If you work with AI tools every day like I do, you probably know this already: that most of them sound better on the landing page than they perform in real life.
So instead of repackaging PR blurbs and feature checklists, I decided to actually try them.
The best AI tools of 2025 in full:
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Pawan is a tech writer at TechRadar Pro, where he covers AI tools advancements, product reviews, how-to guides, and more. He's been following the AI space closely for over five years, ever since the early days of GPT-2, giving him a solid perspective on how these tools have evolved. Alongside writing, he helps with editorial work to keep content updated and useful. Outside of work, you'll find him playing basketball or heading off on solo trips.
Best AI chatbots
1. Chat GPT
- What is it: A fast, multimodal AI assistant from OpenAI that can understand and respond using text, images, audio, and even video.
- Ideal for: Anyone who needs a flexible AI to help with writing, research, coding, image generation, file analysis, or even live conversations.
I’ve used ChatGPT for everything from writing blog drafts to debugging code and summarizing PDFs, and honestly, it’s only getting better. The newest version, GPT-4o, is seriously fast and can now handle not just text but also images, audio, and videos (with Sora). It’s like having a researcher, writer, translator, and creative partner all in one tab.
The voice capabilities of ChatGPT are only getting better with each passing day. You can have real-time conversations with ChatGPT using natural speech, and it actually responds with tone, pauses, and emotion. If you’ve used earlier versions, the leap in responsiveness and clarity is obvious.
✅You want an AI that can handle many tasks in one place: ChatGPT is great for writing, research, brainstorming, and file analysis without needing separate apps.
✅You value customization and memory: With saved instructions and session memory, it gets better the more you use it.
✅You need fast, natural-sounding voice interactions: GPT-4o’s voice mode feels surprisingly human, ideal for hands-free workflows or accessibility use.
❌You rely on live, verifiable sources: While ChatGPT is improving, its browsing still isn’t as integrated or reliable as Google’s.
❌You want seamless collaboration with real-time documents: It doesn’t sync directly with tools like Docs, Sheets, or shared calendars.
❌You prefer a visually guided interface: Most interactions are still chat-based, and there’s no dashboard or modular layout for managing outputs.
Still, my favourite update this year from ChatGPT is how the o-series models (like o3 and o4-mini) are starting to behave like real agentic assistants. They can decide when to use tools like web search, file readers, or DALL·E image generation on their own.
If you use it regularly, you also get smart memory and deeper personalization. It remembers your preferences, writing style, and past interactions, which makes back-and-forth workflows much smoother over time.
I keep using it for more clarity and understanding, and it’s fabulous how it remembers my past inputs. Here, you can see how it tells me about my previous doctor visits and the related details.
ChatGPT’s free plan now includes access to GPT-4o with basic limits, which is more than enough for casual use. The ChatGPT Plus plan is $20/month, and it offers higher usage caps and faster access to new features (like image generation and longer memory). Team and Enterprise plans unlock more tools for collaborative and business use.
2. Google Gemini
- What is it: A multimodal AI chatbot by Google that works across text, images, code, and voice, with deep integration into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and more.
- Ideal for: People who use Google Workspace daily and want an AI that can help plan, write, organize, and multitask across their personal ecosystem.
Gemini has quietly become one of the smartest AI assistants out there, especially after the release of Gemini 2.5 Pro. I’ve used it to pull data from Sheets, draft emails from long threads, and even clean up messy trip itineraries in Docs. It feels like a real assistant that knows where everything is.
✅You’re already embedded in Google’s ecosystem: Gemini works best with access to your Gmail, Calendar, Docs, and other apps.
✅You want a multimodal AI for visual + voice tasks: Its power to analyze images, respond to voice, and interact with media is a major strength.
✅You care about fact-checking and accuracy: Gemini’s auto-verification with Search makes it better for tasks that require up-to-date, factual info.
❌You need a tool for freeform creativity: Gemini can feel stiff when writing fiction, dialogue, or creative copy.
❌You’re not comfortable sharing personal data: The AI’s personalization relies heavily on your Google activity and history.
❌You expect full control over the assistant’s behavior: Unlike ChatGPT, you can’t deeply customize tone, response style, or role behavior yet.
Gemini's native integration with Google products, like Gmail, Calendar, and Photos, is probably the biggest reason it’s a popular tool among the masses. You can ask it to summarize documents, draft replies, create tasks, and analyze photos. It also verifies answers with Google Search, which greatly reduces hallucinations.
That said, Gemini isn’t perfect. It’s incredible for structured tasks, but when I used it for open-ended brainstorming, it felt a bit flat compared to ChatGPT. Creativity and tone control still lag. Also, the personalization can be hit or miss, like it remembers your activity, but sometimes leans too heavily on past searches.
You can try Gemini for free, but Gemini Advanced ($20/month) gives you access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, 1M token context windows, and all the deep integrations. If you already live inside Google Workspace, it’s an easy upgrade.
3. Grok AI
- What is it: An AI chatbot by AI focused on advanced reasoning, real-time search, and productivity, built into X (formerly Twitter) and now available across platforms.
- Ideal for: Power users and developers who want deep reasoning, real-time search, and a flexible coding or document creation workspace.
I picked Grok AI over Claude and Perplexity because it’s evolving fast and is more than just a chatbot now. While Claude has a clean tone and Perplexity excels at retrieval, Grok 3 felt more capable when thinking through complex prompts, especially in math, logic, and scientific tasks. That alone made it worth exploring deeper.
✅You want an AI with advanced reasoning: Grok 3’s “Think” and “Big Brain” modes outperform most chatbots for logic-heavy, scientific, or technical tasks.
✅You’re a developer or power user: Grok Studio is great for perfect for coding, testing, and writing in one AI-assisted workspace.
✅You want real-time summaries from the web: Its DeeperSearch feature taps into live web and X (Twitter) content, making it ideal for staying current.
