After testing many AI platforms across automation, writing, and analytics, I narrowed the list to 17 that deliver results. These tools were the most reliable for everyday work, from automating email responses and lead follow-ups to generating content and scheduling meetings.
Top 17 AI platforms: TL;DR
I created a table with summaries of each tool’s core value, best use case, and key tradeoffs. Here’s how they compare:
Let’s understand each of these tools in detail and see what tests I ran with them.
1. Lindy – Best for automating complex workflows with custom AI agents
What does it do? Lindy gives you prebuilt and custom AI agents to handle tasks like sending emails, following up with leads, making phone calls, or logging CRM data. They can also help with internal operations like summarizing meetings or sorting inbox attachments
Who is it for? Non-technical users, small business owners, and any organization looking to automate repetitive, tedious tasks without writing code.
Lindy is incredibly easy to use. You can set up complex automation, trigger actions across apps like Slack, Gmail, HubSpot, Salesforce, and more, and create conditional workflows that behave differently based on context.
The best part about it is that you don't need to write code. It’s a visual builder that lets you use customizable prebuilt templates like LinkedIn Post Writer or Meeting Scheduler. You can tweak the prompts in these templates, edit them to suit your application, and deploy them immediately.
I used a prebuilt Lead Generator template with filters like title and industry. Once connected to a source like People Data Labs, I prompted the Lindy chat to find me Content Strategists, Content Leads, Heads of Content, or people in similar posts working in-house in software, SaaS, IT services, and product companies.
It searched for the leads that met my criteria and created a Google Sheet with detailed information about those leads. It took me less than 20 minutes to create a 10-person lead list. It easily replaced hours of weekly lead generation grunt work.
If your team spends time on repeatable processes like sales ops, customer support, or internal handoffs, this tool provides the most value.
Key features
- No-code builder for multi-step automations
- Voice agents for inbound/outbound calling
- Email, CRM, calendar, file, and Slack integrations
- Ready-to-use templates for common workflows
- Custom conditions, loops, and handoffs between AI agents
- 4,000+ integrations + API support
- SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance for regulated industries
- Human-in-the-loop review for sensitive tasks
Pros
- Logic and control without dev work
- Agents feel personalized and task-specific
- Pricing is transparent and scales by usage
Cons
- There is a slight learning curve if you’re used to simple chatbots
Pricing
- Free plan: Up to 40 tasks/month
- Pro plan: $49.99/month, up to 1,500 monthly tasks
- Business and Enterprise tiers with advanced features and priority support
- Voice calling starts at $0.19/min
Bottom line
Lindy is best for teams that want to automate tedious, repeatable work. If your business relies on tasks like enriching new leads, updating CRMs, making phone calls, or creating content, Lindy’s no-code agents make complex workflows easy to deploy and scale.
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2. ChatGPT – Best for all-purpose brainstorming, writing, and logic-based tasks
What does it do? ChatGPT helps you write, plan, analyze ideas, answer questions, and break down complex tasks using natural conversation.
Who is it for? Anyone who needs a flexible AI tool for writing, research, coding, and everyday brainstorming.
ChatGPT is a generalist AI platform. With GPT-5, it’s fast, intelligent, and intuitive enough to act like a co-pilot for actual work, whether drafting copy, debugging code, helping with outlines, or parsing a spreadsheet.
It helps me think about a topic like a second brain. I’ve used it to summarize long meeting notes, draft cold emails, and even role-play customer objections for sales training. GPT-5 can now understand images, charts, and voice inputs, making it smarter than older versions.
I even created a custom GPT, my ghost-writer. I uploaded all the resources, guidelines, and references to dial in my writing style. Now, I use it to create first drafts of my blogs. I also created a project to fact-check the technical capabilities of Lindy in blogs.
It can now interpret code, search on the web, read files, and analyze images, all in one chat. You don’t need to toggle between apps to ask it to explain a CSV, pull data from a URL, or turn it into a bar chart.
But it's only as good as your prompts. If you’re vague, it’ll be vague. If you’re specific, it’ll deliver. It’s competent, but it still needs direction.
Key features
- Powered by GPT-5 (vision, voice, text, reasoning)
- Code interpreter (Codex), data analysis, and file uploads
- Real-time web browsing and image understanding
- Custom GPTs for specific roles or workflows
- Voice mode (now near-instant and natural)
Pros
- Super flexible and works across almost any domain
- Massive community and ecosystem (Custom GPTs, APIs, extensions)
- Fast, responsive, and genuinely useful for daily tasks
Cons
- Requires prompt clarity, which may not always be consistent
- Still not great at real-time collaboration or shared workflows
- Some advanced tools are gated behind paid plans
Pricing
- Free: GPT-5 access
- Plus: $20/month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Bottom line
ChatGPT is the most flexible AI tool for thinking, writing, and problem-solving. It’s a reliable all-rounder, ideal for anyone who wants an intelligent co-pilot across different workflows.
3. Perplexity – Best for real-time research and fact-checked answers
What does it do? Perplexity is an AI search assistant that answers questions, shows its sources, and keeps things concise. It is like a research partner who shows you the right links, explains them in plain English, and doesn’t waste your time.
Who is it for? Researchers, analysts, and teams that fact-check often and want accurate information quickly.
I’ve used it for things like sourcing up-to-date stats, comparing product features, and checking the latest news on AI regulation. You can technically do all these tasks using Google, but it’s faster and more digestible here. It pulls from credible sources, cites everything in line, and lets you dig deep with the source links.
Perplexity’s Deep Research is quite effective when you want to research a topic in depth. It takes around 10-15 minutes to give you the complete results, but it’s totally worth it.
