Assistant
ChatGPT
A general assistant for writing, questions, files and images.
Go to ChatGPTBest AI Tools: A Simple Guide by What You Need to Do
Choose by the job you need done, not by the longest list. One general assistant covers most everyday tasks, so start there.
These links go straight to each tool's official site and are not affiliate links. This is a starting list, not a ranking, and we haven't tested every tool on it. Features and prices change often, so check the official page.
How to choose an AI tool
- Start with one real task. Pick something you do every week, like email, a report or a social post.
- Give it the same task in two tools. Use the same instructions and compare the results.
- Use the free plan first. Pay only when you keep hitting its limits on work that matters to you.
- Read the privacy settings. Find out whether your content can be used for training, and how to turn that off.
- Cancel what you stop using. Check your subscriptions every few months.
AI assistants and search
Assistant
Claude
A general assistant for writing, long documents, analysis and code.
Go to ClaudeAssistant
Gemini
Google's assistant, connected to many Google apps.
Go to GeminiSearch
Perplexity
Answers questions with links to its sources. Open the sources to check anything important.
Go to PerplexityAI tools for images, video and voice
Images
Midjourney
An image generator popular for stylized art.
Go to MidjourneyImages
Adobe Firefly
Image and video tools from Adobe that connect with its creative apps.
Go to FireflyImages
Ideogram
An image generator known for handling text inside images.
Go to IdeogramVideo
Runway
Creates and edits video from text or images.
Go to RunwayVoice
ElevenLabs
Text to speech and voiceovers. Only clone a voice with that person's permission.
Go to ElevenLabsAI tools for work and code
Slides
Gamma
Turns an outline into a presentation draft you can edit.
Go to GammaMeetings
Otter
Records and transcribes meetings. Tell people before you record them.
Go to OtterWriting
Grammarly
Grammar and tone help inside your browser and apps.
Go to GrammarlyNotes
NotebookLM
Answers questions from the documents you upload.
Go to NotebookLMCode
GitHub Copilot
Code suggestions and chat inside your editor.
Go to CopilotCode
Cursor
A code editor built around AI assistance.
Go to CursorUsing AI safely
- Check the facts. AI can state wrong information confidently, so verify names, numbers, quotes and links.
- Keep private data out. Don't paste passwords, client files or personal details into a tool you haven't checked.
- Get professional advice for big decisions. That goes for medical, legal and financial questions.
- Be honest about AI content. Follow the platform's labeling rules, and don't imitate real people without permission.