❌You prefer polished UX and structured output: Grok’s interface and tone still feel rough compared to Gemini or ChatGPT.
❌You’re not on X or don’t want to be: Full access requires an X Premium+ subscription, which may be a dealbreaker for those avoiding the platform.
❌You want advanced multimodal features now: While Grok has vision and voice features, they’re newer and not as refined or widely integrated yet.
It comes with a canvas where I can write and test code or work on documents with AI help in real time. It's perfect for tasks where you want the AI to assist without bouncing between tabs.
It also has a built-in Deep/Deeper Search tool that pulls live data from the web and X, which is pretty powerful when summarizing trending topics with context. But it does take some time. My query, “Why is gold value soaring?” took almost three minutes to process.
Not to forget, Grok’s UX can sometimes feel clunky, especially compared to Gemini or ChatGPT. Its tone occasionally leans too casual or offbeat. And while vision and memory features are improving, they’re not as refined just yet.
Grok is free on X, but the SuperGrok subscription provides full access, including Grok 3, Studio, Vision, and multilingual voice support. If you're technical or already active on X, it’s surprisingly powerful.
Best AI website builders
1. Wix
- What is it: Wix is one of the best website builder platforms that uses AI to generate complete site layouts, content blocks, and branding elements.
- Ideal for: Solo creators, freelancers, and small businesses who want a professional-looking site without hiring a developer.
Wix is one of the most established website builders out there, and its AI integrations make the setup process even faster. You just describe the kind of site you want, like business, portfolio, online store, and Wix creates a draft with layout, copy, images, and even a logo if you need it.
While testing, its AI builder took only a few prompts and quickly generated a full website draft, complete with layout, text sections, colors, and a basic logo. The results really came down to how well I described the site’s purpose and style. That means if your prompts are clear, the AI builder delivers something surprisingly useful.
✅ You want a working site in minutes: Wix AI delivers full-page layouts and content within a few prompts.
✅ You prefer editing with visuals, not code: The drag-and-drop interface gives you full design flexibility.
✅ You want built-in tools beyond design: From payments to SEO to client bookings, Wix includes essential features for your online store and more.
❌You want total creative control from the start: The AI template might feel too structured for pixel-perfect custom design.
❌You need backend access or custom apps: Wix isn’t built for advanced logic or server-side development.
Importantly, the first draft came together pretty quickly, with relevant text sections and smart layout decisions I could immediately tweak. I then used the AI Text Generator to rewrite my homepage bio and dragged in a new image section, which the AI resized automatically. But if you don’t like any of it, you can simply start over with a fresh layout instantly.
Now, even though the initial layout setup took a moment, editing everything after that was simple. I renamed pages, swapped in new images, and adjusted sections without needing any design software.
Outside the editor, Wix covers most of what you’d need to run a website, like payments, bookings, email marketing, SEO tools, and even basics like logo creation and color presets. I like how it’s all built in, so you’re not constantly jumping between different apps just to get set up.
2. Hostinger
- What is it: Hostinger is one of the best web hosting and website builder providers. It offers AI-generated sites, performance hosting, and beginner-friendly design features.
- Ideal for: Beginners and solo creators who want a fast, affordable, and clean website without coding.
Hostinger’s AI website builder takes a refreshingly minimal approach. You describe your idea in a few lines, like what the site is about, your preferred tone, color preferences, and the AI instantly turns that into a fully structured website. Layouts come prefilled with relevant text, images, and pages, often ready in under a minute. It’s built for speed but leaves room for control, especially when you need to refine the details of the site.
Once the demo site was ready, I used its drag-and-drop editor to tweak the layout. Moving sections, changing colors, swapping images, and adjusting fonts felt easy to manage. There were 14 core elements to work with, including contact forms, image galleries, adding social icons, and a library of prebuilt sections for things like policies or service blocks. In my opinion, it wasn’t overly flexible, but it offered enough control to get the site looking close to what I had in mind without much extra effort.
✅ You want a website instantly from a sentence: Hostinger generates usable layouts and content in under a minute.
✅ You’re new to web design: No-code editor, auto backups, and mobile editing make the platform beginner-friendly.
✅ You want extra AI tools bundled in: From SEO and blog writing to logos and product pages, Hostinger includes an entire toolkit.
❌ You need a very niche or complex layout: The first AI version may feel too basic unless your prompt is specific.
❌ You want long-term pricing consistency: Renewal costs rise significantly after the initial term.
Honestly, Hostinger has a versatile ecosystem of AI tools. You get an AI writer, blog generator, SEO assistant, logo maker, and even a heatmap tool that predicts what people will click on.
For online stores, it helps generate product descriptions and email campaigns. The toolkit even includes a page generator that builds new layouts from a single sentence.
Here, some pages may feel a bit generic if your input is vague, and you’ll still need to do some editing, but overall, Hostinger strikes a smart balance between automation and manual control. It’s fast, friendly, and a great pick for anyone starting from zero.
3. GoDaddy
- What is it: GoDaddy is a business-first website platform that combines AI site building, e-commerce, and branded marketing tools.
- Ideal for: Entrepreneurs and small business owners who want built-in tools for branding and sales.
GoDaddy is best known as a domain provider for years, but it now offers a full-blown website builder that helps small businesses go from buying a domain to launching a complete site instantly.
Its AI-powered website builder is equally good and a great starting point for a non-technical person. Under this, you just answer a few questions about your business and what you're trying to do. It then builds a complete website tailored to your category, whether it's photography, wellness, real estate, or something else.
And since the layout comes with ready-made sections and prefilled text, you don’t have to build webpages manually. It works well for local businesses or solo projects that need something clean and functional without getting stuck in design details.
✅ You want a business site that markets itself: From captions to logos and emails, GoDaddy’s AI helps drive engagement.
