Written by Aanand Madhav, 9 years shipping products
You do not need a developer to find out if your idea works.
Product Tools is a newsletter about using no-code and AI to build and test your own ideas. Written for the people who have always had to ask someone else to build it.
Not a list of forty apps. One or two tools per edition that I have used on paid client work, with the job they are good at and the point where they fall over.
The limits, stated plainly
Every no-code tool has a ceiling. Most writing about them skips this because the affiliate link pays either way. I tell you where it is before you build three months of work underneath it.
Vocabulary to hold your ground
What an API actually is. Why the estimate doubled. What your developer means by scope. Enough that you can push back in a meeting instead of nodding and hoping.
Something to try this week
Every edition points at something small and concrete you can do yourself. Not theory. A thing you can have working before the next one arrives.
I spend my days between a product roadmap and a code editor.
Nine years in, I still do both sides of this work. I manage teams building large-scale software, and I also sit down and write the Shopify components and WordPress plugins myself. Recently that meant building a full WordPress site with an AI agent and directing two product films without a camera.
That is the whole reason this newsletter exists. I get to watch where these tools genuinely replace a developer, and where they quietly waste three months of someone else’s time. Most writing about no-code only tells you the first half.
Aanand has a strong ability to break down complex concepts into clear technical plans.
Vikrant AbrolCEO, Bharatiya Vyapar Mission
Although it was not his job, he helped me understand the value of HTML markup and how it affects SEO, something I was completely blind to.
Shivek KhuranaDeveloper
Whether it is simplifying complex workflows or leveraging AI in meaningful ways, Aanand consistently delivers with clarity.
Dr. Vineet TiwariCEO and Co-founder, Mrigandham Ventures
These are recommendations about my client work, not reviews of the newsletter.
Fit
Who this is for.
Subscribe if
You are a founder, designer or manager who cannot write code
You have an idea you have been carrying around for months
You want to test something before you spend real money on it
You work with developers and want to understand them better
Probably skip it if
You are an engineer looking for framework deep dives
You want a weekly roundup of every new AI launch
You are looking for someone to build it for you
That last one is my day job, though. If you want it built rather than to build it yourself, get in touch↗.
Before you subscribe
How often does it go out?
There is no fixed schedule, and I would rather say that than promise a weekly cadence I will not keep. Six editions have gone out since 2022, and it went quiet through most of 2025 while I was heads-down on client work. It is starting up again. If a reliable weekly newsletter is what you want, this is not it.
Do I need any technical background?
No. That is the entire point. If you can use Figma, Notion or Google Docs, you can follow along. Anything technical gets explained in plain language the first time it appears.
Is it free?
Yes, and every edition so far has been free with no paywall. No affiliate links either, which is why I can tell you when a tool is not worth it.
Who is writing this?
I am a senior product manager and UX expert with nine years of experience, working across product, design and development. I write about tools I use on real client work, not tools I read about.
Stop waiting for someone else to build it.
Free, no paywall, no affiliate links. Unsubscribe whenever you like.
Written by Aanand Madhav, 9 years shipping products
