Free tools
Free tools that are actually free
Everything here has a real free tier. We list the catch for each one, because a free tool with an undisclosed limit costs more than a paid one.
Models worth having open
Claude
Strongest free tier for long documents, careful reasoning and writing that does not need rewriting.
The catch: Free usage resets on a rolling window, so save long work as you go.
Open tool ↗Kimi
Very large context window. The one to use when you need twenty documents held in mind at once.
The catch: Interface is strongest in Chinese; it handles English and Arabic input fine.
Open tool ↗Google AI Studio
Free access to Gemini with a generous API allowance and no card required to start testing.
The catch: Free-tier prompts may be used to improve the models. Do not paste client data.
Open tool ↗ChatGPT
The most forgiving starting point, and the widest library of shared custom GPTs.
The catch: Turn off chat history in settings if you handle anything confidential.
Open tool ↗Hugging Face
Thousands of open models and Spaces you can run in a browser without installing anything.
The catch: Free Spaces sleep when idle and take a minute to wake.
Open tool ↗LM Studio
Run open models entirely on your own laptop. Nothing leaves the machine.
The catch: Needs 16GB of RAM to be pleasant. 8GB works but slowly.
Open tool ↗Build and automate
n8n
Visual automation you can self-host for free. Connects AI models to the tools you already run.
The catch: Self-hosting is free; the cloud version is not. Budget an afternoon for setup.
Open tool ↗Supabase
A real Postgres database, auth and file storage on a free tier that runs a small product.
The catch: Free projects pause after a week of no traffic. One request wakes them.
Open tool ↗Cloudflare Workers
Deploy an API or a whole site on a free tier that handles a hundred thousand requests a day.
The catch: No long-running processes. Jobs must finish fast.
Open tool ↗Google Colab
Free Python notebooks with a GPU attached. The fastest way to test an idea with no setup.
The catch: Sessions disconnect after idle time and the disk is wiped. Save to Drive.
Open tool ↗Model Context Protocol
The open standard for connecting AI models to your own tools and data. Free and documented.
The catch: Developer-facing. You will need someone comfortable with a terminal.
Open tool ↗Zapier free tier
Five single-step automations, free forever. Enough to remove the worst copy-paste job you have.
The catch: Single-step only on free. Multi-step needs a paid plan.
Open tool ↗Images, audio and video
Canva
Design and brand kits with a free tier good enough for a full social calendar.
The catch: Brand kits and background removal are paid features.
Open tool ↗Whisper
Open speech-to-text that handles Arabic and English well and runs on your own machine.
The catch: Command line. The larger models need a decent GPU to be quick.
Open tool ↗Photopea
A full Photoshop-class editor in a browser tab. Opens PSD, AI and Figma files.
The catch: Ad-supported and free. Nothing is uploaded; it runs locally.
Open tool ↗Squoosh
Compress images properly before they go on your site. Usually cuts file size by 70%.
The catch: One image at a time in the browser. Batch needs the CLI version.
Open tool ↗Documents and everyday work
Stirling PDF
Merge, split, sign, OCR and compress PDFs without uploading them to a stranger's server.
The catch: Self-host with Docker for full privacy. The hosted demo is convenient but public.
Open tool ↗Obsidian
Notes stored as plain markdown files you own. Pairs naturally with AI skill files.
The catch: Free for personal use. Sync across devices is a paid add-on.
Open tool ↗Excalidraw
Hand-drawn style diagrams that make a systems discussion faster than any slide.
The catch: Free and open. Collaboration links expire unless you sign in.
Open tool ↗Cal.com
Open source scheduling. Free individual plan, self-hostable if you want the data.
The catch: Self-hosting needs a database. The hosted free plan is simpler.
Open tool ↗Tally
Forms with unlimited responses on the free plan. Faster to set up than a spreadsheet.
The catch: Branding appears on free forms.
Open tool ↗Learn and verify
Anthropic prompt docs
The clearest free writing anywhere on how to actually structure a prompt.
The catch: Written for developers but the technique sections apply to anyone.
Open tool ↗Google AI Essentials
A short structured course that gives non-technical staff a shared vocabulary.
The catch: Certificate costs money; the course material is free to read.
Open tool ↗AI Incident Database
A catalogue of documented AI failures. Read it before you put a model in front of customers.
The catch: Research resource, not a compliance checklist.
Open tool ↗UAE AI Office resources
The national AI strategy, guidelines and programmes. Useful context for anything regulated.
The catch: Policy level, not implementation guidance.
Open tool ↗Get it built
Reading is free. Building is what changes the numbers.
AskWisely is published by 67 Digital, an AI and automation team in Dubai. We take the skills on this site and turn them into systems that run inside your business, connected to the tools your team already uses.
AI agents that actually ship
We build the agent, wire it to your tools, and hand you the keys.
Automation on your stack
n8n, Make, or custom. Connected to the CRM and inbox you already use.
Team training in Arabic & English
Half-day sessions that leave your team using AI on Monday.