Best free AI tools in 2026: 14 free tiers that are worth using

In DepthIshaan VardhanOct 11, 202612 min read

The best free AI tools in 2026 are ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini for everyday chat, Gemini Notebook (the tool formerly called NotebookLM) for research on your own documents, GitHub Copilot Free or Gemini Code Assist for coding, and a handful of specialist free tiers for meetings, design, voice, slides and automation. We checked every free plan below on the vendor’s own pricing or help page, as of 4 October 2026. Limits change often, so recheck before relying on any of them.

Key takeaways

• Free tiers are capped by messages, credits, minutes or daily requests. The most generous published numbers we found were Gemini Code Assist (6,000 code-related requests and 240 chats a day) and Otter (300 transcription minutes a month).
• Read the small print: ElevenLabs’ free plan has no commercial licence, and Gamma’s free credits never refill.
• On consumer plans your chats may be used to train models unless you change a setting. ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and GitHub Copilot all give you a switch.
• Paid upgrades start at a few dollars a month (Google AI Plus at $4.99, ElevenLabs Starter at $6) and most mainstream “Plus/Pro” tiers sit around $20.

Free AI tools at a glance

How we checked

We took the jobs people use AI for most (chat, research, writing, meetings, design, coding, voice, slides and automation) and kept a tool only if the vendor’s own page confirmed what its free plan includes.

We couldn’t load Perplexity’s pricing page on the day we checked, so it is left out. Prices are in US dollars unless a vendor only showed us a local currency, which we note. If you’re tracking new launches in this space, our launches feed lists new AI products as they ship.

Scroll the table sideways →

Chat assistants: the one free tool almost everyone needs

ChatGPT Free

According to OpenAI’s pricing page, the free plan offers unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna (subject to abuse guardrails), with limited messages that include uploads, limited image creation, limited voice chats, limited deep research and limited memory. The Go plan costs $8 a month and adds more of each, though OpenAI notes Go may include ads. Plus is $20 a month and brings advanced reasoning with GPT-6, projects, scheduled tasks and custom GPTs.

Claude Free

Anthropic’s free plan covers chat on web, desktop and mobile, plus web search, file creation, code execution, memory across conversations, app connectors and Artifacts, according to Anthropic’s pricing page. Anthropic doesn’t publish a hard message count for the free tier; it describes Free as covering everyday questions. Pro costs $20 a month, or $17 a month with a $200 annual payment.

Gemini

Google’s free Gemini plan includes access to 3.6 Flash, “varying” access to 3.1 Pro, image generation and editing, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas and Gems, plus 15 GB of storage across Gmail, Drive and Photos, according to Google’s subscriptions page. Google AI Plus costs $4.99 a month for double the free usage; Google AI Pro is $19.99. When we loaded the same page in an Indian locale it listed Plus at ₹399 and Pro at ₹1,950 a month.

Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft offers a free Copilot experience but its individuals page describes it mainly by contrast: Microsoft 365 Personal ($9.99 a month) gives “higher usage than free” for Copilot chat, visual assistance from your screen or camera, AI-generated audio and image creation, according to Microsoft. The paid plan also puts Copilot inside the Word and Outlook desktop apps.

Research, writing and meetings

Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)

Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on 16 July 2026 and said more than 30 million people and 600,000 organisations use it, according to the Google blog. It answers from the sources you upload, which makes it the best free tool here for working through reports or interview notes. The free Standard plan allows 100 notebooks per user and 50 sources per notebook, according to Google’s help centre. Higher limits come through Google AI plans and some Workspace plans.

Grammarly Free

Grammarly’s free plan checks spelling and grammar, shows your writing tone and lets you generate text with 100 AI prompts, according to Grammarly’s plans page. Grammarly shows prices in local currency; the page we loaded listed the Plus plan at ₹392 per member per month billed annually, or ₹1,000 billed monthly.

Otter Basic

For meeting notes, Otter’s free Basic plan gives 300 transcription minutes a month, caps each conversation at 30 minutes and allows three audio or video file imports over the life of the account, according to Otter’s pricing page. Pro costs $8.33 per user per month billed annually or $16.99 monthly.

Design, slides and voice

Canva Free

Canva Free includes the drag-and-drop editor, more than 1.6 million templates, 5 GB of cloud storage and up to 20 Standard or Premium AI uses a month, according to Canva’s pricing page. Free users get tools such as Magic Layers and image-to-video, but background removal and AI video creation are paid-only. Pro costs US$144 a year for one person and raises the allowance to up to 200 Premium AI uses.

Gamma Free

Gamma turns a prompt into a presentation, document or simple website. The free plan gives 400 credits at signup, up to 10 slides per prompt, PDF and PPTX import, and export to PDF, PPTX, PNG and Google Slides, according to Gamma’s pricing page. The catch: those free credits don’t refill. Plus costs $9 per seat per month billed annually and adds 1,000 monthly credits and removes Gamma branding.

