Yes, you can do a lot with AI tools without paying. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot all have free plans for chat, and there are free options for images, video, voice, music, coding and meeting notes too. Free plans always have limits, so this list says exactly what each one includes, based on the official sites.
Quick comparison of free AI tools
| Tool | Best for | What the free plan gives you |
|---|
| ChatGPT | General chat | Text chats, limited uploads, images, voice and deep research |
| Claude | Writing and analysis | Chat, web search, file creation, memory, Artifacts |
| Gemini | Google users | Chat, image generation, Deep Research, Gemini Live |
| Microsoft Copilot | Everyday questions | Answers, web research, image creation |
| Perplexity | Search with sources | Basic searches, a very limited number of Pro searches |
| NotebookLM | Studying your own documents | 100 notebooks, 50 sources each |
| Leonardo AI | Images | 150 fast tokens per day |
| Adobe Firefly | Images and video | Free daily generations |
| Runway | Video | 125 one-time credits |
| Grammarly | Writing checks | Grammar fixes, 100 AI prompts a month |
| GitHub Copilot | Coding | 2,000 completions, 50 chat requests |
| ElevenLabs | Voice | 10k credits a month |
| Suno | Music | 50 credits a day, no commercial rights |
| Otter | Meeting notes | 300 minutes a month |
Free AI chatbots and assistants
ChatGPT is OpenAI's chatbot. It suits people who want one assistant for questions, writing, study help and brainstorming.
Free plan: OpenAI's pricing page lists unlimited text chats, subject to abuse guardrails. It also lists limited uploads, image creation, voice chats, deep research and memory. Paid: ChatGPT Plus costs $20 per month. A Go plan sits between Free and Plus, and OpenAI says it may include ads.
Claude is Anthropic's assistant. It suits writing, document analysis and general questions.
Free plan: $0. It includes chat on web, desktop and mobile, web search, file creation, code execution, memory across conversations, connections to your apps and tools, Artifacts, and Claude Design, Slides and Docs. Paid: Pro is $17 per month with the annual discount ($200 billed up front) or $20 if billed monthly. Max starts at $100 per month.
Gemini is Google's assistant. It suits people who already live in Gmail, Drive and Google Photos.
Free plan: $0 per month with a Google Account. Google lists access to the Flash-Lite model, image generation and editing, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas and Gems, limited Google Flow access, and 15 GB of storage across Gmail, Drive and Photos. Paid: Google AI Plus is $4.99 per month and Google AI Pro is $19.99 per month. Ultra starts at $99.99 per month.
Copilot is Microsoft's assistant. It suits everyday questions, quick research and image creation, and it also runs inside Edge.
Free plan: Microsoft calls it a free baseline experience. It covers direct answers, web research with summaries and sources, brainstorming, translation, writing help and image creation, on the web, in the mobile and desktop apps, and in Edge. Paid: the paid option is Microsoft 365 Premium, which adds higher usage limits and Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. We have not quoted its price because we could not confirm it on the page we checked.
Perplexity is an AI search tool that shows sources next to its answers. It suits quick research.
Free plan: Perplexity's help centre lists practically unlimited basic searches, a very limited number of Pro searches, automatic model selection and limited basic file uploads. It does not include advanced AI models or image generation. Paid: Perplexity Pro and Max exist, but the help page did not show their prices, so we have left them out.
NotebookLM is a Google tool where you add your own sources, such as documents, and ask questions about them. It suits students and anyone who has to read a lot. Google's help page also refers to it as Gemini Notebook.
Free plan: the free Standard plan allows 100 notebooks per user and 50 sources per notebook. Paid Plus, Pro and Ultra plans raise those limits, for example Pro allows 500 notebooks and 300 sources per notebook. Google's page says limits are subject to change and does not show prices.
Free AI image and video tools
Leonardo is a generative AI platform for images, art and video. It suits designers and hobbyists.
