There are tons of AI tools available for students, but we have curated the 7 most essential ones that every student should know about.
7 Most Needed Free AI Tools for Students
By Naila Syifa
Updated May 2024
There are tons of AI tools available for students, but we have curated the 7 most essential ones that every student should know about. All the tools covered here offer a free plan, so everyone can take advantage of their capabilities at zero cost. Let's dive into the details of these powerful AI tools.
#1 Perplexity: Ask Anything
Perplexity
Perplexity is an AI-powered search engine in a conversational format that can assist with a wide range of tasks, from research and analysis to problem-solving and creative ideation.
How it works:
Type your query. Perplexity will provide an answer using the sources from the web. It will also cite links within the text response that you can click to learn more. Then, you can ask follow-up questions if you need more details or clarification.
Pricing:
The free plan gives unlimited quick searches and 5 pro searches per day. Pro search is powered by the more powerful GPT-4 and Claude-3, offering more personalized and comprehensive answers that get the essence of what you're looking for.
The professional plan ($20/month) provides 600 pro searches, access to powerful AI models (GPT-4o, Claude-3, LLaMa 3), and visualization of up to 50 answers per day.
Perplexity
Conversational Search Engine
✓ Unlimited Quick Searches
✓ Conversational Interface
✓ Contextual Awareness
✓ Web & Mobile App
#2 Summarize.Tech: Video Summary
Summarize.Tech
Summarize.Tech is an AI-powered video summarization tool that can quickly extract the key points and insights from any YouTube video, from lectures, live events, interviews, and more.
How it works:
Submit a YouTube URL. The tool will quickly generate key points of the video, consisting of time stamps and concise summaries that capture the main ideas and highlights of every time stamp.
Pricing:
The free version has daily rate limits of a few videos per day, while the premium version ($10/month) has monthly limits of 200 videos per month.
Summarize.Tech
YouTube Video Summarizer
✓ A Few Videos per Day
✓ Time Stamps
✓ Concise Summaries
✓ Web Only
#3 ChatPDF: Ask About Document
ChatPDF
ChatPDF is an AI-powered chatbot that allows you to ask questions about the content of any PDF document. It is a great tool for students to quickly find key information and insights from lengthy PDF files.
How it works:
Upload a PDF document, then ask questions about the content of the document, and ChatPDF will provide relevant answers based on the information in the file. It will also indicate which page the answer can be found on, so you can easily reference the original document.
Pricing:
The free version has a limit of 2 PDFs a day, with each PDF not exceeding 10MB and 120 pages.
The Plus plan ($7/month) allows unlimited PDFs and unlimited questions, with each PDF containing up to 2000 pages and 32MB in size.
ChatPDF
Ask Questions About PDF Content
✓ 2 PDFs per Day
✓ Conversational Interface
✓ Page Number Reference
✓ Web Only
#4 SlidesAI: Create Presentations
SlidesAI
Creating beautiful, point-driven presentations can be a time-consuming task. SlidesAI is an AI-powered presentation builder that can automate the creation process and generate visually stunning slides in minutes.
The tool is integrated into Google Slides as an extension, so you can directly create and edit your presentations within the Google Slides interface. This makes sharing and collaboration easier as well.
How it works:
Install SlidesAI to Google Slides, then create a new presentation in Google Slides. Click Extensions -> SlidesAI -> Generate New Slides.
Enter the content of your presentation into the box. It is recommended to enter a long piece of text, as the SlidesAI will summarize and create an outline of your presentation based on the content. You can customize the themes and colors.
After that, SlidesAI will automatically generate your whole presentation, featuring images or even charts when necessary. You can review the slides and make changes, such as replacing images with other recommended images provided, paraphrasing text, and so on.
Pricing:
The free, Basic plan allows you to create 3 presentations per month with 2500 character input per presentation.
Paid plans have two tiers. The Pro ($10/month) tier supports 10 presentations per month with 6000 character input per presentation, while the Premium ($20/month) tier allows for unlimited presentations with 12000 character input per presentation.
SlidesAI
Presentations Generator
✓ 3 Presentations per Month
✓ Customization
✓ Stock Images & Paraphrasing Tool
✓ Integrated to Google Slides
#5 Jenni AI: Write Essays & Papers
Jenni AI
Jenni is an AI-powered text editor that helps you write essays, papers, and other academic writing more efficiently. It has 5 languages support (English, Spanish, German, French, and Chinese) and automatically generates citations in various styles.
How it works:
Write about a topic you want to write. Jenni will provide suggestions on what to write next, as well as citations to add. You can choose from a range of AI commands, such as "summarize", "paraphrase", "write opposing argument", and so on.
The interface also integrates a chatbot assistant to help you brainstorm ideas, understand a complex concept, and so on.
Pricing:
The free plan has a limit of 200 AI words per day, while the premium plan ($20/month) offers unlimited AI words.
Jenni AI
Academic Writing Assistant
✓ 200 AI Words per Day
✓ AI Autocomplete
✓ In-text Citations
✓ Web Only
#6 QuillBot: Paraphrasing
QuillBot
QuillBot now offers many writing tools like summarizer, grammar checker, translator, and more, but it was initially developed as an AI-powered paraphrasing tool, allowing users to quickly rephrase text.
How it works:
Enter text into the input box. QuillBot will automatically suggest a paraphrased version of your text. It will also highlight the changes it has made, so you can easily review and accept the suggested paraphrasing. You can also click on any word and get alternative synonyms to replace it.
Pricing:
The free plan allows unlimited times of paraphrasing, but there is a 125-word limit on how many words you can input at once. The free plan also supports paraphrasing in 2 modes: Standard and Fluency modes.
Meanwhile, the Premium plan ($4.17/month) allows unlimited word input and supports 8 additional paraphrasing modes, including Natural, Formal, Academic, Simple, Creative, Expand, Shorten, and Custom.
QuillBot
AI Paraphrasing Tool
✓ 125 Words
✓ Standard & Fluency Modes
✓ Multilingual
✓ Web, Desktop App, Word Extension
#7 Bing Image Creator: Image Generation
Bing Image Creator
If you have an assignment that relates to visual creation, but you don't have the artistic skills, Bing Image Creator from Microsoft Designer can be a valuable tool. For example, you can design a poster for a school event, create an image to add to your presentation, or visualize an abstract concept.
How it works:
Describe the image you want to create. We suggest generating using a specific and detailed prompt. You can also include the style you want the image to be in, such as "oil painting" or "digital art".
After that, the AI-powered tool will generate a unique image based on your description. Unfortunately, for now, the Bing Image Creator only supports a 1:1 ratio with a maximum resolution of 1024 x 1024 pixels.
Pricing:
Bing Image Creator is 100% fee. However, note that the AI tool runs on "boost", which is a single-use token that ensures faster image generation processing time. Every time you create an image, a boost token will be used up.
Once it runs out, you'll still be able to generate images, but the tool will run at a slower pace until your next boost token is available. A subscription to Microsoft Copilot Pro ($20/month) gives 100 daily boosts.
Bing Image Creator
AI Image Generation
✓ Free with Boosts
✓ 1:1 Ratio
✓ Various Styles
✓ Web & Bing Copilot App
Final Thoughts
AI tools are becoming increasingly accessible for students, enabling them to enhance their productivity, creativity, and academic performance. The tools covered here offer a wide range of capabilities that can significantly benefit students, when used responsibly and ethically.
From conversational search engines to video summarization, PDF analysis, presentation creation, and writing assistance, these AI-powered tools provide students with powerful resources to streamline their workflow, improve their research and writing skills, and unlock new levels of efficiency.
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