21 Best AI Tools for Your Business Needs

What is an AI tool?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a concept of the future. It’s here, and it’s transforming the way we live and work. But what exactly is an AI tool? Simply put, an AI tool is a piece of software that utilizes AI technologies like machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing to automate tasks, analyze data, and make predictions.

Examples of AI tools include chatbots, predictive analytics software, and natural language processing tools.   

On the other hand, an AI platform, like IBM Watson or Google Cloud AI, is a more comprehensive solution that provides a range of AI tools and services under one roof. These platforms offer a suite of machine learning libraries, algorithms, and interfaces that allow businesses to build, train, and deploy their own AI applications.

The importance of AI tools for businesses

The global AI market is projected to reach over half a trillion U.S. dollars by 2024, and over 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars by 2030, according to Statista. This growth is driven by the increasing adoption of AI in various industries, from finance to marketing.

AI tools can help businesses automate processes, improve customer service, and make more informed decisions. For instance, 56% of businesses use AI for customer service purposes, and 51% adopt AI for process automation, as per Forbes experts. 

AI tools are becoming increasingly important for businesses. According to research firm McKinsey & Company, 70% of companies might use artificial intelligence by 2030. This surge in adoption is driven by the efficiency and automation AI tools bring, their ability to analyze vast amounts of data for valuable insights, the personalized experiences they can deliver, and the long-term cost savings they offer.

How can you use the best AI tools?

AI tools can be used in a variety of ways to enhance business operations and marketing efforts. Here are a few examples:

1. Email marketing: AI tools like ChatGPT can help you craft engaging, personalized emails that resonate with your audience. Coupled with the best email client, they can generate compelling subject lines, create well-researched content, and even plan email campaigns based on past performance and current trends.
2. Customer service: AI chatbots can handle customer queries round the clock, providing instant responses and improving customer satisfaction. They can understand natural language, making the interaction feel more human-like.
3. Sales: AI tools can automate the sales process, from lead generation to closing deals, making your sales team more efficient.
4. Predictive analytics: AI tools can analyze large datasets to predict future trends and customer behavior. This can help businesses make more informed decisions and improve their strategies.
5. Fraud detection: AI tools can also be used for fraud detection. For example, IBM has an AI program under IBM Watson Studio that improves fraud detection, fraud prediction, and fraud prevention.
6. Product development: AI tools can analyze market trends and customer feedback to help you develop products that meet customer needs and expectations.
7. Content generation: AI tools like ChatGPT can generate human-like text, making them useful for content marketing. For instance, Jasper, an AI content platform, raised $125 million at a $1.5 billion valuation in 2022, as per TechCrunch.
8. Pitch deck generation: AI pitch deck tools like Storydoc can save you a lot of time and money if you’re looking to create a truly engaging investment deck. Such AI-powered platforms get you automated branding and business-tailored copy for each deck component that needs very little editing.

And these are just a few examples. The possibilities are virtually limitless, and the best AI tools are those that meet your specific business needs and objectives.

What types of artificial intelligence tools are there?

AI tools are diverse and cater to different needs, from natural language processing to predictive analytics. It’s hard to cover all of it, but some of the most popular can be broadly categorized into several types, including marketing tools, development tools, trading tools, and art tools. In this section, we will delve into some of the most popular and widely used types of AI tools.

Marketing

AI tools in marketing help businesses automate time-consuming tasks, generate content, boost SEO, and develop branding, thus saving time and money. In fact, a survey by Bynder, a digital asset management platform, revealed that more than 55% of its clients, including big names like Spotify, Canon, and Puma, are using AI to automate tasks to boost productivity. 

One of the most popular AI tools in marketing is probably a chatbot. According to Statista, the size of the chatbot market is forecast to reach around 1.25 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, a great increase from the market size in 2016, which stood at 190.8 million U.S. dollars.

This growth is a testament to the effectiveness and efficiency of chatbots in various industries. One example is education. For instance, an Ivy League university has unveiled plans to teach students with an AI chatbot this fall, marking an “evolution” of “tradition”. 

