Free AI tools for productivity

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In the past few years, AI, or Artificial Intelligence, has gone from fiction to a spooky reality of whether it will replace us. Why even write this article if AI will take over journalism anyway?

Luckily, AI isn’t perfect. Its errors, like 7-fingered humans and poor grammar, prove that the human touch still can’t be replaced. Besides, you will still have to provide rather specific instructions for the AI to work, so it’s still a collaborative effort, which you can control to some extent.

That’s not to say that you can’t keep AI handy when it comes to dreary tasks like paraphrasing and transcribing. On that note, we’ve compiled a list of free AI tools for productivity so AI can be your best buddy, not your nemesis.

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What do I need to know before using AI tools?

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AI tools can be a great resource, whether you’re asking for the basic things to do in Singapore or asking for a recipe. But sometimes, they’re not always the most reliable. This is because artificial intelligence trains itself on data that already exists. The existing data could be outdated, false, or made with ill intent.

There is also the issue that AI can’t tell human nuances apart, such as sarcasm, parodies, and impersonations, so there are bound to be errors from that too.

Ethically, AI has also come under fire for where its training data comes from and whether it steals ideas and works from human artists, like the recent Ghibli trend.

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What is a GPT?

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Probably the buzzword of our time, GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, which is a type of advanced computer.

Generative means that the computer can create new items, like writing a story or poem, or even answer in its own words. Pre-trained comes from the way the computer does this by scanning and going through large amounts of data. Transformer refers to how the computer changes the inputted information into something different.

Think of GPT as your nerdy friend who has read every book in the world, and can answer any question you have at the drop of a hat.

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Tips for using AI tools effectively

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Create a free account

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If you want to get tailored answers from AI, create an account with the tool you are using so that over time, it learns from your prompts and follow up questions. Much like your social media feed, the tool will develop some sort of algorithm based on your chat history, and be smart enough to offer responses that are more suited to your preferences.

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Set parameters within your prompt

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It’s rather important that you be clear and concise in your instructions to any AI tool, as well as provide context in your prompts. Because the tool is drawing information from the entire web, there’s a lot of information that may be irrelevant to your query. Hence, giving specific and detailed instructions will ensure a better output.

You can even tell the tool what results not to include in their response.

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Ask follow up questions

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Even if you’re impressed with the first response that the AI tool generates, we’d say it’s good practice to probe it further. Chances are you’ll be able to gain more insights or benefit from varied responses that will allow you to choose the best answer.

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– AI tools for school – 

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1. Pi.ai

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An updated, more personable version of ChatGPT

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Image credit: Ezekiel Sen

For those of you who have tried out GPTs before, you’ve likely rolled your eyes countless times encountering the error message that “as of my last update in [year], this information does not exist” when you seek information about current topics. Let that be a problem of the past with Pi.ai, a GPT that aims to be the most up-to-date out there.

Enter a prompt or get started with their suggested guides.
Image adapted from: Syarihan Sean

Pi.ai can answer questions about the latest films, current affairs, or even find hidden places in Singapore with more clarity, as compared to a regular search engine. Unlike other GPTs, Pi.ai ends most answers with a question which prompts you to give more thought to what is said. These also serve as leading questions so you might find other related information.

Do keep in mind that Pi.ai answers in continuous prose most of the time, so you’d still have to organise the answers yourself. It also doesn’t have functions like creating bullet points or tables. Like with any other AI tool, you’ll still have to fact-check – don’t take everything that a GPT tells you to be true.

Try Pi.ai

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2. Perplexity.ai

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Get real sources & citations for your papers

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Sometimes the easiest thing to do is to ask an AI for sources you can quote in your papers. However, these frequently lead to the dreaded 404 error code – or broken links. You won’t have to worry for long though because Perplexity.ai is an AI that will present you with legitimate sources for your papers.

Aside from doing its regular job of working like a GPT, this AI’s superpower is its ability to provide you with real sources, and will even come up with in-text citations from them. Perplexity also comes up with image and video sources that complement the prompt.

Of course, like with most other GPTs, you should still double-check the sources. Even if they do exist, not all sources are trustworthy.

Try Perplexity.ai

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3. Adobe Firefly

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A free ethical image generator

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You may have seen wacky AI-generated images online, like ​​Singapore icons as Pop Mart characters, or some that you can’t believe aren’t real.

Some of these images, especially those created by free image generators, can be of low quality or stolen from other artists’ works. Adobe Firefly, however, trains itself on royalty-free stock photos or those that are in the public domain.

