25 Best Free AI Tools You Should Try in 2026

Introduction

AI tools don't have to break the bank. Many powerful options are completely free or offer generous free tiers. Here are 25 AI tools you can start using today without spending a dime.

Writing & Content

1. ChatGPT (Free Tier)

OpenAI's chatbot offers powerful writing assistance for free. Great for brainstorming, drafting, and editing.

2. Claude (Free Tier)

Anthropic's AI assistant with excellent reasoning capabilities. Perfect for analysis and nuanced writing.

3. Grammarly (Free Tier)

AI-powered grammar and spell checking. Essential for anyone who writes.

Image Generation

4. Stable Diffusion

Open-source image generation. Run it locally for unlimited free images.

5. Leonardo.ai (Free Tier)

150 free tokens daily for AI image generation. Great for game assets.

6. Craiyon

Completely free AI image generation. Fun and accessible for everyone.

Coding

7. Codeium

Free AI code completion that rivals GitHub Copilot. Supports 70+ languages.

8. Replit (Free Tier)

Browser-based IDE with AI assistance. Perfect for learning and prototyping.

9. Phind

AI search engine for developers. Get coding answers instantly.

Productivity

10. Notion AI (Free Trial)

AI writing assistant built into Notion.

11. Otter.ai (Free Tier)

600 minutes of free transcription per month.

Research

12. Perplexity (Free Tier)

AI search engine with citations. Great for research.

13. Consensus

Search through scientific papers with AI summaries.

14. Semantic Scholar

AI-powered research paper discovery.

Design

15. Canva AI (Free Tier)

AI-powered design features in Canva's free plan.

16. Remove.bg

Free background removal powered by AI.

17. Khroma

AI color palette generator that learns your preferences.

Audio

18. Murf.ai (Free Tier)

AI voice generation with limited free credits.

19. LALAL.AI (Free Tier)

Vocal and music separation.

Video

20. Kapwing (Free Tier)

AI video editing with auto-subtitles.

Other Useful Tools

21. Socratic by Google

Free AI homework help for students.

22. Research Rabbit

Free research paper discovery.

23. Explainpaper

Get explanations for confusing research papers.

24. Cleanup.pictures

Free AI-powered image cleanup.

25. Blackbox AI

Free code extraction and chat.

Conclusion

You don't need a big budget to leverage AI. Start with these free tools and upgrade only when you hit their limits. Many professionals use a combination of free tiers from different tools to get everything they need without paying anything.