27 Jan 2025
From our coffee maker to the car we drive is now equipped with AI and this has made our life easier. AI tools are not just making our day to day life easier but also helping us boost our work efficiency and productivity. According to a PwC report, using AI tools could add an estimated $15.7 trillion to the global economy and increase GDP by over 26% by 2030.
As of now there are more than 300+ identified use cases of AI and the workforce is using them for curating advanced social media strategy, presentations, video, audio, and much more with not even half the effort as before. But how do you go about selecting a solution from the plethora of options?
We’ve rolled up our sleeves, tested the tools, and brewed up a list of the 15 best AI tools you absolutely need to know about this year. Let’s categorize these digital powerhouses and guide you on how they can supercharge your workflow, spark your creativity, and even help you stay ahead of the curve.
Categories of AI Tools
Understanding and choosing the right AI tools world can end up feeling like being a kid in a candy store with so many options available, and having so little clarity!
To make your AI journey less overwhelming, we’ve broken down these tools into nine categories, each serving a unique purpose. Be a marketer trying to nail campaigns, a developer seeking efficiency, or an educator creating content that will get people engaged, and there's an AI tool for you.
Productivity & Workflow Optimization
This category of AI solutions are about streamlining processes and improving efficiency by automating repetitive tasks. For example, virtual assistants, task schedulers, and project management solutions.
Notion AI
Notion is an all-in-one productivity platform that helps you organize your life, manage tasks, and collaborate with ease. Whether you’re creating documents, taking notes, or tracking projects, Notion makes it seamless by bringing everything into one connected workspace.
What sets it apart is Notion AI, which takes productivity to the next level by assisting with brainstorming, summarizing, and even answering questions directly from your notes.
It’s simple to use across mobile, desktop, and web apps, and it integrates perfectly into your daily workflow. Its flexibility—combined with customizable templates, databases, and integrations—has made it indispensable for me.
I’ve been using Notion for a couple of years now, and it’s truly become my second brain. I rely on it for both work and personal projects, and the way it adapts to any system I create makes it incredibly versatile.
Notion AI is one of the features I’ve come to appreciate the most. I often use it to summarize lengthy articles or reports, saving me hours of time when I need quick insights for meetings or planning. It’s especially helpful when brainstorming—I just throw in some rough ideas, and it helps me shape them into something more concrete.
Another thing I love about Notion is how I can bring everything in my life into one space. I use it to track work deadlines, organize my personal goals, and even plan vacations.
For instance, I’ve set up a habit tracker where I can see all my goals broken down with color-coded tags. It’s motivating to watch my progress in real-time, and the customizations make it feel like it’s designed just for me.
Lately, I’ve been using the calendar integration more often. Syncing it with my Google Calendar has made scheduling so much easier—I can see all my events, tasks, and deadlines in one place. It’s been a game-changer for planning my weeks and staying on top of everything without feeling overwhelmed.
Pricing
Notion’s free plan is surprisingly robust, offering unlimited notes, tasks, and file uploads (up to 5MB per file). I started with the free plan and found it met most of my needs.
For more advanced features, the Plus Plan at $10 per user/month offers unlimited file uploads and a 30-day version history, while the Business Plan at $18 per user/month adds analytics, custom permissions, and private teamspaces.
While Notion is incredibly powerful, it does come with a small learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, there’s no going back.
It’s the ultimate tool for staying productive, organized, and stress-free, whether you’re managing a team or just trying to keep your personal life in order.
Zapier
Zapier Workflow Management
Zapier is a workflow automation platform that connects your favorite apps and services, helping you streamline processes without needing to write a single line of code. It’s perfect for businesses looking to save time, reduce manual work, and optimize efficiency.
With over 7,000 app integrations, from Gmail and Slack to Shopify and Salesforce, Zapier enables you to automate repetitive tasks, so you can focus on what really matters. Creating automated workflows, called "Zaps," is straightforward thanks to its intuitive visual editor.
I’ve been using Zapier for a few years now, primarily to integrate applications on WordPress and automate tasks that used to take hours. One of the things I love most about Zapier is how easy it is to set up Zaps, even if you’re not particularly tech-savvy.