Other AI marketing tools are also enhancing customer insights and making segmentation easier. They’re improving industry analysis and automation processes, providing greater opportunities for personalization, accelerating lead generation, enhancing decision-making processes, and offering more accurate forecasting.

Development

AI tools are becoming increasingly prevalent in the field of development, spanning a wide range of applications from game development to product creation. These tools leverage machine learning algorithms, artificial intelligence, deep learning, and natural language processing to automate processes, solve complex problems, and deliver innovative solutions.

One of my favorite and quite exciting examples in this field is the use of AI in the creation of autonomous spacecraft. The SmartSat CRC has pledged $7M for the development of AI-enabled spacecraft that can operate autonomously. This is a clear demonstration of how AI tools are being used to push the boundaries of what is possible in the field of development.

Product development is yet another surprising application of AI in development. E.g., HELL ENERGY has developed the world’s first energy drink with the help of new tools. The AI was responsible for every aspect of the drink’s creation, from the design and recipe to the tasting and meticulous taste evaluation. The company even used predictive intelligence to select the winning flavor.

These cases highlight the transformative potential of AI tools in the field of development. As technology continues to evolve and improve, we can expect to see even more innovative applications in the future. 

Trading

In the world of trading, the best AI tools are not only making trading more accessible but also more efficient and personalized. For instance, Robinhood, a popular trading app, has leveraged AI to differentiate itself from competitors. 

AI is also proving to be a formidable player in stock picking. In an experiment conducted in 2023 by financial comparison site finder.com, a basket of stocks selected by ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot, outperformed some of the most popular investment funds in the UK. Between March 6 and April 28, a dummy portfolio of 38 stocks gained 4.9% while 10 leading investment funds clocked an average loss of 0.8%.

In another experiment, AI chatbots Bard and Bing were tested to see which would do better at picking stocks. Over a three-week period, Bard’s investments did better, beating a human reporter and the S&P 500. These experiments demonstrate the potential of AI in trading and investment, and while they are not designed to replace human judgment, they do offer valuable insights that can help traders make informed decisions.

Art

Another field where AI tools have made some noise is art. For instance, the legendary musician Paul McCartney used an AI tool to create a new Beatles record. The tool analyzed and learned from the musical styles of McCartney and John Lennon, generating a song that was eerily reminiscent of their past collaborations.

However, the use of AI tools in art has also sparked controversy. For example, Steam has reportedly been rejecting games using AI-generated art, raising questions about the role of AI tools in creative processes and the authenticity of AI-generated art.

Legal battles have also ensued, with artists suing AI companies, potentially upending legal precedents around art. 

Despite any controversies though, art created with AI tools has achieved remarkable success in the market. In 2018, Christie’s sold its first piece of AI art, a canvas named the Portrait of Edmond Belamy, for $432,500, over 40 times the initial estimate.

Fast forward to 2023, Damien Hirst’s new project, which asked collectors to generate their own paintings using an AI tool, earned him $20 million in just nine days. More than 5,000 “Beautiful Paintings” were sold, showcasing the immense potential of AI tools in the art world. 

These examples illustrate the transformative power of AI tools in the art world, from creating new forms of artistic expression to challenging traditional notions of creativity and originality. As AI tools continue to evolve, they will undoubtedly continue to shape and redefine the art world in unexpected ways.

This is just a fraction of what AI can do in some of the spheres and jobs of the future. Now let’s get into details!

Top 21 AI tools for your business

The internet is teeming with articles listing the “best” AI tools. However, many of these articles don’t provide a clear rationale for their choices. They often include popular names, but lack the justification for why these tools are the best fit for your specific needs.

We believe you deserve better. That’s why we’ve taken a data-driven approach to curate this list of the top 21 AI tools. Our selection process was rigorous and transparent. We analyzed several reputable sources, including:

1. The most followed and liked products tagged “artificial intelligence” on Product Hunt, excluding irrelevant tools that somehow ended up on the list e.g., Canva or Zendesk, which have some AI features, but can’t be called AI tools per se.
2. Top websites worldwide by traffic (as of May 2023) by Similarweb, where we identified the most popular AI-related sites.
3. The most popular tools from Futurepedia, which currently features about 4,000 AI products.
4. The most upvoted tools on Future Tools, it lists almost 2,000 AI companies as of today.

