We thought that this would help those of you who are trying to break into the online business or YouTube scene. These are tools, products, and services that we use ourselves every single day. We swear by them, and we will keep this page updated as we keep learning and upgrading. It will also frequently appear in our podcast, on our blog, and in the videos that we create.

Disclosure: Please be aware that some of the links that are below are affiliate links, and at zero additional cost to you, we will earn some commission if you choose to purchase using that link. Please know that we have worked with and use all of the companies and products that are mentioned below. They are not listed on this page because we earn a small commission but because we actually enjoy and use these products on a regular basis. Please do not purchase any of the below products unless you feel that you need them and would benefit from them.  

Our Top Picks

These are products that we always find ourselves using and coming back to. They are, in our opinions, must haves for online business and YouTube. We love using them, and we know that you'll have the same experience with them should you decide to use them also.

Bluehost: Every website we own is hosted with Bluehost. We swear by them, and we won't host websites with anyone else. They have the best support in the industry via phone and chat with easy to understand and useful tutorials. Their up time is also amazing with our sites only going down once in the past three years. Bluehost also offers things such as unlimited domains, bandwidth, sever space, and emails for all hosting accounts, and their one-click WordPress install makes installing WordPress extremely easy no matter what. Nevertheless, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND using Bluehost for your blog or website. Click here to get a special discount of their regular price.

WordPress: This is the #1 blogging platform available. It is 100% free and completely customizable. There is nothing that you cannot customize with WordPress, but that being said, it is very easy to use. It is the PERFECT BLOGGING PLATFORM for both technical experts and those who are not so technically inclined. If you want to start blogging, WordPress is the best place to go in our opinion. Download WordPress completely free here by clicking here.

Themeforest: This website works right along side WordPress as Themeforest is the place where you want to get your WordPress themes. They have thousands of themes all with very different looks. They are the first place we look for any new theme that we want, and they have free themes as well as premium themes that are all AMAZING. If you need themes, Themeforest is the place for you. Check them out by clicking for all of your WordPress theme needs.

DropbackTV: Some may get mad that we are mentioning this here, but it is something that we truly believe in. We should considering we own it. DropbackTV is a YouTube network that is designed to help you grow and get rewarded as you do so. We set out to change things with DropbackTV, and we believe we did. We created the best YouTube network in the industry, and we are very proud to say so. We hope to bring you on board and help you grow your YouTube channel. Click here to get partnered with DropbackTV today!

Blogging

• WordPress: This is the number one blogging platform on the internet, and if you want to start your own blog this is where you need to go. All of our blogs and some of static websites are hosted on WordPress. It is an amazing service.

• Themeforest: If you need a new WordPress theme, this is where you need to go. They have a ton of free and premium WordPress themes, and they are the place you need to go no matter what kind of theme you are looking for.

• The Story Theme: This is the theme we use here at NicAndPatrick.com. It's actually 100% free to download, and it's an amazing theme to use for your personal blog. Check it out, and feel free to use it if you feel like it will work for you. Also, be sure to tweet us some pictures of it on your site.

Hosting & Domains

• Bluehost: When you talk about the best hosting company that exist, Bluehost has to be in the running for number one. They have amazing 24 hour support with unlimited domains, bandwidth, and server space. Additionally, they have an easy to use one-click WordPress install that will make setting up your blog extremely easy.

• Name.com: While Bluehost is amazing for hosting and you do get a free domain when you buy your hosting account, we buy all of our additional domains through Name.com. Name offers amazing deals on all of their domains, and they have one of the widest selections of TDLs on the web.

Video Production

• The Blue Snowball: If you want an amazing microphone at an affordable price, this is what you want to go with. We both use Blue Snowballs, and we love them. Blue makes amazing microphones, and the Snowball is their cheapest and one of their best.

• Canon PowerShot Elph 340 HS: We get asked all the time what camera we use to record our daily vlogs on, and here is your answer. This camera is very good and very durable. It is amazing camera for daily vlogging because it has amazing quality, and it holds up very well even with the daily use that ensues from daily vlogging.

• Canon EOS Rebel T3i: If you are looking for an amazing production quality camera at an affordable price, this is the camera for you. It will allow you to have one some of the best quality on YouTube with a very affordable price. It is one of the best DSLRs out there, and if you are serious about YouTube and the quality of content you produce, it is a must have.

• Rode VideoMic Pro: If you've taken the first step and bought a DSLR, the second step is to buy a high quality microphone to use in conjunction with your camera. We recommend getting a shotgun mic for your DSLR because it is literally as easy as point and shoot to record audio. Plus, the quality is amazing, and it is very compact and easy to carry.

• Screenflow (for Mac): If you want to record screencast or video games on a Mac, Screenflow is a must have. It is not only a screen capturing software, but also the best video editor for screen captures that exist. This is because that is Screenflow primary and main purpose, recording screen captures and making them the best they can possibly be.

• Open Broadcaster Software (for PC): It's free, it's powerful, and it is the best screen recording software that exist on PC. While OBS may not have editing software built in like Screenflow, it does have incredible quality, and if paired with the right editing software, it will have leading the game in PC screen captures.

• Final Cut Pro X: This is the best editing software available for Mac, and it is extremely powerful. We use it to every vlog and non-gaming video that we make. It has a ton of features, stock music, stock transitions, and multi-project management if you need to edit more than one video at a time. It is simply incredible.
• Adobe Premiere Pro CC: While Final Cut is amazing, it is not available on PC. Adobe Premiere is Final Cut's PC equivalent, and it is what Nic edits all of his gaming videos with. Patrick also uses for the daily vlogs. It is powerful and has all the features that Final Cut Pro X has - maybe more.