✅ You’re starting from scratch: Templates, themes, and automatic layout blocks guide you step by step.
❌ You want advanced design freedom: Customization is there, but more limited compared to open-ended builders.
The editor strikes a balance between AI support and hands-on control. You can experiment with new themes, switch colors, tweak fonts, and reposition layout blocks. There’s also an AI logo maker and “Create with AI” section that lets you generate everything from logos to social posts and captions. Even if you need a “book now” button or gallery, simply describe what you need, and GoDaddy adds it automatically.
GoDaddy puts just as much focus on marketing as it does on site design. You can generate social captions with AI, track email performance, and drop in eCommerce features like PayPal buttons without much setup. The platform also offer one of the best free website builder plans, allowing you to accept payments. Plus, the social tools feel built-in rather than bolted on, with things like Google Photos access and quick caption prompts that actually make posting easier.
While the single-page limit on the free plan might feel restrictive, it’s a great starting point. GoDaddy also provides 24/7 support with an AI help assistant, which makes it super easy to get answers on the fly.
Best AI image generators
1. Google Imagen
- What is it: A text-to-image generator by Google that produces highly detailed, fast-rendering images across a wide range of styles and languages.
- Ideal for: Designers, marketers, and creative teams who want photorealistic or stylized visuals with precise control over prompts and edits.
When it comes to image quality and prompt accuracy, Google Imagen 3 is one of the strongest models I’ve tested. I picked it over tools like Midjourney or DALL·E for two things: control and speed. Imagen gets the little things right, be it the textures, color gradients, and most importantly, prompt comprehension.
✅You want extremely high-quality visuals from detailed prompts: Imagen 3’s precision and realism are top-tier.
✅You work in multiple languages or need fast iteration: It's efficient, multilingual, and great for creative prototyping.
✅You want flexible image editing: Its step-by-step editing system saves time and frustration during revision.
❌You need full creative freedom without restrictions: Access is gated, and public availability is still catching up.
❌You want stylized, experimental results: other tools like Midjourney or Runway often deliver more artistic unpredictability.
I gave it a prompt to "Create an image of a mouse teaching rocket science to a class full of humans," and the result was pretty accurate. But as I’m someone who never feels satisfied with an AI’s first response, I decided to make it more lifelike.
The prompt was “make it more realistic,” and the result is below.
This is exactly where it truly stands out, i.e., refining the images even better. You can edit elements step by step, which speeds up creative workflows massively. It’s also noticeably fast, around 40% quicker than its previous version and supports multi-language prompts, which are super useful when testing in non-English scenarios.
The realism is impressive, though it leans more toward clean, polished outputs than artistic styles. It’s not for pixel-level control or style blending like Midjourney, but for fast, good-looking visuals within a familiar setup, it nails the job.
2. ChatGPT 4o Images
- What is it: A multimodal AI model by OpenAI that can generate, understand, and refine images based on natural language prompts, built into the broader ChatGPT 4o experience.
- Ideal for: Creators and marketers who want to generate high-quality, stylized images while staying inside a flexible AI assistant that also handles writing, code, audio, and more.
You probably don’t think of ChatGPT as an image generator but you should now. With the rollout of GPT-4o, OpenAI quietly upgraded its DALL·E 3 integration, and it’s surprisingly capable. I’ve been using it when I want visuals that tie directly into the text I’m working on, whether it’s for a pitch deck, a social post, or just testing visual concepts while writing copy.
The big win here is context. Let’s say you’re working on a product idea. You can describe the branding, voice, and features, and then say, “Now create a realistic product shot based on everything we’ve discussed”.
✅You want an AI that can generate and refine images in context, especially alongside your writing or research.
✅You value ease of iteration: Edits like “make it sunset” or “add more trees” are just a prompt away.
✅You’re already using ChatGPT for content and want light design tools built in.
❌You want cinematic or surreal results: Other tools like Midjourney still outperform it in artistic complexity.
❌You don’t plan to pay: image generation is locked behind the ChatGPT Plus paywall if you want a lot of images at once.
And it actually does it, pulling context from the conversation so far. That kind of continuity is hard to beat.
It’s also now easier to refine images using natural language. You can click “Edit” on a generated image and just describe the changes like “make it night-time” or “add a streetlamp in the background.” This makes iterative creation feel more like a conversation than a design tool.
That said, output quality still leans clean and literal. It’s not as visually wild as Runway. Also, you can’t adjust parameters like aspect ratio or style weight yet, which limits granular control.
You can use image generation features in ChatGPT for free. However, you can only generate 2-3 images. To get more, subscribe to ChatGPT’s Plus plan for $20/ month.
3. Adobe Firelfy
- What is it: Adobe’s AI-powered image generator designed for commercial use, with deep integration across Photoshop, Illustrator, and other Creative Cloud tools.
- Ideal for: Designers, agencies, and content teams who need AI-generated visuals that are safe for commercial use and easy to edit inside Adobe apps.
Adobe Firefly isn’t the flashiest image generator but it’s hands-down the most practical for professional creatives. I use it when I need visuals that won’t raise legal eyebrows or when I want a smoother pipeline into tools like Photoshop or Express. Everything you generate is trained on licensed and rights-cleared content, so it’s built from the ground up with commercial usage in mind.
✅ You want AI visuals that are safe for commercial use: No copyright gray areas.
✅ You already use Photoshop or Illustrator and want AI to speed up mockups or edits.
✅ You care about editable layers and tight integration with your design workflow.
❌ You’re looking for highly stylized or abstract art: Firefly sticks to safe, polished outputs.
❌ You don’t use Creative Cloud tools: Standalone use feels limited by comparison.
❌ You want unlimited generation for free: Credits run out fast on the free plan.