For instance, I use it to connect my email platform with Google Sheets, so every new subscriber automatically gets added to my mailing list, complete with custom tags for segmentation. This kind of automation not only saves me time but also ensures no data slips through the cracks.
Zapier’s customization features are a game-changer. You can add filters, conditions, and multi-step actions to create workflows tailored to your exact needs.
For example, I’ve set up a multi-step Zap to monitor form submissions on my website. It checks if the user meets certain criteria, adds their details to a spreadsheet, sends a welcome email, and notifies me on Slack—all automatically.
It’s like having a personal assistant that never takes a coffee break.
Another standout is its ability to integrate with project management tools. I use it to automatically create tasks in Asana based on client emails or updates in shared spreadsheets.
This ensures my team stays in sync without having to constantly check multiple platforms.
While Zapier is incredibly powerful, there’s a bit of a learning curve for more complex workflows. I initially struggled with setting up advanced Zaps, but their support team was fantastic in helping me troubleshoot.
Once you get the hang of it, the possibilities are endless.
Pricing
Zapier’s pricing is flexible, too. The Free Plan is great for light users, allowing up to 100 tasks per month with single-step Zaps.
For more robust automation needs, the Starter Plan at $19.99 per month (billed annually) offers 750 tasks and multi-step Zaps, while the Professional Plan at $49 per month includes unlimited premium apps and up to 2,000 tasks.
For heavy-duty users, the Team Plan ($399/month) and Company Plan ($799/month) include advanced features like admin controls, priority support, and higher task limits.
Motion
Motion - Calendar view
Motion is an all-in-one AI-powered productivity platform designed to optimize your time, tasks, and schedules. Whether you’re managing work projects or personal errands, Motion makes planning effortless by combining task management, automatic scheduling, and calendar integration in one tool.
Its AI prioritizes your tasks and fills gaps in your schedule intelligently, ensuring you’re always making progress on what matters most.
I’ve been using Motion for both work and personal task management, and it has been a game-changer. Whenever I need to remember a task—whether it’s a client meeting, paying a bill, or picking up groceries—I can quickly jot it down with a due date and priority.
From there, Motion handles the scheduling for me, slotting tasks into my day based on my availability. It’s like having a personal assistant who never forgets.
One feature I particularly love is the AI-powered time fill-ins. If a meeting gets canceled or I find myself with some unexpected free time, Motion automatically reschedules tasks to fill the gaps.
For example, during a canceled meeting last week, Motion seamlessly slotted in a high-priority work task, helping me stay productive without having to reorganize my day manually.
The integration between task management and calendar planning is another standout for me. Motion connects easily with both my work and personal calendars, giving me a unified view of everything I need to accomplish.
This has been especially helpful for keeping track of important dates and deadlines without the stress of juggling multiple apps.
Templates are another hidden gem in Motion. I’ve created reusable templates for recurring tasks, like preparing for client meetings or managing household chores.
These templates save me hours each week, as I no longer need to manually create checklists or input dates. Motion automatically schedules everything based on the timelines I set, so I never miss a step.
The tool’s user experience is seamless, from its intuitive Kanban-style task board to its customizable settings for time zones, blocked time, and availability. Notifications and reminders ensure I’m always on top of my schedule, whether it’s for work or personal errands.
Motion even supports multi-calendar integration, video conferencing, and payment acceptance, making it a versatile tool for both personal and professional use.
Pricing
While Motion is incredibly powerful, it does come with a premium price tag.
The Starter Plan at $19 per user per month is great for individuals managing personal tasks, while the Team Plan at $49 per user per month offers additional features like team scheduling and project collaboration.
There’s also an Enterprise option for larger organizations, with custom pricing tailored to their needs.
Video Generation and Editing
Creating videos and editing them involves learning advanced motion graphic solutions. Now that the catalyst effect that has been brought on by generative AI, you can write simple prompts to describe the video you need using these tools and create a video without any hassle. These AI tools allow you to generate, edit, and enhance videos effortlessly. Some of the tools that you can use are:
Trupeer
Trupeer - Video Generator Dashboard
Trupeer makes creating personalized video messages at scale incredibly simple. Its features are designed to reconstruct rough screen recordings into polished, professional product videos and documents.
It’s an ideal tool for anyone looking to create high-quality content without spending hours on editing or hiring a professional team. Whether you're showcasing a product demo, creating tutorials, or preparing marketing materials, Trupeer helps you achieve a refined, professional finish effortlessly.