Graphic Design And Image Editing

•  Photoshop CC: If you want to do anything that deals with graphics and image editing, Photoshop is a must have. It is the best editing software around, and now with the new Creative Cloud option, you can get Photoshop for just $19.99/month.

• Stock XChange: Finding stock images can be extremely hard, and finding free stock images that actually look good is even harder. With that being said, Stock XChange, is an amazing place to find all of the stock images you need for your blog, and the best part of it all is that they are 100% free.

• Flickr Creative Commons: If you can't find what you are looking for on Stock XChange, then you will most defiantly find something on Flickr's Creative Commons section. There are literally millions of images here, and best of all they have no copyrights and completely free. If you can't find the image you want anywhere else, it will be here.

Business Planning And Productivity

• Evernote: This is literally our digital brain. We use it to keep all of our thoughts, general messages, and receipts in Evernote. It allows us to have all of the things we would have on paper in one digital place all it the cloud. The shared notes feature also allows us to share all of our general response messages with our team with just the click of a button.

• Wunderlist: While Evernote may be where we keep all of our messages, Wunderlist is the best to-do list we have ever found, and trust us, we have tried them all. Wunderlist allows us to schedule all of our tasks and set them all up by project. For example, we can separate NicAndPatrick tasks from CrysisTV tasks which helps us work on one thing at a time. We also share these projects so we can have one synced to do list.

• Elevatr: If you have a lot of ideas, this is exactly what you need. It helps form your business ideas into actionable plans that break done everything from what the idea is to its marketability to the business model and actual execution of the idea. Elevatr is a must have for all entrepreneurs, and it will make your ideas turn into a reality.

Email Subscriptions And Marketing

• MailChimp: Being completely free until you get 2,000 subscriptions, MailChimp is a great way to get your email list started. Additionally, they have incredible auto-responders, subscription system, and easy integration. If you want to get your mailing list off the ground, MailChimp is the way to do. Plus it is free until you get a decently sized list built up!

Advertising

• Google AdSense: Google’s free website tracking and analytical tool, AdSense allows you to monetize your blog with very little work. Google will purchase ads for you, and all you have to do is add their ads to your site and sit back and watch the money roll in.

• Facebook Advertising: If you want to get extremely target ads that, if done right, can almost guarantee a click-through, Facebook is the place for you. The ad targeting that Facebook offers is almost scary, and they allow you to target exactly who you want to come to your website or business.

• Google AdWords: If you want to begin advertising on Google, you can select keywords and locations, and you pay each time someone clicks on your advertisement or views your advertisement. The choice is completely up to you. AdWords advertising is a great way to start advertising your business.

Stats And Analytics

• Google Analytics: This is Google’s free website tracking and analytical tool. A must have for anyone with any type of website who cares about everything from where traffic is coming from to the exact match keywords that are bringing people to your site.

• Jetpack For WordPress: While Jetpack has a ton of features other than its stat tracking abilities, that is what we primarily use it for. It allows us to have quick and easy stats on the go without going to Google to look at the in-depth stats that Google Analytics provides.

• SocialBlade: If you want to know how many views and subscribers you have gotten any day on YouTube over the past month, SocialBlade is the place for you. This is the best way to keep up-to-date on view numbers, subscriber numbers, and trends as social blade breaks all down for you in an easy to understand manor.

Outsourcing/ Getting Help From Others

• Elance: This is a great place to hire someone for just about everything you will ever need. It doesn't matter if you want a Virtual Assistant or a book keeper, you can find it on Elance. They are the best of the best for easy outsourcing, so check them out if your looking to get some help for your online business.

• 99 Designs: This is a unique website that you can use if you need a logo design or any other kind of graphic art. It’s ran in a contest format. You submit the description of what you want, and designers will compete against each other to win money. Whoever has the best design, in your opinion, gets the money.

• Odesk: Another outsource website for freelancers, IT companies, programmers and web designers from abroad. This is a great way to get products done quickly. It also allows you to hire people who know much more of what they are doing than you do. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Legal Help

• LegalZoom: This is the best way to easily create an LLC in your home state online. That being said, please be careful about your choice to incorporate and consult a attorney. Nevertheless, LegalZoom is a great place to get incorporated should you decide to do it in your home state. If you decide to not go in your home state, you will have to work with an attorney to incorporate.

Other Stuff

*While this may be a site about online business, there are other things that we love that are not related to online business. Below are all of the companies and products that we have deals with, but they do not directly pertain to online business or YouTube.

• Apex Minecraft Hosting: Apex is an amazing Minecraft server hosting company that is literally the best in the industry. We use them to host every single sever that we play whether it's our streaming servers or video servers, they are being ran by Apex, and we absolutely love them. Click here to check out Apex Minecraft Hosting and get an awesome Minecraft server for just $4 per month. 

• Amazon Prime: We are kind of spoiled with Amazon Prime. We are so spoiled in fact that if we cannot get something using Prime, we may not get it all. We love the ability to get items two days after you buy because we do not like to wait. The faster we can get it the better. Click here to get a 30 free trial of Amazon Prime.

• Netflix: When it comes to entertainment, we don't watch cable TV. As a matter of fact, we are soon to not have cable TV at all. It just is not need when you have Netflix. It literally has millions of movies and TV shows that you can watch as much as you want. If it wasn't for Netflix, we would never watch any TV shows or movies. Click here for a free month of Netflix Instant Streaming.