Learning Objectives
- Access and navigate major free AI chatbots
- Generate images with free tools
- Understand free tier limitations
AI Chatbots - Your New Assistants
Here's your guide to the best free AI chatbots:
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
Website: chatgpt.com
| Feature | Free Tier |
|---|---|
| Model | GPT-4o (limited GPT-4) |
| Image Generation | 2-3 images/day |
| File Upload | Yes |
| Web Browsing | Limited |
Best for: General purpose, coding help, analysis
Claude (Anthropic)
Website: claude.ai
| Feature | Free Tier |
|---|---|
| Model | Claude 3.5 Sonnet |
| Messages | ~50/day |
| File Upload | Yes (PDFs, images) |
| Context | Very large (200K tokens) |
Best for: Long documents, writing, nuanced discussions
Gemini (Google)
Website: gemini.google.com
| Feature | Free Tier |
|---|---|
| Model | Gemini 2.5 Flash |
| Deep Research | Yes |
| Google Integration | Full |
| Context | 1M tokens |
Best for: Google users, research, students
Copilot (Microsoft)
Website: copilot.microsoft.com
| Feature | Free Tier |
|---|---|
| Model | GPT-4 based |
| Image Generation | 15/day |
| Microsoft Integration | Full |
Best for: Quick questions, Microsoft 365 users
Perplexity
Website: perplexity.ai
| Feature | Free Tier |
|---|---|
| Model | Multiple |
| Citations | Always included |
| Pro Search | Limited |
Best for: Research with sources
Exercises
- 1Create free accounts on ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini
- 2Ask all three the same question and compare the responses
Image Generation Tools
Create images from text descriptions with these free tools:
Leonardo AI
Website: leonardo.ai
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Free Credits | ~150 tokens/day |
| Quality | Excellent |
| Styles | Many preset styles |
| Best for | High-quality artistic images |
Playground AI
Website: playground.com
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Free Limit | ~10 images every 3 hours |
| Commercial Use | OK on free tier |
| Quality | Very good |
| Best for | Commercial projects |
Ideogram
Website: ideogram.ai
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Free Credits | Daily credits |
| Special Feature | Best text-in-images |
| Quality | Good |
| Best for | Graphics with text |
Craiyon (formerly DALL-E Mini)
Website: craiyon.com
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Free Limit | Unlimited (watermarked) |
| Speed | Slower |
| Quality | Lower |
| Best for | Quick experiments |
Tips for Image Generation
- Be specific: "A golden retriever puppy playing in autumn leaves, soft sunlight, photorealistic" beats "cute dog"
- Specify style: "in the style of Studio Ghibli" or "photorealistic" or "watercolor painting"
- Include lighting: "soft natural light," "dramatic shadows," "neon glow"
- Add composition: "close-up portrait," "wide landscape shot," "bird's eye view"
Exercises
- 1Generate an image with Leonardo AI using a detailed prompt
- 2Create the same image concept with two different tools and compare results
Writing Assistance Tools
These tools help improve and create written content:
Grammarly
Website: grammarly.com
| Feature | Free Tier |
|---|---|
| Grammar Check | Full |
| Spelling | Full |
| Tone Detection | Basic |
| Clarity | Limited |
| Browser Extension | Yes |
Best for: Email editing, catching errors
QuillBot
Website: quillbot.com
| Feature | Free Tier |
|---|---|
| Paraphrasing | 125 words/paste |
| Summarizer | Limited |
| Grammar Check | Yes |
| Modes | 2 (Standard, Fluency) |
Best for: Rewriting content, paraphrasing
Copy.ai
Website: copy.ai
| Feature | Free Tier |
|---|---|
| Words | 2,000/month |
| Templates | Access to all |
| Projects | 1 |
Best for: Marketing copy, social media posts
Research and Learning Tools
AI tools specifically designed for research and learning:
NotebookLM (Google)
Website: notebooklm.google
| Feature | Free Tier |
|---|---|
| Notebooks | 100 |
| Sources per notebook | 50 |
| Audio Overview | Yes (podcast-style summaries) |
| Source Types | PDFs, websites, YouTube, docs |
Best for: Analyzing documents, creating study materials
How to Use:
- Create a notebook
- Upload your sources (PDFs, paste URLs)
- Ask questions about your sources
- AI answers ONLY from your uploaded content (no hallucinations!)
Otter.ai
Website: otter.ai
| Feature | Free Tier |
|---|---|
| Transcription | 300 minutes/month |
| Languages | English |
| Export | Text |
Best for: Meeting transcription, lecture notes
Consensus
Website: consensus.app
| Feature | Free Tier |
|---|---|
| Searches | Limited |
| Source | Scientific papers only |
| Citations | Always included |
Best for: Finding scientific research
Exercises
- 1Create a NotebookLM notebook and upload a PDF you want to learn from
- 2Use at least 3 different tools from this module
- 3Compare ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity for the same research question