I’ve been using Trupeer to streamline the process of turning raw screen recordings into polished product videos, and the results have been incredible. The platform is intuitive, making it easy for someone like me, with limited editing experience, to create professional-quality content.
What impressed me most is how Trupeer can take rough, unpolished footage and transform it into a sleek, finished product. For example, I recently uploaded a quick walkthrough of a new tool I’m working with, and Trupeer turned it into a professional video that I could share with clients within minutes.
The output quality is top-notch with smooth transitions, professional formatting, and clean editing that make even my roughest recordings look polished. This saved me hours of manual editing and helped me focus more on the content rather than the production process.
Pricing
The pricing is straightforward and caters to different needs. Trupeer offers a free trial to get started, allowing users to experience its features without commitment.
After that, the plans start at $29 per month for personal use, perfect for individuals who need occasional editing.
For professionals or teams handling higher volumes, the Scale plan is available at $129 per month, offering additional features like advanced AI editing and team collaboration options.
Synthesia
Synthesia - AI-powered video generation platform
Synthesia is an AI-powered video generation platform that makes creating professional, studio-quality videos easier than ever—all from your browser.
Trusted by over 50,000 companies, including Zoom, Xerox, Heineken, and Bestseller, Synthesia allows you to transform your training, marketing, or customer support content into engaging AI videos, eliminating the need for lengthy PDFs or time-consuming video shoots.
The platform stands out for its simplicity and speed. All you need to do is upload or create a script (even using AI), customize your video with options like colors and avatars, and export or share it.
With 240+ AI avatars and voiceovers in 140+ languages, it’s perfect for global audiences. Features like live collaboration, AI screen recording, and 1-click translation make Synthesia a versatile tool for both individuals and teams.
I’ve been using Synthesia to create quick, high-quality training videos for my team, and it’s been a game-changer. What used to take days of planning, filming, and editing now takes mere minutes.
The AI avatars are so realistic that they add a professional polish to every video, and the voiceovers are precise, with perfect lip-syncing regardless of the language. I even created a personalized avatar for myself, which made my content feel more connected and engaging.
One thing I love is how intuitive the platform is. Even as a first-time user, I found it easy to navigate and start producing videos right away.
The ethical safeguards, such as restrictions on uploading unauthorized images or videos, also gave me peace of mind. Another standout feature is the live collaboration, which allowed my team to provide real-time feedback and speed up the entire process.
Pricing
Pricing is straightforward, though there isn’t a free plan. The Starter plan costs $17.39/month and is perfect for individuals, offering up to 120 minutes of video per year. F
or more flexibility, the Creator plan is $53.94/month, allowing 360 minutes of video annually. Businesses with larger needs can opt for the custom Enterprise plan, which offers unlimited video creation, multiple editors, and other premium features.
Runway
Runway - Creator Platform
Runway is one of the most innovative platforms for creators who want to turn their ideas into stunning visuals with the power of AI. It’s designed to make advanced tools accessible to everyone, whether you’re editing videos, designing concepts, or creating cinematic sequences.
What I love most about Runway is how easy it is to integrate into my workflow. Its standout feature, Gen-3 Alpha Turbo, lets me transform images or text into high-quality video clips in no time. Plus, the upscale resolution and live collaboration tools make team projects seamless and efficient.
Runway isn’t just for individual creators, it’s also a favorite for professionals across industries. From music videos to product designs, even big names like New Balance have used it to push creative boundaries.
It’s incredibly user-friendly. I’ve personally integrated it with tools like Adobe and Canva to produce high-quality, engaging videos with minimal effort. It’s like having an AI-powered assistant that makes every step smoother and faster.
Pricing
If you’re wondering about pricing, there’s something for everyone. The free basic plan gives you 125 credits to test the waters. If you’re like me and need more, the Standard plan at $12/month offers 625 credits, while the Pro plan at $28/month provides a generous 2,250 credits.
For unlimited creativity, the Unlimited plan at $76/month is a no-brainer. Teams and enterprises can also explore customized options. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, Runway has all the tools to help you bring your vision to life effortlessly.
