I have a problem. I try way too many AI tools.
Every week there’s a new “game-changing” app on Product Hunt, another thread on Reddit swearing that this tool will replace your entire workflow. I’ve downloaded, signed up for, and trial-ed hundreds of them at this point.
Most don’t survive past day two on my computer. But some stick. These are the 11 AI tools I actually used repeatedly this month — not because they’re trendy, but because they solved a real problem I had.
1. Cursor — For Writing Code Faster
What it is: An AI-powered code editor (fork of VS Code)
Why it stuck: I was skeptical about switching editors. I’ve been on VS Code forever, and “AI-powered editor” sounds like marketing BS. But Cursor’s tab-completion is legitimately uncanny. It predicts multi-line edits based on the context of what you’re doing, not just the current line. The Agent mode is also excellent for scaffolding entire features from a description.
Where it falls short: Gets confused in very large codebases. The AI sometimes suggests changes to the wrong file if you have similar code across multiple files. The credit-based pricing model can be hard to predict if you use premium models heavily.
Price: Free tier is decent. Pro is $20/month (with a $20 credit pool for premium model usage).
2. Perplexity — For Research That Would Take Me 30 Minutes
What it is: An AI-powered search engine with citations
Why it stuck: Google has gotten worse for technical queries. I’m tired of scrolling past SEO-optimized listicles to find actual answers. Perplexity gives me a direct answer with sources I can verify. When I needed to compare edge computing platforms last week, it saved me probably an hour. The Deep Research feature is great for comprehensive investigations.
Where it falls short: Sometimes the citations don’t actually support what it’s claiming. Always verify.
Price: Free. Pro ($20/month) gives unlimited Pro searches and access to frontier models.
3. Notion AI — For Cleaning Up Messy Notes
What it is: AI features built into Notion
Why it stuck: I don’t use Notion AI for writing — it’s average at that. But I use it constantly for transforming messy meeting notes into organized action items. I dump raw text in, hit “make into action items,” and it does a surprisingly good job.
Where it falls short: The “write with AI” feature produces generic content. Not great for anything public-facing.
Price: Full AI access is bundled into the Business plan ($20/user/month billed annually). There’s no separate AI add-on anymore — Notion rolled it into their higher-tier plans.
4. Descript — For Editing Podcast Audio
What it is: Audio/video editor that lets you edit media by editing text
Why it stuck: I help with a small podcast. Editing audio used to mean scrubbing through waveforms for hours. Now I edit the transcript like a Google Doc — delete a sentence, and the audio cut happens automatically. The filler word removal alone saves 20 minutes per episode.
Where it falls short: Export quality isn’t quite pro-level. If you’re producing for a major network, you’ll still want a traditional DAW.
Price: Free tier exists (60 media minutes, lifetime). Hobbyist plan at $24/month, Creator at $35/month with more AI credits and 4K export.
5. Cleanvoice — For Removing Ums and Ahs
What it is: AI that removes filler words, mouth sounds, and dead air from audio
Why it stuck: Pairs perfectly with Descript. I run raw audio through Cleanvoice first, then do final edits in Descript. The “um” and “uh” detection is nearly flawless.
Where it falls short: Occasionally clips the beginning of a word that comes right after a filler word. Easy to fix, but worth checking.
Price: Subscription starts at $11/month for 10 hours. Pay-as-you-go also available — 5 hours for $11 (credits valid for 2 years).
6. Excalidraw + AI — For Quick Diagrams
What it is: A whiteboard tool where you can describe a diagram in text and it generates it
Why it stuck: When I need to explain a system architecture to someone, I used to spend 15 minutes drawing boxes and arrows. Now I describe it in a sentence and tweak the output. Gets me to “good enough” in about 2 minutes.
Where it falls short: Complex diagrams still need manual cleanup. It’s a starting point, not a final product.
Price: Free and open source.
7. Otter.ai — For Meeting Transcription
What it is: Automatic meeting transcription and summary
Why it stuck: Joins my Zoom calls, records, transcribes, and sends me a summary with action items within minutes of the call ending. The accuracy is solid for English — maybe 92-95% on a typical call.
Where it falls short: Struggles with heavy accents and crosstalk. Speaker identification can be inconsistent.
Price: Free tier (300 minutes/month). Pro is $16.99/month with 1,200 minutes and longer per-conversation limits.
8. Gamma — For Presentations I Don’t Care About Designing
What it is: AI-powered presentation builder
Why it stuck: Let me be real — I don’t enjoy making slides. For internal presentations where visual polish doesn’t matter much, Gamma is perfect. I give it my outline and it produces something that looks significantly better than my PowerPoint attempts.
Where it falls short: Output has a recognizable “Gamma look.” For client-facing presentations, I still use Figma.
Price: Free tier with 400 one-time AI credits. Plus starts around $10/month for refreshing credits and no branding.
9. Photoroom — For Product Photo Backgrounds
What it is: AI background removal and replacement for product photos
Why it stuck: A friend runs a small e-commerce shop and I helped her switch to Photoroom for product images. Background removal is near-perfect, and the AI-generated studio backgrounds look professional enough for Shopify listings.
Where it falls short: Fine details like hair strands or translucent objects still trip it up.
Price: Free tier with 250 exports/month. Pro at $12.99/month with unlimited exports and HD output.
10. Granola — For Meeting Notes Without the Awkward AI Bot
What it is: AI meeting notes that work from your laptop’s audio — no bot joins the call
Why it stuck: Unlike Otter, Granola doesn’t put a bot in your meeting. It just listens through your laptop mic. For sensitive meetings where a visible AI bot would be weird, this is much better. The notes are concise and actually useful.
Where it falls short: Audio quality depends on your laptop mic, so it’s worse than a dedicated bot if you’re in a noisy space.
Price: Free tier with limited history. Business at $14/user/month with unlimited history and integrations (Notion, Slack, HubSpot, etc.).
11. Claude Artifacts — For Quick Prototypes
What it is: Claude’s ability to generate interactive web previews in-chat
Why it stuck: When I need to mock up a quick idea — a calculator, a form, a data visualization — I describe it to Claude and it renders a working prototype right in the chat. I used it three times this week just to validate ideas before building them properly.
Where it falls short: It’s limited to single-page apps. Anything requiring a backend or multiple routes needs proper development.
Price: Free with Claude.
What’s Not On This List (And Why)
A few popular tools that didn’t make the cut:
- Midjourney — Incredible for art, but I didn’t use it for work this month
- Jasper AI — Tried it, but Claude writes better for my use cases
- Copy.ai — Same as above
- Synthesia — Cool concept (AI video avatars) but I didn’t have a use case
The Pattern I’ve Noticed
The AI tools that actually stick in my workflow share three traits:
- They solve a specific, annoying problem (not “everything”)
- They integrate into tools I already use (or replace them entirely)
- They save measurable time (not just a vague “boost”)
The worst AI tools are the ones that try to be “your AI everything.” The best ones pick one thing and nail it.
I’ll update this list monthly. All prices verified April 2026. If there’s an AI tool you think I should try, let me know.