I run 10+ WordPress sites generating affiliate revenue, and these are the exact tools I use daily for hosting, themes, plugins, software, and AI.
Every recommendation includes my affiliate links—using them supports the site while you get the same reliable performance I rely on.
From Hostinger’s lightning-fast servers to Claude AI for content outlines, here’s my 2026 stack.
Hosting: Hostinger (My Go-To for All Sites)
Hostinger powers every single one of my WordPress sites, including autolifepasta.com.
Why? Unbeatable speed (LiteSpeed servers), one-click WordPress installs, and ₹149/month plans with free SSL/Cloudflare CDN.
I migrated from Bluehost in 2023—page loads dropped 60%, SEO rankings jumped 200 spots.
Get Hostinger via my link for 75% off + free domain. Perfect for US/UK/India bloggers scaling to 100K visitors.
(Tried Cloudways and Siteground too—Hostinger wins on price/speed for affiliate sites.)
WordPress Theme: GeneratePress + Kadence Pro Combo
GeneratePress (free base) with Kadence Pro blocks my #1 theme stack across all niches.
GeneratePress loads in 10KB, SEO-friendly, hooks-based customization via child themes.
Kadence Pro adds pro blocks, row layouts, and header builders—built my car deals page in 2 hours.
Grab GeneratePress Premium ($59/year) + Kadence Pro ($69/year)—my sites hit 99% Lighthouse scores.
(Alternatives like Astra and Avada bloated my code; FocusBlog great for microsites.)
My 14 Essential Plugins (Free + Paid Mix)
These 14 plugins run on every site—no bloat, maximum performance.
- Rank Math Pro ($59/year): My SEO powerhouse. Schema, redirects, 301s auto-fixed. Replaced Yoast—50% faster indexing. [Affiliate Link]
- LiteSpeed Cache (Free): Hostinger-native. Minifies CSS/JS, 90% speed boost.
- Solid Security Pro ($99/year): Firewall + login protection. Blocked 5K brute-force attacks last month. [Get It]
- WP Rocket ($59/year): Fallback caching when LiteSpeed lags. Lazy load + CDN magic.
- Kadence Blocks Pro ($69/year): Drag-drop Gutenberg killer. Builds affiliate tables effortlessly.
- Akismet Pro ($5/month): Spam filter saves 2 hours/week on comments.
- Kit.com ($29/month): Email popups + automation. 25% subscriber growth. [Affiliate]
- Redirection (Free): Handles all permalink changes (like my recent /postname/ switch).
- Smush Pro ($7/month): Image optimizer—cut media folder 70%.
- UpdraftPlus Premium ($70/year): Automated backups to Google Drive. Restored a hacked site in 5 mins.
- Pretty Links Pro ($99/year): Affiliate cloaking + tracking. Monitors clicks precisely.
- TablePress (Free): Builds my deals comparison tables. Export to PDF/CSV.
- ConvertKit ($29/month): Newsletter sequences for recipe ebooks. 18% open rates.
- MonsterInsights Pro ($99/year): Google Analytics 4 dashboard inside WP. Tracks affiliate conversions.
Total Annual Cost: ~₹45,000—ROI 10x via faster sites + higher rankings.
Software I Use Daily for Content Creation
Windows 11 Pro my OS—stable, Copilot AI built-in, Snap Layouts speed up multitasking.
Microsoft 365 ($70/year) for Excel (affiliate tracking), Word (ebook drafting), OneNote (content calendars).
Video: DaVinci Resolve 19 (free)—edits YouTube thumbnails/site videos in 4K.
Images: Canva Pro ($120/year) + Affinity Photo 2 ($70 one-time)—mockups, recipe infographics.
Office 365 Affiliate—family plan covers all my devices.
AI Tools Revolutionizing My Workflow
AI handles 70% of my content ideation—saving 20 hours/week.
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Anthropic): Best for long-form outlines, PHP code debugging. Writes my tools pages. [Try Claude]
- ChatGPT-4o (OpenAI): Bulk keyword research, recipe step generation. Custom GPTs for car specs.
- Perplexity Pro ($20/month): Real-time research—fetches 2026 car deals instantly.
- Gemini 2.0 (Google): Image analysis, YouTube script ideas. Free tier sufficient.
- DeepSeek V3 (Free): Code generation—fixed my GeneratePress functions.php errors.
Video/Image AI:
- Runway ML Gen-3 ($15/month): Recipe demo videos from text.
- Midjourney V7 ($10/month): Custom car renderings for deals pages.
- Luma Dream Machine: 3D spiritual ebook covers.
Perplexity Affiliate—my research backbone.
Performance Stats: Why This Stack Wins
| Category | Tool | Speed Gain | Cost/Year | Affiliate Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Hostinger | 3.2s → 0.9s | ₹1,800 | [Yes] |
| Theme | GeneratePress + Kadence | 98% Lighthouse | ₹8,000 | [Yes] |
| SEO | Rank Math Pro | +300% Traffic | ₹5,000 | [Yes] |
| Cache | LiteSpeed | Core Web Vitals Pass | Free | N/A |
| AI | Claude + Perplexity | 20h/week saved | ₹2,500 | [Yes] |
Sites using this: windowstechit.com (tech), seotipsit.com (SEO), autolifepasta.com (lifestyle)—all under 2s load times.
Get My Exact Setup (Free Checklist)
Want my functions.php snippets, .htaccess file, and plugin settings export?
Download Free Toolkit PDF—includes migration guide from Bluehost → Hostinger.
Pro Tip: Start with Hostinger + GeneratePress free versions. Upgrade via my links for bonuses.
Questions? Comment below—I’ll share custom configs for your niche (cars, recipes, spiritual).
Updated Dec 11, 2025. Affiliate disclosure: Links earn commissions at no extra cost to you.