Free plan: $0 per month with 150 fast tokens per day. Free creations are public, and private generations are not included. Paid: Essential is $12 per month, Premium $30 and Ultimate $60, shown excluding tax. Leonardo also offers a yearly option with up to 20% off.
Firefly is Adobe's generative tool for images, video and audio. It suits people who already use Adobe apps.
Free plan: Adobe says you do not need a plan to get free daily generations across image, video and audio, and that limits refresh every day. Paid: Standard, Pro, Pro Plus and Premium plans exist. Prices differ by country, so check Adobe's plans page for your region.
Runway is a workspace for generating and editing video, images and audio. It suits creators who want to try AI video before paying.
Free plan: $0 per month with 125 one-time credits that do not expire, a selection of generative models and 5GB of asset storage. The credits are a one-time deposit, not a monthly allowance. Paid: Standard is $15 per month, or $12 per month billed annually. Pro is $35 per month, or $28 billed annually.
Free writing, coding, audio and meeting tools
Grammarly checks spelling, grammar and tone as you write. It suits students and office workers.
Free plan: $0 per month. It includes spelling and grammar correction, tone visibility and 100 AI text-generation prompts per month. A paid Pro plan exists, but the price shown on the page was unclear, so we have not quoted it.
GitHub Copilot suggests code inside your editor. It suits developers and students learning to code.
Free plan: $0. GitHub's FAQ says Free users are limited to 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests (including Copilot Edits). Paid: Pro is $10 per month, Pro+ is $39 per month and Max is $100 per month.
ElevenLabs turns text into realistic speech and also makes sound effects and music. It suits video makers, podcasters and anyone who wants voiceovers.
Free plan: $0 per month with 10k credits per month. It includes Text to Speech, Speech to Text, Sound Effects, Voice Design, Music and Image, plus 3 projects in Studio. The commercial licence is not listed for Free; it appears as an addition on the Starter plan. Paid: Starter is $6 per month.
Suno writes songs from a text prompt. It suits hobby musicians and content creators.
Free plan: $0 per month with 50 credits per day. The page states "No commercial rights" for Free, so do not use free songs in paid work. Paid: Pro is $8 per month and Premier is $24 per month (monthly view).
Otter records and transcribes meetings. It suits people who attend a lot of calls.
Free plan: the Basic plan is free. It allows up to 300 minutes per month of transcription, a maximum of 30 minutes per conversation, up to 3 imported audio or video files over the life of the account, and one concurrent meeting. Paid Pro and Business plans exist, but the prices on the page we checked were mixed with regional offers, so we have not quoted them.
How we chose
We picked well-known tools that have a free plan. Every plan name, price and limit above was checked against each tool's official website on 20 October 2026. If we could not confirm a detail on the official site, we left it out. Free plans change often, so check the linked official page before you rely on a limit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free AI tool?
It depends on the job. For general questions, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot all have free plans worth trying. For studying your own documents, NotebookLM is a good fit. For coding, GitHub Copilot Free is aimed at developers.
Are free AI tools really free?
Yes, but with limits. The limits might be a daily credit allowance (Leonardo, Suno), a monthly allowance (ElevenLabs, Otter) or a one-time pot of credits (Runway). Some free plans also exclude commercial use, as Suno's does.
Can I use free AI tools for business work?
Check each tool's terms. Suno's free plan says "No commercial rights", and ElevenLabs does not list a commercial licence on Free. Other tools may have different rules, so read the terms before publishing anything for a client.
Is ChatGPT free?
Yes. OpenAI's pricing page lists a Free plan with unlimited text chats, subject to abuse guardrails, plus limited uploads, image creation, voice chats and deep research. Plus costs $20 per month.
Which free AI tool can make images?
Several can. Gemini and Microsoft Copilot include image generation or creation on their free plans. Leonardo AI and Adobe Firefly are dedicated image tools with free daily allowances.
Do I need a credit card for a free plan?
The official pages we checked did not say either way, so we cannot confirm it. Check the sign-up screen of the tool you want.
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