ElevenLabs Free

ElevenLabs’ free plan includes text to speech, speech to text, sound effects, voice design and music, with 10,000 credits a month and three Studio projects, according to ElevenLabs’ pricing page. The commercial licence starts on Starter, which lists at $6 a month (a discounted first month was on offer when we checked), and unused credits don’t roll over on Free. ElevenLabs is also hiring; see open roles at ElevenLabs.

Coding and automation

GitHub Copilot Free

Copilot Free gives 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests a month, according to GitHub’s plans page. GitHub’s documentation adds that it includes chat in the IDE and on mobile, agent mode, MCP support and automatic model selection across several models, and that it’s only for individual developers who don’t already get Copilot through an organisation, according to GitHub Docs. Pro costs $10 a month.

Gemini Code Assist for individuals

Google offers Gemini Code Assist free to individuals with a personal Google account and no credit card, with limits of 6,000 code-related requests and 240 chat requests a day, according to Google’s Code Assist site. That is far more headroom than Copilot Free’s monthly cap. The Standard business edition is $19 per user per month on an annual commitment.

Cursor Hobby

Cursor’s Hobby plan needs no credit card and includes Composer, but its agent requests are described only as “limited”, according to Cursor’s pricing page. Pro is $20 a month.

Zapier Free

Zapier’s free plan includes unlimited two-step Zaps, 100 tasks a month and basic access to its AI features, including a daily-capped Copilot and its agents and chatbots, according to Zapier’s pricing page. Professional starts at $19.99 a month billed annually ($29.99 monthly) for 750 tasks.

Privacy and data-training settings on free tiers

Here is what each vendor says about training on free consumer accounts, and the switch to flip.

• ChatGPT: turn off “Improve the model for everyone” under Settings, then Data controls, and new conversations won’t be used for training. Temporary chats aren’t used for training and may be kept for up to 30 days for safety. Giving thumbs-up or thumbs-down feedback can still let that whole conversation be used, according to OpenAI Help Center.
• Claude: since Anthropic’s August 2025 terms update, Free, Pro and Max users choose whether chats can be used to improve Claude. If you allow it, data is kept for five years; if not, the 30-day retention period applies. You can change it in Privacy Settings, according to Anthropic.
• Gemini: Google says it uses activity to improve services, including training generative AI models, and a subset of chats is read by human reviewers. Turning off Keep Activity stops future chats being used for training (unless you send feedback), but chats are still held for 72 hours. The default auto-delete period is 18 months, according to Google.
• GitHub Copilot: from 24 April 2026, GitHub uses interaction data from Copilot Free, Pro and Pro+ users, including prompts, outputs and code snippets, to train models unless you opt out under Privacy in settings. Business and Enterprise users are excluded, according to The GitHub Blog.

Don’t paste client contracts, customer data or unreleased code into a free consumer account until you’ve checked these settings, and ask your security or legal team before using any free tier with regulated data.

How to pick the right free AI stack

Start with the job, not the brand: one general assistant plus one specialist tool covers most people.

• Students: Gemini for chat and Deep Research, Gemini Notebook for course material, and Gemini Code Assist if you code.
• Founders and marketers: ChatGPT or Claude for drafting, Canva for visuals, Gamma for a first pitch-deck draft, Zapier for one or two simple automations.
• Developers: Gemini Code Assist for volume, GitHub Copilot Free if you prefer the GitHub ecosystem, Cursor Hobby to test an AI-first editor.
• Remote teams: Otter for short meetings, Grammarly for polish, and Microsoft Copilot if you already use Microsoft 365.

If you want to work on these products rather than just use them, our AI and ML jobs board lists openings at AI companies.

What free tiers don’t give you

Free plans exist to show you the product. Across the plans we checked, the recurring gaps are:

• Predictable capacity. Several vendors (Claude, Cursor, Microsoft) don’t publish exact free limits, so you can hit a wall mid-task.
• Commercial rights. ElevenLabs reserves its commercial licence for paid plans.
• Clean branding. Gamma removes its branding only from Plus upward.
• Refilling credits. Gamma’s free credits are one-off; Otter’s file imports are three for the life of the account.
• Top models and admin controls. Free tiers get “varying” or “limited” flagship-model access and none of the admin controls or training exclusions of business plans.

Best AI tools by use case

This page covers free tiers. For paid plans and picks for a specific job or audience, see our dedicated lists:

• Students: student plans, study modes and academic-integrity rules.
• Startup teams: a paid stack by company stage, with data-governance advice.
• Coding: Claude Code, Copilot, Cursor and Codex compared.
• Designers: Figma, Firefly, Canva and more.
• Image generation: prices and commercial rights.
• Video generation: Veo, Runway, Kling, Pika, HeyGen.
• Meeting notes: Otter, Fireflies, Granola, Fathom.
• Marketing: content, SEO, ads and social.
• Sales: prospecting, outreach and CRM AI.
• Customer support: Fin, Zendesk, Sierra and more.
• Recruiting: screening, sourcing and the new rules.