The real magic happens after generation. You can push Firefly outputs straight into Photoshop and tweak layers, masks, or elements without needing to start from scratch. If you’ve ever tried editing a Midjourney image in Photoshop, you’ll know how big of a time-saver this is.
I especially like the Generative Fill tool. You can erase part of a photo and tell Firefly what to replace it with, something like “add clouds here” or “replace this background with an office,” and it fits in perfectly. It’s clean, quick, and feels native to the editing experience.
Where it lags a bit is imagination. Firefly tends to stay within safe, brand-friendly boundaries. Don’t expect surreal lighting or stylized chaos here as it’s built for clean outputs, not experimental art.
Firefly is available for free with limited credits, but to unlock faster rendering and full resolution downloads, you’ll need a Creative Cloud plan, which starts at $19.99/month for individuals.
Best AI virtual assistants
1. Apple Siri
- What is it: Siri is Apple’s built-in voice assistant, now powered by Apple Intelligence, which delivers smarter, more contextual help across iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches.
- Ideal for: Apple users who want voice-driven assistance for everyday tasks, smart control, and system-wide context.
Ever since Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone, Apple has set the standard for tech innovation. So it’s no surprise that the launch of Apple Intelligence is turning heads.
Whether it’s powering the latest iPhones, Macs, or even the ever-familiar voice assistant Siri, Apple is aiming to make everyday tasks feel effortless with intelligence that’s context-aware, private, and seamlessly baked into your devices.
Clearly, Siri has moved well beyond timers and quick texts now. With the arrival of Apple Intelligence, you can now think of Siri as a real assistant. For example, if you change your mind mid-way while giving a command like “Set an alarm. Wait, make that a 15-minute timer,” Siri will understand it instantly.
Last week, I asked it to send a file, and even without naming the app or saying the full contact name, it figured out exactly what I meant.
✅ You work within the Apple ecosystem: Siri works across your iPhone, iPad, Mac, HomePod, and Apple Watch without extra setup.
✅ You want privacy-first assistance: Most requests are processed on-device without leaving your hardware.
✅ You need native voice control for daily tasks: From messages to timers to smart home scenes, Siri handles it all.
❌ You use mostly non-Apple products: Siri’s strengths are deeply tied to Apple hardware and software.
❌ You rely on web-based productivity: It doesn’t match Google Assistant or ChatGPT for open-ended queries yet.
Moreover, Siri saw what was on the screen, understood the context, and handled the task without needing more input. This intuitiveness stays constant whether you’re sending a message, playing music, or finding directions; it just works.
Siri can connect to ChatGPT (with permission) to summarize documents, write creative pieces, or analyze photos, all without swiping screens or changing apps. You can ask it to explain system settings, draft an email, or pull up information from other apps, and it handles the request smoothly.
But I still see a lot of room for improvement here. Like, to test the most advanced features, having newer iPhones with iOS 18 or later is mandatory.
And while Siri works beautifully within Apple’s ecosystem, it’s less effective for tasks that require external web tools or extensive automation.
That being said, with Apple devices, Siri now feels like a built-in sidekick. It picks up on your habits and quietly gets better, all without giving up your privacy.
2. Google Assistant
- What is it: Google’s longtime voice-powered assistant for Android and smart devices, now transitioning to Gemini for more advanced, AI-driven help.
- Ideal for: Android users who want voice-based assistance for everyday tasks, real-time answers, and device-wide control.
Google Assistant works across phones, tablets, smart speakers, and even in-car systems, so it’s always within reach when you need it.
Whether you’re in the kitchen, driving, or just relaxing on the couch, you can use it to get things done without picking up your device.
During testing, I asked it to check the weather, play music on a speaker, and add smoothie ingredients to my list. Commands like “Call Dad” and “Remind me to drink water” responded instantly.
I even started a workout with Nike Run Club using just my voice. Notably, the Voice Match feature recognized who was speaking and kept responses personal on shared devices.
✅ You rely on Google apps daily: Assistant connects natively with Gmail, Calendar, Maps, and Android settings.
✅ You want effortless, real-time responses: Commands for reminders, timers, media, or location info are fast and hands-free.
❌ You don’t want to relearn your assistant later: With Gemini taking over, sticking with Assistant now might just delay the switch.
Now, Google is beginning to move away from Assistant and introduce Gemini, its next-generation virtual assistant powered by generative AI. This is a much smarter, more conversational experience that understands context better and works more seamlessly with apps. The transition is already underway on many new Android phones and will continue throughout the year.
Gemini builds on what Assistant already did well but adds a few new tricks. It can generate images, summarize documents, translate in real time, and offer more fluid conversations across devices.
You can still use Google Assistant on many devices, and it continues to handle everyday tasks and Google app integrations reliably.
But Gemini is where Google is heading. It brings more intelligence, flexibility, and awareness to your phone, home, and even your car.
3. Amazon Alexa
- What is it: Amazon’s voice assistant built into Echo devices and now evolving into Alexa Plus, a more conversational AI powered by generative technology.
- Ideal for: Smart home users and Amazon shoppers who want hands-free control, productivity features, and built-in entertainment across devices.
Alexa has grown from being a voice-controlled speaker into a full-fledged home assistant, and with the arrival of Alexa+, powered by generative AI, Alexa remembers more, responds with more personality, and handles tasks independently across apps and services.
On my Echo device, Alexa handles my reminders, helps me control smart lights with voice prompts, plays music, and even gives delivery updates without a hitch. With Alexa+, it feels more like talking to someone than giving commands.
Now, it can pick up on incomplete questions, remember preferences like dietary needs, and even follow through on multi-step tasks, like finding a plumber and booking a visit.
✅ You use Alexa for your smart home devices: Alexa+ improves everything from device control to alerts and media playback.
✅ You’re already a Prime member: Alexa+ is free for Prime users and available across Echo devices and mobile apps.