Marketing and Sales
Most marketing campaigns are about trial and error. But with the help of AI marketing and sales tools, you can take the guessing out of the trial by leveraging AI-driven analytics to drive data-based decision making. You can also run personalized campaigns on customers' preferred channels like WhatsApp to automate the entire lead-generation process. Here are the three recommendations that you can try:
HubSpot AI
HubSpot - Sales and Marketing Platform
HubSpot is the ultimate platform for businesses looking to manage their marketing, sales, and customer service efforts all in one place. It’s trusted by over 238,000+ customers in more than 135 countries, and for a good reason.
It’s packed with tools to help you attract, engage, and delight your audience at every stage of the customer journey. What sets HubSpot apart is its intuitive interface and ability to integrate seamlessly with your existing tech stack.
Whether you’re looking to build landing pages, manage your social media, or analyze campaign performance, HubSpot has you covered.
The platform is designed to scale with your business. From startups to enterprises, there’s a plan for everyone. HubSpot’s free CRM is a great starting point, giving you access to features like contact management, email tracking, and deal pipelines.
If you’re ready to unlock more advanced tools, you can opt for one of their Marketing Hub plans.
Pricing
The Starter plan is $15month (billed annually) and offers basic marketing automation features. The Professional plan at $800/month includes everything you need to manage campaigns at scale, and the Enterprise plan, starting at $3,600/month, is built for businesses that need custom workflows and advanced analytics.
What I love most about HubSpot is how user-friendly it is. You don’t need to be a tech wizard to get started, but the depth of features ensures you’ll never outgrow the platform.
Plus, the reporting tools are incredible, giving you real-time insights into what’s working and where you can improve. It’s like having a full marketing, sales, and service team in one dashboard. Whether you’re nurturing leads, closing deals, or wowing your customers, HubSpot makes it easy to grow better.
Jasper.ai
Jasper AI Writing tool
Jasper is an AI writing assistant for creating high-quality content in a fraction of the time. Whether you’re drafting blog posts, crafting social media captions, writing marketing emails, or brainstorming creative ideas, Jasper is here to help you write 2-5X faster.
Fluent in over 30 languages, Jasper is perfect for creating global content or translating ideas into multiple languages effortlessly. Plus, the AI has been trained on an extensive database of public knowledge, ensuring your content is original, plagiarism-free, and adaptable to nearly any niche.
What makes Jasper truly stand out is its specialized training from marketing industry experts. It knows over 50 skills, from creating email subject lines that boost open rates to developing compelling fictional stories. And it’s not just for solo creators!
Jasper allows team collaboration with unique logins, project organization, and workspace flexibility. Whether you’re a freelancer or part of a Fortune 500 team, Jasper scales to fit your needs.
Pricing
Pricing is accessible, with plans for individuals and businesses alike. You can start with a free trial to see how it works and then choose between its creator plan that is $39month/seat, pro plan $59month/seat or custom priced business plan.
Jasper makes it easy to integrate AI into your workflow without breaking the bank. And if you need help, their stellar customer service is always there to guide you.
What I love most about Jasper is the efficiency it brings to my day. It’s like having an expert writing partner who never runs out of ideas.
The Chrome extension is a lifesaver, seamlessly improving my writing as I work, and the brand knowledge base ensures my content stays on-brand every time. Jasper is not just a tool—it’s a game-changer.
Tidio AI
Tidio - Customer Service platform
Tidio is an all-in-one customer service platform designed to make your business more accessible and boost sales effortlessly. With its sleek live chat widget, you can connect with customers 24/7, while AI-powered chatbots engage in real-time to handle queries, drive sales, and improve the overall customer experience.
Trusted by over 300,000 websites globally, Tidio provides businesses with a competitive edge in customer support.
One of Tidio’s standout features is Lyro, the first conversational AI chatbot tailored for small and medium businesses. Lyro mimics human agents, delivering personalized support without the need for additional hiring.
You can manage customer queries during off-hours or handle high volumes of interactions, Tidio’s AI makes it seamless and efficient.
What I love about Tidio is its simplicity. Setting up the chatbot is a breeze, even for someone with minimal technical expertise. The live chat works flawlessly, sending instant notifications for messages and ensuring professional yet personalized communication.
Plus, the mobile app allows me to respond to customers on the go, keeping my business running smoothly no matter where I am.
