Practical orientationAI tools map
Which AI for what?
Hundreds of tools, one question: which one is for what? This is our selection by type, with what each one is good for.
The landscape at a glance
Assistants & chat
Conversational models to write, reason, code and answer questions.
- Start here
ChatGPT
OpenAI · Freemium
OpenAI's conversational assistant that writes, summarises, codes and answers questions on almost any topic.
Good for:The most versatile starting point if you just want to begin using a general-purpose AI for everyday tasks.
- Start here
Claude
Anthropic · Freemium
Anthropic's conversational assistant focused on reasoning, long-form writing and working with documents.
Good for:A good pick when you need careful writing, analysis of long documents or nuanced answers.
- Start here
Gemini
Google · Freemium
Google's conversational assistant, integrated with search and the Google Workspace apps.
Good for:Useful if you live inside Gmail, Docs and the Google ecosystem and want an AI right there.
- Start here
Perplexity
Perplexity AI · Freemium
A conversational search engine that answers with information from the web and links each claim to its source.
Good for:Better than a plain chat when you want current answers with citations you can check.
Image
Generate and edit images from text or other images.
- Start here
Midjourney
Midjourney · Paid
A text-to-image generator known for its aesthetic quality and artistic finish.
Good for:The strongest choice when you want images with an expressive or professional-looking finish.
- Start here
DALL·E
OpenAI · Freemium
OpenAI's image generator, available inside ChatGPT, which follows detailed instructions well.
Good for:Convenient if you already use ChatGPT and want to create images by describing them in words, with no separate tool.
- Worth watching
Adobe Firefly
Adobe · Freemium
Adobe's family of image models, trained on licensed content and integrated into its creative apps.
Good for:The safest option for commercial use and for anyone already working in Photoshop or other Adobe apps.
- For specific needs
Ideogram
Ideogram · Freemium
An image generator that specialises in rendering legible text within the image itself.
Good for:The practical choice when you need posters, logos or ads with text that reads clearly.
Code & development
Copilots and agents that write, review and debug code.
- Start here
GitHub Copilot
GitHub (Microsoft) · Freemium
GitHub's coding assistant that suggests and completes code inside the most widely used editors.
Good for:The most widespread entry point for autocompleting code inside your usual editor.
- Start here
Cursor
Anysphere · Freemium
A code editor with built-in AI that understands the whole project and edits several files at once.
Good for:A good option for developers working in large codebases who want precise control.
- Worth watching
Claude Code
Anthropic · Paid
Anthropic's coding agent that works from the terminal on your own project.
Good for:For those who work on the command line and want an agent that can reason through complex tasks.
- Worth watching
Windsurf
Windsurf · Freemium
A code editor with built-in agents that can carry out broad changes autonomously.
Good for:An alternative worth knowing if you want heavily agentic workflows at a lower cost.
Audio & voice
Synthetic voice, music, transcription and audio editing.
- Start here
ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs · Freemium
A voice platform that turns text into realistic speech and can clone voices in many languages.
Good for:The go-to when you need natural voices for narration, podcasts or dubbing.
- Start here
Suno
Suno · Freemium
A music generator that creates full songs, with vocals and instrumentation, from a description.
Good for:The easiest way to make songs from scratch without musical training; check the rights before commercial use.
- For specific needs
Whisper
OpenAI · Free
OpenAI's open model that transcribes and translates audio to text in many languages.
Good for:Useful if you want to transcribe audio for free and hands-on, without relying on a paid service.
- For specific needs
Murf
Murf AI · Freemium
A voice generator aimed at voiceovers for videos, presentations and training materials.
Good for:Practical for producing clear corporate or educational voiceovers in several languages.
Video
Generate and edit video from text, images or clips.
- Start here
Google Veo
Google DeepMind · Paid
Google's video model that generates clips from text, including synchronised audio in a single pass.
Good for:The strongest option on visual quality when you want realistic clips with sound included.
- Start here
Runway
Runway · Freemium
An AI video platform that combines generation with a genuine suite of editing tools.
Good for:A good choice for ads or pieces that need creative control and fine editing, not just generation.
- Worth watching
Kling
Kuaishou · Freemium
A video generator from China's Kuaishou, valued for its strong quality-to-price ratio.
Good for:An alternative to watch for motion-heavy work when cost matters.
- For specific needs
HeyGen
HeyGen · Freemium
A platform that creates videos with talking avatars from a script, with dubbing in many languages.
Good for:Useful for training or corporate videos with a virtual presenter, without filming a real person.
Productivity & agents
Copilots inside your apps and agents that automate tasks end to end.
- Start here
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft · Freemium
Microsoft's assistant built into Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams to draft, summarise and analyse.
Good for:The natural choice if your work revolves around Microsoft 365 and you want AI inside those apps.
- Start here
Notion AI
Notion · Freemium
AI built into the Notion workspace to draft, summarise and query your own notes.
Good for:Convenient if you already organise your notes and projects in Notion and want the AI in the same place.
- Worth watching
Zapier
Zapier · Freemium
An automation platform that connects thousands of apps and now lets you build AI agents.
Good for:For chaining tasks across your apps without coding and letting AI act across several steps.
- For specific needs
Gamma
Gamma · Freemium
A tool that generates presentations, documents and simple websites from a few prompts.
Good for:Practical for putting together a first draft of a presentation with decent design in a few minutes.
Research & knowledge
Search, synthesize sources and organize what you learn.
- Start here
NotebookLM
Google · Freemium
A Google tool that answers and summarises based only on the documents you upload.
Good for:Ideal when you want to question and synthesise your own sources without the AI inventing beyond them.
- Worth watching
Granola
Granola · Freemium
An AI notepad that transcribes and summarises meetings from your own computer, without a bot joining the call.
Good for:A good option if you have many meetings and want automatic notes without an assistant visible to others.
- For specific needs
Elicit
Elicit · Freemium
A research assistant that searches scientific papers and organises them into comparable tables.
Good for:Useful for literature reviews when you need to compare methods and results across many studies.
- For specific needs
Consensus
Consensus · Freemium
A search engine that answers questions by summarising what peer-reviewed scientific papers say.
Good for:Practical for quickly checking what the evidence says about a specific claim.
Independent editorial selection, not sponsored. The landscape moves fast — we review this list every month.