What’s underrated about Perplexity is how good it is at follow-up. You can ask something like, “How does Claude compare to GPT-5?” and then follow up with, “What about for coding?” It’ll continue the thread intelligently.
It’s not a “do-anything” tool like ChatGPT or Claude, but it’s one of the most efficient tools I’ve used for research and reading-heavy workflows.
Key features
- Real-time web results with in-line citations
- Follow-up Q&A with persistent context
- File and image upload for context-aware queries
- iOS, Android, and browser extensions available
Pros
- Fast, reliable info without hallucinations
- Perfect for research, sourcing, and quick comparisons
- Includes free daily access to Pro models
Cons
- Not for tasks like writing or automation
- Some answers can still oversimplify nuanced topics
- Fewer customization options than larger assistants
Pricing
- Free plan: 3 Pro model queries per day
- Pro plan: $20/month
- Enterprise: $40/month per seat with admin tools and API access
Bottom line
Perplexity is ideal for teams that want accurate, sourced answers quickly. For writing, brainstorming, or workflow-heavy work, ChatGPT or Claude offer a wider range.
4. Jasper – Best for consistent branding and marketing content at scale
What does it do? Jasper is an AI software for marketers that helps them generate content fast, stay on-brand, keep the voice consistent, and scale creative output.
Who is it for? Marketing teams and content pros who need consistent, on-brand copy at scale.
What stood out to me most was its Brand Voice feature. You feed Jasper examples of your tone and messaging, like emails, blog posts, and social copy, and it learns how to match that across different formats.
I asked Jasper to write a blog after setting all the parameters, like brand voice, topic, outline, and resources. It took a while, but it generated a decent response that needed minimal edits.
The interface is clean and it has prebuilt workflows for blog outlines, email campaigns, product descriptions, SEO content, and so on. You can also collaborate with teammates in real-time and leave feedback.
It makes sense if you’re running campaigns, managing a content pipeline, or juggling multiple client voices. However, it’s not cheap and won’t replace strategic thinking. It’s a production tool, not a strategy engine.
Key features
- AI trained on your brand voice
- Campaign workflows for blog, social, email, and ads
- Team collaboration with version control and comments
- Built-in plagiarism checker and SEO mode
- API and CMS integrations
Pros
- Great for scaling consistent content across channels
- Workflow templates save time on repetitive tasks
- Reliable output quality when Brand Voice is dialed in
Cons
- You still need to guide it, as it won’t know your strategy
- Pricey for small teams or casual users
- Can feel rigid outside marketing use cases
Pricing
- Pro (teams): $69/seat/month
- Business: Custom pricing with advanced controls, SSO, analytics
Bottom line
Jasper works best for marketing teams that need consistent, on-brand content at scale. It’s not cheap, but if you value voice alignment and collaboration, it pays for itself in workflow efficiency.
5. Copy.ai – Best for fast marketing copy and product messaging
What does it do? Copy.ai uses AI to help you write marketing content, like a product description, ad variant, or value prop test, and create AI workflows. It’s a marketing sidekick that helps you go from idea to publishable copy in a few clicks.
Who is it for? Sales and growth teams looking to accelerate outbound messaging and top-of-the-funnel content.
The new Workflows feature helps you string together prompts like “summarize this,” or “turn it into a headline,” or “write a follow-up email,” and then run them on your entire lead list or campaign batch.
For example, I created a two-step sequence that took the content brief and turned it into mega blogs, with 15-20 sections in it. It took around 10 minutes for it to generate the entire blog and around 45 minutes to make it publishable.
It also comes with hundreds of prebuilt and editable templates like LinkedIn posts, A/B test copy, product launches, and landing page sections. The tone sliders like bold, witty, or persuasive, are surprisingly good for dialing in the right feel without needing a brand brief.
It’s for marketing, sales, and growth teams that need volume and variety without worrying too much about long-form content or heavy editing.
Key features
- AI workflows for batch content generation
- Pre-built templates for 100+ content types
- CSV import for bulk personalization
- Collaboration tools and saved copy history
- Zapier and HubSpot integrations
Pros
- Fast to use and easy to train new teammates on
- Great for short-form and high-variation messaging
- Workflows are powerful for scaling outbound and lead-gen
Cons
- Long-form blog content isn’t its strength
- UI can get cluttered with too many templates
- You’ll still need to check the tone and accuracy
Pricing
- No free plan
- Chat: $29/month, unlimited words, 5 seats
- Agents: $249/month, up to 10 seats
Bottom line
Copy.ai is the fastest way to produce short-form content for marketing or sales. It suits teams dealing with large volumes of content who are constantly experimenting.
6. Notion AI – Best for writing, summarizing, and organizing inside your workspace
What does it do? Notion AI improves your notes, documents, and tasks with quick summaries, rewriting, idea generation, and data cleanup.
Who is it for? Teams already working in Notion who want faster writing and better organization inside their workspace.
Notion AI is the most invisible AI that works inside Notion for docs, wikis, or project planning. The AI layer quietly makes things easier. You’re not switching tools, not pasting between tabs. It helps you think faster, draft more clearly, or organize a mess.
However, you only get a trial of Notion AI with limited features on the Free and Plus plans. To unlock all the AI features, you need to upgrade to the Business plan. So, for most individuals who prefer the Plus plan, Notion AI can only generate summaries, write docs, or autofill data.
I’ve used it to summarize meeting notes, clean up brainstorming notes, and draft first-draft outlines for internal docs. It's fast and context-aware. You highlight some text, hit “summarize” or “improve writing,” and it tightens things up without losing your tone.
