AI Tools Checklist

Free and Low-Cost AI Tools for Small Businesses

Curated list with use cases and 30-minute quick start guides

How to Use This Checklist

This checklist contains free and low-cost AI tools specifically selected for small businesses. Each tool includes:

  • Use Case Guide: What problem it solves and when to use it
  • Quick Start Instructions: How to test the tool in 30 minutes
  • Pricing Information: Free tier details or low-cost options

Recommended Approach:

  1. Identify 2-3 tools that solve problems you're currently facing
  2. Follow the quick start guide to test each tool (30 minutes each)
  3. Choose one to implement fully based on your test results
  4. We'll check in with you in 2 weeks to see how it's going

Content Creation & Writing

AI tools to help you create written content, marketing copy, and communications

ChatGPT Free tier available
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Description: OpenAI's conversational AI assistant that can help with writing, brainstorming, editing, and content creation.

Use Case: Writing blog posts, email campaigns, social media content, product descriptions, customer communications, and brainstorming ideas.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign up for a free account at chat.openai.com (5 min)
  2. Try writing a blog post: "Write a 500-word blog post about [your topic]" (10 min)
  3. Test email creation: "Write a customer email about [your product/service]" (5 min)
  4. Experiment with editing: Paste existing content and ask "Improve this and make it more engaging" (10 min)

Pricing: Free tier with usage limits. Paid plans start at $20/month for GPT-4 access.

Claude (Anthropic) Free tier available
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Description: AI assistant focused on helpful, harmless, and honest responses. Great for document analysis and long-form content.

Use Case: Analyzing documents, summarizing long content, writing detailed reports, and handling complex writing tasks that require context.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign up at claude.ai (5 min)
  2. Upload a document and ask "Summarize the key points" (5 min)
  3. Test content creation: "Write a detailed product description for [your product]" (10 min)
  4. Try document analysis: Upload a PDF and ask questions about it (10 min)

Pricing: Free tier available. Pro plan is $20/month for enhanced features.

Grammarly Free tier available
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Description: AI-powered writing assistant that checks grammar, spelling, tone, and clarity in real-time.

Use Case: Proofreading emails, documents, social media posts, and ensuring professional communication.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Install the free browser extension or desktop app (5 min)
  2. Write or paste a sample email and watch real-time suggestions (10 min)
  3. Test tone adjustment: "Make this more professional" or "Make this friendlier" (10 min)
  4. Review the suggestions and accept/reject changes (5 min)

Pricing: Free tier covers basic grammar. Premium starts at $12/month for advanced features.

Jasper Paid (free trial)
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Description: AI writing tool specifically designed for marketing teams with templates and brand voice features.

Use Case: Creating marketing copy, ad campaigns, social media content, and maintaining consistent brand voice.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Start free trial at jasper.ai (5 min)
  2. Choose a template (blog post, email, social media) (5 min)
  3. Fill in your topic and generate content (10 min)
  4. Test brand voice feature by adding your brand guidelines (10 min)

Pricing: Free trial available. Plans start at $39/month.

Customer Service & Chatbots

AI tools to automate customer support and improve response times

Tidio Free tier available
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Description: AI-powered live chat and chatbot platform that can answer customer questions 24/7.

Use Case: Automating responses to common questions, qualifying leads, scheduling appointments, and providing instant customer support.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign up for free account at tidio.com (5 min)
  2. Install chat widget on your website (5 min)
  3. Create your first chatbot response: "When someone asks about pricing, respond with..." (10 min)
  4. Test the chatbot by asking common questions (10 min)

Pricing: Free plan for up to 50 conversations/month. Paid plans start at $29/month.

Intercom Paid (free trial)
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Description: Customer messaging platform with AI-powered chatbots and automated workflows.

Use Case: Managing customer conversations, automated support, lead qualification, and customer engagement.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Start free trial at intercom.com (5 min)
  2. Set up basic chatbot with common FAQs (10 min)
  3. Create an automated welcome message (5 min)
  4. Test the chatbot flow end-to-end (10 min)

Pricing: Free trial available. Starter plan is $74/month.

Zendesk Answer Bot Paid
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Description: AI chatbot that integrates with Zendesk to automatically answer customer questions from your knowledge base.

Use Case: If you already use Zendesk, this can automatically resolve common support tickets using your existing documentation.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Ensure you have a Zendesk account (if not, sign up for trial) (5 min)
  2. Enable Answer Bot in Zendesk settings (5 min)
  3. Create or import your knowledge base articles (10 min)
  4. Test Answer Bot with sample customer questions (10 min)

Pricing: Included in Zendesk Suite plans starting at $55/month.

Email & Communication

AI tools to improve email productivity and communication

Superhuman Paid
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Description: AI-powered email client designed for speed with smart features like AI compose and email triage.

Use Case: Faster email management, AI-assisted email composition, and intelligent email prioritization.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Request access and sign up (5 min)
  2. Connect your email account (5 min)
  3. Try AI compose: Press "Cmd+K" and ask it to draft an email (10 min)
  4. Test keyboard shortcuts and speed features (10 min)

Pricing: $30/month. Free trial available.