From these sources, we selected the tools that had appeared on multiple lists, had the most likes, the most traffic, and offered unique use cases.

In the following section, we’ll introduce you to these 21 top AI tools that people are actually using. So, whether you’re a seasoned marketer looking to stay ahead of the curve or a small business owner eager to harness the power of AI, this list is for you. Let’s dive in!

#1 OpenAI

OpenAI, with a staggering combined monthly visit of 3.56 billion for OpenAI (1.86 billion) and ChatGPT (1.7 billion), is a leading name in the AI industry. This artificial intelligence research lab is on a mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity. 

For small business owners and marketers, OpenAI offers a range of AI tools, including the famous GPT-3, which can be used to generate human-like text. This can be incredibly useful for content creation, customer service, and more, providing a competitive edge in the market. The impressive traffic figures, as for May 2023 according to Similarweb, are solid proof of its popularity and widespread use.

OpenAI offers $5 in credits to use within the first 3 months, and ChatGPT offers free and paid versions ($20/month). Here and below information about the pricing is accurate at the moment of writing this article. 

#2 Character AI

Character AI, attracting 281.4 million monthly visits, is a neural language model chatbot application that generates human-like text responses and participates in contextual conversations. Developed by the former creators of Google’s LaMDA, Noam Shazeer, and Daniel De Freitas, Character AI can be a game-changer for small business owners and marketers. 

It provides a tool for customer service, content creation, and more that can operate 24/7 and handle multiple queries simultaneously, enhancing customer engagement and satisfaction.

The tool is free to use. 

#3 Notion

Notion, with 157.4 million monthly visits, is a productivity tool that blends everyday work apps into one. It’s an all-in-one workspace where you can write, plan, collaborate, and organize. Notion’s AI capabilities make it stand out, integrating AI across the platform where you’re already doing your work, storing notes & docs, and collaborating with others. 

This makes it a great tool for small business owners and marketers looking to streamline their workflow and enhance productivity.

Notion offers free and paid versions starting from a monthly $10 payment per user.

#4 Midjourney

Midjourney, with 35.5 million monthly visits, is an independent research lab exploring new mediums of thought and expanding the imaginative powers of the human species. They focus on design, human infrastructure, and AI. For those seeking to understand the future of AI and develop new marketing strategies, and even create their own products, Midjourney offers a unique perspective on AI and its potential.  

While similar products like Lexica (6.5 million monthly visits) and Nightcafe (10.4 million monthly visits) also appeared in the sources we analyzed, Midjourney, with its superior functionality and higher traffic, made it to our list.

Each new user gets a free trial of around 25 jobs. After that, you have to opt-in for a paid subscription starting from $10 per month.

#5 Tome

Tome, with 11.03 million monthly visits, is your new AI storytelling partner. It uses video narration, live data, and endlessly flexible pages to build polished presentations in minutes. 

For marketers and small business owners, Tome can be a powerful tool for creating compelling, professional presentations quickly and easily, enhancing your brand’s storytelling capabilities.

Tome offers a free version, with a paid tier starting from $10 per person billed monthly.

#6 Writesonic

Writesonic, with 10.5 million monthly visits, is an AI-powered tool that creates SEO-friendly content for blogs, Facebook ads, Google ads, and Shopify. It’s a powerful tool for marketers and small business owners who need to generate high-quality content quickly. Writesonic can help you automate your content creation process, freeing up time for other important tasks.

There are other tools like Copy.ai (7.2 million monthly visits) and Jasper (6.1 million monthly visits) that offer similar functionalities, Writesonic stands out due to its higher traffic and robust features. 

However, the number of people using AI copywriting tools brings us to an interesting question: “Will AI tools replace human copywriters?” 

While software like Writesonic is incredibly efficient and can generate content quickly, they are tools to enhance human creativity, not replace it. They can handle repetitive tasks and generate content based on specific guidelines, but the creativity, strategy, and understanding of the audience that a human copywriter brings to the table are irreplaceable. So, for small business owners and marketers, tools like Writesonic are not threats but valuable allies in creating engaging, SEO-friendly content.

