Free 2026 Tools Hub
73 free tools + references across 10 categories: mortgage, tax, salary + career, education ROI, home improvement, EV + solar, health + longevity, AI detection, developer tools, SEO. Each link is a tool we built or a primary-source government/authoritative reference. No affiliate links, no sponsored placements.
Updated April 2026 · Bookmark this page · Share with anyone budgeting, taxing, hunting jobs, or homebuying.
🏠 Mortgage + Home Buying
Free mortgage amortization schedule with principal/interest breakdown
- PMI Cost + Removal Guide 2026Reference
28-cell rate matrix by credit score × LTV. Live FRED 30-yr rate.
- Closing Costs by State 2026Reference
All 50 states. Transfer tax + title insurance + attorney requirements + post-NAR-settlement
- First-Time Home Buyer Programs 2026Reference
50-state HFA + 10 federal programs (FHA/VA/USDA/Good Neighbor)
Break-even months calculator
- DTI CalculatorTool
Debt-to-income ratio + max-affordable mortgage
- CFPB Owning a Home ↗Government
Federal consumer protection toolkit
- FRED 30-Year Mortgage Rate ↗Government
Federal Reserve weekly average rate data
💰 Tax + Personal Finance
- 2026 Federal Income Tax BracketsReference
All 4 filing statuses + standard deduction + QBI 2026
- 2026 Capital Gains Tax RatesReference
Federal LT brackets + 50-state matrix + NIIT 3.8% + Section 1202 QSBS
- 1099 vs W-2 Tax Comparison 2026Reference
7 income levels: W-2 wins at most. Self-employment tax + QBI math.
- How Bonuses Are Taxed 2026Reference
Percentage vs aggregate withholding. State-by-state bonus tax rate.
- States with No Income Tax 2026Reference
Which states + COL trade-offs
- Traditional IRA vs Roth IRAReference
Tax-now vs tax-later math by income
- IRS Withholding Calculator ↗Government
Official W-4 estimator from IRS
- IRS Form 1040 + Instructions ↗Government
Federal tax filing forms
💼 Salary + Career
L3 ($380k) → L9 ($4M+). PPU mechanism unique to OpenAI.
- AI/ML Engineer Salary 2026Reference
Anthropic + OpenAI + DeepMind compensation reality
8 equity types + tax math + 83(b) election + AMT trap mitigation
- Skilled Trade Salary 2026Reference
14 trades + apprentice pay progression + IBEW/UA union premiums
- Layoff Severance Pay 2026Reference
12 industries + 9 jurisdiction WARN Act rules
- Highest-Paying No-Degree Jobs 2026Reference
25 BLS-verified careers + apprenticeship paths
- BLS Occupational Employment Stats ↗Government
Government salary data by occupation + state
- Levels.fyi (tech compensation) ↗External free
Crowdsourced tech salary database
🎓 Education + Degree ROI
- Coding Bootcamp vs CS Degree 2026Reference
12 educational pathways + 9 top bootcamps reviewed
- Speech-Language Pathology Degree ROIReference
BLS + ASHA + 13 MA-CCC programs cost compared
- Pharmacy PharmD Cost + ROI 2026Reference
12 practice settings + 13 schools + softening market analysis
Specialty-by-specialty MD compensation + debt math
- Trade School Cost + ROI 2026Reference
Plumbing + HVAC + electrician + welding paths
- NCES College Navigator ↗Government
Government school data + tuition + grad rates
- College Scorecard ↗Government
Federal student outcomes + earnings data
🔨 Home Improvement + Construction
- HVAC Replacement Cost by StateReference
Furnace + AC + heat pump + mini-split + IRA $2k credit
- Water Heater Cost by State 2026Reference
Tank vs tankless vs HPWH + 50-state matrix + Mass Save 64% off math
- Fireplace Installation Cost by StateReference
Gas vs wood vs electric + EIA fuel prices
- Kitchen Renovation Cost by StateReference
Minor refresh / mid-range / major upscale tier costs
- Roof Replacement Cost by StateReference
Asphalt + metal + tile + slate + warranty
- Window Replacement Cost by StateReference
Vinyl / wood / fiberglass + IRA credits
- DSIRE State Incentive Database ↗External free
Comprehensive state + utility rebate listings
⚡ EV + Solar + Energy
- Best EV 2026 ComparisonReference
Tesla / Rivian / Ford / Hyundai head-to-head
Geotab 22,700 vehicles + Recurrent 30k+ telemetry
- EV Battery Replacement Cost by ModelReference
Tesla, Rivian, Ford, Hyundai pack costs
IECC zones 1-7 + 8 CCHP models NEEP-cert
- EV Charging Cost by State 2026Reference
Home L2 vs DCFC per 100 miles
- Solar Panel Cost by StateReference
Cost + IRA 30% credit + state SREC math
Tesla Powerwall + Enphase + Franklin + payback math
- NREL PVWatts Solar Calculator ↗Government
Federal solar production estimator
- EnergyStar Find a Pro ↗Government
ENERGY STAR partner contractor lookup
💪 Health + Fitness + Longevity
- GLP-1 Weight Loss Math 2026Reference
Tirzepatide / Wegovy / Ozempic dose-to-loss projector
- Longevity Protocols Compared 2026Reference
8 researchers + 19 supplements graded A-C evidence
- CGM Macro Timing 2026Reference
Stelo + Lingo + Levels post-OTC era + glucose response math
- Body Fat Measurement Methods 2026Reference
DEXA + BIA + skin caliper + InBody comparison
60 foods scored
ISSN + ACSM 2024 protein recommendations
- USDA FoodData Central ↗Government
Federal nutrient database for foods
🤖 AI Detection + Tools
- AI Detection in Schools 2026Reference
8 detectors + ESL bias study + 8 institutions disabling
Head-to-head accuracy benchmarks
ElevenLabs + Pindrop detection methods
15 adopters + EU AI Act compliance
- AI Image Detector ComparisonReference
DALL-E + Midjourney + SD detection accuracy
👨💻 Developer + Programming
11 tools + SWE-bench Verified benchmarks + cost-per-task
- AI Prompt Engineering Library 2026Reference
8 copy-paste templates + 6 LLM models + 8 techniques
- PostgreSQL vs MySQL vs MongoDB 2026Reference
12 databases + use case decision matrix
- Python vs Go vs Rust 2026Reference
Language head-to-head with use cases
- TypeScript Utility Types HandbookReference
Pick / Omit / Exclude / Extract reference
Free in-browser JSON tool
- Regex TesterTool
Test regex patterns with examples
Encode/decode UTF-8 + binary
📈 SEO + Marketing
Original research: 50 directories tested over 12 weeks
- NAP Consistency Audit StudyReference
Original research: 200 SMB businesses × 41 platforms
50 queries × 5 AI engines tested
Free backlink health check
Free 41-platform citation audit
Official site performance data
About this hub
This is a curated directory of high-quality free tools across personal finance, career, education, home improvement, energy, health, AI, developer, and SEO domains. We built many of the references ourselves; we link external authoritative sources (IRS, BLS, FRED, EPA, USDA, NREL, NCES, Levels.fyi) where they outperform what we offer.
What this is NOT: not an affiliate site, not a sponsorship list, not a "best calculators 2026" SEO trap. We use these tools ourselves. If something is on this list, it earned its place.
Missing something? Let us know via contact. We update this hub quarterly.