try Superhuman receipts →
12
ShopifyPayments & Monetization
Ecommerce platform with payments, shipping and selling across several channels.
6 active creators · 22 mentions · 9% organic
try Shopify receipts →
13
SkillshareCommunity
Subscription platform for online classes in design, illustration, video and other creative skills.
6 active creators · 6 mentions · 67% organic · ~$14/month or ~$99/year
“The first 500 people to use my link in the description or scan the QR code will receive a one month free trial of Skills” — Sajjaad Khader source ↗
try Skillshare receipts →
14
KitEmail & Newsletters
Email marketing platform for creators, formerly ConvertKit, rebranded to Kit in 2024. Visual automations, tagging, paid newsletters, a creator network for cross-promotion and built-in commerce for digital products.
5 active creators · 15 mentions · 100% organic · Free up to 10,000 subscribers; paid from ~$25/month
“I'm the Creative Director at a remote tech company called Kit” — Charli Marie source ↗
try Kit receipts →
15
TwitterCommunity
Short-post network, formerly Twitter, for public conversation in real time.
5 active creators · 9 mentions · 100% organic
try Twitter receipts →
16
FacebookCommunity
Meta's social network, with profiles, pages, groups and advertising.
5 active creators · 5 mentions · 100% organic
try Facebook receipts →
17
GumroadPayments & Monetization
Simple storefront for selling digital products — ebooks, courses, presets, software — with hosted checkout, memberships, discount codes and payouts. No subscription; Gumroad takes a flat percentage of each sale.
5 active creators · 10 mentions · 100% organic · No monthly fee; ~10% flat fee per sale plus processing
try Gumroad receipts →
18
ZoomCommunity
Video meetings with recording, transcripts, webinars and phone.
5 active creators · 6 mentions · 100% organic
“We use Gmail, Google Docs, Zoom, Stripe, Calendly, and a basic CRM.” — The AI Advantage source ↗
try Zoom receipts →
19
LinkedInCommunity
Professional network for contacts, jobs and industry posts.
4 active creators · 4 mentions · 100% organic
try LinkedIn receipts →
20
OutlookEmail & Newsletters
Microsoft's email client with calendar, contacts and tasks.
4 active creators · 4 mentions · 100% organic
try Outlook receipts →
21
beehiivEmail & Newsletters
Newsletter platform built by former Morning Brew engineers: publishing, referral program, recommendations network, ad marketplace and paid subscriptions without revenue cut. Focused on growth tooling for media-style newsletters.
3 active creators · 45 mentions · 96% organic · Free up to 2,500 subscribers; paid from ~$39/month
try beehiiv receipts →
22
TeamsCommunity
Microsoft's chat and meeting tool, tied into Office and Microsoft 365 file storage.
3 active creators · 3 mentions · 100% organic
try Teams receipts →
23
BrilliantCommunity
Interactive learning platform with hands-on courses in math, science, programming and data.
2 active creators · 2 mentions · 50% organic · ~$13/month or ~$150/year
“Upgrade your brain with Brilliant for free” — Satori Graphics source ↗
try Brilliant receipts →
24
NebulaCommunity
Creator-owned streaming platform where independent educational YouTubers publish ad-free and experimental content.
2 active creators · 3 mentions · 100% organic · ~$6/month or bundled annually
try Nebula receipts →

FAQ

What tool do most creators use to grow & monetize?: Slack is the most-adopted tool for this job among the creators we track: 20 tracked creators have an active usage record for it. 91% of its classified mentions are organic, meaning no sponsorship signal was found in them (mentions we cannot classify are excluded from that ratio). Adoption counts, not editorial opinion, order this list, and the receipts behind it are linked above.
What is the runner-up to Slack, and when is it the better choice?: Discord is the runner-up with 17 active creators, against 20 for Slack, in the same category. We do not editorialize the gap. What the data offers: 100% of Discord's classified mentions are organic, versus 91% for Slack. Read the receipts on both tool pages and weigh the quotes yourself; that is what they are there for.
How is this ranking decided?: By counting creators, not opinions. Every mention we ingest carries a receipt: a source link, a timestamp or position, a verbatim quote of at most 120 characters, and a sponsorship classification (organic, sponsored or ambiguous). The list orders tools by how many tracked creators actively use each one; organic mentions weigh four times more than sponsored ones in scoring. Affiliate links on this page have no path into that computation. Full detail is on the methodology page.
How fresh is this data?: The scores behind this ranking are snapshotted weekly, and the data behind the current list was computed on 30 Jul 2026, the same date the stamp at the bottom of this page shows. After a recompute, the page refreshes within roughly ten to twenty minutes (two stacked 600-second caches). Recency also shapes the ranking itself: mention weight decays with a 14-day half-life, so current usage counts more than last year's.
Are these affiliate recommendations?: No. Some links on this page, marked with an arrow, are affiliate links, and if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That revenue has no path into the ranking: positions, trending scores and sponsorship labels are computed exclusively from creator-mention data. The full disclosure, in FTC wording and the German paragraph 5a UWG wording, sits on this page above the list.
Where do these creator mentions come from?: From public content by the creators we track: YouTube videos, podcast episodes, X posts and newsletters. When a tracked creator mentions a tool there, we ingest the mention together with its receipt: a source link, a timestamp or position, a quote of at most 120 characters, and a sponsorship classification. Rankings are computed exclusively from that mention data; money never changes them.

data updated 30 Jul 2026