Writesonic offers a free trial of 10,000 words per month. Paid tiers start from $20 per user per month. 

#7 Eleven Labs

Eleven Labs, with 8.3 million monthly visits, is a software company developing natural-sounding speech synthesis and text-to-speech software using artificial intelligence and deep learning. It brings the most compelling, rich, and lifelike voices to creators and publishers seeking to enhance their content with high-quality audio. 

For small business owners and marketers, Eleven Labs can be a powerful tool for creating engaging audio content, from podcasts to audio versions of blog posts, or even unique voices for video content. It brings a new level of realism and personalization to your content, helping you to stand out in a crowded market. And at the moment of writing you can even generate one own voice in the free tier of the subscription. 

Paid tier starts from $5 per month.

#8 ChatPDF

ChatPDF is a unique tool that unlocks a wealth of knowledge from historical documents, poetry, and literature. With a monthly traffic of 7 million visits, it’s a popular choice for those who want to discover new insights and answers effortlessly. 

Imagine being a small business owner who loves to draw inspiration for client presentations from competitors’ marketing research. With ChatPDF, you can easily analyze and interact with such content, so that your creative process will get way faster and content — more insightful.

Chat PDF has a free tier, and the paid version is $5 per month. 

#9 Playground AI

Playground AI is a free-to-use online AI image creator that allows you to create art, social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos, and more. With 6.9 million monthly visits, it’s a tool that’s making waves in the AI space. While it might seem similar to Midjourney, Playground AI includes robust editing tools, offering more use cases. 

For instance, if you’re a marketer looking to create engaging social media posts or a business owner wanting to design eye-catching presentations, Playground AI is your go-to tool.

Playground AI has a free version. Paid subscription starts from $15 per month.

#10 Hotpot

Hotpot.ai is a platform that helps you create amazing graphics offering a bunch of tools from removing objects and backgrounds to colorising and restoring old pictures. With a monthly traffic of 6.7 million visits, it’s a tool that’s gaining popularity among users. 

For small business owners and marketers, Hotpot.ai can be a game-changer. Whether you’re designing a new logo, creating social media posts, developing gaming assets, or crafting marketing images, Hotpot.ai makes the process faster and more efficient.

Hotpot users have to purchase credits to use the tool. 1,000 credits cost $12 if you pay once or $10 if you opt in for a monthly subscription.

#11 D-ID

Have you seen those viral Harry Potter by Balenciaga videos? Apparently they were not too hard to make given you have the right tool. With a monthly traffic of 6.14M, D-ID enables users to transform any picture or video into extraordinary experiences. It’s used by creators and leading marketing teams to bring their visual content to life. D-ID offers a unique advantage with their custom photo avatar feature, allowing users to create an avatar from a photo. 

This makes it a great tool for small business owners and marketers looking to create engaging and personalized visual content for their audiences. It’s worth noting that while Synthesia was the most popular video avatars software, D-ID seems to be catching up by offering more functions, better results, and more competitive pricing. This is reflected in their higher traffic compared to Synthesia’s 4.3 million per month.

D-ID offers a free version, and paid tiers are starting from $5.99 per month. 

#12 Looka

Looka, with 5.1 million monthly visits, is your personal designer. It gives you everything you need to launch your brand and look great from day one. The best part? It’s powered by artificial intelligence. 

This makes it a great tool for small business owners and marketers who are looking to create a strong brand identity but may not have the resources to hire a professional designer. With Looka, you can create logos, business cards, and other branding materials that are tailored to your business.

You can play with the tool for free, but if you are going to download the logo the cost starts from $20 per one. 

#13 Microsoft Designer

Microsoft Designer, with 5 million monthly visits, is a tool that simplifies the creative journey by helping you get started quickly, augment creative workflows, and overcome creative roadblocks. With new AI technology at the core, Microsoft Designer is built with you in mind. You can use the app to spark creativity, refine and customize designs, and create high-quality content in less time using the latest DALL∙E and generative AI. With Designer in Edge, we are bringing these capabilities into the web browser, too. 