Bottom line

You can do serious work with free AI tools in 2026 if you pick by job and respect the caps. Gemini Code Assist is the most generous on paper, Gemini Notebook is the stand-out research tool, and any of the big three chat assistants handles everyday writing. Pay only when a cap blocks real work, and check the data-training setting on day one. For more on the companies behind these tools, follow our AI and startup news.

FAQ

What is the best free AI tool in 2026?

There’s no single winner. ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all have capable free chat plans; Gemini Notebook is best for research on your own files; Gemini Code Assist has the highest published free coding limits we found.

Is ChatGPT still free in 2026?

Yes. According to OpenAI, the free plan includes unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna, with limits on uploads, image creation, voice and deep research, as of 4 October 2026.

Is NotebookLM still free after becoming Gemini Notebook?

Yes. Google’s help centre lists a free Standard plan with 100 notebooks and 50 sources per notebook, as of 4 October 2026.

Can I use free AI output commercially?

It depends on the vendor. ElevenLabs, for example, includes its commercial licence only from the paid Starter plan. Read each tool’s terms, and confirm with a qualified legal adviser for client or commercial work.

Do free AI tools train on my data?

Often by default or by choice on consumer plans. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and GitHub Copilot each provide a setting to stop new conversations being used for training.

Sources

1. OpenAI, “Pricing | ChatGPT”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
2. Anthropic, “Plans and pricing | Claude”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
3. Google, “Google AI plans (Gemini subscriptions)”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
4. Microsoft, “Microsoft Copilot plans for individuals”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
5. Google, “NotebookLM is now Gemini Notebook”, 16 July 2026
6. Google, “Upgrade Gemini Notebook”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
7. Grammarly, “Grammarly plans”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
8. Otter.ai, “Otter.ai pricing”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
9. Canva, “Canva pricing: compare Free, Pro, Business and Enterprise plans”, 15 September 2026
10. GitHub, “GitHub Copilot plans and pricing”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
11. GitHub Docs, “Individual plans for GitHub Copilot”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
12. Cursor, “Cursor pricing”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
13. Google, “Gemini Code Assist”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
14. ElevenLabs, “ElevenLabs pricing”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
15. Gamma, “Plans and pricing | Gamma”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
16. Zapier, “Zapier pricing”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
17. OpenAI Help Center, “Data controls in ChatGPT”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
18. Anthropic, “Updates to Consumer Terms and Privacy Policy”, 28 August 2025
19. Google Gemini Apps Help, “Gemini Apps Privacy Hub”, 4 October 2026 (accessed)
20. The GitHub Blog, “Updates to GitHub Copilot interaction data usage policy”, 25 March 2026

Featured image: Chat assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all have usable free plans in 2026. · Photo: Jernej Furman / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

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Sources

1. OpenAI 4 Oct 2026ChatGPT Free, Go and Plus features and prices
2. Anthropic 4 Oct 2026Claude Free features; Pro $20/month or $17/month annually
3. Google 4 Oct 2026Gemini free plan features; Google AI Plus $4.99 and Pro $19.99; INR prices
4. Microsoft 4 Oct 2026Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/month; higher usage than free Copilot
5. Google 16 Jul 2026Rename date and user numbers
6. Google 4 Oct 2026Free Standard plan: 100 notebooks, 50 sources per notebook
7. Grammarly 4 Oct 2026Grammarly Free features incl. 100 AI prompts; Plus pricing in INR
8. Otter.ai 4 Oct 2026Otter Basic limits and Pro price
9. Canva 15 Sep 2026Canva Free AI allowance and features; Pro US$144/year
10. GitHub 4 Oct 2026Copilot Free 2,000 completions, 50 chat requests; Pro $10/month
11. GitHub Docs 4 Oct 2026Copilot Free features and eligibility
12. Cursor 4 Oct 2026Hobby plan features; Pro $20/month
13. Google 4 Oct 2026Free individual limits 6,000 code requests and 240 chats/day; Standard $19
14. ElevenLabs 4 Oct 2026Free 10k credits/month; Starter $6 with commercial licence
15. Gamma 4 Oct 2026Gamma Free 400 one-off credits; Plus $9/seat/month annually
16. Zapier 4 Oct 2026Zapier Free 100 tasks, two-step Zaps; Professional price
17. OpenAI Help Center 4 Oct 2026Improve the model for everyone setting; temporary chat retention
18. Anthropic 28 Aug 2025Claude training choice; 5-year vs 30-day retention
19. Google Gemini Apps Help 4 Oct 2026Gemini training, human review, Keep Activity, 72 hours, 18 months
20. The GitHub Blog 25 Mar 2026Copilot Free/Pro/Pro+ data used for training from 24 April 2026 unless opted out