A free guide by New Money School
Free Tools
No trials. No credit card. No paywalls. These are all 100% free and I use every one of them. Here's what each does and a link to get it.
1Claudeclaude.ai
The AI I use for literally everything. Writing, thinking through problems, building interactive tools, researching, drafting emails, analyzing documents, creating systems. The free version gives you way more than people realize — full conversations, file uploads, web search, and Artifacts (Claude builds you real interactive tools right inside the chat). If you're only going to try one AI tool, this is the one.
Best for: Writing, thinking, building, analyzingAvailable on: Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Try this: Ask Claude to summarize a long document, draft a difficult email, or build you an interactive budget tracker. You'll see why it's #1.
2NotebookLMnotebooklm.google.com
Upload anything you need to learn and it turns it into whatever format helps you absorb it. Flashcards, a quiz, a study guide, a full presentation, or a podcast with two AI hosts casually breaking it down for you. Upload a textbook chapter, a research paper, a YouTube video, a company doc — it works with all of it. Honestly one of the most underrated AI tools out there.
Best for: Learning, studying, understanding dense materialAvailable on: Web
Try this: Upload something you've been meaning to read but keep putting off. Click "Generate Audio Overview" and listen to two AI hosts explain it to you like a podcast. It's weirdly good.
3Perplexityperplexity.ai
Ask it anything and it gives you the actual answer — with sources. No ads, no sponsored results, no scrolling through 10 articles trying to find what you need. It searches the internet, reads the pages, and gives you a clear answer with links to exactly where it found the information. It's what Google should be in 2026.
Best for: Research, fact-checking, finding answers fastAvailable on: Web, iOS, Android
Try this: Ask it something you'd normally Google — a product comparison, a "how does X work" question, or "what are the best options for Y." Compare the experience. You won't go back.
4Cleomeetcleo.com
Connects to your bank and tells you exactly where your money is going. It'll call you out when you overspend, help you set savings goals, track subscriptions you forgot about, and show you spending patterns you didn't know you had. It talks to you like a friend, not a financial advisor — which makes you actually want to open it. Weirdly fun for a money app.
Best for: Budgeting, spending awareness, saving moneyAvailable on: iOS, Android
Try this: Connect your bank account and ask Cleo "How much did I spend on food this month?" Then ask "Where am I wasting money?" Prepare to be roasted.
5Gammagamma.app
Tell it what your presentation is about and it builds the whole deck. Slides, design, layout, content — done. You can swap layouts, edit individual slides, add your own images, and present right from Gamma or export to PowerPoint. I haven't opened PowerPoint in months. It's that good.
Best for: Presentations, pitch decks, slide designAvailable on: Web
Try this: Think of a presentation you need to give. Describe it in 2-3 sentences. Gamma will have a full, designed deck ready in under a minute.
6Grammarlygrammarly.com
Lives in your browser and fixes your writing everywhere you type. Emails, Slack, Google Docs, LinkedIn, Twitter — it catches grammar mistakes, clunky phrasing, and tone issues in real time. You forget it's there until it stops you from sending something embarrassing. The free version handles grammar, spelling, and punctuation. That's all most people need.
Best for: Catching writing mistakes everywhereAvailable on: Browser extension, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Try this: Install the browser extension and write your next email. Watch it quietly fix things you didn't even notice were wrong.
7Wispr Flowwisprflow.ai
You talk, it types. Everywhere. Emails, texts, Slack, Google Docs, Notion — any app on your phone or computer. But it doesn't just transcribe. It cleans up your rambling, takes out the filler words, and formats it for whatever app you're in. You end up with polished, professional text that sounds like you sat down and carefully wrote it — except you just talked for 15 seconds. I answer all my emails by talking now.
Best for: Voice-to-text everywhere, writing fasterAvailable on: Mac, Windows, iOS
Try this: Open an email reply, hold your Wispr shortcut, and just say what you want to say out loud. Let go. Read what it typed. You'll never want to type an email again.
[Get Wispr Flow →](https://ref.wisprflow.ai/New Money School)