❌ You need AI for work or productivity workflows: Alexa+ is still more home- and lifestyle-focused than business-oriented.
Smart home control feels smoother now. I could move music or video across devices and get Ring alerts when a package arrived, all without picking up my phone.
You can upload photos, event flyers, or even study material, and Alexa+ can summarize them or turn them into To-Dos or flashcards. It remembers key dates, routines, and even personal notes like family recipes or gift ideas.
Alexa Plus is rolling out in phases, starting with Echo Show users, and is included free with a Prime membership.
If you just want the Alexa+ subscription, it costs $19.99/ month right now. It’s built for what Amazon calls ambient intelligence, something that’s always available, constantly learning, and ready to help whether you’re on a speaker, phone, or browser.
While the full rollout is still underway, Alexa Plus already feels like a smarter, more capable version of the original.
Best AI notes apps
1. Jaime
- What is it: An AI note-taker that records and summarizes meetings without using bots.
- Ideal for: Founders, managers, sales teams, or recruiters who need instant, structured summaries of meetings
AI note-taking tools handle tasks like reviewing meetings, creating summaries, or managing action items. Jamie does all of this automatically, so you can stay focused on the conversation.
I tested Jamie in both virtual and in-person meetings. The clean interface kept distractions away, with no bots, popups, or glitches interrupting the experience.
Just one click to “start meeting,” and Jamie ran in the background. In under ten minutes post-call, Jamie dropped a polished transcript with key takeaways and action items, all neatly tagged by the speaker.
✅ You want accurate meeting notes without bots: Jamie records privately in the background, no pop-ins or distractions.
✅ You need summaries and transcripts fast: You get the full output in 10 minutes with tasks, decisions, and speakers tagged.
✅ You care about privacy and compliance: Jamie is GDPR-compliant, and your data never gets used for AI training.
❌ You need live transcription: On the downside, Jamie only processes recordings after meetings end.
❌ You rely heavily on mobile: Jamie is currently desktop-only with no mobile app.
You’ll also find a built-in assistant. Simply hit Command+J and the AI will help you draft emails, search meeting history, or brainstorm ideas.
On a call with a Spanish-speaking client, Jamie handled both languages without any glitches or wrong understandings. I also added terms like “SDK rollout” to the custom word list, and they came through clearly in the summary. It helped keep the transcription accurate, even when the discussion got more technical.
There’s no real-time transcription or mobile app yet, and you’ll need to manually share notes or copy content into tools like Slack.
While there aren’t any major bugs, the exporting options are limited. Even some users on G2 have reported issues with older conversations or audio sync.
That said, the summaries themselves are reliable, bot-free, and feel especially useful if you value privacy or want a clean, distraction-free way to keep track of meetings.
2. Fireflies.ai
- What is it: An AI meeting assistant that joins calls, records conversations, and turns them into searchable transcripts and summaries.
- Ideal for: Teams that host regular meetings and want searchable records, auto-summaries, or integrations with CRM and project tools.
To see if it really works, I used Fireflies on a mix of team calls and one-on-ones. It handled speaker identification surprisingly well and got the meeting structure right almost every time.
When the call ended, the summary showed up in my inbox. It was neatly organized by topic with time-stamped highlights.
Fireflies automatically joins your Zoom, Meet, or Teams calls, records the conversation, and transcribes it with solid accuracy. No reminders or setup needed.
After the meeting, it delivers AI-generated summaries with action items, key highlights, and organized sections like “Pricing” or “Next Steps,” so you can skip the note-taking and stay focused.
✅ You want detailed, time-stamped meeting recaps: Fireflies breaks down calls into labeled sections with summaries, questions, and next steps.
✅ You use apps like Slack, Notion, or Salesforce: Fireflies has direct integrations with over 60 tools for easy sharing.
✅ You manage a global team: With support for 100+ languages and speaker ID, it’s built for multilingual meetings.
❌ You need complete accuracy out of the box: Some AI summaries need edits if the call includes crosstalk or poor audio.
❌ You’re only looking for mobile or in-person note capture: The mobile app exists, but it is more limited than the desktop experience.
The Fireflies Chrome extension is pretty useful for those who connect on Google Meet often. It adds a live transcript sidebar during your calls, so you can follow along in real time. And you don’t need to invite the bot, just join the meeting, and Fireflies will capture everything from your browser.
Fireflies’ AskFred made it easy for me to find what you needed. For example, when I asked “What did Alex say about onboarding?” and it pulled the exact response from the notes. This means you don’t need to scroll through the whole transcript for a simple answer.
If your team relies on tools like Slack, Notion, or Google Docs, Fireflies’ integrations are a real plus.
You can send notes to a shared Slack channel or clip soundbites into Notion to follow up later. Fireflies works quietly in the background, surfaces what matters, and saves you time after every call.
3. Notion AI
- What is it: An all-in-one AI assistant built into Notion for writing, research, task planning, and workspace queries.
- Ideal for: Notion power users, content teams, students, or managers who want AI help across notes, databases, and documents.
Part of Notion workspace, Notion’s AI helps you summarize, reformat, translate, brainstorm, and get answers from your notes without switching tools.
I used Notion to tidy up a messy project doc, pull action items from team sync notes, and turn revision material into a toggle-style quiz guide
Unlike regular AI notetakers, Notion is context-aware. Let’s say you have a transcript from a writing workshop you attended. You can ask Notion to summarize something like “The importance of search intent while writing a blog.” It doesn’t just search keywords. It scans the entire page, or even your whole workspace, to understand what matters. Then it delivers a clear, relevant answer.
You can even narrow that search to a specific doc, database, or tagged goal using @mentions. It also pulls content from connected tools like Google Drive or Slack and adds citations when needed.
✅ You already use Notion as your main workspace: Notion AI is built into the tools you’re already using, from notes to docs to calendars.
