26 Of The Best Free Artificial Intelligence Tools
by TeachThought Staff
This is obviously a field that changes fast.
This list highlights free or freemium tools useful for educators and students in both K–12 and post-secondary contexts. Tools are grouped by function and include a concise explanation of what each one does. This is not an exhaustive list but offers a representative sample of current tools that support learning, teaching, and academic work.
Research and Literature Review Tools
Elicit
A research assistant that uses natural language queries to retrieve, summarize, and compare findings from academic literature.
Consensus
Generates evidence-based answers to research questions by analyzing peer-reviewed studies.
Scite Assistant
Explains scientific claims by showing how they are supported or contested in the citation context of academic papers.
SciSpace Copilot
Helps interpret academic articles, including equations and technical concepts, in simplified terms.
ExplainPaper
Allows users to upload academic papers and receive plain-language explanations of difficult sections.
Connected Papers
Visualizes the relationships between academic papers using co-citation and bibliographic coupling; helpful for literature mapping.
ResearchRabbit
A network-based tool that tracks citation patterns and helps explore research domains over time.
Litmaps
Combines visual citation mapping with chronological filters to support literature review and research planning.
Writing and Drafting Support
NotebookLM
Accepts uploaded documents or notes and allows users to ask questions or generate summaries based on those materials.
Typeset.io
Provides assistance with academic writing, citation formatting, and submission to journals.
Microsoft Copilot
An embedded writing assistant in Microsoft 365 tools that can help generate or revise content in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
QuillBot
Supports revision through paraphrasing, summarization, and grammar checking. Useful for writing instruction and drafting support.
Dialogue and Planning Tools
ChatGPT
A conversational assistant used to brainstorm ideas, generate explanations, and support planning or writing.
Claude
Handles longer documents and complex questions with strong contextual awareness. Useful for reviewing dense material or generating feedback.
Perplexity
Provides search-backed answers with citations, allowing users to query factual topics and receive summarized responses.
Pi
Designed for reflective conversation and structured dialogue; being explored in advisory and social-emotional learning contexts.
Gemini
Google’s assistant tool for research, drafting, and general use. Functions across Google’s ecosystem with integrations in progress.
Afforai
Supports document summarization and structured extraction of information from complex source materials.
Learning and Instructional Tools
TeachAnything
Offers clear, age-appropriate explanations of questions, making it helpful for introducing or reviewing basic concepts.
Scholarcy
Summarizes long academic texts, highlights key ideas, and extracts key terms—useful for students studying or reviewing readings.
