Practical AI Tools β User Guide
Why get to know AI tools?
AI tools are now accessible to everyone. They can save you time, help with creativity, and solve problems that once required experts.
Here are the most popular tools and how to use them:
π¬ Smart chatbots
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
π chatgpt.com
The tool that started the revolution in November 2022. As of September 2026 ChatGPT is powered by the GPT-5.6 family (Luna for free users, Sol for subscribers) and by GPT-6 Astra β the new flagship, rolling out to paid plans since 3 September 2026. It handles natural conversation, answers complex questions, and performs a huge range of tasks.
What you can do:
- Writing: Emails, articles, stories, scripts, social posts
- Learning: Explanations on any topic, from math to philosophy
- Coding: Write code, debug, explain existing code
- Translation: Translate between dozens of languages with context
- Analysis: Summarize documents, analyze data, extract insights
- Creativity: Ideas, brainstorming, problem-solving
π° Pricing:
- Free: Unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna; uploads, image creation, voice and deep research are limited
- Go / Plus / Pro: Go ~$8/month (higher limits), Plus ~$20/month (GPT-6 Astra and GPT-5.6 reasoning models), Pro ~$100 or $200/month (5x or 20x usage, incl. GPT-6 Astra Pro)
- Business (~$25/user/month, or $20 billed annually): Advanced models, integrations (Slack, Google Drive, GitHub) and security for organizations
- Enterprise: Custom pricing, full security and dedicated support
- Be specific: "Write a professional 3-paragraph email to a supplier who is late, firm but respectful tone"
- Give context: "I'm a 5th grade teacher, explain X at an appropriate level"
- Ask for options: "Give me 5 possible headlines"
- Iterate: "Shorter", "Less formal", "Add an example"
Claude (Anthropic)
π claude.ai
Claude is developed by Anthropic, founded by ex-OpenAI staff. It focuses on safety and reliability, and excels at long-document analysis, quality writing, and complex reasoning. As of September 2026 the public flagship is Claude Fable 5.1 (September 2026), alongside Claude Opus 5 (July 2026) and Claude Sonnet 5, the default model. On paid plans the context window reaches 1M tokens, with extended thinking and particular strength in code, agents, and automation.
Unique strengths:
- Huge context: Up to 1M tokens on paid plans (200,000 on older models) β several whole books or thousands of pages
- Document analysis: Upload PDFs, code files, and docs for analysis
- Accuracy: Fewer "hallucinations" β tends to say when it doesn't know
- Writing: Natural, flowing style, great for long-form content
- Code: Strong programming with detailed explanations
π° Pricing:
- Free: Access to Sonnet 5 and Haiku 4.5, with usage limits that reset every 5 hours
- Claude Pro (~$20/month, or $17 billed annually): Opus 5 and Sonnet 5, higher usage, Claude Code; Fable 5.1 via usage credits. (Claude does not generate images β only diagrams and charts)
- Max / Team / Enterprise: Max ~$100 or $200/month (5x or 20x Pro usage, Opus 5 by default); Team and Enterprise for organizations β higher quotas, admin and security
Google Gemini
π gemini.google.com
Gemini is Google's chatbot and platform. Its big advantage is integration with Google products (Gmail, Docs, Drive) and access to up-to-date information from the web. As of September 2026 the app runs the Gemini 3 family β Gemini 3.8 Flash (September 2026) for subscribers and Gemini 3.1 Pro β and Google offers Google AI Plus, Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra (from ~$100/month) with Veo 3.1 and Gemini Omni for video, an enhanced Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM), and more.