It’s also great for structuring chaotic information. I had a document full of scattered research notes. I asked Notion AI to create action items and tag key takeaways, giving me a clean list from which I could work. Stuff like that saves time.
However, Notion isn’t a complete content tool. It won’t replace your blog writing stack. It shines when you’re already in Notion and need a little push to move faster or think clearly.
Key features
- In-line AI writing, editing, and summarization
- Task list generation and action item extraction
- Q&A on existing Notion docs and databases
- Brainstorming tools for quick idea dumps
- Works across notes, wikis, databases, and calendars
Pros
- Seamless if you already live in Notion
- Great for cleaning up messy docs and notes
- It makes internal communication and planning faster
Cons
- Not suited for long-form content creation
- Lacks formatting controls during AI output
- Can get repetitive if overused on the same doc
Pricing
- Limited Notion AI trial on Free and Plus plans
- Notion Business/Enterprise plans have it baked in, with prices starting from $24/user/month
Bottom line
Notion AI excels as a built-in assistant for organizing, summarizing, and refining internal documents. It’s not a writing replacement but an intelligent helper that keeps your workspace tidy and clear.
7. Grammarly – Best for real-time writing feedback and tone correction
What does it do? Grammarly checks your writing for grammar, clarity, tone, and correctness in real time across apps.
Who is it for? Professionals who want clean, polished communication without heavy editing work.
Grammarly makes sure your writing doesn’t suck. Whether it’s a Slack message, a sales email, or a LinkedIn post, it catches the stuff that you miss while writing, like awkward phrasing, accidental typing errors, and weird tone shifts.
Grammarly can now tell you if your message sounds too blunt, overly formal, or unclear. Thanks to those nudges, I’ve caught myself softening cold emails or tightening up my blogs. It’s also good at catching passive voice and vague language, which creeps into copy more than most people realize.
They’ve added generative AI features too. You can rephrase, shorten, or expand sentences. But I won’t use it as a writing tool like I’d use Jasper or ChatGPT. Since the AI text generator isn’t as good as Claude or ChatGPT, I treat it like my proofreader and editing assistant.
It’s also cross-platform, so it works inside Google Docs, Gmail, Slack, and Notion, wherever you type. It works in the background, and that makes it so effective and unobtrusive.
Key features
- Real-time grammar, spelling, and punctuation checks
- Tone detection and rewrite suggestions
- Rephrasing, summarizing, and shortening tools
- Works across desktop apps, browsers, and mobile
- Weekly performance reports and writing insights
Pros
- Polishes your writing without changing your voice
- Great for teams that send a lot of external communication
- Highly valuable for content teams
Cons
- Not a complete content creation tool, more of a refinement layer
- Suggestions can feel repetitive for advanced writers
- Paid tiers can be expensive if you're only using the basics
Pricing
- Free plan: Basic grammar and spelling
- Pro: $12/month, billed monthly
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Bottom line
Grammarly is your best writing safety net. It keeps your content clear, polished, and on tone without feeling intrusive.
8. Claude – Best for thoughtful writing, document reasoning, and context-heavy tasks
What does it do? Claude reads long documents, summarizes complex material, and helps you write with a thoughtful, more analytical style.
Who is it for? Writers, researchers, and teams working with large files or want structured analysis.
Claude focuses on reasoning and working with long contexts. That makes it great for tasks like contract analysis, structured writing, or reviewing long PDFs. Where ChatGPT is fast and flexible, Claude feels slower but more thoughtful, and in a good way.
You can attach files and ask questions like “What’s the clause about termination?” or “Summarize the key objections in this section.” It will cite specific phrases and give you precise and usable results.
I tested the tool and asked it to create a thought-leadership LinkedIn post. I gave it the topic, fed it some of my old LinkedIn posts I wrote, and asked it to create a draft that matched my writing style. The result was not in the direction I expected.
But maybe that’s because my prompt didn’t specify it. Overall, the first draft was impressive.
The writing style is also more balanced. I discovered that Claude writes in a neutral, helpful tone, which you may prefer for professional or analytical writing. It also helps while drafting internal documents, policy updates, or anything that shouldn’t sound like a marketing email.
It’s not perfect. It’s more conservative in its responses. But for analytical tasks, multi-document reasoning, or writing with a calm, professional tone, Claude’s hard to beat.
Key features
- Handles up to 200k tokens (entire books or docs)
- File uploads with follow-up Q&A
- Context retention across long conversations
- API access and enterprise-grade security
- Claude 4 Sonnet is free, Claude 4 Opus available via Pro
Pros
- Excellent at deep reading, summarizing, and analysis
- Strong memory and structure in writing
- Free plan is highly capable
Cons
- More reserved than ChatGPT, sometimes overly cautious
- Doesn’t handle code or technical tasks as fluently
- Fewer plug-ins/tools and more of a pure assistant than a platform
Pricing
- Free: Claude 4 Sonnet with daily limits
- Pro: $20/month, includes Claude 4 Opus
Bottom line
Claude suits calm, structured, and context-aware writing. It’s thoughtful, and is great for analysis, long-form writing, and decision-heavy work.
9. Cursor – Best for coding inside an AI-native IDE
What does it do? Cursor is an AI code editor that understands your full codebase and helps you refactor, debug, and build features faster.
Who is it for? Developers who want an intelligent coding companion inside their editor.
Cursor is easily one of the most productive environments for debugging sessions, refactoring sprints, and even building small prototypes. It’s ideal if you like VS Code and Copilot, but with AI capabilities.
You can highlight a block, ask what it does, tell it to refactor, add comments, or rewrite it for a different framework. It won’t just spit out suggestions, but it modifies your project files, so you’re not copy-pasting snippets from a sidebar. There’s a tight feedback loop between writing, editing, and testing.
