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Best AI Tools for Students

  • Aug 21
  • 6 min read

Updated: Sep 28

A circular design, with intertwined lines and dots, forming an abstract network representing artificial intelligence. The image has cool colors, blue and purple, with the abbreviation "AI" in the center.

In today's rapidly evolving educational landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept but a tangible reality transforming the way students learn, research, and create. From streamlining tedious tasks to offering personalized learning experiences, the best AI tools for students are empowering the next generation of thinkers and innovators. This article dives into 20 of the most impactful AI tools for students, detailing their functionalities and pricing, followed by the numerous benefits they offer and key takeaways for integrating AI into academic life.



Top 20 Best AI Tools for Students


Here's a comprehensive list of 20 best AI tools for students, categorized by their primary functions:


A male student of Asian descent works on his laptop at a desk with a lamp. The screen shows a digital design with the letters "AI", representing the topic of artificial intelligence.

Research & Information Gathering:


  1. Perplexity AI: This powerful AI-powered search engine provides concise answers with sources, making research more efficient. It understands complex questions and summarizes information effectively.

    • Pricing: Freemium (free with usage limits; paid subscription for more features).


  2. Elicit: An AI research assistant that helps you discover and analyze academic papers. You can ask research questions, and Elicit will provide relevant papers with summaries of key findings.

    • Pricing: Freemium (free for a limited number of queries; paid plans for more extensive use).


  3. Consensus: This AI tool focuses on scientific consensus by analyzing research papers to provide data-driven answers to your questions. It helps identify areas of agreement and disagreement within the scientific literature.

    • Pricing: Freemium (free with certain limitations; paid subscriptions for full access).


  4. Scholarcy: An AI-powered summarization tool specifically designed for research papers, reports, and articles. It quickly extracts key information, allowing students to grasp the main points efficiently.

    • Pricing: Freemium (free for basic summarization; paid options for more advanced features and volume).


A blond-haired student, wearing a gray hoodie, is sitting in a cafe working on his laptop. The screen shows an artificial intelligence software. Other people work in the background.

Writing & Grammar Assistance:


  1. Grammarly: A widely used AI-powered writing assistant that checks grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, and style. It provides real-time feedback and suggestions to improve writing quality across various platforms.

    • Pricing: Freemium (free version offers basic grammar and spelling checks; premium version provides advanced feedback).


  2. QuillBot: This AI-powered paraphrasing and summarizing tool helps students rephrase sentences, paragraphs, and articles while maintaining the original meaning. It also offers grammar and plagiarism checking features.

    • Pricing: Freemium (free plan with limitations on paraphrasing length and features; paid subscriptions for full access).


  3. Wordtune: An AI writing companion that helps you rephrase and rewrite sentences to improve clarity, fluency, and tone. It offers various rewriting options to express your ideas effectively.

    • Pricing: Freemium (free plan with limited rewrites per day; paid plans for unlimited use and additional features).


  4. Jasper (formerly Jarvis): A powerful AI writing assistant capable of generating various types of content, including essays, articles, and creative writing. It can help overcome writer's block and produce high-quality text.

    • Pricing: Paid (offers various subscription plans based on usage and features).


A female student, with long blonde hair in two braids, is sitting at her desk with her laptop. She is using an artificial intelligence program for her studies.

Organization & Productivity:


  1. Notion AI: Integrated within the popular Notion workspace, this AI tool assists with note-taking, summarizing, brainstorming, and generating content directly within your documents and projects.

    • Pricing: Included in Notion subscriptions (Notion offers a free personal plan with limitations; paid plans unlock Notion AI features).


  2. Otter.ai: An AI-powered transcription service that automatically transcribes audio and video recordings. It's invaluable for capturing lectures, meetings, and interviews, making it easier to review and study the material.

    • Pricing: Freemium (free plan with limited transcription minutes per month; paid plans for more minutes and features).


  3. Fireflies.ai: Similar to Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai is an AI meeting assistant that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings. It can integrate with various video conferencing platforms and provides searchable transcripts.

    • Pricing: Freemium (free plan with limited storage and features; paid plans for more advanced functionalities).


  4. Mem: An AI-powered knowledge base that helps you organize your notes, documents, and ideas. It uses AI to connect related information and resurface relevant content automatically.

    • Pricing: Paid (offers various subscription plans with different storage and feature sets).


A Black female university student, with curly hair and a beige sweater, sits in a library. She uses a laptop to conduct artificial intelligence research, with many books around her.

