5 Free AI Tools You Can Start Using Today

I pay for Cursor and Claude like everyone else in my line of work. These five are different. They are free tools I use when the problem is not code, like rehearsing a hard conversation, uncropping a photo, or getting a quick answer without digging through SEO sludge.

1. ChatGPT Voice Mode for Difficult Conversations

ChatGPT voice mode on the mobile app is the one I recommend to friends who hate phone calls as much as I do. You talk and it talks back. The free tier includes basic voice (check OpenAI's current limits since they change often).

I still find some conversations harder than they should be. Voice mode lets me rehearse without burning another human's patience.

How I use it:

Interview prep: "Interview me for a staff engineer role at a Series B startup. Ask follow-ups, then tell me where I rambled."
Hard conversations: "Play my manager, slightly defensive. I need to push back on a deadline without sounding like I'm quitting."
Frameworks: I've used it to practice Motivational Interviewing. Ask it to teach the structure, then run scenarios where you apply it.

The latency is good enough that it feels like a call, not a walkie-talkie. I would not use it for therapy. For practice, it is worth the awkward first minute.

2. Gemini CLI for Terminal Chores

Gemini CLI looks like a dev tool, and it is. I mostly use it for chores I would otherwise search for, like finding files, installing something, or flipping a system setting. I describe the outcome in plain English and it proposes the command.

Examples that actually worked for me:

"Find PDFs I downloaded in the last seven days."
"Install the latest Zoom."
"Turn on dark mode."

I still read what it plans to run before confirming anything destructive. I no longer need to remember find syntax, and that alone saves me time.

3. Pixelcut to Fix Cropped Photos

You took a vertical photo and now need a horizontal banner. Pixelcut outpaints the edges by guessing what was outside the frame and filling it in.

Steps:

Go to Pixelcut.
Upload the image.
Open Uncrop or Image Extender.
Drag the canvas borders.
Let it generate. Re-roll if the sky turns into soup.

It is not magic on every shot, especially with busy patterns or faces. For blog headers and social crops, it has saved me from re-shooting more than once.

4. Goblin Tools: When You Know What You Mean

Goblin Tools was built with neurodivergent users in mind. I use the Formalizer when I know what I want to say but my tone is off, usually in email.

Dump the raw version: "I can't make the meeting, too much on my plate."
Pick Professional, Polite, or Easier to Read.
Hit Convert.

I usually get something sendable without the 20-minute rewrite spiral. I still edit the output because it is a draft.

5. Perplexity for Questions Google Makes Annoying

Perplexity answers with citations. I use it for quick factual lookups where I don't want three SEO articles and a pop-up cookie banner.

"Who won the game last night and what was the score?"
"Running shoes for flat feet under $100 — what do reviewers actually say?"
"Three-day vegetarian meal prep, shopping list included."

The free tier resets daily. It has replaced most of my "quick Google" tabs. For deep research, I still open primary sources.

Pick one tool and one real task this week. The free tier is enough to know if it sticks. You do not need a big onboarding project.