✅ You want an all-in-one AI assistant: It handles writing, editing, summarizing, translating, and even extracting data from other tools.
✅ You need workspace-level search: Ask it to find updates, draft pages, or summarize anything across your workspace.
❌ You don’t use Notion at all: It only works inside Notion, so it won’t help with external docs or tools unless integrated.
❌ You need a perfect structure every time: Some summaries or tables need edits to match your format or tone.
There’s also an AI Chat that works like a workspace-wide command center. It runs on GPT‑4 and Claude to help with prompts or planning. I asked for a 5K training schedule and got a full week-by-week plan with toggles.
If you're not sure where to begin, the Notion templates gallery is worth checking out. It comes with a bunch of pre-built layouts for everything from meeting notes and study planners to editorial calendars and startup CRMs. You can add a template, then ask AI to help you populate or personalize it instantly.
Some features still need polishing. The study tools often require manual edits, and summaries may lose detail unless you specify it to keep the original phrasing.
Best AI voice and music generators
1. ElevenLabs
- What is it: ElevenLabs is an AI voice generator that creates ultra-realistic speech with cloning, dubbing, and emotion controls.
- Ideal for: Creators who need expressive voiceovers, multilingual dubbing, or podcast-quality narration without hiring voice actors.
AI voice and music generators take written or recorded content and turn it into expressive, life-like audio, and ElevenLabs does this exceptionally well. There's an extensive voice library where you can find an ideal voice by tone, accent, and even popularity. You can preview different options and filter through them easily.
For those who want something particular, there’s the Voice Design tool. Just describe exactly what you're after, like a calm middle-aged woman with a soft Irish accent and a warm delivery, and ElevenLabs will give you three variations to choose from.
✅ You want life-like AI voiceovers: Voices sound human, not robotic.
✅ You need voice cloning or multilingual dubbing: Clone your voice or translate content across 29+ languages.
✅ You care about creative control: Tweak tone, emotion, pacing, pauses, and more.
❌ You only need basic narration: Simpler tools will work fine for flat text-to-speech.
❌ You're not producing regular content: The paid plans make more sense if you’re using them frequently.
Once you pick a voice, you can adjust the speed, change the pitch, and highlight style elements like pauses, tone, and emotion. Adding warmth when discussing community benefits and using slight pauses to emphasize key statistics can make content more engaging and impactful.
Plus, if you want your voice, or someone else's (with permission), there’s an Instant Voice Clone feature that builds a usable clone in under 30 seconds. But since it can be slightly inaccurate at times, I recommend using the Professional Clone feature instead, where you can upload 30+ minutes of studio-quality audio. Notably, even the cadence and nuance of my voice felt better while testing the latter.
Besides basics like Speech-to-Speech voice changing, noise removal, and sound effect generation (such as typing or car horns), ElevenLabs’ Studio makes editing pretty beginner-friendly.
It feels like having a full audio production suite right in your browser. You can add chapters, assign different voices, lock sections, regenerate small phrases, and format audiobooks or podcasts.
2. Suno AI
- What is it: Suno AI helps you create full songs, blending vocals, instruments, and structure from just a text prompt, preset, or audio input.
- Ideal for: Artists, producers, or hobbyists who want to generate, remix, or edit songs without needing music production skills.
Suno AI lets you experiment with genres, lyrics, melodies, and arrangements in minutes. From natural tone shifts to instrument layering to fine sound details, you can customize it all with this tool.
When I described wanting "uplifting nostalgic tones with melodic whistling," it translated those abstract concepts into actual musical elements. It felt a lot like working with GPT, where the better your prompts get, the more intuitive and creative the process becomes.
✅ You want to create original music without instruments: Just type a prompt, and Suno builds the track.
✅ You love genre-blending or creative experimentation: EDM-folk or emo-rap? Suno makes it sound intentional.
✅ You need editable songs and stems: Rearrange lyrics, extend tracks, and export individual parts.
❌ You need full control in a DAW: Suno isn’t a full music production suite like Logic or FL Studio.
❌ You want to sing using your own voice in-app: Voice cloning requires a separate tool like Kits AI.
Suno makes music composition feel like editing a Google Doc. Like if you head to its in-browser song editor, you can rearrange sections, rewrite lyrics, add or delete verses, and even insert a guitar solo mid-track.
Though an issue earlier, with recent updates, the speed at which AI works has been substantially improved. Now you get more time to experiment and refine tunes. This matters when you're iterating on ideas or tweaking specific sections.
This matters because some musicians do end up with several demos of the same song (Like Dreams by Fleetwood Mac). So, this faster turnaround means you can test multiple variations of a chorus or bridge without losing creative momentum.
Moreover, Suno's stem separation feature can extract up to 12 isolated tracks like vocals, drums, synths, you name it, then remix or master them in tools like BandLab or Ableton. This takes it from a novelty tool to something professionals could integrate into their workflow.
And while it doesn't offer native voice cloning, you can pair Suno with tools like Kits AI to replace vocals with your own. The process takes a few extra steps (recording, uploading, converting), but it's possible. There's also a "weirdness slider" if you want your music to sound experimental or offbeat.
3.Mureka AI
- What is it: Mureka AI turns your lyrics, reference tracks, or melodies into fully produced songs, with polished vocals, instruments, structure, and even stems.
- Ideal for: Lyricists, indie creators, and brands who want full songs made from scratch, or with their voice or melody.
Mureka AI feels like a virtual songwriting partner that listens, learns your taste, and instantly brings musical ideas to life. It's built to lower the barrier for anyone who's ever had a melody, emotion, or lyric in their head, but didn't have the tools or time to turn it into a finished track.
You can start in multiple ways: enter lyrics, describe a mood like "uplifting dream-like piano for a product launch", or upload a YouTube link or reference audio. Combine this with stem exports, like separate vocals, drums, bass, etc, and you've got everything you need for professional mixing in your DAW.
