Which AI tool should I use?
Last updated October 6, 2026
Choose the job you want done and you'll see the tools we'd look at first, what each costs to start and our guide comparing them. Prices are from each vendor's pricing page when we last checked.
Write or polish text
Fixing grammar, tone and clarity wherever you type.
Free plan; Pro $30/mo ($12/mo billed yearly) Our guide
Paraphrasing, grammar checks and summaries for essays, reports and emails.
Free plan; Premium $19.95/mo ($8.33/mo billed yearly)
Writing, coding and long documents; handing off multi-step tasks.
Free; paid from $20/mo ($17/mo billed yearly) Our guide
Compare them: Grammarly alternatives, free and paid
None of these has a free plan; most offer a free trial instead.
Get everyday answers and help
All-round everyday help: writing, questions, images, voice, files and deep research.
Free; paid from $8/mo (Go) Our guide
Writing, coding and long documents; handing off multi-step tasks.
Free; paid from $20/mo ($17/mo billed yearly) Our guide
Google users: image generation, deep research; Gmail and Docs help on paid plans.
Free; paid from $4.99/mo (Google AI Plus) Our guide
Compare them: ChatGPT alternatives: the best other chatbots, free and paid
None of these has a free plan; most offer a free trial instead.
Research with sources
Web research with clickable sources and quick fact-finding.
Free; Pro $20/mo or $200/yr Our guide
Studying your own documents; answers cite your sources; audio overviews.
Free; more with Google AI plans from $4.99/mo Our guide
Google users: image generation, deep research; Gmail and Docs help on paid plans.
Free; paid from $4.99/mo (Google AI Plus) Our guide
Compare them: AI chatbot prices compared: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity
None of these has a free plan; most offer a free trial instead.
Make a voiceover
Realistic text-to-speech, voice cloning, dubbing and sound effects.
Free; paid from $6/mo Our guide
Business voiceovers for training videos, explainers and slides.
Free; paid from $29/mo ($19/mo billed yearly) Our guide
Having articles, PDFs and books read aloud at high speed.
Free; Premium $29/mo Our guide
Compare them: ElevenLabs alternatives: cheaper and free AI voice generators
None of these has a free plan; most offer a free trial instead.
Turn a script into a video
Turning blog posts, scripts or slides into narrated videos with captions.
14-day free trial; paid from $29/mo Our guide
Text-to-video with a large voice library; good for faceless social videos.
Free plan; paid from $28/mo Our guide
Making and editing videos by describing them; AI agents cut, script and generate.
Paid from $20/mo Our guide
Compare them: Pictory vs InVideo AI vs Fliki: which text-to-video tool is worth it
None of these has a free plan; most offer a free trial instead.
Make a video with an AI presenter
Training and explainer videos with AI presenters, in 140+ languages.
Free plan; paid from $29/mo Our guide
Talking-avatar videos of yourself, plus video translation with lip-sync.
Free plan; paid from $29/mo Our guide
Compare them: Synthesia vs HeyGen for training videos
None of these has a free plan; most offer a free trial instead.
Take meeting notes
Free unlimited meeting recordings and AI summaries.
Free plan; Premium $20/mo ($16/mo billed yearly) Our guide
Live meeting transcripts and summaries for Zoom, Meet and Teams.
Free plan; Pro $16.99/mo ($8.33/mo billed yearly) Our guide
Meeting notes without a bot joining the call.
Free plan; Business $14/user/mo Our guide
Compare them: AI meeting note-takers compared
None of these has a free plan; most offer a free trial instead.
Record and edit a podcast
Editing podcasts and videos by editing the transcript like a document.
Free; paid from $24/mo ($16/mo billed yearly) Our guide
Recording remote interviews with a separate clean track for each guest.
Free; paid from $29/mo ($24/mo billed yearly) Our guide
One-click cleanup of noisy voice recordings, right in the browser.
Free; Premium via Firefly Pro $19.99/mo Our guide
Compare them: How to transcribe and edit a podcast with AI
None of these has a free plan; most offer a free trial instead.
Make images
Making and editing images by chatting, including photo edits and text in images.
Free; paid from $8/mo (Go) Our guide
Quick image generation and photo edits inside Gemini, free with a Google account.
Free; paid from $4.99/mo Our guide
Images with accurate text: posters, logos, thumbnails and social graphics.
Free; paid from $20/mo ($15/mo billed yearly)
Polished, artistic images with a distinctive look; also short video clips.
Paid from $10/mo; no web or Discord trial
None of these has a free plan; most offer a free trial instead.
Make slides
Turning a prompt or notes into slides, documents or web pages.
Free plan; Plus $12/mo ($9/mo billed yearly)
Turning a prompt into editable social posts, flyers, slides and other designs.
Free; paid from $18/mo; free trial
Compare them: Gamma AI review: pricing, credits and alternatives
None of these has a free plan; most offer a free trial instead.
Automate work between apps
Visual no-code automations across 3,000+ apps, with AI agents (in beta).
Free plan; paid from $12/mo
AI agents that work across 9,000+ apps, set up in plain English.
Free; Agents Pro $50/mo ($33.33/mo billed yearly)
Visual workflow builder for AI agents; self-host it free or use n8n's cloud.
Free self-hosted; cloud from $24/mo
Compare them: n8n vs Make vs Zapier for AI automations: prices and which to pick
None of these has a free plan; most offer a free trial instead.
Build an app without coding
Describe a web app in plain English and get a working, hosted version.
Free plan; paid from $25/mo
Build websites and full-stack web apps in the browser by chatting.
Free plan; paid from $25/mo
Vercel's app builder for React and Next.js sites; deploys straight to Vercel.
Free plan; paid from $30/mo
Compare them: Lovable vs Bolt vs v0: AI app builders compared (prices and limits)
None of these has a free plan; most offer a free trial instead.
Write code faster
Coding agent that edits files and runs commands in your terminal, editor or browser.
Paid plans only; from $20/mo (Claude Pro) Our guide
Code editor based on VS Code, with coding agents and tab autocomplete.
Free plan; paid from $20/mo
Code suggestions, chat and coding agents inside VS Code, JetBrains and GitHub.
Free plan; paid from $10/mo
None of these has a free plan; most offer a free trial instead.
Run AI privately on my computer
Download and run open models with one command; local API for other apps.
Free; cloud plans from $20/mo Our guide
Point-and-click desktop app to find, download and chat with local models.
Free; Bionic cloud plans from $20/mo Our guide
Open-source ChatGPT-style desktop app that runs models offline.
Free and open source
Compare them: Ollama vs LM Studio vs llama.cpp vs MLX on a Mac
None of these has a free plan; most offer a free trial instead.
Want the full list? The AI tools directory covers more than 100 tools by category, and the AI glossary explains the jargon.
