The AI productivity tools worth trying
New AI apps launch every week, but most people only need two or three. Here are the ones worth trying, sorted by the job they do.
Video transcript
There’s a new AI app every week, and you really don’t need most of them. Here are the ones worth trying, sorted by the job they do.
When twenty thousand civil servants tried an AI assistant at work, they said it saved them 26 minutes a day on average. Most said it cut time spent searching for information and on routine tasks.
Start with an all-round assistant like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot. Then there are specialists for writing, meetings, research, slides and automation.
Don’t sign up for everything. Pick one assistant and use it on real tasks for a couple of weeks. Knowing one tool well beats dabbling in ten.
Next, find your biggest time-sink and add one tool for it. A note-taker for meetings, Perplexity or NotebookLM for research, Gamma or Canva for slides, or Zapier or Make for busywork.
Try the free version first, on a real job. And before you add anything personal or from work, check the privacy settings and what your employer allows.
Want to know which ones our editors rate? Every tool in this guide has an honest verdict in our tools portal.
Read the full guide below, then pick one tool and give it a real job this week.
In 30 seconds
- Start with one all-round assistant, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot.
- Then add one tool for your biggest time-sink, such as meetings, research or slides.
- Try free versions first, and check the privacy settings before you add anything personal.
A colleague swears by their AI note-taker, a friend uses something for research, and your inbox is full of “AI-powered” offers. It’s hard to know where to start, and easy to sign up for five apps you never open.
a day: the time civil servants said they saved, on average, using Microsoft 365 Copilot in a UK government trial with 20,000 staff.
Source: UK Government Digital Service, Microsoft 365 Copilot Experiment: Cross-Government Findings Report, June 2025You don’t need a dozen apps to get time back. Here are the ones worth trying, grouped by the job they do.
The tools worth trying, by job
- All-round assistantAn Jargon busterAI assistant: A chat app such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini that answers questions and does tasks you describe in plain language. such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot helps with writing, questions, planning and ideas.
- WritingGrammarly checks spelling, grammar and tone as you type, in most apps and browsers.
- MeetingsNote-takers such as Otter, Fireflies and Granola write up your calls and list the actions. Always tell people one is running.
- Research and notesPerplexity answers with links to its sources. NotebookLM answers from documents you upload, and Notion AI works inside your Notion pages.
- Slides and designGamma turns an outline into a presentation. Canva makes posts, posters and slides, with AI images and writing built in.
- AutomationSet up an Jargon busterAutomation: Getting software to do a repeated task for you, triggered by an event such as a new email arriving. with Zapier or Make, such as saving every invoice you’re emailed to a folder.
How to choose
- Start with one assistantUse it on real tasks for a fortnight before adding anything else. You’ll get more from knowing one tool well than from dabbling in ten.
- Find your biggest time-sinkWhere does your week go? Meetings, reading or slides? Add one tool for that job, and give it a fair trial.
- Try it free firstMost of these tools have a free version or a trial. Give it a real job for a week, then decide whether it earns its place.
- Check the privacy settingsSee whether your conversations can be used to improve the AI, and switch that off if you’d rather they weren’t. For work, stick to tools your employer approves.
Here’s a typical week for me: [describe your job, your regular meetings, what you write and the admin you do]. Which three tasks probably take the most time that AI could help with? For each, suggest the type of tool that would help and one small thing I could try this week. Keep it short and practical.
What to expect
Expect time back on routine jobs, not miracles. In the civil service trial, over 70% said it cut time spent searching for information and on routine tasks, but there were limits on complex, nuanced or data-heavy work.
All of these tools can be confidently wrong, so check anything that goes out under your name. Ready for an Jargon busterAI agent: An AI that carries out a task in several steps, such as searching, clicking and filling in forms, rather than just replying. that takes action for you? Read what AI agents can do.
For our editors’ verdicts on every tool here, visit the tools portal. Our guide to AI for meetings goes deeper on note-takers.
Check yourself
3 quick questions nothing is savedTools in this guide
- CChatGPTOpenAI’s general-purpose assistant for writing, questions, analysis and images.
- CClaudeAnthropic’s assistant, strong at long documents, careful writing and code.
- GGeminiGoogle’s assistant, built into Gmail, Docs and Android.
- MMicrosoft CopilotMicrosoft’s assistant across Windows, Edge and Microsoft 365 apps.
- GGrammarlyWriting assistant for grammar, tone and rewrites in most apps and browsers.
- OOtter.aiRecords and transcribes meetings, with summaries and action items.
- FFireflies.aiJoins calls, transcribes them and sends notes to other apps.
- GGranolaMeeting notes that combine your own jottings with an AI transcript.
- PPerplexityAn answer engine that searches the web and cites its sources.
- NNotebookLMAnswers questions from documents you upload, with citations back to them.
- NNotion AIWriting, search and summaries inside your Notion workspace.
- GGammaTurns an outline or document into a presentation, document or web page.
- CCanvaDesign tool with AI image generation, editing and writing built in.
- ZZapierConnects thousands of apps and automates tasks, including AI steps.
- MMakeVisual builder for complex, multi-step automations.
Sources (1)
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Experiment: Cross-Government Findings ReportUK Government Digital Service, June 2025
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