AI Tools Guide
AI isn’t magic—it’s a toolkit. At Incite Literacy, you’ll learn to use these tools strategically to enhance your work, not replace your thinking. This guide shows you which tools work best for different types of projects.
Important: We prioritize free tools so everyone can participate. Paid tools are marked with ($) and are completely optional.
Core Tools Everyone Uses
These are your everyday essentials—the tools you’ll use across all projects:
ChatGPT / Claude
Your thinking partner for:
- Brainstorming and ideation
- Research and fact-checking
- Writing drafts and revisions
- Problem-solving and debugging
- Learning new concepts
Free: ChatGPT (GPT-3.5), Claude.ai (limited)
Paid: ($) ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo), Claude Pro ($20/mo)
Notion
Your project headquarters for:
- Planning and organizing projects
- Tracking tasks and deadlines
- Building knowledge bases
- Collaborating with teammates
- Creating portfolios
Free: Personal use with unlimited pages
Paid: ($) Plus plan for advanced features ($10/mo)
Canva
Your visual design studio for:
- Presentations and pitch decks
- Social media graphics
- Infographics and posters
- Brand identity materials
- Quick video editing
Free: Thousands of templates and basic features
Paid: ($) Pro for premium assets ($15/mo)
Tools for Writing & Communication Projects
Building a podcast, blog, or content series?
Writing & Editing
-
Grammarly - Polish your writing
Free: Basic grammar and spelling | ($) Premium: Advanced suggestions -
Hemingway Editor - Make writing clear and bold
Free: Web version | ($) Desktop app ($20 one-time) -
QuillBot - Paraphrase and improve flow
Free: 125 words at a time | ($) Premium: Unlimited -
Google Docs - Collaborative writing
Free: Full features with Google account
Audio & Transcription
-
Otter.ai - Transcribe interviews
Free: 300 minutes/month | ($) Pro: Unlimited -
Audacity - Edit audio professionally
Free: Full-featured open source software -
Whisper (OpenAI) - Transcribe audio
Free: Open source, runs locally -
($) Descript - Edit audio like text
Paid only: Starts at $15/mo
Research & Analysis
-
Perplexity - Research with citations
Free: 5 searches/day | ($) Pro: Unlimited -
Google Scholar - Academic articles
Free: Full access -
Wikipedia - Starting point for research
Free: Always -
($) Consensus - AI research synthesis
Limited free tier | Pro from $9/mo
Example Project: Create a 5-episode podcast using Audacity (free) for editing, Whisper (free) for transcription, ChatGPT (free) for interview questions, and Canva (free) for cover art.
💻 Tools for Tech & Development Projects
Building an app, website, or digital solution?
Code & Development
-
Replit - Browser-based coding with AI
Free: Public projects | ($) Private projects -
VS Code - Professional code editor
Free: Full features + free AI extensions -
GitHub - Code hosting and collaboration
Free: Unlimited public repositories -
($) GitHub Copilot - AI pair programming
Free for students | Otherwise $10/mo
Design & Prototyping
-
Figma - Collaborative design
Free: 3 projects | ($) Unlimited projects -
Penpot - Open source design tool
Free: Full features, self-hosted option -
Draw.io - Flowcharts and diagrams
Free: Full features -
($) Framer - No-code websites
Limited free | Pro from $10/mo
Data & Analysis
-
Google Sheets - Spreadsheets and analysis
Free: Full features with formulas -
Google Colab - Python notebooks
Free: GPU access included -
Kaggle - Data science platform
Free: Datasets and compute -
($) Airtable - Database meets spreadsheet
Free: 1,200 records | Pro from $24/mo
Example Project: Build a community app using VS Code (free), GitHub (free), Figma (free tier), and Google Sheets (free) for data.
Tools for Creative & Design Projects
Making visual art, videos, or multimedia content?
Visual Creation
-
DALL-E - Generate images from text
Free: Via Bing Image Creator -
Stable Diffusion - Open source image generation
Free: Via Clipdrop or Playground AI -
Krita - Digital painting software
Free: Professional features -
($) Midjourney - Artistic image generation
Paid only: From $10/mo
Video & Animation
-
CapCut - Video editing
Free: Full features on mobile/desktop -
DaVinci Resolve - Professional video editing
Free: Hollywood-grade features -
OBS Studio - Screen recording and streaming
Free: Full features -
($) RunwayML - AI video effects
Limited free credits | Pro from $15/mo
Music & Audio
-
BandLab - Music creation and collaboration
Free: Full DAW in browser -
GarageBand - Music creation (Mac/iOS)
Free: Full features for Apple users -
Soundtrap - Online music studio
Free: Basic features | ($) Premium features -
($) Suno - AI music generation
Limited free credits | Pro from $10/mo
Example Project: Create digital art using Stable Diffusion (free), edit video in DaVinci Resolve (free), and add music from BandLab (free).