✅ You want to turn lyrics into full songs: Just write, describe, or hum, while Mureka composes the rest.
✅ You like working from a reference track: Upload a YouTube link and get a vibe-matched song.
✅ You want to monetize your music: Mureka’s built-in marketplace lets you sell AI-generated songs.
❌ You need full-scale DAW production tools: This is not a replacement for Logic or Ableton.
❌ You’re only interested in casual music play: Mureka is more geared toward creators, not just music fans.
It might even shock you how well Mureka works with reference tracks. It’s AI not only analyzes the genre, rhythm, and emotion, but also generates a completely new track. While not as perfect as the original, it usually captures the same vibe without replicating it. The V6 music reasoning model makes this process engaging since you can tag sections like [verse] or [chorus], or even let the AI autofill lyrics if you're stuck.
Likewise, using the Advanced Editor, you can rearrange song sections, fine-tune individual lines, write what comes next, or get help generating melody ideas.
If you want more control, you can upload a vocal snippet or even just hum a tune, and Mureka will build the rest around it. You can also clone your voice or choose from vocal presets like pop, rap, male, or female, which makes the track feel personal and custom-made.
Best AI video generators
1. Descript
- What is it: Descript helps you record, edit, transcribe, and publish audio and video content.
- Ideal for: Podcasters, video editors, marketers, and creators who want fast, AI-assisted content production.
Unlike traditional editors, Descript lets you edit videos like tutorials, how-tos, podcasts, or interviews by working directly with a transcript.
Once you upload a video, Descript automatically transcribes everything. Then, you can simply edit content by deleting or rearranging words in the transcript instead of scrubbing through timelines. This makes video editing simple enough for beginners to create polished videos quickly.
✅ You want to edit videos by editing text: Descript’s transcript-based workflow simplifies cutting and rearranging clips.
✅ You need AI tools to clean your audio: Features like Filler-Word Removal and Studio Sound polish your sound instantly.
✅ You prefer a simple app: Descript’s intuitive interface makes video editing accessible to everyone on your team.
❌ You want advanced VFX: Descript doesn’t offer professional-level visual effects or color correction.
❌ You need frame-perfect editing: Text-based cuts won’t satisfy detailed, pixel-accurate video work.
Here, you’ll come across Underlord (Descript’s AI), which instantly speeds up editing while keeping you in control. For example, if you fumble a lot while recording a video review, the Edit for Clarity feature can automatically remove filler words and verbal clutter.
During my testing, the AI removed fillers like “ums” and “uhs”, making the speech more articulate and professional. And if you’re troubled by static, with the Studio Sound option, you can clean up poor audio with just one click. I used this to fix the echo from a phone recording shot in my office.
Similarly, when you slip up on a word, Overdub instantly replaces it with AI-generated speech, and that too replicates it in your voice. This means even if you mispronounce something crucial, like a client’s name, you can tweak it without re-recording an entire section.
Beyond editing, Descript generates notes, YouTube descriptions, social media posts, and highlights clips to extend your content's reach. Descript can further create AI avatars in over 20 languages. So, if you’re camera-shy, you can pair it with features like voice cloning and dubbing to create hyperrealistic AI content.
However, it lacks advanced color grading and visual effects that professional editors might need for cinematic projects.
2. OpenAI Sora
- What is it: OpenAI Sora is a generative AI tool that creates images and video clips using simple prompts and remixing features.
- Ideal for: Content creators looking for quick, customizable visual clips for B-roll, social media, or creative projects.
Think of Sora as a video generation tool that can create short clips from text prompts. The app features a gallery of generated content made by other users.
What’s good here is you can peek at the exact prompts they used, then remix or tweak them to add a twist and make your version of anything available in the catalog. It helps you think out of the box and take inspiration from other creators.
But here’s a bummer. At max, you can create 10 to 20 seconds of content. It's a clip generator, not a motion picture maker.
✅ You want quick, customizable clips: Sora makes it easy to create short videos and images for social media or presentations.
✅ You like remixing content: Upload images or videos and tweak them with powerful AI remix tools.
✅ You want simple project management: Organize your creations with folders and edit prompts anytime.
❌ You want frame-accurate edits: It doesn’t offer detailed timeline editing or advanced VFX.
❌ You expect perfect results immediately: Some trial and error is needed to get the best output.
But Sora can be the missing piece if your social media content, presentations, or even sales pitches are usually dull. And while it’s not as versatile as Descript, its simplicity is nearly unbeatable.
In terms of format, you can choose from five aspect ratios(16:9, 3:2, 1:1, 2:3, and 9:16) depending on where and how you want your video to appear.
For resolution, 480p is great for quick previews and faster generation, while 720p takes a bit more time but gives you sharper results.
And if you want to fuse different clips, the Blend feature helps you smoothly combine two images or videos into one continuous shot. It's a simple way to transition between scenes without jarring cuts.
Now, since audio isn't supported directly on Sora, you'll need to add soundtracks separately. Once that's done, you can organize your projects into folders, refine results by editing prompts, trim your videos, and download or share everything easily using Sora's dashboard.
3. Runway
- What is it: Runway helps you create cinematic videos with precise camera control, visual effects, and character animation.
- Ideal for: Filmmakers, VFX artists, and creators wanting cinematic AI-driven video production with versatile tools like Gen-4 and Act-One.
Runway's Gen-4 model surprisingly creates great cinematic shots now. Just type a prompt and experiment with different camera moves like dolly zooms, pans, tilts, or even first-person views.
Whether you're aiming for a slow, dramatic close-up or a dynamic tracking shot, Runway can generate visuals that look both professional and stellar.
Here, for creators wanting to mix AI with live-action, Runway’s Gen-3 Alpha is all about generative visual effects. It can blend generated content right into your original footage.