Pricing
The free plan is a fantastic starting point, offering features like 50 Lyro AI conversations for free. And if you need more, Tidio offers flexible pricing plans to suit businesses of all sizes. Whether you want to personalize responses, track visitor behavior, or maintain 24/7 communication, Tidio makes it all possible—easily and affordably. It's the perfect tool for staying connected with clients and keeping customer support efficient and professional.
Content Curation
May it be brainstorming or content curation, using generative AI solutions like Microsoft Co-pilot, and ChatGPT, you can easily automate the entire process of research, strategizing, and curation of any form of content. Here is our list of recommendations:
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
ChatGPT
A conversational AI powerhouse that excels at generating content, brainstorming, and even coding assistance. Perfect for drafting articles, ideating creative pieces, or debugging code.
As per their report, any average user spends an average of 6 mins, 11 secs per visit on ChatGPT to write simple messages, articles, and even researching answers.
Honestly, it’s the ultimate time-saver. I can brainstorm content ideas, get professional suggestions, and even debug code without switching between tools.
The ease of use is unmatched, and it feels like having a team of experts at my fingertips. I especially love how quickly it adapts to the context of our conversations.
It’s like chatting with someone who already knows what I need!
Another standout feature is the ability to explain complex concepts in a simple, digestible way. Whether I’m trying to understand a new topic or explore creative solutions, ChatGPT never disappoints. And the cherry on top?
Its ability to personalize responses and adjust its tone to match the situation. It can be friendly, professional, or creative, it’s got it all covered.
Pricing
You can use ChatGPT for free, or opt for its paid model starting at $20/month. I personally am satisfied with its free model itself.
Copy.ai
Copy.ai Content Generator
Copy.ai is a content writing tool for crafting high-quality blog intros, captions, and SEO-optimized content. With 80+ templates and multi-language support, it streamlines content creation and boosts productivity by taking hours of time to write.
I started using Copy.ai to streamline my content creation process and generate fresh ideas for various projects. Its intuitive interface and wide range of templates made it incredibly easy to adopt.
One feature I found particularly useful was the AI Content Generator. Whether I needed engaging blog posts, ad copy, or social media captions, Copy.ai provided a variety of suggestions tailored to my needs.
The tool offered multiple options for each prompt, which gave me the flexibility to choose or refine the best fit for my brand's voice. It significantly reduced the time spent brainstorming and editing, allowing me to focus on other priorities.
Another standout feature was the Brainstorming Tool, which helped me overcome writer’s block by generating creative ideas and angles for my projects. This was particularly helpful when working on campaigns where fresh, innovative perspectives were crucial.
The Custom Tone Settings was also very helpful. Copy.ai allowed me to fine-tune the tone and style of the content to match my audience. Whether I needed a professional, friendly, or humorous tone, the platform delivered content that aligned with my goals.
Pricing
Copy.ai offers a free plan that includes 2,000 words per chat, access to 90+ tools, and up to 5 project members.
The starter plan, priced at $49 per month (billed annually), includes unlimited words, priority support, and advanced features like team collaboration and custom templates.
Grammarly
Grammarly
Grammarly is an AI-powered writing assistant that enhances communication and productivity, trusted by over 30 million people and 70,000 teams worldwide. I started using Grammarly to improve the quality of my writing and to save time on editing and content creation.
Its seamless integration across platforms like Microsoft Office, Google Docs, web browsers, and social media makes it incredibly convenient to use.
One feature I found especially impressive is Grammarly’s Generative AI Content Generation. With this tool, I can create drafts, rewrite sentences, or expand on ideas with just a few clicks. It’s particularly useful when starting with a blank page or refining existing content.
Whether I need help crafting a professional email, brainstorming ideas, or generating creative text, Grammarly’s AI produces polished, ready-to-use results that save me significant time and effort.
In addition to content generation, Grammarly excels in grammar and punctuation correction, automatically identifying and fixing errors for polished writing. Its clarity suggestions ensure sentences are concise and easy to understand, while its tone adjustment tools help tailor content to suit any audience—whether formal, casual, or persuasive..
Pricing
Grammarly offers a Free Plan with essential grammar and spelling checks, while the Pro Plan ($12/month billed annually or $30/month billed monthly) includes advanced features like full-sentence rewrites, tone adjustments, plagiarism detection, and up to 2,000 AI prompts for content generation.
