Want AI superpowers without paying a cent? This guide curates the best free AI tools of 2025—chat assistants, writing, images, video, audio, coding, research, automation, data, design, and private local LLMs—plus quick workflows and a pragmatic 7-day setup plan.
1) Chat Assistants (General)
Microsoft Copilot (Free)
Web & mobile Bing integration Images
Fast general Q&A, drafting, and web-assisted answers. Good default for casual daily use.
Google Gemini (Free tier)
Search context Docs/Drive
Great for summaries and Google-ecosystem tasks. Handy with Docs/Sheets/Drive add-ons.
Perplexity (Free)
Answer engine Citations
Concise, source-linked responses—excellent for research and quick fact-checks.
Claude (Free tier)
Long context Writing
Polished writing, reasoning and file understanding. Generous context window in free mode varies by region.
Tip: Keep two assistants pinned—one for browsing answers (Perplexity) and one for drafting/ideation (Claude/Copilot). Use both on the same prompt for better coverage.
2) Writing & Rewriting
QuillBot (Free tier)
Paraphrase Grammar
Useful for rephrasing and trimming. Combine with a style guide for consistency.
DeepL Write (Free)
Clarity Tone
Improves clarity/flow and offers nuanced tone options—especially strong for multilingual writers.
Hemingway (Free web)
Readability Simplicity
Not strictly “AI” but perfect for the last pass—simplify sentences and remove fluff.
LanguageTool (Free tier)
Grammar Multi-language
Solid grammar/spell checking across many languages with browser add-ons.
Lightning workflow: Draft → Polish → Fact-check
- Draft in a chat assistant (Copilot/Claude/Gemini) with a role + audience prompt.
- Polish via DeepL Write or LanguageTool; simplify via Hemingway.
- Fact-check key claims with Perplexity (save/collect citations).
3) Images & Design
Canva (Free)
Magic Design Templates
Generate on-brand social posts, thumbnails, resumes, and presentations with drag-and-drop ease.
Photopea (Free)
PSD/AI In-browser
Photoshop-like editor in your browser. Supports layers, masks, and smart objects for quick fixes.
Playground AI / Ideogram / Leonardo (Free tiers)
Text-to-image Logos
Great for concepting, storyboards, and stylized graphics. Use daily credits wisely.
Clipdrop by Stability (Free features)
Background removal Relight
Instant cutouts, text-to-image, and relight tools ideal for product shoots and catalogs.
Tip: For brand consistency, define 2–3 colors, 2 fonts, and a photo style. Save templates in Canva to speed up future posts.
4) Video & Motion
CapCut (Free)
Auto-captions Templates
Fast editing, captions, green-screen and social-first formats. Great for shorts/reels.
DaVinci Resolve (Free)
Pro editor Color & audio
Studio-grade editing and color correction with AI-assisted tools in the free version.
Pika / Luma (Free tiers)
Text-to-video Generative
Rapid prototyping for motion concepts and b-roll; credit-based usage.
Run-and-gun Stack
Phone → CapCut → Canva
Shoot on phone → trim in CapCut → overlay titles/branding in Canva → publish.
5) Audio, Voice & Transcription
Audacity (Free)
Noise removal Editing
Open-source editor with solid filters; pair with AI denoising plugins if needed.
Whisper (Free / open-source)
Transcription Offline
High-quality speech-to-text locally via community apps—great for privacy.
CapCut / Descript (Free tiers)
Captions Studio sound
Auto-captions, quick podcast cleanup, and timeline edits by transcript.
ElevenLabs (Free tier)
Voice clone TTS
Natural text-to-speech and simple cloning for narrations, intros, and explainers.
6) Coding & Dev
Codeium (Free for individuals)
Code completion Chat
AI autocomplete and in-IDE chat for most languages and editors.
Continue.dev (Free)
VS Code Open models
Local/remote models inside VS Code or JetBrains; bring your own model key or run locally.
Ollama (Free, local)
Run LLMs Private
Pull and run popular open models locally with a single command.
Hugging Face (Free tiers)
Models Spaces
Explore models/datasets, and deploy lightweight demos on Spaces for free.
7) Research & Study
Perplexity (Free)
Web answers Citations
Cited summaries for articles, papers, and topics—ideal for quick overviews.
Semantic Scholar (Free)
Academic search Filters
Paper discovery, topics, and author graphs without paywalls on abstracts.
Zotero + Plugins (Free)
References PDF notes
Manage citations, highlight PDFs, and auto-format bibliographies.
Khan Academy (Free)
Practice Tutor
Structured courses with exercises; pair with a chat assistant for explanations.
8) Automation & Productivity
IFTTT (Free)
Triggers Personal
Connect apps/devices: “When email has receipt → save PDF to Drive → log to Sheet.”
Zapier (Free tier)
Workflows Webhooks
Great for small business automations—lead capture, CRM updates, and alerts.
Notion (Free plan)
Docs Databases
Organize content, SOPs, and project dashboards. Pair with public AI tools for summaries.