Unique strengths:
- Live info: Real-time Google Search results
- Google integration: Works with Gmail, Docs, Drive, Maps
- Multimodal: Understands images, text, and code
- Free tier: Strong free version
- Add-ons: Connect to external services
π° Pricing:
- Free: Gemini 3.6 Flash and varying access to Gemini 3.1 Pro; usage limits reset every few hours
- Google AI Plus / Pro: Plus ~$4.99/month (2x free limits); Pro ~$19.99/month β Gemini 3.8 Flash, 1M-token context, enhanced Gemini Notebook, 5TB storage, integrations
- Google AI Ultra (~$99.99 or $199.99/month): Deep Think, Veo 3.1, 10K or 25K Google Flow credits, storage from 20TB, YouTube Premium, and more
Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM, Google)
π notebook.google.com
A Google tool (called NotebookLM until July 2026) that builds a personal AI assistant from the documents, PDFs, and sources you upload. Great for research, exam prep, summarizing papers, and asking questions about your material.
Strengths:
- Your sources: Upload files and build one "notebook"
- Q&A: Ask questions over all material in the notebook
- Summaries and content: Create summaries, study guides, and more
- Audio: Turn the notebook into a "podcast" to listen to
Google Gems
π gemini.google.com (Gems inside Gemini)
Gems are custom AI assistants inside Gemini. Google and developers create Gems for specific topics β writing, code, translation, nutrition, interview prep, and more. You can also create your own Gem from a custom prompt.
Examples:
- Ready-made Gems: Writing helper, coder, math tutor, translator, and more
- Custom Gem: Set behavior and context and work with one fixed personal assistant
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft's assistant is built into Windows, Office, and Edge, and in paid plans uses advanced models too. Free chat and image creation with web search (Bing).
Unique strengths:
- Free: Smart assistant with search and Office integration
- Office: In Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- Image creation: Microsoft's MAI-Image model built in for free
- Search: Connected to Bing for current results
π¨ Image generation
ChatGPT Images (formerly DALL-E 3, OpenAI)
π chatgpt.com (in ChatGPT, free tier included) | Copilot (free alternative, with Microsoft's MAI-Image model)
OpenAI's image generator inside ChatGPT. Since 8 September 2026 the current version is ChatGPT Images 2.5, which replaced DALL-E 3, retired in 2026. It understands complex prompts, creates images with correct text, and lets you edit the image as the chat continues.
Strengths:
- Understands detailed, complex descriptions
- Text in images: signs and readable titles
- Integrated with ChatGPT for prompt refinement
- Styles: photo, painting, 3D, illustration, and more
π° Pricing:
- Free: In free ChatGPT (limited, slower image creation)
- ChatGPT Plus/Pro: Image creation in chat β unlimited and faster on Pro
Midjourney
π midjourney.com
Beloved by designers and artists. Midjourney produces high-quality artistic images with a unique aesthetic. Works mainly on the midjourney.com website (Discord is optional); V8.2 is the default model since July 2026.
π° Pricing:
- Basic ($10/mo): ~3.3 fast GPU hours
- Standard ($30/mo): 15 fast hours + unlimited Relax
- Pro ($60/mo) / Mega ($120/mo): 30 / 60 fast hours, unlimited Relax, Stealth mode
Leonardo.AI
π leonardo.ai
Powerful platform with a generous free tier (150 fast tokens per day; paid plans from ~$12/month). Great for game assets, fantasy art, and consistent character images.
Canva AI
π canva.com
Canva now includes built-in AI: image generation, one-click background removal, image expand, and automatic presentation design.
Adobe Firefly
π firefly.adobe.com
Adobe's image tool. Trained only on licensed content, so outputs are safe for commercial use. The current model is Firefly Image 5 (2026), alongside partner models such as GPT Image, Nano Banana and Veo; plans from $9.99/month (2,000 credits).
βοΈ Writing and editing
Grammarly
π grammarly.com
Leading tool for English writing. Checks grammar, spelling, punctuation, style, and clarity β suggests fixes in real time. With AI agents it can rewrite and improve tone. (Since October 2025 the company is called Superhuman, and Grammarly is one of its products.)
π° Pricing:
- Free: Basic checks + 100 AI prompts/month
- Pro (~$12/mo billed annually): Full features + AI agents
Notion AI
π notion.so
Notion has built-in AI to write, summarize, translate, and answer questions from your docs. Notion AI is included in the Business plan (~$20/user/month billed annually); Free and Plus get a limited trial.
