Why You Don't Need Mailchimp, Eventbrite, or Hootsuite Anymore
One toolbox. Zero subscriptions.
With AI tools like Cursor, you can build your own email system, event management, and social media workflows — replacing $100+/month in SaaS subscriptions with a single codebase you control. We sent marketing emails in 6 minutes this way.
How many SaaS subscriptions are you paying for right now? Mailchimp for emails. Eventbrite for events. Hootsuite for social media scheduling. Maybe Wix or Squarespace for your website. A CRM. An analytics dashboard. A project management tool.
Each one costs $20, $50, $100 a month. Each one has its own login, its own interface, its own limitations. And each one does about 20% of what you actually need.
The Alternative
Build it yourself.
Not the old way — not by hiring developers and spending months on custom software. The vibe coding way: describe what you need, and AI builds it.
Need to check who signed up today? Ask the AI. Need to send a marketing email? Describe it and send. Need an unsubscribe page for compliance? Ask and it exists in minutes.
Six subscriptions stacked up versus one codebase. The math speaks for itself.
Before renewing any SaaS subscription, ask yourself: "Is this something I could describe in one sentence?" If yes, try building it with AI first. You might be surprised how fast a custom solution appears -- one that does exactly what you need and nothing you don't.
What We Actually Use
At The Vibe Jam, we manage our entire operation through vibe coding and a single development environment. Email sending, subscriber management, event coordination, content creation, analytics — all handled through Cursor and our own codebase. We cover how to set this up in Automations Without Code: Make.com vs. Cursor.
No Mailchimp. No Eventbrite. No Hootsuite.
Not because those tools are bad. Because our own tools do exactly what we need, cost less, and give us complete control over our data.
The Real Cost of SaaS
It's not just the subscription fee. It's the fragmentation.
Your email data lives in Mailchimp. Your event data lives in Eventbrite. Your social data lives in Hootsuite. Your website data lives in Squarespace. None of them talk to each other without expensive integrations.
With pure code, all your data lives in one place. You can query it, analyze it, and act on it with a single prompt. No switching between dashboards. No manual exports. No integration headaches.
Six silos or one source of truth. Your data shouldn't need a passport to move between tools.
When SaaS Still Makes Sense
There are cases where established platforms are the right call. Payment processing (Stripe), authentication, and compliance-heavy features often benefit from battle-tested services.
The point isn't to eliminate every subscription. It's to stop paying for things you can build in an afternoon.
Build in an afternoon. Ship before dinner.
Chris Johnston
Chris Johnston is the founder of PostScarcity AI and The Vibe Jam. Former development agency leader who managed 8 agile teams for venture-backed clients. Now teaching non-technical people to build with AI through vibe coding — weekly online sessions, monthly IRL hack nights in Delray Beach, FL, and a crew that ships.
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