Chatbots · Cornerstone Guide
How to Use AI Chatbots for Free: The Complete Beginner's Guide
Everything you need to go from total beginner to confident AI chatbot user — for free, in under an hour.
✓ Independently tested · Updated daily
The Best Free AI Tools, Honestly Reviewed
We test free AI tools so you don’t have to. AIToolScout delivers hands-on reviews, honest comparisons and step-by-step tutorials covering the tools that are actually worth your time — without the marketing hype.
600+tools tested
70+in-depth guides
8+years of research
6expert categories
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Find the right free AI tool
Every category below is built around real-world testing. Start with a cornerstone guide, then explore the supporting reviews.
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AI Chatbots & Virtual Assistants
Hands-on comparisons of the best free AI chatbots and assistants, from ChatGPT and Claude to Gemini and Copilot.
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AI Writing & Content Creation
Free AI writing tools, grammar checkers, paraphrasing apps and SEO content workflows tested for real-world output quality.
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AI Image Generation
The best free AI image and art generators, plus prompt engineering guides for Midjourney-style results without the price tag.
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AI Video & Animation
Free AI video generators and editors that turn scripts and ideas into professional-looking video in minutes.
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AI Audio, Voice & Music
Free text-to-speech, voice cloning, music generation and podcasting tools reviewed for quality, safety and legality.
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AI Productivity & Coding
Free AI tools that automate meetings, notes, research, spreadsheets and coding so you can work faster every day.
Cornerstone guides
Start with our flagship guides
Long-form, constantly updated guides that cover each topic from the ground up.
Chatbots · Cornerstone Guide
Best Free AI Chatbots in 2026: Top Picks Compared
There are now five genuinely great free AI chatbots — but they suit different tasks. Here's our honest, hands-on comparison.
Chatbots · Cornerstone Guide
ChatGPT Free vs Paid: What You Actually Get in 2026
ChatGPT Plus costs $20 a month. We tested both tiers side by side for a month to see exactly what the extra money actually buys.
Chatbots · Cornerstone Guide
Claude Free vs Gemini vs Copilot: The Ultimate Comparison
The three biggest challengers to ChatGPT all offer strong free tiers — but they excel at different jobs. Here's the honest head-to-head.
AI Writing · Cornerstone Guide
Best Free AI Tools for SEO Content in 2026: Write That Ranks
You don't need a $99 SEO suite to write content that ranks. Here's the complete free AI-powered SEO stack.
AI Writing · Cornerstone Guide
Best Free AI Writing Tools in 2026: Tested & Compared
The best free AI writing stack isn't one tool — it's three working together. Here's the combination we recommend after months of testing.
AI Writing · Cornerstone Guide
Free AI Grammar Checkers Compared: LanguageTool vs Grammarly & More
Catch typos, fix grammar and improve your writing — for free. We compared the four biggest grammar checkers so you pick the right one.
AI Writing · Cornerstone Guide
Free AI Paraphrasing Tools Compared: QuillBot, QuillBot Alternatives & More
Rewriting is one of the most useful free AI skills. We tested the top paraphrasers to find which produce clean, natural output without a paywall.
AI Images · Cornerstone Guide
AI Image Copyright: What You Can Legally Use for Free
The honest, plain-English breakdown of who owns AI images and what you can legally do with them.
AI Images · Cornerstone Guide
The Best Free AI Image Generators (Tested and Compared)
Text-to-image AI used to cost money. Now the best models are free. This is every major free AI image generator, tested and compared.
AI Images · Cornerstone Guide
Free Midjourney Alternatives That Are Actually Free
Midjourney is beautiful and expensive. These free tools come close — sometimes closer.
AI Images · Cornerstone Guide
How to Write AI Image Prompts That Actually Work
The difference between "okay" and "amazing" AI images is the prompt. Here's the formula.
AI Video · Cornerstone Guide
The Best Free AI Video Editors (Tested and Compared)
Professional video editing is free now. These are the AI-powered editors worth your time.
AI Video · Cornerstone Guide
Free AI Video Generators: Text-to-Video Without Paying
You can now generate video clips from a text prompt for free. Here's how good it actually is.
AI Video · Cornerstone Guide
Free AI Tools for YouTube: Create Faster and Grow More
The complete free AI stack for YouTubers — from idea to upload.
AI Audio · Cornerstone Guide
The Best Free AI Music Generators (Tested in 2026)
Want to make a song from a sentence? Free AI music generators do it — here's the honest comparison.
AI Audio · Cornerstone Guide
The Best Free AI Text-to-Speech Tools (Voice Test)
The free AI voices are shockingly good now. Here's the full voice test and the honest limits.
AI Audio · Cornerstone Guide
Free AI Tools for Podcasting: Record, Edit and Grow
You can launch a professional podcast with free AI tools — and most of the editing runs itself.
AI Productivity · Cornerstone Guide
The Best Free AI Productivity Tools (Tested for Work)
The free AI stack that genuinely saves you hours a week — tested and ranked.
AI Productivity · Cornerstone Guide
Free AI Coding Assistants: Copilot Alternatives That Don't Cost
You don't need a paid coding assistant anymore. The free tiers are genuinely good.
AI Productivity · Cornerstone Guide
Free AI Meeting Notes: Record, Transcribe and Summarize
Stop taking notes in meetings. Free AI records, transcribes and summarizes them instead.
How we test
Reviews you can trust
A quick look at the process behind every recommendation on this site.
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1. We research
We track the AI landscape daily — new releases, pricing changes, policy updates and emerging tools across every category.
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2. We test hands-on
Every tool is used with real prompts and real tasks. Free tiers are tested exactly as you would use them, including limits and watermarks.
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3. We score
Tools are scored against consistent criteria: output quality, ease of use, free-tier limits, safety and commercial licensing.
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4. We update
Free tiers change constantly. We revisit and update our guides every few weeks and date-stamp every revision.
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5. We fact-check
Claims about pricing, limits and features are verified against official sources before publication. See our fact-checking policy.
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6. We disclose
We are reader-supported and clearly disclose any affiliate relationships. Affiliate links never influence our rankings or verdicts.
Latest from the lab
Fresh reviews & tutorials
New guides are published daily. Here are the six most recent.
AI Images
Free AI Tools for Removing Image Backgrounds (2026 Tested)
Cut out product shots, portraits and logos without touching Photoshop. These free AI background removers do it in one click.
AI Video
Free AI Tools for Short Videos: Clips, Reels & TikTok Made Easy
Short-form is the fastest way to grow — and free AI tools can now turn a script into a finished Reel. Here are the ones worth your time.
AI Audio
Free AI Tools for Making Audio Logos & Brand Sound
Your brand has a look. Give it a sound — with free AI tools that generate sonic logos, jingles and intros in minutes.
AI Writing
Free AI Tools for Writing Product Descriptions That Sell
Product descriptions eat hours of your week. These free AI tools write first drafts in seconds — and a prompt formula that actually converts.
AI Productivity
Free AI Tools for Creating Diagrams, Charts & Visual Notes
Stuck describing a process in words? Free AI tools turn a sentence into a flowchart, mind map or chart in seconds — here's how.
Chatbots
Free AI Chatbots for Customer Service (Tested for Small Business)
Your customers ask the same questions at 2am. Free AI chatbots answer them while you sleep — here's what actually works for small business.