Hemingway Editor
π hemingwayapp.com
Improves clarity: flags overly complex sentences, passive voice, and excess adjectives.
QuillBot
π quillbot.com
Paraphrasing tool. Rewrite in different styles, avoid plagiarism, vary language.
π₯ Video and audio
ElevenLabs
π elevenlabs.io
Leading text-to-speech. Voices sound very human, with emotion and intonation. Clone existing voices or create new ones. The Eleven v3 model supports 70+ languages including Hebrew.
Runway
π runway.com
AI video editing: Gen-4.5 text-to-video, green screen removal, inpainting, slow motion, and more. Used in Hollywood productions.
Descript
π descript.com
Edit audio and video by editing the transcript. Delete a word in the text β itβs removed from the recording. Great for podcasts and YouTube.
Suno
π suno.com
Create music with AI. Describe a song or add lyrics β get a full track with vocals and production. Free tier: 50 credits per day (about 10 songs); the current model is v6 (September 2026).
HeyGen
π heygen.com
Create videos with a talking AI avatar. Pick a character, write script β the avatar speaks naturally. Great for training and marketing.
β‘ Productivity
Perplexity AI
π perplexity.ai
Smart search that gives summarized answers with sources instead of a list of links. Like asking an expert who read the whole internet. Free tier is generous; Pro (~$20/month) adds GPT-5.6, Claude Sonnet 5, Gemini, and more; Max (~$200/month) adds GPT-5.6 Sol and Claude Opus 5.
Otter.ai
π otter.ai
Auto-transcribes meetings (Zoom/Teams/Meet), live transcript, speaker ID, and automatic summary with action items.
Gamma
π gamma.app
Create professional presentations with AI. Enter a topic or upload a doc β Gamma generates a designed deck with content and images.
Zapier + AI
π zapier.com
Automate tasks between apps (Gmail, Slack, Notion, Sheets, and thousands more) and add AI to the workflow.
n8n
π n8n.io
Open-source workflow automation platform. Connects apps, APIs, and AI tools β similar to Zapier, but you can self-host or use n8n Cloud.
Highlights:
- Open source: Full control, run on your own infrastructure
- Hundreds of integrations: Gmail, Slack, Notion, OpenAI, Claude, Google Sheets, and more
- AI nodes: Connect ChatGPT, Claude, and other models
- Visual editor: Build workflows without code, with optional custom JavaScript
π° Pricing:
- Free (self-hosted): No license cost when you run it yourself
- n8n Cloud: Paid plans for managed hosting
Superhuman
π superhuman.com
Email client with AI: fast replies, thread summaries, smart reminders. The company Superhuman now also owns Grammarly.
Mem.ai
π mem.ai
Notes app with AI that organizes your knowledge. Ask questions about your notes and get answers from what you wrote.
Reclaim.ai
π reclaim.ai
Smart calendar (part of Dropbox since 2024). AI schedules meetings, focus time, breaks, and tasks β and adjusts when things change.
π Tips for better use
1. Be specific
Instead of "help me write" β "Write a short 3-paragraph email to a supplier who is late with delivery, professional but firm tone."
2. Give context
Tell the AI who you are, who the text is for, and what the goal is.
3. Ask for examples
If unsure, ask for several options and pick the best.
4. Refine
If the answer isnβt perfect, say "shorter", "less formal", "add an example".
- AI can make mistakes β always verify important information
- Donβt share sensitive or personal data
- Copyright on AI-generated content is still legally unclear
Summary β where to start? π
- Chat and general help: ChatGPT or Claude
- Images: Canva (beginners) or Midjourney (advanced)
- Research and search: Perplexity
- English writing: Grammarly
- Meeting notes: Otter.ai
π Test yourself
Answer 10 questions to check your understanding of AI tools.