Delphine Abraham

I started using Blender just for 3D printing, but now I use it for video editing, 2D animation (Grease Pencil), and VFX. It does *everything*. Grease Pencil is a hidden gem for 2D artists wanting to work in 3D space. The interface is dense but logical once it clicks. I haven't touched paid software in years.

As a user, the experience is seamless. I took a selfie and had a great-looking avatar in a minute. Being able to use that same avatar in hundreds of different VR and web apps is a cool concept. The customization options are decent, with lots of brand collaborations for outfits.

Gong has completely changed how I coach my sales team. I can listen to calls, see what topics were discussed, and jump directly to key moments. I can identify what my top performers are doing differently and replicate it. The deal intelligence, which flags at-risk deals, is scarily accurate. It's expensive, but the ROI is undeniable.

We loved Netlify as a startup. But as we grew and needed SSO and more seats, the pricing conversation was scary. The jump from the Pro tier to Enterprise is massive. We ended up moving some projects to Vercel and AWS to save costs. It's an amazing product, but the pricing model for large teams feels aggressive.

Things like being able to Cmd-click on a filename to open it in your editor, or the advanced paste history, are small quality-of-life improvements that add up to a much better experience. The level of customization for themes and profiles is also fantastic. It's a tool built with love for developers.

I subscribed to the Pro plan just for the commercial rights. Being able to generate custom jingles and intros for my podcast is worth the $10/month easily. The 'extend' feature lets me turn a good 30-second clip into a full 3-minute track. It's not perfect, but it's better than stock music libraries.

It’s convenient to have my reports and scores in one app. However, almost every screen nudges me to open a new credit card or loan. It’s clear they make money on referrals. As long as you understand that and don’t apply for everything they recommend, it’s a fine free tool.