It’s built natively into the Edge sidebar and can be accessed by clicking on the Designer icon, making Edge the first and only browser with an integrated, AI-powered graphic design app. This is a promising tool for designers with Microsoft’s budget for research and development.

Currently, a preview version of the product is available for free.

#14 Room GPT

Room GPT, with 5 million monthly visits, is your new favorite AI house designer. It’s a chat GPT app that will revolutionize the way you design and decorate your home. 

This is a great tool for small business owners and marketers in the real estate and interior design industries. With Room GPT, you can create stunning home designs and share them with your clients or audience.

New users get 3 free credits, and then prices start from $9 per 30 credits (or more for larger packages). 

#15 Fliki

Fliki, with 3.09 million monthly visits, is a text-to-video tool that helps you create stunning content with AI voices in just 2 minutes. 

It’s a great tool for small business owners and marketers who want to create engaging video content but may not have the time or resources to do so. With Fliki, you can transform blog articles into videos, use lifelike text to speech voices, and create videos in 75+ languages and 100+ dialects. This makes it a versatile tool for reaching diverse audiences.

Fliki has a free version. Paid tiers start from $8 per month. 

#16 ClipDrop

With 2.74 million monthly visits, ClipDrop is a game-changer for marketers and small business owners who need to create stunning visuals in seconds. This AI-powered tool allows you to remove backgrounds, clean up pictures, upscale images, and even perform stable diffusion. It’s like having a personal graphic designer on your team, but without the hefty price tag. 

Imagine being able to remove the background from product photos in seconds, or upscale images for your website without losing quality. ClipDrop makes all this possible and more, making it a must-have tool in your marketing toolkit.

ClipDrop offers a free version. The paid version starts from $9 per month.

#17 Humata AI

Humata AI, with 2.7 million monthly visits, is like having a personal data analyst at your fingertips. This AI tool allows you to ask questions about your data and get instant answers powered by AI. 

For small business owners and marketers, this means you can gain insights into your business data without needing to spend hours reading through business reports. You can try using Humata to get informed opinions from the third party and it might be helpful to make more sense of your data. 

Humata offers a free version. Paid tier starts from $14.99 per month.

#18 Durable

With 2.1 million monthly visits, Durable is a tool that allows you to generate a website in just 30 seconds. It’s the world’s fastest AI website builder, complete with powerful AI marketing, invoicing, and CRM tools to help grow your business. 

If you’re a small business owner looking to establish an online presence quickly and efficiently, Durable is a tool worth considering. It’s perfect for those with straightforward business ideas who need a decent-looking website without the hassle of coding or hiring a web developer.

You can play with Durable for free but for any customization, you need a subscription. It starts from $15 per month. 

#19 Framer

Framer, with 1.6 million monthly visits, is an AI tool that allows you to start your dream site with zero code and maximum speed. While it might seem similar to Durable, Framer offers more robust customization options, including mobile and tablet optimization, and a more precise description of your product to build the site around. 

This makes it a great tool for small business owners and marketers who want to create a professional, mobile-optimized website without needing to know how to code.

Framer offers a free version and the most affordable subscription tier starts from $10 per month. 

# 20 AdCreative.ai

With 1.4 million monthly visits, AdCreative.ai is an AI-powered tool that helps you generate conversion-focused ad creatives and social media post creatives in seconds. 

This tool is perfect for marketers and small business owners who want to create high-quality, engaging ads without spending hours on design. With AdCreative.ai, you can generate ad texts and headlines using a variety of copywriting methodologies, access over 100 million free stock images, and even connect your ad accounts to fine-tune the machine-learning model for your brand. This tool is all about getting better results while saving time and lots of money.

AdCreative doesn’t offer a free tier, most affordable plans start from $21 per month.

# 21 AI Content Genie by Narrato Workspace

Narrato Workspace’s AI Content Genie is designed to revolutionize content creation and streamline the writing process, by automating social media and blog content generation. This unique AI content tool on autopilot can create fresh social media posts and blog posts every week, from just your website URL and a few themes. The AI-generated posts, that come with image recommendations too, can be easily edited or used as is.