Raycast (Free)
Launcher Extensions
Lightning-fast command bar for Mac with AI extensions and scripts.
9) Data, Sheets & Presentations
Google Sheets + Extensions (Free)
Formulas App Scripts
Automate imports, clean data, and build dashboards with lightweight scripts.
Canva Presentations (Free)
Decks Brand kit
Generate slide outlines, then customize with templates and charts.
Observable / Datawrapper (Free tiers)
No-code viz Embeds
Interactive charts and maps for blogs and reports.
Tally / Typeform (Free tiers)
Forms Lead capture
Collect data, quizzes, and feedback, then send to Sheets/Notion.
10) Private & Local LLMs
Ollama (Free)
Local LLMs CLI
Run llama/phi/mistral-family models fully offline. Great for sensitive docs.
LM Studio (Free)
Desktop UI Model browser
Download, switch models, and chat locally with a friendly interface.
ComfyUI / Automatic1111 (Free)
Stable Diffusion Local images
Node-based workflows or classic web UI for reproducible image pipelines.
Private RAG Starter
Docs Q&A Embeddings
Vector-search your PDFs locally; use open-source retrievers for private knowledge bots.
Tip: Local models love VRAM/RAM. Start small (e.g., 3–7B params) and upgrade if your device allows.
11) Quick Comparison Table
| Category | Top Free Picks | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Chat | Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude | General Q&A, drafting, web answers |
| Writing | DeepL Write, QuillBot, LanguageTool | Clarity, paraphrase, grammar |
| Images | Canva, Clipdrop, Playground/Ideogram/Leonardo | Social graphics, product photos, concepts |
| Video | CapCut, DaVinci Resolve, Pika/Luma | Short-form editing, color, generative motion |
| Audio | Whisper, Audacity, Descript (free) | Transcription, cleanup, captions |
| Code | Codeium, Continue.dev, Ollama | Autocomplete, in-IDE chat, local models |
| Research | Perplexity, Semantic Scholar, Zotero | Answers with sources, academic discovery |
| Automation | IFTTT, Zapier (free), Raycast | Personal/work automations, quick actions |
| Data & Decks | Google Sheets, Canva, Datawrapper | Dashboards, slides, embeds |
| Local/Private | Ollama, LM Studio, ComfyUI | Offline LLMs, private image pipelines |
12) Plug-and-Play Workflows (Copy These)
Creator: Idea → Script → Video → Thumbnail (Free-first)
- Ideate 10 hooks in Claude/Copilot with audience + problem + angle.
- Outline and expand to 60–90s script in Gemini.
- Record on phone; edit + captions in CapCut.
- Design thumbnail in Canva (brand kit, 3 variants), remove background via Clipdrop.
- Publish and write 3 caption variations with Perplexity to include topical keywords.
Student/Researcher: Paper → Summary → Citations
- Find papers in Semantic Scholar; add to Zotero.
- Ask Perplexity clarifying questions with “show sources.”
- Draft abstract/notes in Gemini; polish via DeepL Write.
- Export references from Zotero in your style guide.
Founder: Landing Page Copy in 30 Minutes
- Positioning prompts in Claude (ICP, pain, promise, proof, offer).
- Write H1, subhead, 3 benefits, social proof, CTA in one pass.
- Polish tone in DeepL Write; check reading level in Hemingway.
- Design hero + sections in Canva; export assets.
Privacy-first: Local Q&A Over Your PDFs
- Run Ollama small model.
- Embed PDFs with an open-source RAG script (local vector DB).
- Query locally; no data leaves your machine.
13) 7-Day Setup Plan
| Day | Action | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Install 2 chat assistants (e.g., Copilot + Claude). Save 5 reusable prompts. | Baseline assistance |
| Day 2 | Set up writing stack (DeepL Write, LanguageTool, Hemingway). Create a style guide page in Notion. | Consistent voice |
| Day 3 | Add Canva + Clipdrop. Build 3 brand templates (IG post, story, thumbnail). | Faster content |
| Day 4 | Install CapCut/Resolve. Produce a 30-sec video with captions. | Ship a sample |
| Day 5 | Research stack: Perplexity + Zotero + Semantic Scholar; save 10 key papers. | Trusted sources |
| Day 6 | Automation: IFTTT/Zapier—file receipts to Drive & ping a Slack/Email digest. | Time saved |
| Day 7 | Local LLM (Ollama/LM Studio). Test a private PDF Q&A demo. | Privacy control |
14) FAQ
Are these tools truly free? Most have a permanent free plan or a generous free tier with daily/monthly limits. Limits and availability can change—check pricing pages.
Which two should I start with? Pair a browsing answer engine (Perplexity) with a drafting assistant (Claude/Copilot), then add Canva + CapCut for content.
Can I use these at work? Read each tool’s terms and your company’s policy. For sensitive data, prefer local tools (Ollama/LM Studio) and scrub PII.
What about copyright and AI images? Use your own photos/assets where possible, and review each tool’s license and content policy before commercial use.