✅ You want cinematic control with AI: Direct precise camera motions and angles using text prompts.
✅ You create expressive character animations: Act-One brings detailed facial and voice performances from simple video inputs.
✅ You need versatile AI visual effects: Blend generative content with live footage.
❌ You need flawless fast-motion videos: AI struggles with quick movements, causing jittery results.
❌ You want plug-and-play perfection: Achieving desired results often needs trial, error, and tweaking.
Adding to this, if you're a brand owner and want to create product demos with the same spokesperson across dozens of videos, just go to Runway’s Act-One tool and select one of your recorded samples.
Runway will then help you consistently create similar content. This way, brands can get better at connecting with their audience with genuine storytelling.
You can further use Runway’s Generative Audio to give your visuals a voice, too. Just feed Runway your script, pick from built-in voices, or train one that’s uniquely yours.
But here’s the thing. Runway works best with slower, scenic movements, and though you can upscale to 4K while exporting drafts, clips with fast actions can sometimes appear a bit jittery. Honestly, that sort of kills the undetectable realism these AI generators are popular for.
Another downside, it doesn't let you use public figures or unauthorized voices, which makes sense from a safety standpoint.
Keep in mind, using brief prompts like "cool action scene" doesn't get you far. Instead, detailed descriptions like "medium shot of woman walking through misty forest, golden hour lighting, handheld camera" usually deliver solid results.
FAQs: Best AI tools
What are the best AI tools?
The advanced algorithms of Originality.ai and CopyLeaks make them reliable for plagiarism detection. With real-time coding suggestions for developers, GitHub Copilot and Code GPT excel at code completion. For logo design, Looka Logo Generator and Wix Logo Maker offer AI-driven solutions with customizable templates.
Alongside, PowerPoint Speaker Coach is great for improving public speaking with real-time feedback on presentation skills. Lastly, Magic School and Education CoPilot offer personalized learning paths, interactive quizzes, and automated grading thus are great for educational purposes.
What are the best AI tools like ChatGPT?
Among AI tools similar to ChatGPT, Chatsonic is exceptional in advanced conversational capabilities, generating detailed responses and understanding complex queries. This makes it a great choice for customer support and general information. Similarly, Perplexity AI offers a natural language processing which is great for tasks that require deep understanding and detailed answers for a natural interaction experience.
How do you write a good text-to-image AI prompt?
To write a good text-to-image AI prompt, you should be specific and clear about what you want. First, define the main subject of the image, whether it's a person, object, or scene. Then, describe the main attributes, such as color, size, or style. For example, if you're describing a cat, you might specify it like “It's a black cat with green eyes”. Lastly, you need to mention the details about the setting or background. This could be something like "a black cat with green eyes sitting on a chair in a living room."
How can you use AI?
The main purpose of AI is to automate repetitive tasks, so you can focus on more complex and creative work. For example, in manufacturing, AI-powered robots perform assembly line operations, so fewer manual labor is required. In customer support, AI chatbots can handle basic inquiries, providing instant responses, which helps agents focus on more complicated issues.
Overall, AI can be used to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and support better decision-making across various industries. By using AI's power, you can gain a competitive edge and achieve greater operational efficiency.
How can you make an AI tool?
To make an AI tool, you need to start with identifying the specific purpose or problem it will solve. In your case, this could be automating a task, providing customer support, or analyzing data trends. Once you have goal, gather the necessary data to train the AI model. The data you collect should be clean, well-organized, and labeled properly for accurate training.
Next, choose an AI framework to build your tool. Popular frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch offer the resources needed to design and train AI models. Once found, you can then design and train your AI model, adjusting hyperparameters as needed for optimal performance.
Moreover, testing and validation are crucial, so test your AI tool performs in real-world scenarios. This will help you check the accuracy and reliability of your tool. Finally, after successful testing, you can then deploy your AI tool within your application or platform while making sure it meets safety and privacy standards.
Once ready, do regular monitoring of your AI tool's performance and make improvements as needed. Also, update it with new data to keep it effective and relevant in the current changing environment.
How to choose the best AI tools
To choose the best AI tools, look for the ones that offer features you need, such as customization, integration, scalability, and multilingual support. A user-friendly interface makes sure it's easy to use, while integration capabilities are important for compatibility with softwares like Microsoft, Google, or Amazon.
You also need to make sure the tool complies with safety and privacy standards like GDPR, and SSL encryption. To make sure the tool fits your budget, check the pricing structure, and consider free trials for assessment. Lastly, choose a tool that has a strong community support and responsive customer service.
How we tested the best AI tools
While testing an AI tool, we start by understanding what we need the AI tool to accomplish. This includes identifying the main use cases and features we expect the tool to deliver, such as data analysis, automation, or customer support.
Our team then conducts hands-on testing by running real-world scenarios to test the AI tool's performance. Like for testing a data analysis tool, we use different datasets to check the accuracy and efficiency of a tool. This helps us assess how well the tool meets our requirements under different conditions.
Integration capabilities are a big deal for us which is why we examine how easy it is to incorporate an AI tool into our existing systems. We test the compatibility with common software platforms to ensure smooth integration while noting any technical issues or complications during the process.
Next, user experience is another important aspect for our testing. We explore the AI tool's interface by collecting feedback from our team members who’ve already used the tool. This helps us determine if the tool is easy to use and user-friendly.
Considering the significance of safety and privacy, we test the AI tool's compliance with industry standards and regulations like GDPR. We ensure it uses encryption and other security measures to protect user data, paying special attention to how it handles sensitive information.
To complete our testing, we evaluate the support and community of the AI tool. We reach out to dedicated customer support with questions and note how responsive they are. We also check user forums and online reviews to calculate the level of community involvement, which gives us insights into common issues and solutions.
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