Images that Firefly generated based on the prompt: Hawker centre with food stalls on a spaceship in the future with customers in the background.
Image adapted from: Adobe Firefly

Enter a prompt into Adobe Firefly, and it will generate 4 options for you to choose from. There are also other settings you can toggle to refine your search, including style, how realistic you want it to be, and coloured filters.

You can even scan and upload a 2D sketch into Firefly to turn your sketch into an image, or upload a style reference to personalise the generated images.

Try Adobe Firefly

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4. SlidesGo

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Create entire slideshow presentations with a single prompt

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The only occasion when creating a slideshow presentation is worth your time is when you’re having a ‘Roast Your Ex’ night. Use SlidesGo’s AI presentation generator for everything else.

We asked SlidesGo to create a presentation on easy recipes for college students, with a futuristic template.
Image credit: Syarihan Sean

This tool can create an entire slideshow based on your prompt and choice of template. It can even generate some text and AI images for you.

We did find, on testing, that the images are based on the template rather than the prompt, so you’d have to add relevant pictures yourself. You would also need to fill in more specific content, graphs and numbers for your presentation to be complete. At the very least, it gets you more than halfway there.

Try SlidesGo

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5. ChatGPT

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Create tables & get feedback for your papers

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Even if you’re not the most well-versed with AI, you’ve probably heard of ChatGPT, the OG AI tool. Recently, though, the free version has been losing points – whether it’s because its data is only updated till 2022, or because its writing can easily be identified as “AI writing”.

Don’t toss it just yet, as there are still some cool things you can do with ChatGPT that are hard to find in other software. It can convert long trails of data into tables or multiple-choice questions for easy revision. You can also ask ChatGPT to grade and give feedback on papers based on a given rubric so that you have some idea of where you’re headed.

Try ChatGPT

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– AI tools for writing –

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6. Rytr

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Mirrors your writing tone

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Screenshot from: Rytr

Chances are that when you’re taking the help of an AI tool, you don’t actually want to sound like a robot. Rytr analyses a simple of your writing, say a message to client, and customises the tone of your reply to sound just like you. The person on the receiving end will feel just like they are talking to you, whether it’s via an email, newsletter, or text.

There’s also an in-built plagiarism check to ensure the output is unique and original. A percentage number will let you know how much of a match your writing is to other sources, going a further step in even differentiating between identical and minor similarities.

Try Rytr

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7. Quillbot

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Paraphrase complicated research papers

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If you’re pulling your hair out over what lengthy research papers mean, Quillbot has got you covered. This tool focuses on paraphrasing complex works and quotes to allow you to focus on the most important parts of a paper.

There is also a synonym slider that uses AI to give you suggestions on alternative words that may fit into the context of what you’re writing about, and add variety to your vocabulary. An advanced subscription of USD19.95/month (~S$26.70) or USD99.95/year (~S$134) will get you features like plagiarism detection and customisable summaries of entire papers.

This is the paragraph we gave Quillbot to paraphrase:

A Pontianak, from Malay folklore, is a vengeful female spirit. Legend tells of a woman who dies in childbirth, becoming a Pontianak, haunting forests near cotton trees. She lures victims with a sweet fragrance before revealing her ghostly form with fangs and claws. Seeking vengeance on men, especially those resembling her past lover, she preys on unsuspecting travellers at night. The Pontianak remains an enduring symbol of Southeast Asian horror, chilling audiences with tales of lost love and spectral revenge.

This is how Quillbot paraphrased the paragraph:

According to Malay tradition, a Pontianak is a resentful female spirit. There is a legend about a woman who gives birth and dies, turning into a Pontianak who haunts forests with cotton trees nearby. She uses a pleasant scent to entice people, and then her spectral form with claws and teeth is revealed. She preys on gullible tourists at night in an attempt to exact revenge on men, particularly those who resemble her former sweetheart. With ghostly retaliation and stories of lost love, the Pontianak continues to be a terrifying icon of Southeast Asian horror.

Do keep a heads-up that even though Quillbot provides you with a paraphrase, you should still rewrite it in your own words, as claiming the bot’s work as your own is still plagiarism.

Try Quillbot

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8. Grammarly

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Fend off writer’s block with text generation

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We all know Grammarly as our digital grammar cop who won’t stop until we change our “your”s into “you’re”s. Aside from that handy tool, it has its own AI feature that aims to get you through any writer’s block with impeccable grammar.

