AI tools directory
AI tools that are genuinely useful for everyday work and home life, in plain English, with what's free. We checked each one in October 2026.
AI assistants
ChatGPT
OpenAI's chat assistant for writing, planning and questions.
Good for: Everyday help at work and home. Projects keep your instructions together.
Free plan: Free plan; paid tiers
Visit ChatGPTGemini
Google's assistant, built into Gmail, Docs and Android.
Good for: People who live in Google apps. Gems (becoming Gemini skills) save your instructions.
Free plan: Free; paid via Google One
Visit GeminiClaude
Anthropic's assistant, strong at writing and long documents, with Skills support.
Good for: Careful writing and reading long files. Takes skill files directly.
Free plan: Free plan; paid tiers
Visit ClaudeMicrosoft Copilot
Microsoft's assistant in Windows, Edge and Microsoft 365.
Good for: Work in Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams.
Free plan: Free; Microsoft 365 paid
Visit Microsoft CopilotMeta AI
Meta's assistant inside WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger.
Good for: Quick help without leaving WhatsApp.
Free plan: Free
Visit Meta AIGrok
xAI's assistant, with live posts from X.
Good for: Up-to-the-minute topics. Projects save your instructions.
Free plan: Free; paid tiers
Visit GrokDeepSeek
A free chat assistant that is good at reasoning and maths.
Good for: Working through problems step by step. Paste your instructions each time.
Free plan: Free
Visit DeepSeekLe Chat
Mistral's assistant, made in Europe, with skills and agents.
Good for: A European alternative with saved skills.
Free plan: Free; paid tiers
Visit Le ChatWriting
Grammarly
Fixes spelling, grammar and tone as you type, in most apps.
Good for: Emails and documents that need to sound right first time.
Free plan: Free; Pro paid
Visit GrammarlyRytr
A low-cost AI writer with templates for posts, emails and ads.
Good for: Small businesses writing lots of short copy.
Free plan: Free tier; paid
Visit RytrResearch
Perplexity
An AI search engine that answers with sources you can click.
Good for: Research where you need to check where facts came from.
Free plan: Free; Pro paid
Visit PerplexityMeetings and notes
Otter.ai
Records and transcribes meetings and calls into searchable notes.
Good for: Meetings where you'd rather listen than type.
Free plan: Free plan; paid tiers
Visit Otter.aiNotion
Notes, docs and wikis, with Notion AI built in.
Good for: Keeping work or household notes in one place.
Free plan: Free; paid per member
Visit NotionGoblin Tools
Breaks big tasks into tiny steps and checks the tone of your messages.
Good for: Getting started when a job feels overwhelming.
Free plan: Web free; app small fee
Visit Goblin ToolsSlides and design
Gamma
Makes slide decks, documents and simple web pages from a prompt.
Good for: A first draft of a presentation in minutes.
Free plan: Free tier; paid
Visit GammaCanva
Easy design for posters, posts and slides, with Magic AI tools.
Good for: Anything that needs to look good without a designer.
Free plan: Free; Pro paid
Visit CanvaPhotoroom
Removes backgrounds and makes clean product photos.
Good for: Sellers on Vinted, eBay or Etsy.
Free plan: Free; Pro paid
Visit PhotoroomVoice and video
Speechify
Reads text, PDFs and web pages aloud.
Good for: Listening on the go, and readers with dyslexia or ADHD.
Free plan: Free tier; premium paid
Visit SpeechifyElevenLabs
Realistic AI voices and narration.
Good for: Voiceovers for videos and training. Mixed customer reviews, so try the free tier first.
Free plan: Free tier; paid plans
Visit ElevenLabsDescript
Edit video and podcasts by editing the transcript.
Good for: Tidying up recordings without learning video software.
Free plan: Free tier; paid
Visit DescriptFliki
Turns text into short videos with AI voices.
Good for: Quick social videos from a script or blog post.
Free plan: Free tier; paid
Visit FlikiHome and family
Cozi
A shared family calendar with shopping and to-do lists.
Good for: Keeping everyone in the house on the same page.
Free plan: Free; Cozi Gold paid
Visit CoziMealime
Meal plans with automatic shopping lists.
Good for: Quick weeknight dinners without the planning.
Free plan: Free; Pro paid
Visit MealimePlan to Eat
Saves recipes from anywhere and turns them into a meal plan and list.
Good for: Families who already have favourite recipes.
Free plan: 14-day trial; then paid
Visit Plan to EatStudy
Photomath
Snap a maths problem to see step-by-step working.
Good for: Helping with maths homework when you've forgotten the method.
Free plan: Free; Plus paid
Visit PhotomathDuolingo
Bite-sized language lessons as a game.
Good for: Five minutes a day of a new language.
Free plan: Free; Super paid
Visit DuolingoGet more out of whichever one you use
Make a free skill that teaches your AI about you, so it stops giving generic answers.
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