I am not that deep into developing, so I tried a simple prompt. I asked it to generate the schema markup code for a blog with the primary keyword “AI platforms”. Here’s the output it gave me:
It also understands context better. Cursor will read your entire codebase, not just the file you’re in, and you can ask questions like “Where is this function used?” or “Why is this throwing an error?” and get answers that pull from parts of your repository.
For solo developers and small teams, it’s like having a senior engineer overlooking you, but without the Slack back-and-forth. And if you’re working in a stack like React, Node, or Python, it can help you create some of the best AI websites.
Key features
- AI assistant baked into your IDE
- Reads your whole codebase and updates files directly
- Smart suggestions for bug fixes, refactoring, and documentation
- Built-in chat for asking project-specific questions
- Supports popular languages and frameworks
Pros
- Feels more “developer-native” than GitHub Copilot
- Real context awareness across your entire repo
- Great for exploring legacy code or onboarding into new projects
Cons
- Still evolving, not as stable or battle-tested as VS Code
- Limited to dev work, not useful outside engineering workflows
- You need a decent setup and permissions for full repo indexing
Pricing
- Free: Limited usage, 2000 completions
- Pro: $20/month, increased usage limits, better context window
Bottom line
Cursor is a developer’s productivity booster. It’s perfect for engineers who want context-aware coding help directly inside their IDE, without constant copy-pasting from chat tools.
10. Synthesia – Best for turning scripts into polished videos with AI avatars
What does it do? Synthesia lets you generate a clean, studio-style video in minutes using AI avatars and voices. All you need to do is write a script and choose an avatar.
Who is it for? Non-technical or product teams who want to create videos, but don’t want to deal with cameras, voiceovers, or editing timelines.
I’ve used it for product demos, internal explainers, onboarding videos, and sales pitches. Instead of creating boring decks, I create an explainer video about the product. It’s invaluable for sales pitches or product demos and for teams that don’t have time to record takes or hire a video team.
Here’s what the editing space in Synthesia looks like:
The avatar quality is life-like, and they’ve significantly improved the voice synthesis. You can choose different accents, tones, and pacing, and add multiple languages. And if you want branding, it supports logos, custom backgrounds, and screen overlays.
It isn’t a complete video editor like Descript or Premiere. It’s more like a video assembly line. You give it text, pick your look, and it creates a polished piece you can drop into an email, LMS, or landing page.
Key features
- 180+ AI avatars and 120+ languages
- Custom avatars for your team or brand
- Drag-and-drop video editor with basic overlays, visuals, and slides
- Script-based creation, no filming or audio needed
- Templates for demos, training, support, HR, and more
Pros
- Super-fast way to create video content
- It doesn’t require any filming, gear, or editing skills
- Supports multi-language and localization use cases
Cons
- Not ideal for dynamic or emotional storytelling
- Limited animation and camera movement
- Avatars still feel a little robotic in casual content
Pricing
- Starter: $29/month, billed monthly, 10 mins of video/month
- Creator: $89/month, billed monthly, 180+ avatars, 30 mins of video/month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Bottom line
Synthesia turns scripts into polished videos in minutes. It’s best for teams who want professional-looking explainers or training content without cameras or editing skills.
11. Resemble.AI – Best for creating AI voice agents quickly
What does it do? Resemble.AI lets you create and deploy AI voice agents that can handle support calls, qualify leads, and automate conversations.
Who is it for? Support and sales teams that want a realistic, responsive voice agent without a technical or complex setup.
I created a support agent, and it was live in a couple of minutes. You can customize the voice, tweak the system prompt, choose the language model, and control how the AI sounds and behaves.
You pick a voice and a template, like Customer Service Desk or Appointment Scheduler, adjust the prompt, and Resemble takes care of the rest.
You can customize the model powering the voice agent, tune temperature, and control how scripted or flexible the AI feels. It also offers tools like voicemail detection, call transfers, and end-call logic you can toggle on and off.
What stood out is how extensible it is. You can add pre-call and post-call webhooks to push data into your CRM, notify Slack, trigger workflows, or log call details. There’s also an embed widget that lets you drop the agent onto your site with a small JavaScript snippet.
Key features
- High-quality synthetic voices with voice selection and customization
- Prebuilt agent templates for customer service, scheduling, sales follow-ups, and more
- Support for OpenAI models and other LLM providers
- Adjustable prompt, temperature, and turn behavior
- Voicemail detection and call-transfer tools
- Webhooks for integrating with CRMs, support systems, and internal workflows
- Website embed widget for in-browser voice agents
Pros
- Easy to use, intuitive interface
- Voices sound natural and can be fine-tuned
- Easy integrations through webhooks
- Quick to deploy and customize
Cons
- No visual workflow builder
- Need some prompt engineering skills to customize agent behavior
Pricing
- Pay-as-you-go, $0.03/minute (that’s 10,000 seconds for $5)
- Paid plan from $19/month, billed monthly
Bottom line
Resemble works for teams that need a reliable voice agent with natural delivery and quick setup. It’s one of the easiest tools to set up inbound or outbound calling workflows.
12. Descript – Best for editing audio and video by editing text
What does it do? Descript lets you edit audio and video by editing text, making it easy to clean up recordings or repurpose content.
Who is it for? Podcasters, trainers, and teams producing recorded content who want simple editing workflows.
Descript flips traditional editing by letting you edit the video using its transcript instead of working with timelines and waveforms like in Adobe or Final Cut. You cut a sentence from the text, and it’s edited out from the video or podcast.