We asked Grammarly to come up with the framework for a review of a French cafe that sells croissants and cheese.

You can put in up to 100 prompts for free with Grammarly, seeking help for anything from writing ideas and formal frameworks to rewriting paragraphs for clarity.

You can also ask Grammerly to write in a specific voice.

Grammarly may not have the same amount of data knowledge as other GPTs, but what it lacks on that front is made up for with its focus on grammar and clarity.

Try Grammarly

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– AI tools for work –

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9. Scribe

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Create step-by-step guides for SOPs & manuals

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Image credit: Scribe

If you’re that team member who is in charge of training newcomers or a leader who has to come up with SOPs for the rest to follow, Scribe is a godsend. Whether it’s a tutorial, guide, or manual that you need to create, there’s no longer a need to type out endless instructions or take hundreds of screenshots.

For example, someone from finance could use the AI to create a step-by-step guide for employees on how to submit financial claims. If you’re starting from scratch, Scribe writes the entire document for you, after which you can edit the details to tailor them to your company specifically. On the other hand, if you feed to existing documentation, it’ll magically pull information from there and order it in a useful guide.

Try Scribe

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10. Gamma

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Create presentations & websites easily

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Presentations and group projects no longer have to be a pain in the neck because Gamma can at least help you create the slides, within minutes, too. It solves all the pesky issues of consistent formatting when compiling from different team members, trying to make the design look aesthetic, and hours spent pouring over doing all of it.

The best part has to be that it can create the deck from scratch with just a few simple prompts like the topic, outline, and objectives. You can even dictate how many slides you want the presentation to have.

While the trial is free, it limits the number of ChatGPT questions you can ask as well as the use of AI-generated images. Paid subscription plans start from USD12.50/month (~S$16.23).

Try Gamma

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11. Durable

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Create a website within seconds

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Screenshot from: Durable

The thought of having to create a website to start your business might have been the reason you never became an entrepreneur. Well, that excuse is no longer valid, with Durable using AI to build one for you in less than a minute. Who knew this fabulous day would come when we were once struggling to even figure out “easy-to-use” website builders.

Simply let the AI tool know what kind of business you intend to run, and you’ll have an up-and-running site with zero coding skills required. The free version lets you customise the site as long as you sign up for an account. To make use of the built-in SEO and marketing tools that drive traffic to your website, as well as get a custom domain, the subscription starts at USD12/month (~$S15.58).

Try Durable

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12. Beautiful AI

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Aesthetic presentation decks

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Screenshot from: beautiful.ai

Here’s another AI tool to jumpstart your presentations – Beautiful AI. As the name suggests, the software offers smart templates that keep adapting the design in real time based on the content you add to the slides. Absolutely no need to resize images or text boxes to fit your information. Even if 10 people are working on the presentation, it will look as if 1 brilliant designer compiled the deck.

Each slide can be customised to display the information you need based on a simple prompt. For example, if you want the slide to show a competitor analysis, simply ask AI to do the analysis for you while prompting which competitors to include.

Try Beautiful AI

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13. Any.do

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Get on top of all of your daily tasks

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If you’re drowning in confusing spreadsheets and calendars, try Any.do. It’s a free software that uses AI to connect your calendar and tasks, then helps break down your schedule and send reminders.

Image credit: Any.do

It goes beyond just creating to-do lists and sending you the occasional reminder, as Any.do’s software helps to separate tasks by priority. You can even break them down into more manageable parts. Now you’ll be able to plan your day even more efficiently when you have a better idea of how to prioritise your tasks.

Try Any.do

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14. Otter AI

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Turn 30-minute meetings into a 30-second summary

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You’re secretly watching your favourite show while in a virtual meeting. You then sit through the recorded meeting, only to find out that the entire session was full of small talk and tangents. Well, now you can get to the point of your meetings with Otter AI, a transcribing and meeting summarisation tool.

Image credit: ambcrypto.com

It can summarise 30-minute meeting clips into 30-second summaries so you don’t have to waste any time. You can also transcribe interviews and even video clips with time stamps which can help you navigate to the information you need.

However, Otter AI is trained to recognise Western language conventions, and might therefore mess up transcriptions of Asian-inflected English.

Try Otter AI

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15. Teal

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Ace your job applications with this resume builder

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Some of us are too lazy to jot down our achievements. But now we can’t make any more excuses with Teal, an AI that was developed to make job applications a breeze.

Example resumes by Teal.

