AI Picks
AI tools we actually use — for writing, coding, design, research, and productivity. Hand-picked, no fluff.
ChatGPT
OpenAI
The most popular general-purpose AI chat. Strong for writing, brainstorming, and everyday tasks.
Best for: Everyday writing & general questions
Our takeDaily driver for most people. The free tier is now genuinely usable.
Claude
Anthropic
Excellent for long-form writing, careful reasoning, and analyzing big documents (PDFs, code).
Best for: Long writing, document analysis
Our takeOur pick when the task needs nuance — editing, analyzing PDFs, or drafting carefully.
Gemini
Google's AI with deep integration into Workspace (Docs, Gmail, Drive). Great free tier.
Best for: Google Workspace users
Our takeIf you live in Google Workspace, this is the lowest-friction option.
Cursor
Anysphere
AI-first code editor that understands your whole codebase. The most loved AI dev tool right now.
Best for: Software engineers & power users
Our takeWe use Cursor every day to build aiarainia.com itself. Composer mode is a game-changer for refactors.
GitHub Copilot
GitHub / Microsoft
The original AI pair-programmer. Now with chat and agent modes inside VS Code.
Best for: VS Code users
v0
Vercel
Generate beautiful React/Next.js UIs from a prompt. Outputs Tailwind + shadcn-ready code.
Best for: Quick UI prototypes
Perplexity
Perplexity AI
AI search that cites its sources. Replaces 'Google then read 5 tabs' for research questions.
Best for: Up-to-date research with sources
Our takeOur default for any 'what is the latest on X' question — fast and trustworthy with sources.
NotebookLM
Upload your sources (PDFs, links, notes) and chat with them. Generates audio overviews and FAQs.
Best for: Studying papers & long PDFs
Midjourney
Midjourney
Industry-leading image quality for art, mood boards, and stylized visuals.
Best for: Stylized art & creative direction
Ideogram
Ideogram
AI image gen that handles text-in-image (logos, posters, banners) better than most.
Best for: Posters, banners, anything with text
Canva
Canva
Design tool with strong AI features (Magic Design, Magic Write). Easiest learning curve.
Best for: Non-designers making slides & social posts
Notion AI
Notion
AI built into your notes, docs, and databases. Summarize, draft, and search across your workspace.
Best for: Teams already on Notion
Granola
Granola
AI meeting notes that actually work. Records nothing — just listens and writes the summary you would have written.
Best for: Anyone in lots of meetings
Our takeUnderrated. Replaces 'I'll write notes after the meeting' (which never happens).
Raycast AI
Raycast
AI in your launcher (macOS). Hotkey to chat with multiple models without opening a browser tab.
Best for: macOS power users
n8n
n8n
Open-source workflow automation with strong AI nodes. Self-hostable.
Best for: Devs building AI workflows
Make
Make
Visual no-code automation between apps, with built-in AI/LLM modules.
Best for: Non-coders automating workflows
Zapier
Zapier
The default no-code automation tool. Now with AI actions and Zapier Agents.
Best for: Connecting SaaS apps