Company AI Day · Multi-Industry / Cross-Functional · Stage 1
Free-Tier Quick Reference
Start here. Every tool that has a real free tier — what it is, what it's good for, and where to sign up.
Generous free
| Tool | Best for | Try it |
|---|---|---|
| Claude (Anthropic) | Long-form writing, careful reasoning, code, complex documents, projects with knowledge files. Strong at following nuanced instructions. | claude.ai |
| Gemini (Google) | Massive context windows (1M+ tokens). Deep integration with Google Workspace. Strong on factual / research tasks. | gemini.google.com |
| Perplexity | Research tasks where you need cited sources. The 'Google replacement' for many people. | perplexity.ai |
| Microsoft Copilot | If you live in Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams). Tight integration is the win. | copilot.microsoft.com |
| Mistral / Llama / DeepSeek | Privacy-sensitive teams who want to run AI on their own infrastructure. | mistral.ai |
| Make (formerly Integromat) | More complex visual workflows than Zapier. Better for branching logic. | make.com |
| n8n | Self-hostable, code-when-you-want-to. Power-user automation. AI-friendly. | n8n.io |
| Gamma | Generating decks, one-pagers, and websites from a prompt or doc. Great for proposals and recap decks. | gamma.app |
| v0 (Vercel) | Generate React + Tailwind UI from a prompt or screenshot. Designers and PMs can produce real components. | v0.dev |
| Perplexity | Replace 80% of your Google searches. Gets you cited answers in seconds. | perplexity.ai |
| Gamma | Generate a real deck from a paragraph or document. Re-edit by chatting. The fastest path from rough idea to share-able artifact. | gamma.app |
| Claude.ai | Daily writing, thinking, code. Free tier is real and useful. Pro ($20/mo) for Projects + heavier use. | claude.ai |
| Gemini | Free tier is excellent. Workspace integration. Long-context use cases. | gemini.google.com |
| Perplexity | Free for daily use. Pro ($20/mo) for deeper research. | perplexity.ai |
| Gamma | Free tier generates real decks. Paid for branding control + unlimited generations. | gamma.app |
| v0 | Free generations daily. Plenty for non-developers experimenting. | v0.dev |
Free with limits
| Tool | Best for | Try it |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT (OpenAI) | General-purpose, image generation, voice mode, Custom GPTs, broadest ecosystem. Strong at creative tasks and quick lookups. | chat.openai.com |
| Zapier | Connecting popular SaaS apps with AI steps in between. Easiest learning curve. | zapier.com |
| Airtable + AI | Spreadsheet-database hybrid with AI fields built in. | airtable.com |
| Cursor | Engineers who want AI deeply integrated into their editor. Has chat, edit, and full agent modes. Pro ($20/mo) for serious use. | cursor.sh |
| Replit Agent | Build a working app from a prompt, in a browser, no setup. Great for prototypes. | replit.com |
| Bolt | Generate full-stack apps in a browser. Faster from-scratch than coding by hand. | bolt.new |
| Manus | General-purpose autonomous agent. Give it a goal, it spawns a task list and executes. Useful for research projects, multi-step admin work. | manus.im |
| Granola / Fathom / Otter | Automatic meeting notes + summaries + action items. | granola.ai |
| ChatGPT | Free tier gets you GPT (varies by load). Plus ($20/mo) for Custom GPTs, image gen, voice. | chat.openai.com |
| Cursor | Free tier lets engineers try the editor. Pro ($20/mo) for serious daily use. | cursor.sh |
| Manus | General-purpose autonomous research and admin. Try it before building anything. | manus.im |
Free trial
| Tool | Best for | Try it |
|---|---|---|
| Notion AI | If your team already runs on Notion. AI inside docs, databases, projects. | notion.so/product/ai |
Free to start, paid to scale
| Tool | Best for | Try it |
|---|---|---|
| Perplexity Comet | An AI-native browser. Lets you interact with the page you're on (summarize, extract, ask). | perplexity.ai/comet |
| Bubble | Building real apps without code. Has AI integrations. | bubble.io |
| Perplexity Comet | An AI that lives in your browser and can act on the page in front of you. | perplexity.ai/comet |
Free with Claude Pro
| Tool | Best for | Try it |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Power users who want Claude to read and edit their entire codebase from the terminal. Especially good for refactors, audits, multi-file changes. | claude.com/product/claude-code |
| Claude Projects | Persistent context for repeated work. Upload knowledge files, set system instructions, share with teammates. | claude.ai/projects |
Free for individuals (limited)
| Tool | Best for | Try it |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | Inline code suggestions as you type. The classic. Built into VS Code, JetBrains, etc. | github.com/features/copilot |
Free to use, Plus to build
| Tool | Best for | Try it |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Custom GPTs | Same idea as Projects, on the OpenAI side. Shareable via link. | chat.openai.com/gpts |
Open source
| Tool | Best for | Try it |
|---|---|---|
| CrewAI / AutoGen / LangGraph | Engineers building multi-agent systems where roles collaborate. | crewai.com |
Free playbook · centraops.com/company-ai-day · © Chelsea Hulin / CH Tech Ventures