For larger organizations, the Enterprise Plan provides custom solutions, including enhanced security, dedicated support, and unlimited AI prompts.
Design & Visuals
AI tools in design are completely reimagining the way creators work, bringing efficiency, precision, and inspiration to the table. Here’s a look at some top AI-powered tools that are making design faster, smarter, and more accessible:
Canva Magic Design
Canva - Design dashboard
Canva Magic Design is an AI-powered tool within Canva that simplifies the creative process by generating stunning, customizable designs in seconds. I started using Magic Design to speed up my workflow and effortlessly create visuals for presentations, social media, and marketing materials.
Its intuitive interface and integration with Canva’s vast library of templates make it incredibly easy to use, even for non-designers.
One feature I loved was the ability to upload an image or input content and have Magic Design instantly suggest professional-looking templates tailored to my needs.
Whether I was designing a social media post, a flyer, or a business card, the tool provided multiple layout options with perfectly balanced colors, fonts, and elements. It gave me a polished starting point that I could quickly customize to align with my brand.
I also appreciated how Magic Design integrated with Canva’s existing ecosystem, making it easy to access stock photos, illustrations, and other design assets. The drag-and-drop functionality and AI-driven suggestions ensured that even complex designs came together effortlessly.
Pricing
Canva offers a Free Plan with access to basic tools and templates, while the Pro Plan ($12.99/month or $119.99/year) includes premium templates, stock assets, brand kits, and advanced tools like Magic Design.
For teams, the Canva for Teams plan provides collaboration features, workflow integration, and enhanced brand management.
DALL-E 3
DALL-E 3
DALL-E 3 is OpenAI’s advanced image generation model that transforms text descriptions into stunning, high-quality visuals. I started using DALL-E 3 to create custom graphics and bring my creative ideas to life without needing traditional design skills.
Its intuitive and user-friendly interface made it simple to generate professional-grade images for a variety of projects.
One feature I found particularly useful is the precision in text-to-image generation. With detailed prompts, DALL-E 3 can create images that accurately reflect the description, capturing intricate details, styles, and compositions.
Whether I needed a surreal landscape, a realistic product mockup, or whimsical artwork, the tool consistently delivered impressive results.
The editing functionality is another standout. DALL-E 3 allows you to make adjustments to existing images by providing new instructions.
This feature is perfect for refining designs, experimenting with variations, or making small tweaks without starting from scratch.
Pricing
DALL-E 3 also integrates seamlessly into platforms like ChatGPT, enabling me to brainstorm ideas, refine prompts, and generate visuals all within the same workflow.
This combination of AI tools significantly boosts productivity and creativity.
Figma AI
Figma design dashboard
Figma is a cloud-based design and collaboration platform that empowers teams to create, prototype, and iterate on designs seamlessly. I started using Figma to streamline our design process and enhance collaboration across teams.
Its intuitive interface, real-time collaboration features, and powerful AI tools make it a standout solution for modern design workflows.
One feature I found particularly valuable was the real-time collaboration. Multiple team members can work on the same file simultaneously, with changes updated instantly.
This eliminates the need for back-and-forth emails and ensures everyone stays aligned, especially during brainstorming sessions or feedback loops.
Figma’s AI-powered tools take designing to all new heights. The AI Design Assistant helps generate design suggestions, auto-adjust layouts, and recommend components based on your existing work. This feature is incredibly useful for speeding up repetitive tasks, like resizing elements or fine-tuning spacing.
The AI can also suggest improvements for accessibility and usability, ensuring that designs are not only visually appealing but also user-friendly.
Pricing
Figma offers a Free Plan with essential tools for individuals and small teams. The Professional Plan ($15/editor/month billed annually) adds advanced features like version history and custom permissions, while the Organization Plan ($45/editor/month billed annually) includes advanced security, analytics, AI-assisted workflows, and centralized file management for larger enterprises.
Choose a category that resonates with your needs and start exploring. AI isn’t the future—it’s the present.
The earlier you embrace it, the faster you’ll unlock its full potential. As Karim Lakhani said, “ AI won’t replace humans — But humans with AI will replace humans without AI.