Learning & Understanding:


  1. Khan Academy (with Khanmigo): While Khan Academy offers a vast library of educational resources, their AI-powered tutor, Khanmigo, provides personalized guidance, helps students work through problems, and answers their questions.

    • Pricing: Free (Khan Academy's core resources are free; Khanmigo is currently in pilot and may have different access terms).


  2. Quizizz AI: This platform allows students and teachers to create and participate in interactive quizzes and lessons. The AI features can help generate questions, provide feedback, and adapt to students' learning pace.

    • Pricing: Freemium (free plan with basic features; paid plans for more advanced customization and analytics).


  3. Socratic by Google: An AI-powered learning app that helps students understand their homework and assignments. You can take a picture of a problem, and Socratic will provide explanations, relevant resources, and step-by-step guidance.

    • Pricing: Free.


  4. Duolingo (with AI features): The popular language learning platform utilizes AI algorithms to personalize lessons, adapt to your learning style, and provide targeted feedback to help you master new languages.

    • Pricing: Freemium (free version with ads and limited features; Duolingo Plus offers an ad-free experience and additional benefits).


A male university student of Asian descent smiles at the camera while working at a desk with two laptops. The screens show advanced software for data analysis and AI.

Presentation & Visual Aids:


  1. Gamma.app: An AI-powered presentation tool that helps you create visually appealing presentations quickly. You provide the topic, and Gamma generates a structured outline and design suggestions, saving you significant time and effort.

    • Pricing: Freemium (free plan with Gamma branding and limited features; paid plans for removing branding and accessing more templates).


  2. Tome: Another AI-powered storytelling format that helps you create engaging narratives with interactive elements and visually stunning layouts. It can generate content, suggest visuals, and help you structure your ideas effectively.

    • Pricing: Freemium (free plan with Tome branding and limitations; paid plans for more features and customization).


A young blonde woman, in a white t-shirt and jeans, sits at a desk with a laptop. She is using a coding program with a holographic AI icon floating above the screen.

Code Generation & Assistance:


  1. GitHub Copilot: An AI pair programmer that assists developers by suggesting code completions, identifying errors, and even generating entire code blocks based on context and comments. It's a valuable tool for students learning to code.

    • Pricing: Paid (requires a subscription after a free trial period).


  2. Tabnine: Similar to GitHub Copilot, Tabnine is an AI code completion tool that integrates with various code editors and IDEs. It uses machine learning to predict and suggest code, helping students write code faster and more efficiently.

    • Pricing: Freemium (free plan with basic code completion; paid plans for more advanced features and privacy options).


Benefits of AI Tools for Students


Integrating best AI tools for students into their academic workflow can yield numerous advantages:


  • Enhanced Research Efficiency: AI-powered search engines and research assistants can significantly speed up the process of finding and analyzing relevant information.


  • Improved Writing Quality: AI grammar and style checkers help students refine their writing, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and professionalism.


  • Personalized Learning Experiences: AI tutors and learning platforms can adapt to individual learning styles and paces, providing tailored support and feedback.


  • Increased Productivity and Organization: AI tools for note-taking, transcription, and organization help students manage their workload and study materials more effectively.


  • Overcoming Learning Challenges: AI can provide alternative explanations, break down complex concepts, and offer support for students with different learning needs.


  • Development of Critical Thinking Skills: By automating routine tasks, AI allows students to focus on higher-level analysis, problem-solving, and critical thinking.


  • Accessibility of Information: AI-powered tools can provide access to information in various formats, such as text-to-speech and translation services, promoting inclusivity.


  • Creative Content Generation: AI writing and presentation tools can assist students in brainstorming ideas and creating engaging content for assignments and projects.


  • Better Time Management: By automating tasks and providing quick access to information, AI tools help students optimize their study time.


  • Preparation for the Future Workforce: Familiarity with AI tools equips students with valuable skills for a future where AI will play an increasingly significant role.


🔖 Key Takeaways


  • AI offers significant advantages for students across various aspects of their academic journey, from research to writing to organization.


  • A wide range of AI tools is available, with varying functionalities and pricing models (many offer free tiers).


  • Students should explore and experiment with different AI tools to find those that best suit their individual needs and learning styles.


  • Ethical considerations and responsible use of AI are crucial, ensuring academic integrity and avoiding over-reliance on these tools.


  • The best AI tools for students are not meant to replace human effort but to augment and enhance the learning process, empowering students to achieve their full potential.


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