How I selected the AI software in this list
In this article I list 45 AI tools across 20 different categories. After exploring all the available options in each category, I’ve carefully selected the best tools based on my personal experience. This ensures that the recommendations come from real, practical use, so you can trust that they’re grounded in what actually works.
For each tool, I focus on its best use cases, explaining when and how it can be most useful. I also share what I love about each one, as well as any downsides I’ve encountered during my experience. Additionally, I provide information on the free version and premium pricing plans for each tool.
Free AI tools
If you’re looking for free AI tools, you’re in luck! I made sure that every AI tool listed in this article offers either a free plan or free trial with no credit card required, allowing you to explore their features and functionality without any commitment.
The top AI helpers
ChatGPT
Everyone has heard about ChatGPT by now. The majority of us utilize it on a regular basis for a variety of personal and professional purposes. Even though the AI assistants on this list are much more competitive today than they were when ChatGPT initially came out, it’s still my top choice. The option to upload and analyze files is one of my favorite features. I often ask ChatGPT to summarize, analyze, or extract data from PDFs, spreadsheets, images, and more at work. I recently shared an image of a Google Analytics funnel study, and it provided me with really helpful information about potential user loss areas. It’s quite hard to resist.
For this piece, I also used it to examine a number of spreadsheets. Clear patterns, important insights, and even suggestions for the best chart styles to represent the survey data were returned to me once I submitted the raw data. I genuinely saved hours because of it. Although ChatGPT is free to use, the most recent models are not available in the free tier. Faster performance and complete access to advanced features are available with the Plus plan, which is presently $20/month.
Grok
Grok is most likely to be seen on X (previously known as Twitter), although it can also be used as a stand-alone AI helper. Given that people are now tagging Grok in half of the comments on every article I read in order to fact-check the original poster, I’m not really sure whether the Grok integration improves X. It’s likely beneficial since it makes people more truthful, but I also believe it has shattered the organic flow of discussion on Elon’s massive social media platform.
I think Grok is an extremely intelligent model, and I like that it’s essentially unfiltered. It has many modes of reasoning, such as ‘Think’, which allows the model more time to digest and improve its answer, and ‘Deep Search’, which uses what seems like a RAG-style arrangement to search the internet.
Its remarkable image-generation powers and lack of restriction make it my first choice whether I want to create images of famous people, well-known companies, or simply a catchy meme.
Grok is available for free with restricted access, but you’ll need one of X’s premium tiers—Basic, Premium, or Premium+—to access the newest models and larger use caps.
Claude:
For some time now, Claude has been the preferred AI coding assistance. I believe it’s safe to say that the majority of developers swear by Claude, even if some of the other tools on this list are beginning to catch up. Although I’m not a professional developer, I do dabble, and Claude is often my first pick.
It excels at producing clear, well-documented code and is even better at describing the functionality of that code in simple terms. Claude’s code is also generally more dependable, in my experience. Compared to when I used ChatGPT, I’ve had less problems with hallucinated variables or faulty logic.
Additionally, I admire Claude’s communication style. Instead of simply throwing out solutions that I need to work out, it seems more like it’s working with me to solve the issue.
While Claude is free to use, there are two plans available: the Pro plan, which costs $20 per month and offers additional features and use, and the Max plan, which costs $100 per month and offers greater limitations and early access.
Gemini:
As of this writing, Google’s AI assistant, Gemini, is ranked #1 on the LLM Arena leaderboard, which is based on millions of blind tests in which people choose their preferred AI answers.
Gemini’s absurdly broad context window is one of the primary reasons I use it. The more text you can feed an AI and ask questions about, the larger the context window, which is the quantity of text an AI can recall and operate with during a conversation. I can include a long scholarly article and a number of follow-up questions without it losing a beat since the most recent Gemini models accommodate over 1 million tokens of context.
I really like Gemini’s audio overview function. I can use it to submit a paper and get a five-minute audio summary delivered by AI voices, much like a podcast. During my journey, it’s ideal for processing lengthy paperwork.
Basic AI tools are available with Gemini’s free plan, but more sophisticated models, innovative features, and more storage are available with the Pro and Ultra premium subscriptions. Pro and Ultra have monthly starting prices of $19.99 and $124.99, respectively.
The best AI video generators
Synthesia:
The top AI video generator, Synthesia, lets you create lifelike AI human avatar films. I’ve used it to make presentations and training materials, and it’s easy to see why learning and development teams love it. Synthesia makes it easier to create high-quality content without the need for studios, cameras, or microphones by converting text into video.
Although training videos are by far its most common use case, Synthesia is adaptable enough to meet a variety of requirements. Companies use it to create customer support or knowledge base films, onboard new hires, and communicate internally. In terms of marketing, it is quite good at creating product demonstrations, explainer films, B2B marketing material, and customized sales outreach videos.
Personally, I’ve also found it useful for website videos that need a clean, expert look with little work. Synthesia is very user-friendly; all you have to do is enter your screenplay to have your video created.
Avatar customization and the extensive selection of templates are two features of Synthesia that I like. Synthesia made it simple for me to change the backdrop, tone, or avatar language to fit the audience when I had to make customized training films for several departments. You can easily produce content that is consistent around the globe thanks to the collection of over 230 digital avatars and compatibility for over 140 languages.
Synthesia excels at creating AI talking head videos, but it isn’t made for narrative or dramatic imagery. It works well for groups and companies whose video production processes place a high value on professionalism, efficiency, and brand consistency.
Users may create up to 36 minutes of video annually using Synthesia’s free plan, which doesn’t need a credit card. Paid subscriptions with greater features start at $29 a month.
Google VEO:
Although Veo 3 is more costly, it also has the capacity to produce audio, which, in my view, makes it much more useful.
Veo 2 is accessible for free at Google AI Studio, where a certain quantity of free credits may be used for testing.
You must have the Google AI Pro plan ($19.99/month) or the Ultra plan ($249.99/month) in order to access Veo 3.
Disclaimer:
This article is based solely on my personal experiences and opinions. The tools listed here are not endorsed by, affiliated with, or sponsored by this site unless explicitly stated. All pricing and feature details are accurate to the best of my knowledge at the time of writing but may change without notice. I do not guarantee results, as individual experiences may vary depending on use. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice or endorsement.