What are the top FREE ai tools you've used?

[Ellie_28]

Can you suggest some for me to use?

[WhatUQuant]

Not sure if this counts but I use AI mostly for small tasks.

Grammarly AI suggestions (free version)
Notion AI (limited but useful)
Perplexity again, seems everyone is using it now

I think the biggest value is saving time on boring stuff rather than anything advanced

[veritas.io]

Current stack:

ChatGPT for general use
Leonardo AI for images
ElevenLabs free tier for voice stuff

Honestly the limitations are annoying but still usable if you're not doing heavy work

[HitmanMatt53]

Depends what you're using them for.

For coding:

GitHub Copilot (not fully free but worth mentioning)
Codeium (completely free and actually decent)

For writing:

ChatGPT
Claude (free tier feels more natural sometimes)

I've dropped a lot of tools because they just weren't reliable enough

[DarkEnergy27]

I am always wary when something sounds amazing at first glance. I track these things on a spreadsheet so I know when something actually expires.

Cheers for sharing that.

The useful stuff is harder to spot because there is so much noise around it

[GreenEcho]

That is actually one of the clearer explanations I have seen. That is genuinely useful.

AI for writing assistance is genuinely useful. AI for replacing thinking is not

[Totally]

I am always wary when something sounds amazing at first glance. I track these things on a spreadsheet so I know when something actually expi

Yeah that is about right. Thanks for that

[CosmicRay40]

That works if you are disciplined about it, most people are not. Cheers for sharing that

[Omega]

I would only bother if the saving is real and not just headline nonsense. Not a life changer but it adds up.

Most AI tools I have tried are impressive for a session and then disappear from my routine

[RayOfLight32]

Good point. Same here really.

Appreciate the discussion

[Candle]

Not sure I am fully with you on that one. Totally get that.

Appreciate it

[Scholar70]

ChatGPT free tier is still probably the one I recommend to people who just want to see what AI can actually do. It is not perfect, but for drafting emails, explaining confusing topics, brainstorming ideas and summarising documents it is a solid starting point. The free version is enough for a lot of casual users

[WildManCena23]

A few free tools that have been useful for me:

- Perplexity for research because it gives sources alongside answers.
- Claude for writing and longer conversations.
- Google Gemini if you already live inside Google services.
- Canva's AI tools for quick designs.

None of them replace thinking, but they save a ridiculous amount of time.

[Runner]

Everyone talks about the big chatbots, but smaller tools are worth looking at too. ElevenLabs has a useful free tier for voice experiments, and Hugging Face has loads of interesting models if you like tinkering.

The downside is that the free limits disappear quickly. The AI buffet is free, but the good desserts have a daily limit

[Thomas75]

For coding, GitHub Copilot's free options are worth checking out, although people should not blindly paste whatever it generates. A five second review can save an hour of debugging later.

[Wizard72]

NotebookLM surprised me the most. Uploading documents and asking questions about your own material feels much more useful than just asking a general chatbot. It is great for research notes and study projects.

[Ann13]

Canva AI gets overlooked because it is not as flashy as the chatbots. For making simple social graphics, presentations or quick mockups it is handy. Not everything needs a giant language model wearing a superhero cape

[Forge40]

Perplexity is probably the free AI tool I use most. Search engines give you ten blue links and expect you to dig. Having a starting summary with references is much faster, although I still check important claims.

[VoidSentinel74]

A lot depends on what people are trying to do. The best free AI for writing is not necessarily the best for images or coding. Asking for the single best tool is a bit like asking for the best screwdriver without saying what screw you have.

[AntMan]

Local AI tools deserve a mention too. Running models through Ollama or similar software can be useful if you care about privacy and have decent hardware. The tradeoff is that setup is much less friendly than opening a website.

[DecentBloke]

For image generation, Microsoft Designer and free tiers of image tools have been fun to experiment with. They are not going to replace professional artists, but for making silly concepts and quick ideas they are impressive