Notion AI Paid add-on
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Description: AI writing assistant integrated into Notion workspace for creating and editing content.

Use Case: If you use Notion, this helps write documents, summarize notes, create action items, and improve content.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Ensure you have a Notion account (free tier works) (5 min)
  2. Add AI to your workspace (if not already enabled) (5 min)
  3. Create a new page and press space to activate AI (5 min)
  4. Try: "Write a meeting summary" or "Create a project plan for [your project]" (15 min)

Pricing: $10/month per user as add-on to Notion plans.

Boomerang for Gmail Free tier available
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Description: Email productivity tool with AI features for scheduling, reminders, and email management.

Use Case: Scheduling emails to send later, setting reminders to follow up, and managing email overload.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Install Boomerang extension for Gmail (5 min)
  2. Compose an email and schedule it to send later (5 min)
  3. Set a reminder to follow up if no response (5 min)
  4. Test the "Respondable" feature that suggests optimal send times (15 min)

Pricing: Free tier for 10 scheduled emails/month. Pro is $5/month.

Image & Design

AI tools for creating and editing images, graphics, and visual content

Canva AI Free tier available
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Description: Design platform with AI features like Magic Design, background removal, and text-to-image generation.

Use Case: Creating social media graphics, marketing materials, presentations, logos, and visual content without design skills.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign up for free Canva account (5 min)
  2. Try Magic Design: Enter a prompt like "Social media post for [your business]" (10 min)
  3. Test background removal on an uploaded image (5 min)
  4. Create a simple design using AI-generated templates (10 min)

Pricing: Free tier with limited AI features. Pro is $12.99/month for full AI access.

DALL-E / Midjourney Paid
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Description: AI image generation tools that create images from text descriptions.

Use Case: Creating custom images for marketing, social media, websites, and presentations without stock photos.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign up for DALL-E (via ChatGPT Plus) or Midjourney (via Discord) (5 min)
  2. Write a detailed prompt: "A professional image of [your product/service] in [style]" (5 min)
  3. Generate 3-4 variations and review results (10 min)
  4. Refine prompts based on results and generate final image (10 min)

Pricing: DALL-E: $15 for 115 credits. Midjourney: $10/month basic plan.

Remove.bg Free tier available
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Description: AI-powered background removal tool that automatically removes backgrounds from images.

Use Case: Removing backgrounds from product photos, headshots, or any images for use in marketing materials.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Go to remove.bg (no signup needed for free tier) (2 min)
  2. Upload a product photo or headshot (2 min)
  3. Download the image with background removed (2 min)
  4. Try the API or batch processing if you have multiple images (24 min)

Pricing: Free for low-res images. $0.02 per high-res image or $9/month for unlimited.

Kittl Free tier available
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Description: AI-powered design platform for creating logos, graphics, and visual content.

Use Case: Creating logos, social media graphics, and marketing materials with AI assistance.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign up for free account at kittl.com (5 min)
  2. Try logo generator: Enter your business name and style preferences (10 min)
  3. Create a social media graphic using AI templates (10 min)
  4. Export and test the design (5 min)

Pricing: Free tier available. Pro plans start at $10/month.

Process Automation

AI tools to automate repetitive tasks and workflows

Zapier AI Free tier available
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Description: Automation platform that connects apps and automates workflows, now with AI features for intelligent automation.

Use Case: Automating data entry, syncing information between apps, sending automated emails, and creating workflows between tools.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign up for free Zapier account (5 min)
  2. Create your first "Zap": Connect two apps (e.g., Gmail to Google Sheets) (10 min)
  3. Set up a simple automation: "When I receive an email, add to spreadsheet" (10 min)
  4. Test the automation with a sample trigger (5 min)

Pricing: Free tier for 100 tasks/month. Paid plans start at $20/month.

Make (formerly Integromat) Free tier available
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Description: Visual automation platform with AI features for building complex workflows and integrations.

Use Case: Creating complex automations, data transformations, and multi-step workflows between multiple apps.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign up for free Make account (5 min)
  2. Create a new scenario and add your first module (5 min)
  3. Build a simple 2-step automation (e.g., email to CRM) (15 min)
  4. Run the scenario and test the automation (5 min)

Pricing: Free tier for 1,000 operations/month. Paid plans start at $9/month.

Microsoft Power Automate Free tier available
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Description: Microsoft's automation platform with AI capabilities for automating business processes.

Use Case: If you use Microsoft 365, automate workflows, approvals, data collection, and repetitive tasks.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign in with Microsoft account (free tier available) (5 min)
  2. Choose a template (e.g., "Save email attachments to OneDrive") (5 min)
  3. Customize the flow for your needs (10 min)
  4. Test the automation (10 min)

Pricing: Free tier for 750 runs/month. Paid plans start at $15/month per user.

Research & Information

AI tools for research, data analysis, and information gathering

Perplexity AI Free tier available
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Description: AI search engine that provides answers with citations and sources, great for research.