AI Content Genie also allows you to publish and schedule content directly on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, WordPress, and Webflow. Apart from the AI Content Genie, Narrato also has a powerful AI Content Assistant that offers over 100+ different AI tools and templates for content creation, planning, optimization and repurposing. Narrato also serves as a complete content workspace with a strong content project and workflow management features, allowing you to manage all your content operations and team in one place.

Narrato pricing starts at $36 per month (billed annually), and gives you up to 4 free user seats. More users can be added at a cost.

How to choose the right AI tool for your business?

Choosing the right AI tool for your business can be a daunting task, given the plethora of options available in the market. However, by focusing on your specific needs and understanding the unique features of each tool, you can make an informed decision. Here are some factors to consider:

1. Understand your needs. The first step in choosing the right AI tool is to understand your business needs. Are you looking to automate processes, improve customer service, or gain insights from data? Your needs will guide your choice. For instance, if you’re a marketer looking to automate your social media posts, an AI tool like AdCreative.ai or Flick, which generates conversion-focused ad creatives in seconds, could be a great fit.
2. Evaluate the tool’s capabilities. Each AI tool has its unique capabilities. Some tools are designed for natural language processing, others for predictive analytics, and some for automating tasks. Ensure the tool you choose aligns with your business objectives. For instance, Humata AI, is like a GPT for your files, allowing you to ask AI anything about your data and get answers instantly.
3. Consider the learning curve. AI tools can be complex, and it’s essential to consider the learning curve associated with each tool. Some tools may require a deep understanding of machine learning and data science, while others are designed to be user-friendly and require no coding skills. For example, Durable, allows you to generate a website in 30 seconds with the world’s fastest AI website builder. Surely that sounds nice. 
4. Check the tool’s integration capabilities. The AI tool you choose should seamlessly integrate with your existing systems and software. This will ensure a smooth workflow and prevent any disruptions in your operations.
5. Cost and ROI. Lastly, consider the cost of the AI tool and the potential return on investment. While some AI tools may seem expensive upfront, they can provide significant cost savings in the long run by automating processes and improving efficiency.

The future of AI tools in business

AI is transforming how we work, with Accenture reporting that the share of companies’ revenue that is “AI-influenced” more than doubled between 2018 and 2021 and is expected to roughly triple between 2018 and 2024. 

This is evident in various sectors, even the most unexpected ones, from dating where men are using AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT to generate bios and craft messages, to lottery predictions where TikTokers are using AI to predict the upcoming lottery numbers.

AI is also revolutionizing the recruitment process, with 43% of companies expected to use AI interviews by next year. Companies like Mastercard are already using AI to streamline their recruiting process, using AI-based games to vet candidates and reduce the risk of unconscious bias in hiring.

In the manufacturing sector, companies like Audi are using AI to control the quality of production. With the “WPS Analytics” pilot project, the spot welds on the bodywork of the Audi A6 and A7 produced in Neckarsulm are being accurately checked with artificial intelligence.

As AI continues to evolve, we can expect to see more innovative applications across various sectors, making businesses more efficient, cost-effective, and customer-centric. The future of AI in business is not just about automation but also about augmenting human intelligence and capabilities, enabling us to make more informed decisions and create more value.

For small and medium-sized business owners, marketers, and beginners in email marketing, the future is bright. With the right AI tools, you can automate processes, gain insights from data, improve customer service, and ultimately drive growth and profitability. The key is to stay informed about the latest developments in AI and to choose the right tools that align with your business needs and objectives.

Final thoughts

We’ve taken a deep dive into the world of AI tools, and it’s clear they’re helping businesses big and small to work smarter, not harder.

They can handle the heavy lifting of data analysis, automate routine tasks, and help you connect with your customers on a deeper level.

But remember, AI is a rapidly changing field. New tools are popping up all the time, each one with the potential to give your business an edge. So, stay curious, keep exploring, and don’t be afraid to experiment.

In the end, the best AI tool is not the one with the most features or the highest price tag. It’s the one that fits your needs, aligns with your business goals, and delivers tangible results. So, take the time to explore, experiment, and find the AI tools that will drive your business forward. The future is AI-powered, and it’s time to embrace it.