I’ve used it to clean up webinar recordings, repurpose interviews, and even build quick YouTube intros.
It’s also great for making corrections without re-recording. The Overdub feature lets you clone your voice and insert missing words or fix mistakes without re-recording that section. It’s not perfect, but for minor fixes, it can work.
The screen recording feature is another bonus. You can record your screen and webcam, narrate over it, and have a ready-to-publish video within the same tool. I’ve used it for internal training and async product updates, and it’s faster than juggling Loom plus a video editor.
It’s not a substitute for professional video production, as motion graphics and multi-track editing have limitations. Still, if you're producing content regularly for YouTube, social media, or your company blog, Descript is the fastest, most accessible way.
Key features
- Edit video/audio by editing the transcript
- Overdub voice cloning to insert or rewrite words
- Automatic transcription with speaker labeling
- Screen recording with webcam and audio
- Multitrack timeline editor for more complex edits
Pros
- Extremely fast for a podcast or video cleanup
- Great for solo creators, marketers, and internal content
- Voice correction without re-recording is a real time-saver
Cons
- Overdub has a learning curve and is not seamless for longer edits
- Limited motion graphics or effects
- Desktop app can be glitchy with large files
Pricing
- Free plan: 1 user, limited Overdub
- Hobbyist: $24/month, 10 hours of transcription
- Creator: $35/month, 30 hours, filler word removal, 20+ dubbing languages
Bottom line
Descript simplifies podcast and video editing by turning transcripts into your timeline. It’s great for creators who prioritize speed, collaboration, and accessibility over studio-level production.
13. Midjourney – Best for generating high-quality, stylized AI visuals
What does it do? Midjourney generates high-quality images from text prompts for concept art, visuals, and creative experimentation.
Who is it for? Designers, marketers, and creators who need strong visuals without a design team.
Whether for mockups, mood boards, pitch decks, or even ideating a product concept, Midjourney gives you sharp, detailed, and surprisingly artistic images.
It runs through Discord, which takes a while to get used to, but the prompt system is intuitive once you learn it. You describe what you want, like a futuristic office with glass walls at sunset, ultra-realistic, cinematic lighting, and you get four high-res options in 30 seconds. If you want to tweak it, hit upscale or re-roll the batch.
Midjourney consistently produces aesthetic and stylized results. It leans toward moody, editorial-style visuals, which is great if you’re working in branding, storytelling, or concept design. I’ve used it for blog headers, client presentations, and storyboard video ideas.
It’s not perfect for literal requests. Sometimes, it’ll ignore part of your prompt or get the details slightly off. But it’s a powerful tool for creative individuals.
Key features
- Discord-based prompt system
- V7 model produces photorealistic and stylized images
- Fast iterations with upscale, remix, and variation tools
- Customizable aspect ratio, style, and resolution
- Personal and commercial licenses included
Pros
- Stunning visual quality with consistently impressive outputs
- Fast to use once you're inside the Discord flow
- Great for storyboarding, design inspiration, and mockups
Cons
- Not ideal for exact product renders or literal accuracy
- Limited control over fine details or multi-image consistency
- Discord interface isn’t for everyone
Pricing
- Basic: $10/month, 3.3 hrs of fast GPU time
- Standard: $30/month, 15 hrs, unlimited relaxed generation
- Pro: $60/month, 30 hrs + stealth mode for private use
- Mega: $120/month, 60 hrs of GPU time
Bottom line
Midjourney is the go-to tool for creating artistic, high-quality visuals. It’s best suited for creatives and marketers who need stunning imagery and don’t mind the Discord interface.
14. Vapi AI – Best for building real-time AI voice agents for phone calls
What does it do? Vapi AI lets you create AI voice agents that can handle phone conversations for inbound or outbound calling.
Who is it for? Developers and teams building conversational phone experiences that require programmable voice AI.
It works well for developers and product teams that want to add intelligent voice agents to apps or workflows without building their telephony stack from scratch.
I used Vapi to create a prototype for an AI receptionist that could answer calls, ask screening questions, and route leads based on their responses. It took less than an hour. You prompt it, set up your logic, and connect it to a phone number. The AI handles the entire conversation live.
The voice agents feel surprisingly conversational. It's not reading a script. It pauses, backtracks, clarifies, and even responds to interruptions naturally. It supports multiple languages and custom voices and integrates with LLMs like GPT and Claude Opus 4.
It’s developer-first, though, and doesn’t offer a no-code builder. You’ll need to be comfortable working with APIs, WebSockets, and a bit of logic setup.
But once it’s running, you can use it for use cases like AI support lines, survey agents, appointment booking, or even voice-powered apps.
Key features
- Real-time voice conversations with AI models
- API-based, customizable logic and call flows
- Supports GPT-4o, Claude, Mistral, or custom backends
- Twilio-compatible phone number provisioning
- Call recording, event hooks, and webhook integration
Pros
- Feels natural and not like scripted voice replies
- Fast to build with for technical teams
- Great for live lead screening, support, or sales outreach
Cons
- Not no-code and requires technical skills
- Limited prebuilt flows or templates
- More suited to teams building products, not solo use
Pricing
- Follows a pay-as-you-go ad-hoc infra pricing model
- Starts at $0.05/minute with extra charges for speech models, telephony, voice, and transcribers
- Free trial with $10 of credit
Bottom line
Vapi AI is for developers building real-time voice agents. It’s not no-code, but for teams that can handle APIs, it offers one of the most natural conversational AI experiences available.
15. Make – Best for building visual, multi-step automations across tools
What does it do? Make is an AI automation tool that allows you to have complex, multi-step conditional workflows with branching and logic.
