What are the best AI tools for study?

Good, effective studying means spinning lots of different plates. One minute you’re trying to make sense of a difficult topic (molecular science, anyone?!). The next, you’ve got ten pages of messy notes to sort out.

Here’s where AI’s in its element. The best AI tools for students explain ideas, organise your scribbles, create practice questions and make research way easier. The key is to use them as your very own study buddy – not as something that does all the hard work for you!

Why are AI tools useful for studying?

AI takes some of the admin out of studying. Give it a long chunk of writing, and it can pick out the key points for you. Struggling to get your head round a tricky concept? Just ask for a simpler explanation. Some AI tools will even turn your notes into handy quizzes or flashcards. While others will help to plan regular revision sessions or improve the first draft of an essay.

Just remember that AI isn’t perfect. And it does make mistakes. So, not everything it churns out should be taken at face value. Double check how legit its claims are before you hit submit on that piece of coursework. In a nutshell, AI should really sit alongside textbooks, lectures and trusted academic sources, instead of replacing them entirely.

Best free and paid AI tools for studying

Here’s how the most popular AI tools stack up side-by-side…

AI - free vs paid version

Free plans are more than good enough for everyday questions and a bit of light revision. Paid plans tend to offer higher usage limits and extra features. For example, Claude Pro gives you more usage than its Free plan, while Quizlet locks some of its more advanced study features behind Quizlet Plus.

Not sure if you need to pay? Use the free option first. After all, we know students are usually pretty skint! You can always upgrade later on if you keep hitting limits or find an AI that you really click with.

Microsoft Copilot - the integrated AI powerhouse

Microsoft Copilot is probably the most popular tool on our list. It’s a great all-rounder, making your research and revision so much easier. Ask it to explain a topic in a way you actually understand. Then get it to help you with some practice questions when you’re feeling more confident.

With the right subscription, Copilot works in your Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. So, you’ll be able to fire it up on all the software you like to use while you study.

ChatGPT - the all-purpose AI assistant

ChatGPT is really good when you want to talk through a subject. You can ask questions, then simplify any confusing ideas if you can’t quite wrap your brain around them. Its Study mode takes things a step further. Instead of just handing you the answer on a plate, it’ll guide you with questions and explanations that help you get there.

Google Gemini

Google Gemini covers plenty of study jobs too. It’ll give you a hand with homework and writing. Or, if you’re prepping for a big test, you can brush up on the main topics before you sit the exam. You can also upload your own notes and use them to build special study guides or quizzes from scratch.

It’s especially good if you already spend a lot of time using Google Apps. Gemini connects to Gmail, Drive and Workspace, giving you AI help and suggestions when you’re using all three.

Notion AI (paid tool) - the ultimate organisation hub

Notion is all about being organised - which is ideal among the chaos of hand-in season. It’s a really useful hub designed to keep your assignments and deadlines together in one place. So, you shouldn’t miss a submission again! And because you can store all of your notes there, you won’t waste time tracking them down on your incredibly messy desktop.

Quizlet - the best AI app for flashcards

If flashcards are your thing, Quizlet is an obvious one to try. Its AI brains turn stacks of notes into snappy flashcards, practice tests and study guides. There’s even a built-in PDF summariser that’ll take a chunky, dull document and cut it down into bite-sized chunks that are actually easy to take in.

Perplexity - the best AI tool for academic research

Perplexity puts research front and centre. It’s a strong starting point when you want to explore a topic in-depth and see exactly where information has come from. Sign up to its Pro plan, and that goes even further – with its Deep Research tool digging right down into whatever you’re reading up on.

Still, you shouldn’t treat an AI citation as automatic proof. Always open the source and check it yourself before including it in your own work.

Grammarly - the best AI writing assistant for students

Essay almost done? Grammarly will give it a final tidy-up. The free plan checks your spelling and grammar for any mistakes, fixing them as it goes. Then, if you upgrade to Grammarly Pro, you’ll unlock extra features like full sentence rewrites. It’s great when you’re trying to explain a difficult subject in a simple way but can’t find the right words.