Teal has features including resume grading and building based on the input of all your work experience, personal details, and other achievements. It also generates cover letters using the provided job description and your resume.

Cover letter generated by Teal.

The downside of Teal is that its AI isn’t as powerful as other GPTs. This could lead to their software misunderstanding any information you might provide. Their generations might also contain grammatical errors and descriptions that are too generalised. Despite all this, it can still keep you well-prepared for being retrenched in Singapore should you need a starting point.

Try Teal

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– AI tools for wellness & travel –

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16. Huberman Lab

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Ask for specific health tips

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In the world of health-related podcasts, Huberman Lab is a force to be reckoned with. Led by Dr Andrew Huberman, an expert neuroscientist, each episode discusses how our brain and its connection with other body organs control our perceptions and behaviours. More often than not, episodes also feature other reputable doctors in their own field.

The Ask HuberMan Lab AI tool is basically a content library for all the information that has ever been discussed on the podcast. Simply ask a health-related question to get an answer. Some examples of topics you can explore are:

• Workout routines
• The science of ADHD
• Getting better sleep
• Benefits of cold plunges
• Treatments for depression

Try Huberman Lab

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17. Breathhh

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AI-generated wellness routines based on digital use

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Image adapted from: Syarihan Sean

It’s always important to take breaks to stay productive and avoid burnout, especially when you’re at the height of the grind. It turns out that there’s an AI for that too: Breathhh is an app and extension that suggests personal breathing and wellness exercises based on your digital activity.

Its focus tools function can block out distracting websites like shopping and social media, as well as turn on soothing background music.
Image credit: Breathhh

The Breathhh app monitors your browsing and mobile activity to come up with personalised schedules reminding you to take a break from work to breathe, drink water, take a stroll and so on. There is also a diary function so it can track your mood for the day, teaching the AI how to customise the experience further for you.

Try Breathhh.

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18. Wysa

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Get free advice from a chatbot

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Seeking counselling doesn’t always have to be hindered by obstacles such as cost or difficulty of booking appointments. All you’ll need is Wysa, a free chatbot that dispenses free advice –  anytime and anywhere. Powered by AI, Wysa can provide personalised advice and a listening ear for any troubles you may have.

The Ministry of Health has even collaborated with Wysa to provide a free 1-year use of the chatbot through the mindline.sg website. Though Wysa has been criticised for being too robotic and lacking a human touch, it can still be a place to vent your woes before you seek out a professional.

That being said, for more serious mental health issues, it is recommended to seek professional help through counselling or mental health hotlines.

Try Wysa on the mindline.sg website

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19. Hopper

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Get the best times & prices to book flights

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Sometimes the best thing you can do for your productivity is to take a break – be it on a beach with a pina colada in hand, or on a snowy mountain with a mug of steaming hot chocolate. Well, Hopper, an AI travel planning website, will get you on that next vacation, pronto.

Image credit: Hopper

Hopper uses historical flight data, user behaviour, and feedback from its users to forecast the best time to book hotels and flights. You’ll be provided with the best options and price alerts for your planned trip, which you can book through their website and be on your way.

Even so, it’s still a good idea to check other travel sites, as Hopper may not have data for more obscure destinations, or newer airlines and hotels.

Try Hopper

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Other apps & sites that have useful AI functions

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It’s not just standalone websites and apps that have AI tools – some digital software you might already be using have started incorporating AI tools as well.

Canva has photo-generating functions as one of its premium features, which you can test with a free trial. Adobe Photoshop has AI editing features allowing you to change backgrounds or smoothen specific parts of a photo.

LinkedIn helps employers generate job descriptions based on provided information, with professional suggestions for users who are writing posts. Some bank apps use AI to analyse your spending and give you personalised suggestions on saving your money.

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Boost your productivity with these free AI tools

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See, AI isn’t a big, scary monster, and is likely to help cut the all-nighters and maybe allow you to fit in a power nap or two. You can also try combining the tools, so that you can play to the strengths and weaknesses of each, maximising their efficacy.

As long as you remember to take the information provided with a grain of salt, you’ll be on your way to navigating this new GPT wave like a pro. Don’t forget to thank your GPTs and ask them how their day has been, because it’s been said that they work better for those who are nice to them.

For more ways to stay productive:

• Free SkillsFuture courses
• Counselling services in Singapore
• Starting an online business in Singapore

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Cover image adapted from: Syarihan Sean and Adobe Firefly
Originally published on 24th March 2024. Last updated by Aditi Kashyap on 15th May 2025.