Who is it for? Ops and technical teams that want to automate workflows and want control beyond simple triggers.
The interface looks like a flowchart builder. You drag modules into a canvas, connect them with lines, and manually set the logic.
For example, if a new deal closes in HubSpot, you can set it to wait 2 days, then check if onboarding is complete in Airtable, and if not, send a reminder via Slack.
Make AI Agents add another layer on top of this. You define an agent’s role, attach your existing Make scenarios as “tools,” and trigger it from channels like Slack, forms, or chat. The agent reads the request, chooses which tool to run, and returns a structured response, whether that’s checking inventory, logging a ticket, or updating records.
I also used Make’s YouTube channel summarization template. It’ll find YouTube videos in a channel, analyze them with ChatGPT, create summaries, and email me the results. It’s a super-useful and time-saving workflow if you need to watch a lot of videos for your research.
It’s not the easiest to get started with, but once you’re familiar, it’s incredibly powerful.
The trade-off is that it’s a bit more technical than Zapier. The UI gives you complete control but is not as polished or beginner-friendly. You’ll occasionally have to debug payloads, map data fields, or set error-handling rules manually. But if you care about logic and control, it’s worth it.
Key features
- Visual drag-and-drop automation builder
- Multi-step flows with branching logic and filters
- Hundreds of built-in integrations + webhooks + API support
- Make AI Agents that use your scenarios as “tools”
- Scheduling, retries, error handling, and advanced data manipulation
- Works well with Google Sheets, CRMs, email, Slack, Airtable, and more
Pros
- Highly flexible for complex workflows
- Cheaper than Zapier at higher volume
- Handles branching logic and conditions with ease
Cons
- UI can feel overwhelming at first
- Occasional bugs or unexpected API issues
- Not ideal for users looking for a one-click setup
Pricing
- Free: 1,000 operations/month
- Core: $10.59/month, billed monthly
- Pro: $18.82/month, billed monthly
- Teams: $34.12/month, billed monthly
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Bottom line
Make is ideal for users who want complete control over complex, multi-step automations. It’s more technical than Zapier but offers unmatched flexibility once you get the hang of it.
16. Intercom – Best for AI-powered customer support and live chat
What does it do? Intercom combines live chat, help desk tools, and an AI chatbot to manage customer conversations at scale.
Who is it for? Support teams that want faster ticket resolution and a unified inbox across channels.
Intercom’s newest feature, Fin, is an AI chatbot that plugs into your knowledge base and handles customer queries without you needing to expand your support team.
I tested Fin, Intercom’s AI, over email, chat, and phone channels. I synced Lindy's website as a knowledge base and checked the workflow of Fin. Because I was testing it, I didn’t deploy it.
But in the brief testing, it understood context, followed up naturally, and escalated to human support when needed.
That’s the key here: It’s not trying to replace your entire customer support team, but it handles the repeat stuff so they can focus on bigger, more important problems.
Intercom does a great job of blending automation with live agent handoff. You can configure Fin to handle only certain topics, pass tickets to specific teams, or loop in a rep after three messages.
This happens within the same sleek UI where your team manages live chat, tickets, email, and in-app messages.
It can also integrate with tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Slack, which means support doesn’t live in a silo. You can auto-update CRM fields, trigger follow-ups, or send alerts when customers hit friction points without needing another tool.
It’s not cheap and is best suited for SaaS or product teams that want to scale support without scaling headcount.
Key features
- Fin AI, an AI chatbot trained on your docs and site content
- Unified inbox for chat, email, and tickets
- No-code workflows and conversation routing
- Proactive messaging (in-app and email)
- Integrations with CRMs, analytics, and product tools
Pros
- Fin resolves support queries with context and accuracy
- Seamless handoff to human agents
- Built-in reporting and usage insights
Cons
- Setup takes time if your knowledge base is incomplete
- Price ramps up quickly as usage grows
- Best results come with clean, well-structured content
Pricing
- Essential: $39/month, billed monthly
- Advanced: $99/month/user, billed monthly
- Expert: $139/month/user, billed monthly
- Fin AI Chatbot: An add-on, priced per resolution, starting $0.99/resolution
Bottom line
Intercom blends AI automation with human support in one clean system. It’s best for growing SaaS or product teams looking to scale customer service without scaling headcount.
17. Zapier – Best for connecting apps and automating repeatable workflows
What does it do? Zapier connects your apps and automates simple, repetitive tasks using triggers and actions.
Who is it for? Non-technical users who want lightweight automation without touching code.
Zapier offers 8,000+ integrations and a no-code interface. It’s one of the easiest ways to automate routine work.
Now, it has added Zapier AI, which lets you create workflows with natural language. Instead of building a Zap from scratch, you can now say something like “Send a Slack message when a Stripe payment fails and create a follow-up task in Asana,” and it’ll draft the workflow for you.
I wanted Zapier to scan my inbox attachments based on the conditions I provided. If the attachment matches the condition, save it to my Google Drive. The AI helped me set up the workflow in like 5 minutes.
Here’s what the workflow looks like:
It’s not the most powerful tool in terms of logic or branching, but it's super simple to set up, and the app support is unmatched.
Zapier also offers Zapier Agents (still in Beta), which lets you build AI agents that can run tasks across 8,000+ apps, work with your company data, and operate using rules and permissions you define.
You give each agent instructions, connect it to your apps, and let it handle work like lead enrichment, support triage, inbox cleanup, research, or meeting prep. Agents can also talk to each other, pull in live data, and run automations on your behalf.
Zapier also launched Interfaces and Tables, which let you build lightweight internal tools like forms, dashboards, and mini-apps without writing a line of code. These are great for teams wanting to spin up internal processes quickly without involving developers.
