I test tools so you don’t have to waste money on the ones that don’t work. Here are the ones I actually use — sorted from “start here” to “power user.”
Start Here — If You’ve Never Used AI
ChatGPT
The one everyone talks about — and for good reason. Free tier gives you GPT-4o mini. Perfect for writing, brainstorming, summarizing, and learning. Start here.
Try it →Claude
Anthropic's AI. Feels more thoughtful and nuanced than ChatGPT. Great for long documents, analysis, and conversations that actually make sense.
Try it →Google Gemini
Google's AI. Best if you live in Gmail, Docs, and Google Workspace. Free tier is generous. Connects to your Google stuff natively.
Try it →Perplexity
AI search engine. Ask a question, get an answer with sources. Like Google but actually useful. Free tier is great for daily research.
Try it →Writing & Content — Create Faster
Notion AI
Already using Notion? Add AI to your notes, docs, and databases. Summarize meetings, draft content, organize ideas. $10/month add-on.
Try it →Grammarly
Grammar, tone, clarity — all in one. Free tier catches basic errors. Premium ($12/mo) rewrites sentences and adjusts tone. Worth it for professional writing.
Try it →Hemingway Editor
Makes your writing bold and clear. Highlights complex sentences, passive voice, and adverbs. Free web version. Simple and effective.
Try it →Images & Design — No Photoshop Needed
Canva
The standard. Drag-and-drop design for everything: social posts, presentations, logos. Free tier is powerful. Pro ($13/mo) adds brand kits and magic resize.
Try it →Midjourney
AI image generation at its best. Stunning, artistic images from text prompts. $10/month. Worth it if you need unique visuals regularly.
Try it →DALL-E (in ChatGPT)
Built into ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo). Generate images directly in your conversation. Good enough for most blog/social needs. Not as artistic as Midjourney.
Try it →Remove.bg
Remove image backgrounds instantly. Free for standard resolution. Perfect for product photos, profile pictures, and clean designs.
Try it →Video & Audio — Create Without Cameras
Suno
AI music generation. Describe a vibe, get a full song. Free tier gives you 10 songs/day. Good enough for YouTube backgrounds and personal projects.
Try it →ElevenLabs
AI voice cloning and text-to-speech. Best voice quality available. Free tier gives you 10,000 characters/month. Great for podcasts and video narration.
Try it →CapCut
Free video editor with AI features. Auto-captions, background removal, templates. TikTok's official editor. Surprisingly powerful for free.
Try it →Automation — Make Tools Talk to Each Other
Zapier
The automation king. Connect 6,000+ apps. "When X happens, do Y." Free tier: 100 tasks/month. Paid starts at $20/month. Worth every penny if you automate one repetitive task.
Try it →Make (formerly Integromat)
Zapier's visual cousin. Drag-and-drop workflow builder. More powerful than Zapier for complex automations. Free tier: 1,000 operations/month.
Try it →n8n
Open-source automation. Self-host or use their cloud. Free forever if you self-host. More technical but infinitely customizable. The developer's choice.
Try it →LibreChat
Your own private ChatGPT. Self-hosted, supports all AI models (Claude, GPT, Gemini, Mistral), multi-user with login. One-click deploy on Railway. You own your data.
Try it →Power Tools — For When You’re Ready
Vercel
Deploy websites and apps for free. This blog runs on Vercel. Push code to GitHub, it goes live automatically. Free tier is generous for personal projects.
Try it →GitHub
Store code, collaborate, deploy. Free for personal use. Sounds scary — it's not. Think "Google Docs for code." The whole internet runs on it.
Try it →Cursor
AI-powered code editor. Write code by describing what you want. The tool that makes non-developers into developers. Free tier available.
Try it →Bolt / Lovable
"Build me an app" — and it does. AI app builders that create full applications from text descriptions. Free to start. The future of no-code development.
Try it →I test every tool before recommending it. Some links are affiliate links — if you sign up, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I actually use.
Have a tool you want me to test? Contact me.