Guide Free AI tools: what the free plans really give you
Most popular AI tools have a free plan, and the limits differ in kind. Some limit you by the month, like Otter's 300 minutes or Grammarly's 100 AI prompts. Some limit usage in short windows, like Claude. Gamma gives you 400 credits once and doesn't refill them. And some free plans carry a catch, like a watermark or no commercial license.
- Tools compared
- 9
- With a free way to start
- 8 confirmed
- Facts checked
- Nov 11, 2026
The free plans side by side
Every row comes from the company's own pricing page or help center, checked Nov 11, 2026.
| Tool | What it does | What the free plan gives you | The limit to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Chat assistant | Text chats, search, projects | Uploads, images, voice and deep research are limited |
| Claude | Chat assistant | Chat on web, desktop and phone, web search, file creation | Usage resets every five hours and weekly |
| Perplexity | Search assistant | Basic searches | 3 Pro Searches a day, 1 Research query a month |
| Grammarly | Writing checker | Mistake checks, tone detection | 100 AI prompts a month |
| Otter | Meeting notes | 300 minutes a month | 30 minutes per conversation |
| Gamma | Slide maker | 400 credits at signup | Credits don't refill |
| Descript | Video editor | 60 minutes of media a month | 720p export with a watermark |
| ElevenLabs | Voice generator | 10,000 credits a month | No commercial license listed on Free |
Gemini is the ninth tool we cover. Google's plans page describes its paid plans only, so we don't list free limits for it here.
Four kinds of free plan
Free plans limit you in different ways, and the kind matters more than the number.
Monthly allowance
You get a set amount each month and it resets. Otter gives 300 transcription minutes, Grammarly gives 100 AI prompts, Descript gives 60 minutes of media, and ElevenLabs gives 10,000 credits. On ElevenLabs, unused free credits don't roll over.
This is the easiest kind to live with. If you run out, you wait for next month.
Short usage windows
Claude's free plan limits usage in two windows, one that resets every five hours and one weekly. Anthropic's page doesn't give a message count. In practice it means a heavy session may pause you for a few hours, and then you're back.
A one-time bucket
Gamma gives a new free account 400 credits, and its help center says free credits don't refresh. You can earn 200 more per referral, up to 2,000 held at once. Descript's 100 free AI credits work the same way: given once, not refilled.
Treat these as a trial. Spend them on something you need, not on experiments.
Free with a catch
Some free plans let you make the thing but limit how you can use it:
- Descript's free video exports are 720p with a watermark.
- ElevenLabs lists its commercial license from the Starter plan up, not on Free.
- Otter's free plan stops transcribing a conversation at 30 minutes.
None of these matter for trying a tool. All of them matter before you use the result for work.
How to get the most from free plans
- Do the thinking in a chat assistant. ChatGPT describes its free text chats as unlimited. Write your script, outline or draft there.
- Take finished work to the specialist tool. Bring the final outline to the slide maker and the final script to the voice tool, so credits go to the output.
- Use one tool per job. Two meeting recorders don't double your minutes in any useful way. They double the accounts you manage.
- Check the reset. Monthly plans come back. One-time buckets don't.
When a free plan stops being enough
Pay when the same limit stops you more than once a week on work that matters. The usual triggers:
- Meetings that run past 30 minutes on Otter.
- A watermark on a video someone else will see.
- A voiceover you plan to earn money from.
- Running out of chat assistant usage in the middle of a workday.
If none of those describe you yet, stay on free. Our first week plan shows how to find out what you'd use before you spend anything.
Why this page has a date on it
Free plans change often. Companies raise and lower limits, rename plans and move features between them. Every number here was read from the company's own page on the checked date at the top. If you see one that's changed, tell us and we'll fix it.
Frequently asked questions
Which AI tools are free?
ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Grammarly, Otter, Descript and ElevenLabs all list a free plan on their own pricing or help pages, and Gamma gives new free accounts 400 credits. Each has limits, listed in the table on this page.
Which free AI plan has the fewest limits for everyday questions?
For plain text chats, ChatGPT's pricing page describes free text chats as unlimited, subject to abuse guardrails. Perplexity's help center calls its free basic searches practically unlimited.
Do free AI plans reset every month?
Most do. Otter, Grammarly, Descript and ElevenLabs list monthly allowances. Claude's free usage resets every five hours and weekly. Gamma's free credits don't reset at all.
Can I use free AI tools for my business?
Check each tool's terms. ElevenLabs lists a commercial license starting with its Starter plan and not on Free, and Descript's free exports carry a watermark.
How do we know this?
We check every plan, price and limit on this page against the company's own pages, and re-check on a schedule. Spot something out of date? Tell us.