Key features
- 8,000+ app integrations, including Google Sheets, Slack, Airtable, HubSpot, and more
- Multi-step Zaps with filters, delays, paths, and webhooks
- Zapier AI to build workflows with plain English
- Zapier Agents that automate tasks across apps and can collaborate with other agents
- Tables and Interfaces for internal tools and data collection
- Role-based access, folders, and usage controls for teams
Pros
- Massive app ecosystem that covers almost any SaaS tool
- Easy for non-technical users to build automations
- AI features make setup even faster for common workflows
Cons
- Logic branching is limited unless you’re on higher-tier plans
- It is expensive if you're running high-volume zaps
- It still doesn’t match Make or Lindy for complex automations
Pricing
- Free: 100 tasks/month
- Professional: $29.99/month, billed monthly with 750 tasks/month
- Team: $103.50/month, billed monthly with 2,000 tasks/month
Bottom line
Zapier remains the easiest way to automate repetitive tasks between tools. It’s simple, stable, and works everywhere. And with AI Agents, you can offload even more of your day-to-day work to an AI teammate that already connects to your entire app stack.
How I tested these AI platforms
To build this list, I worked hands-on with over 30 AI platforms. I gave each tool tasks an intended user would use in daily work, such as writing blog drafts, automating email follow-ups, triaging support requests, editing podcasts, and even building scrappy prototypes.
I’m not deep into programming. So, I tried doing basic stuff with the tools that require programming skills to get the most out of them.
I also consulted my developer connections, read Reddit reviews, and used my hands-on experience with the tools to decide if they deserve a place on this list or not.
Here’s how I evaluated each tool:
Flexible use cases
Although some tools excel at one specific task, I preferred the ones that can handle multiple tasks. I looked for tools that could adapt to different problems in writing, operations, support, dev work, and team collaboration.
Quality of output
I analyzed the outputs of each tool and checked if the results were usable. I looked at how well each platform generated copy, answered questions, edited content, or interpreted data. Sloppy output or shallow reasoning was a red flag.
Ease of use & integration
Some tools suit developers, while others work well for operations or marketing folks. I noted how easy it was to get started, whether there were templates or guardrails, and how well the platform connected with common tools like Google Sheets, Slack, HubSpot, or Notion.
Which AI platform should you choose?
The right AI platform depends on your team's technical skills, the workflows you want to automate, and the control you need. Some focus on task automation, while others help you brainstorm, research, answer calls, or create content.
Here are a few scenarios or use cases to help you decide:
Choose Lindy if:
- You want AI agents to handle tasks like emails, meetings, updating CRMs, and many sales/support tasks.
- You’re consolidating a stack of single-use tools such as dialers, schedulers, shared inboxes, and automation apps.
- You need customizable workflows without code and want complete control over logic, steps, and guardrails.
- Your team depends on tools like Gmail, HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, or EMRs, and needs an AI tool that can take action across them.
- You’re replacing manual or VA-driven tasks in sales, support, recruiting, or operations.
- You need an AI system that’s SOC 2 and HIPAA compliant, and can work in regulated industries.
Choose ChatGPT or Claude if:
- You need a general-purpose AI for brainstorming, writing, or analysis.
- You often handle large files or long-form content and need structured reasoning.
- You prefer a conversational interface for research or creative ideation.
- You need basic integrations and flexible assistance.
Choose Jasper or Copy.ai if:
- You manage marketing campaigns that require on-brand content fast.
- You run multiple accounts or projects and want templates for repeat work.
- You value built-in collaboration tools and tone consistency across assets.
Choose Make or Zapier if:
- You want to visually automate simple tasks across apps.
- You need simple AI agents that can handle tasks like summarizing text, extracting data, or scoring leads.
- You prefer native integrations when connecting apps.
Choose Intercom or Vapi AI if:
- You want AI to handle real-time customer communication.
- You’re building a voice or chat-based product experience.
- You have the technical resources to customize and maintain the flow.
Choose Perplexity if:
- You rely on fact-checked, cited research.
- You need quick summaries and comparisons from credible sources.
- You do not need automation or content creation, just trustworthy insights.
Choose Notion AI or Grammarly if:
- You write and collaborate inside Notion, Google Docs, or Slack.
- You care more about clarity, tone, and formatting than content production.
- You want light assistance to clean up or summarize internal writing.
Choose Midjourney, Synthesia, or PlayAI if:
- You create visual or audio content regularly.
- You need videos, graphics, or voiceovers fast without hiring freelancers.
- You’re comfortable fine-tuning creative prompts or visuals for specific results.
Choose Cursor if:
- You’re a developer or technical team building with AI.
- You want context-aware debugging, refactoring, or documentation inside your IDE.
- You prefer tools that understand full repositories instead of isolated snippets.
Avoid these tools if:
- You expect one platform to handle every workflow end-to-end.
- You don’t have time to test or customize templates to fit your team’s use case.
- You prefer a simple, single-purpose app over flexible automation or creative tools.
- You want complete control but lack the technical skills to configure APIs or logic.
More tips to help you choose the ideal AI platform
A great platform on paper can still flop in practice if it doesn’t match your team’s workflows, tech stack, or pace.
Here’s what to keep in mind as you narrow things down:
Team size and technical level
Some tools specifically suit non-technical operators, like Zapier or Lindy. Others assume you have an engineer or technical person in the loop, like Make or Cursor. Look for the platform that fits the skill level of those using it.
Real-time vs batch tasks
If your workflows happen live, like customer calls, live chat, or sales emails, prioritize tools that respond instantly and can handle dynamic context.
