The best free AI tools for everyday life
By Tarek · Updated 2026-11-10
There are thousands of AI tools, and most of them you'll never need. This is my shortlist of tools with a free plan that are genuinely useful for normal people with normal chores. Free plans change, so check each tool's website for the current limits.
For almost everything: an AI assistant
Start here. One assistant can write your emails, plan your meals, explain a letter and answer questions.
- ChatGPT is the all-rounder, and it can also make images.
- Claude is great at writing that sounds human and at reading long documents.
- Perplexity is best when you need current facts with sources.
Use them with the free prompts on this site.
For writing and translating
- Grammarly fixes mistakes as you type in your browser.
- DeepL translates whole letters and documents naturally.
- LanguageTool checks grammar in many languages besides English.
For photos and design
- Canva makes posters, social posts and invitations from templates.
- remove.bg removes a photo background in seconds.
- Google Lens identifies plants and products, and translates signs.
For studying and reading
- NotebookLM answers questions using only your own notes and PDFs.
- ChatPDF lets you ask a long PDF questions instead of reading it.
- Quizlet turns notes into flashcards.
For meetings and calls
- Otter.ai transcribes and summarises meetings and lectures.
- Fathom writes notes and action items from your video calls.
For video and voice
- CapCut adds automatic captions to short videos.
- ElevenLabs turns text into natural-sounding speech.
- Suno makes a full song from a description. Great for birthdays.
For planning your time
- Reclaim.ai finds time in your calendar for tasks and habits.
- Todoist turns "pay rent every 1st" into a reminder automatically.
Want to see everything? Browse the full AI tools library by category.