Claude (paid AI tool)

Claude is better for combing through longer bits of academic work. If you’ve got a uni-sponsored Claude account, you can use it to analyse lengthy papers and other research documents. It’s ideal if you’re cramming for a test. Or just don’t have time to read through pages and pages of text to find what you need.

When you go for the paid version, you’re front of the queue too. Priority access means you’ll always be able to use it, even when loads of other students want help with their revision at the last minute!

Otter.ai (paid AI tool) - the automatic transcription tool

Taking notes while also trying to listen to a lecture is tricky at the best of times. Luckily, Otter.ai is there to do the heavy lifting for you. It’ll record and transcribe whatever your lecturer says, turning spoken words into searchable notes. Now you won’t knacker out your hand by trying to keep up.

Its free Basic plan currently includes 300 monthly transcription minutes (which is a whole lot of content). And if that’s not enough, the paid plan raises the limits even further. Before recording anything though, just make sure your uni allows it, and that the lecturer is comfortable with you doing it.

Wolfram Alpha Pro (paid AI tool) - the computational knowledge engine

Studying a STEM subject? Wolfram Alpha Pro should be your go-to. It covers all sorts of topics, from physics and chemistry to statistics and maths.

You’ll be able to test your knowledge with a heap of practice problems. And, in what’s maybe the best part, it’ll offer up step-by-step solutions to complex questions and equations. That makes it seriously useful, especially when you want to understand how a calculation works, rather than just getting straight to the final number with zero context.

How to choose the best AI study tool

Think about what slows you down the most while you study…

• For research & fact finding – try Copilot, Gemini or Perplexity.

• For revision & exam prep – Quizlet, Copilot and ChatGPT are good places to start.

• For essay writing – look at Grammarly or Claude.

• For lecture notes – Otter.ai is built around transcription.

• For maths and STEM subjects – Wolfram Alpha Pro is the specialist option here.

• For organisation – Notion AI keeps your notes and planning in one workspace.

You don’t necessarily need loads of different subscriptions either. Try the free tools first and see which ones fit the way you study.

Tips for using AI responsibly when studying

AI should help you to learn, not do the learning for you. Otherwise, you won’t actually be building up an understanding of whatever you’re studying. Use it to question your thinking, practice and get unstuck instead. And don’t forget – your final work should still be yours!

Always check important claims against reliable sources. If AI gives you a reference, open it and see where it’s getting its information from. And if something sounds odd, don’t assume the chatbot knows best. Look things up yourself and get confirmation from a proper academic source.

Most importantly, check your school or uni’s rules before using AI for any coursework. You don’t want to use it for weeks on end, only to find out later that it’s banned.

Final thoughts

The best AI study tool is the one that fixes a real problem for you. Maybe that’s Copilot helping with revision. Or it could be Quizlet making flashcards, or Otter.ai turning a lecture into a page of searchable notes.

Start free, try a few options and see what sticks. AI works best when it leaves you understanding the subject better than you did before.

FAQs

What is the best AI tool for studying?

There’s no clear winner here. Copilot and ChatGPT are probably the best AI all-rounders for everyday studying. But, for more complex, specific tasks, specialist tools (like Quizlet and Wolfram Alpha) are going to be a better shout.

Which AI is best for students?

It really depends on how you like to study. Match the tool to the job rather than picking one just because it’s popular.

Should students use AI for coursework?

AI can help with everything from research to understanding tricky ideas. But always follow your school or university’s rules around AI and academic integrity before you dive in. After all, you don’t want to get in trouble!

Is it safe to use AI for studying?

It can be. But be careful with what you put into it. Check the service’s privacy settings and avoid sharing sensitive personal or academic info. If you don’t fully understand how it’ll be handled, don’t hit upload.

Can AI summarise research papers?

Yes. Tools like Claude can give you a quick rundown of the key info whenever you upload an academic document to it. Then there’s Quizlet, which comes with a special AI PDF summariser.

Need more advice?

We’ve got two other AI deep dives for you to check out. Find out all about Copilot with our piece What is Microsoft Copilot? Then learn everything you need to know on Google’s AI assistant by reading what is Google Gemini? Now you should be completely clued up!