If your needs are more structured or scheduled, like weekly reports or lead scoring, batch-based tools are often cheaper and easier to manage.
Budget and scaling needs
Many platforms seem affordable initially, but costs can spike fast if you’re processing high volumes or adding multiple users. Double-check pricing tiers for usage caps, credits, or per-seat models.
Tool fatigue vs all-in-one
If your team already has five tools, adding one more, even if it’s excellent, might be a problem. Some platforms, like Lindy or ChatGPT Pro, offer enough versatility to cover multiple use cases. Sometimes, consolidation is the win.
Other factors to consider
There are a few extra factors that I’d suggest you consider. They can be:
- Security and compliance: Especially for finance, healthcare, or enterprise environments.
- Support and documentation: Can your team troubleshoot issues without burning cycles?
- Integration depth: Does the tool connect to your stack, or does it just mean it does?
My final verdict
If your goal is to automate the operational side of your business, Lindy impressed me the most. It’s the only platform that could handle emails, calls, CRM updates, and internal workflows in one place without code.
Once I set up a few agents and templates, it started running things in the background like a dependable teammate.
For writing and ideation, ChatGPT and Claude are the top contenders. ChatGPT suited general tasks, while Claude handles long documents and context-heavy writing better.
Jasper and Copy.ai worked the best for marketing and content work. Jasper gave me control over tone and brand voice, and Copy.ai won for speed when I needed fast drafts or outbound copy.
Tools like Make and Zapier also performed well for building workflows visually. The best approach is to mix one strong automation tool with one smart assistant.
How Lindy combines multiple use cases into one tool
If you're evaluating AI platforms and need support for content, sales, automation, voice, and customer operations, Lindy is worth considering.
Lindy is an AI platform that lets you build and deploy agents for tasks across your business. Instead of jumping between different tools, you can centralize your workflows in one place.
You also get a library of prebuilt templates for common use cases like sales assistants, support agents, and meeting schedulers. You can customize these templates to match your team’s processes.
If you’re new to AI or want to deepen your knowledge, the Lindy Docs offers clear guides and tutorials to help you build agents, automate work, and connect Lindy to your existing systems.
Here's how Lindy aligns with multiple AI categories:
- AI chatbots: Create conversational agents that can engage with customers, answer queries, and provide support based on your knowledge base.
- AI assistants: Deploy assistants to handle email management, meeting scheduling, and data entry, enhancing productivity.
- Generative AI tools: Utilize your preferred AI model to help teams draft emails, summarize documents, and generate content tailored to your business needs.
- Workflow automations: Connect Lindy with your existing tools to automate complex workflows, enabling seamless task execution without manual intervention.
- AI voice agents: Implement voice agents that can handle phone calls, lead outreach, answer support questions, and perform actions across different apps.
- Extensive integrations: Lindy connects with over 4,000 apps. It also offers hundreds of native integrations with tools like Gmail, Slack, Notion, and HubSpot, ensuring it fits your existing tech stack.
- Enterprise-ready features: Lindy offers enterprise-grade security, including SOC 2 compliance and HIPAA support, making it suitable for businesses with stringent security requirements.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI platform in 2025?
Lindy is the best AI platform in 2025 for operational workflows like automating email follow-ups, handling customer calls, or syncing CRM data. If you need a flexible assistant who can write, analyze data, or help with coding, choose platforms like ChatGPT and Claude.
Which AI tools are free to use?
ChatGPT, Claude, Lindy, Perplexity, and Grammarly all offer a generous free tier. Lindy’s free plan gives you up to 40 monthly tasks, enough to test flows like sending emails, handling inbound calls, or updating spreadsheets.
What can you build with an AI platform?
AI platforms can let you build complex automation workflows. You can create AI phone agents that qualify leads or answer support calls, set up email assistants that respond, follow up, and update CRMs, automate internal ops like lead routing, data entry, or meeting summaries, or generate content at scale for blogs, sales, or training.
Lindy lets you build these workflows with customizable AI agents, where each agent can handle a specific task or process.
Can AI tools integrate with my workflow?
Yes, most of the tools integrate with your existing workflow apps like Google Sheets, Slack, Airtable, or Notion through app integrations, APIs, or webhooks.
Are AI platforms safe and compliant?
Yes, most top AI apps prioritize data security. But not every platform suits compliance-heavy industries, so always check their privacy and data policies, especially if you’re in healthcare, finance, or legal.
For example, Lindy is SOC 2 Type II compliant and supports HIPAA.
What’s the difference between AI platforms and AI tools?
AI platforms offer a broad range of functionality and integrations, while AI tools work better for specific, single-use purposes.
Do I need coding skills to use these?
No, you do not need coding skills to use tools like Zapier, Copy.ai, and Lindy. They focus on non-technical users with no-code builders and prebuilt templates.
Others, like Vapi or Make, are more technical and may require API knowledge or conditional logic setup. If you’re not a developer, look for tools that visually guide you through setup.
Which platforms are best for businesses vs. individuals?
Platforms like ChatGPT Pro and Perplexity are best for individuals, while Lindy, Zapier, and Make suit businesses and team automation.
How can I use AI for customer support or automation?
You can use AI for customer support to respond to tickets or emails automatically, route requests to the right team or agent, log conversation details into your CRM, summarize support calls or chat transcripts, and more.
What’s the best all-in-one AI solution?
Lindy is the best all-in-one AI solution as it combines AI agents with automation, integrations, and action, not just output. You can also choose generalist platforms like ChatGPT Pro or Claude, as they can help with writing, research, and reasoning.
The right pick depends on whether you need AI help to think and generate ideas or automate tasks and workflows.
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