What is the best AI tool right now?

It depends on the job. For general questions and writing most people start with ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini; for research with sources, Perplexity; for images, Midjourney or Ideogram; for code, Cursor or GitHub Copilot. Each category page ranks the best options for that job.

Can I suggest a tool?

Yes. Use the Request a Tool page to suggest an AI tool. We review suggestions and add the ones that are useful, working and clear about their pricing.

Updated November 2026

Find the best AI tools for any job

Q: Are these AI tools free?

Many are. Each listing shows a pricing badge: Free, Free + Paid (a free plan with paid upgrades), Free trial, Paid or Open source. Plans change often, so check the official site before you rely on a limit.

132 hand-picked AI tools in 16 categories, ranked by our editors. See what each one does, who it is for and whether it is free.

Top 10 AI tools

Ranked by our editors on usefulness, maturity and how much the free plan gives you.

1. ChatGPT
Free + PaidAI Chatbots & Assistants
OpenAI's all-round assistant for writing, analysis, images and voice.
2. Claude
Free + Paid

Browse AI tools by category

Each category page ranks the best tools for that job.

AI Chatbots & Assistants
12 tools · ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini
AI Writing

Best AI tools for…

Hand-picked shortlists for who you are and what you need.

Best Free AI Tools
The AI tools you can use properly without paying, from chat to images, video and research.
Best AI Tools for Students
AI tools that help you study, research, write essays and prepare for exams.

All AI tools

Search and filter the full directory.

Sort

132 AI tools

ChatGPT
Free + PaidEditor's pick
OpenAI's all-round assistant for writing, analysis, images and voice.
AI Chatbots & AssistantsVisit
Claude
Free + PaidEditor's pick
Anthropic's assistant known for careful writing, long documents and coding.
AI Chatbots & AssistantsVisit
GitHub Copilot
Free + PaidEditor's pick
AI pair programmer inside VS Code, JetBrains and GitHub.
AI CodingVisit
Google Gemini
Free + PaidEditor's pick
Google's assistant, connected to Search, Gmail, Docs and Android.
AI Chatbots & AssistantsVisit
Canva
Free + PaidEditor's pick
Design anything with templates and Magic Studio AI tools.
AI Design & UIVisit
Cursor
Free + PaidEditor's pick
An AI-first code editor that understands your whole project.
AI CodingVisit
Grammarly
Free + PaidEditor's pick
Grammar, tone and clarity suggestions wherever you type.
AI WritingVisit
Midjourney
PaidEditor's pick
Highly stylised, artistic images from text prompts.
AI Image GeneratorsVisit
Perplexity
Free + PaidEditor's pick
An answer engine that searches the web and cites its sources.
AI Search & ResearchVisit
ElevenLabs
Free + PaidEditor's pick
Lifelike text-to-speech, voice cloning and dubbing.
AI Voice & AudioVisit
Claude Code
Paid
Anthropic's agentic coding tool for the terminal, IDE and web.
AI CodingVisit
Runway
Free + PaidEditor's pick
Generate and edit video with AI, from text, images or footage.
AI VideoVisit
Suno
Free + PaidEditor's pick
Write a prompt, get a full song with vocals.
AI MusicVisit
Gamma
Free + PaidEditor's pick
Create presentations, documents and web pages from a prompt.
AI PresentationsVisit
Microsoft Copilot
Free + Paid
Microsoft's free assistant on the web, Windows and Edge.
AI Chatbots & AssistantsVisit
Notion AI
Free + PaidEditor's pick
AI built into your Notion notes, docs and wikis.
AI ProductivityVisit
Remove.bg
Free + PaidEditor's pick
Remove the background from any photo automatically.
AI Photo EditingVisit
Zapier
Free + PaidEditor's pick
Connect thousands of apps and automate work, with AI steps and agents.
AI Agents & AutomationVisit
Adobe Firefly
Free + Paid
Adobe's image generator designed for commercial use.
AI Image GeneratorsVisit
CapCut
Free + Paid
A free, easy video editor with AI captions and effects.
AI VideoVisit
Figma
Free + Paid
Collaborative interface design, with AI to generate and tidy designs.
AI Design & UIVisit
Lovable
Free + Paid
Build a working web app by describing it in chat.
AI CodingVisit
NotebookLM
Free + PaidEditor's pick
Upload your sources and ask questions grounded only in them.
AI Search & ResearchVisit
QuillBot
Free + Paid
Paraphrase, summarise and check grammar in one writing toolkit.
AI WritingVisit

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Questions about AI tools

What is the AltFTool AI tools directory?

It is a hand-picked list of 132 AI tools in 16 categories, from chatbots and writing assistants to image, video, music and coding tools. Each listing explains what the tool does, who it suits and whether it has a free plan, in our own words.

How are the tools ranked?

Rankings are editorial. Our team scores each tool on how useful it is, how mature it is and how much you get on the free plan. We do not publish made-up visit counts or star ratings, and listings are not paid for.