📊 Tools for Business & Strategy Projects
Launching a venture or solving organizational challenges?
Planning & Strategy
-
Trello - Project management
Free: Unlimited personal boards -
Asana - Task management
Free: Up to 15 team members -
Miro - Visual collaboration
Free: 3 boards | ($) Unlimited -
Excalidraw - Virtual whiteboard
Free: Full features
Marketing & Branding
-
Mailchimp - Email marketing
Free: Up to 500 contacts -
Buffer - Social media scheduling
Free: 3 channels, 10 posts -
Namelix - Business name generator
Free: Unlimited generations -
($) Jasper - Marketing content at scale
Paid only: From $49/mo
Analytics & Finance
-
Google Analytics - Website insights
Free: Full features -
Wave - Accounting software
Free: Core features -
Square - Payment processing
Free: Pay only transaction fees -
Google Forms - Surveys and feedback
Free: Unlimited responses
Example Project: Launch a social venture using Trello (free), Mailchimp (free), Canva (free), and Wave (free) for finances.
Tools for Research & Innovation Projects
Investigating problems or designing solutions?
Research Tools
-
Zotero - Reference management
Free: Full features -
Obsidian - Connected note-taking
Free: Personal use -
Connected Papers - Visualize research
Free: 5 graphs/month | ($) Unlimited -
($) Elicit - AI research assistant
Limited free | Pro from $10/mo
Survey & Testing
-
Google Forms - Surveys and data collection
Free: Unlimited -
Microsoft Forms - Alternative to Google
Free: With Microsoft account -
Tally - Beautiful forms
Free: Unlimited forms and responses -
($) Typeform - Interactive surveys
Free: 10 responses/month | Pro from $29/mo
Presentation & Documentation
-
Google Slides - Presentations
Free: Full features -
Slides.com - HTML5 presentations
Free: Public presentations -
Gamma - AI presentation builder
Free: Limited credits | ($) Pro -
($) Beautiful.ai - Smart slide design
Limited free | Pro from $12/mo
Example Project: Research food waste using Google Scholar (free), Google Forms (free) for surveys, and Google Slides (free) for presenting.
Advanced Tools (For Ambitious Projects)
Ready to push boundaries? Most have generous free tiers:
Advanced Development
-
Supabase - Backend as a service
Free: Generous tier | ($) Scale as needed -
Vercel - Deploy web apps
Free: Personal projects -
Railway - App deployment
Free: $5 credit/month -
Netlify - Static site hosting
Free: Generous bandwidth
Automation & Integration
-
Make (Integromat) - Visual automation
Free: 1,000 operations/month -
n8n - Open source automation
Free: Self-hosted -
IFTTT - Simple automations
Free: 5 applets -
($) Zapier - Advanced automation
Free: 100 tasks/month | Pro from $20/mo
💡 Choosing Tools on Any Budget
Start 100% Free
You can complete ANY project at Incite using only free tools:
- Writing: Google Docs + ChatGPT free tier
- Design: Canva free + Penpot
- Code: VS Code + GitHub + Replit
- Video: DaVinci Resolve + OBS
- Audio: Audacity + BandLab
- Organization: Notion free + Google Workspace
When to Consider Paid Tools
Only upgrade when you:
- Need specific advanced features
- Want to save significant time
- Are monetizing your project
- Have exhausted free alternatives
Student Discounts
Many paid tools offer student discounts:
- GitHub Student Pack (free Pro tools)
- Adobe Creative Cloud (60% off)
- Spotify for Podcasters (free hosting)
- Many more with .edu email
🎓 Getting Started (Zero Cost)
Your First Week Toolkit (All Free):
- ChatGPT - Free tier for brainstorming
- Notion - Free personal workspace
- Canva - Free design tools
- Google Workspace - Docs, Sheets, Slides
- One specialized free tool - Based on your project
Remember:
- Free tools can create professional work
- Constraints spark creativity
- Skills matter more than software
- Share free alternatives with peers
Need Help?
Can’t afford a tool? We’ll help you find free alternatives. Your facilitator knows the best free options for every project type.
The most successful projects often use entirely free tools—creativity and effort matter more than expensive software.
Ready to start creating? Check out our Project Examples to see these tools in action—most use free tools!