Use Case: Researching competitors, market trends, industry information, and getting answers with source citations.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Go to perplexity.ai (no signup needed for basic use) (2 min)
  2. Ask a research question: "What are the latest trends in [your industry]?" (5 min)
  3. Review the answer and click through to sources (10 min)
  4. Try the "Focus" feature to narrow research to specific domains (13 min)

Pricing: Free tier available. Pro is $20/month for advanced features.

Google Bard / Gemini Free
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Description: Google's AI assistant with access to real-time information and Google services.

Use Case: Research, content creation, data analysis, and integration with Google Workspace tools.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign in with Google account at bard.google.com (5 min)
  2. Ask a question about your industry or market (5 min)
  3. Try "Export to Google Docs" or "Export to Sheets" features (10 min)
  4. Test image analysis by uploading a chart or document (10 min)

Pricing: Free to use.

Consensus Free tier available
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Description: AI-powered research tool that finds and summarizes scientific papers and research.

Use Case: Researching evidence-based information, finding studies, and getting summaries of academic research.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign up for free account at consensus.app (5 min)
  2. Ask a research question: "What does research say about [your topic]?" (10 min)
  3. Review the summarized findings and source papers (10 min)
  4. Export findings or save for later (5 min)

Pricing: Free tier for limited queries. Pro is $8.99/month.

Social Media Management

AI tools for creating and managing social media content

Buffer Free tier available
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Description: Social media management platform with AI features for content creation and optimal posting times.

Use Case: Scheduling social media posts, creating content, analyzing performance, and managing multiple accounts.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign up for free Buffer account (5 min)
  2. Connect one social media account (5 min)
  3. Use AI Assistant to create a post: "Create a post about [your topic]" (10 min)
  4. Schedule the post and review optimal posting times (10 min)

Pricing: Free tier for 3 social accounts. Paid plans start at $6/month.

Hootsuite Free trial
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Description: Social media management platform with AI content suggestions and scheduling.

Use Case: Managing multiple social accounts, scheduling content, monitoring mentions, and analytics.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Start free trial at hootsuite.com (5 min)
  2. Connect social media accounts (5 min)
  3. Use OwlyWriter AI to generate post ideas (10 min)
  4. Schedule posts and set up monitoring streams (10 min)

Pricing: Free 30-day trial. Paid plans start at $99/month.

Loom AI Free tier available
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Description: Video messaging tool with AI features for transcription, summaries, and chapter generation.

Use Case: Creating quick video messages, tutorials, social media content, and customer communications.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign up for free Loom account (5 min)
  2. Record a 2-minute video explaining something (5 min)
  3. Review the AI-generated transcript and summary (10 min)
  4. Share the video and test AI chapters feature (10 min)

Pricing: Free tier for 25 videos. Paid plans start at $8/month.

Voice & Transcription

AI tools for voice-to-text, transcription, and voice assistants

Otter.ai Free tier available
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Description: AI-powered transcription service that transcribes meetings, interviews, and voice notes in real-time.

Use Case: Transcribing meetings, interviews, voice notes, and automatically generating summaries and action items.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign up for free Otter account (5 min)
  2. Record or upload a short audio file (5 min)
  3. Review the transcription and edit if needed (10 min)
  4. Test the AI summary feature and action item extraction (10 min)

Pricing: Free tier for 300 minutes/month. Pro is $10/month for 1,200 minutes.

Rev Paid
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Description: Professional transcription service with AI and human transcription options.

Use Case: High-accuracy transcription for important meetings, interviews, or content creation.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign up at rev.com (5 min)
  2. Upload a short audio or video file (5 min)
  3. Choose AI transcription (faster, cheaper) or human (more accurate) (5 min)
  4. Review and download the transcript (15 min)

Pricing: AI transcription: $0.25/minute. Human transcription: $1.50/minute.

Descript Free tier available
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Description: Video and audio editing tool with AI transcription, editing by text, and voice cloning.

Use Case: Editing videos/audio by editing text transcripts, removing filler words, and creating content.

30-Minute Quick Start:

  1. Sign up for free Descript account (5 min)
  2. Upload a short video or audio file (5 min)
  3. Edit the transcript and see changes reflected in media (10 min)
  4. Try "Remove filler words" feature (10 min)

Pricing: Free tier for 1 hour transcription/month. Paid plans start at $12/month.

Quick Start Guide Template

Use this template when testing any new AI tool:

  1. Setup (5 min): Create account, install if needed, connect integrations
  2. Basic Test (10 min): Try the core feature with a simple, real example from your business
  3. Advanced Feature (10 min): Explore one advanced feature that could be valuable
  4. Evaluation (5 min): Decide: Does this solve a real problem? Is it worth implementing?

Follow-Up & Support

We'll check in with you 2 weeks after you receive this checklist to:

  • See which tools you've tested
  • Answer any questions you have
  • Help troubleshoot any issues
  • Discuss next steps for implementation

If you need help before then, don't hesitate to reach out!

Questions or Need Help?

We're here to help you implement these tools and get the most value from AI in your business.

Contact Us