10 Best Free AI Tools for Business in 2024 | Merlio

As of 2022, around 35% of businesses report using Artificial Intelligence in some capacity, a number projected to rise significantly as AI tools become more sophisticated and accessible. If incorporating AI into your business seems daunting, rest assured that the tools available today cover a vast range of applications. Each offers unique benefits that can help you save valuable time and resources.

Read on to explore the 10 best AI tools for business that offer free access and find the perfect fit for your company's needs!

Top 10 Artificial Intelligence Tools for Business

Here's a quick look at the top tools discussed:

• Merlio – Best All-in-One AI Solutions for Business
• ChatGPT – Top AI Tool for Professional Writing
• Midjourney – Best AI Business Image Generation
• Jasper – Best AI Tool for Brand Voice
• Descript – Best AI for Business Video Transcription
• Grammarly – Best for Content Editing
• Notion AI – Most Useful AI Tools for Business Meetings
• AgentGPT – Top AI Tool for Developing Your Own AI Agent
• Fireflies.ai – Best for Voice Conversation Analysis
• SaneBox – Best Business AI for Email Management

Let's delve into each tool's capabilities.

Merlio – Best All-in-One AI Solutions for Business

Merlio stands out as a powerful, all-in-one platform designed to equip your business with comprehensive AI software tools, particularly for content creation and beyond. It aims to consolidate various AI functionalities under a single, user-friendly roof.

With Merlio's suite of tools, you gain access to an extensive array of features catering to diverse writing needs. Whether you require assistance with rewriting content, crafting compelling ad copy, or brainstorming blog post ideas, Merlio offers dedicated tools for almost every writing task.

Producing longer content is also streamlined. Merlio provides advanced capabilities for generating articles that can mirror your desired brand voice and handle bulk processing. You can expect high-quality, potentially SEO-friendly and fact-based content, including product reviews, how-to guides, news articles, and many other content types.

Looking for an AI chatbot? Merlio includes a versatile chatbot solution. This feature often comes with web access capabilities and tools for summarizing online content, such as YouTube videos and webpages.

The comprehensive Merlio package frequently incorporates an AI text editor. This powerful editor combines various writing tools and the chatbot interface, leveraging AI to assist with checking documents for potential plagiarism and suggesting improvements for search engine optimization.

To enhance workflow, Merlio typically offers browser extensions. These extensions allow you to access editing and AI assistance directly within your web browser as you write, often through simple commands. This makes Merlio an incredibly versatile collection of top-tier AI tools, ideal for businesses seeking a cost-effective solution for their content and AI needs.

• Features:
  • All-in-one platform for writing and editing
  • Powerful AI text generation capabilities
  • Tools for drafting professional emails
  • AI chatbot with potential image generation and PDF reading
  • Editor features like 1-click export
  • Integration with leading AI models (e.g., GPT-3.5 and GPT-4)
  • Support for multiple languages
  • Potential free access tiers or components
• Cons:
  • The extensive range of features might feel overwhelming initially.

ChatGPT – Top AI Tool for Professional Writing

ChatGPT has emerged as a major player and arguably the most popular AI tool currently available. Its strength lies in generating high-quality written output, often reaching a professional level.

However, it's important to note that the generated content isn't always factually accurate. The tool can sometimes present information or sources that don't exist ("hallucinations"), requiring manual verification. Its knowledge is also typically based on datasets up to a certain point (e.g., 2021 for older versions), meaning it might not have the most current information. Despite these limitations, ChatGPT remains an excellent tool for structuring content, brainstorming ideas, and generating drafts.

• Pricing:
  • Free Tier
  • Paid Tier (e.g., ChatGPT Plus)
• Features:
  • Generates high-level and professional writing
  • Supports numerous languages
  • Useful for coding assistance
• Cons:
  • Knowledge cutoff date (may lack recent information)
  • Can produce inaccurate or non-existent citations
  • May occasionally refuse to generate certain content

Midjourney – Best AI Business Image Generation

Midjourney operates on a simple principle: provide a text description, and it generates an image. It excels at creating visually impressive imagery that can mimic various artistic styles. This makes it a valuable tool for populating websites, marketing materials, and social media with unique visuals.

While powerful, it's not without its quirks. Like many AI image generators, it sometimes struggles with accurately depicting complex details, such as human hands. Success often depends heavily on the clarity and specificity of your prompts.

• Pricing:
  • Various Paid Plans
• Features:
  • Generates exceptionally realistic and artistic images
  • Often provides multiple image options per prompt
  • Produces professional-looking visuals
• Cons:
  • May struggle with highly complex or abstract prompts
  • Can have difficulty rendering specific details accurately (e.g., hands)

Jasper – Best AI Tool for Brand Voice

Jasper is highly regarded for its ability to adapt its writing style to match your business's desired brand voice. With options to define different tones, it consistently produces output that sounds natural and aligns with your brand identity.

The tool is known for its speed, making it one of the best AI productivity tools for content creation. However, a key limitation is the absence of built-in fact-checking. This necessitates a human editor to verify the accuracy of the generated content before publication.

• Pricing:
  • Various Paid Tiers
• Features:
  • Excellent for maintaining a consistent brand voice
  • Generates natural-sounding copy rapidly
  • Great for brainstorming content ideas
• Cons:
  • Does not perform fact-checking
  • May struggle with highly niche or technical topics
  • Editing and verification are almost always required

Descript – Best AI for Business Video Transcription

Descript is a versatile tool that combines video editing, podcasting features, and AI-powered transcriptions. While its editing capabilities, such as simple multi-track audio editing and instant screen recording, are useful for video production, its standout feature is its highly accurate AI-generated and editable transcripts.

• Pricing:
  • Free Tier
  • Various Paid Tiers
• Features:
  • Superior audio transcription tools
  • Simple document-based video editing interface
  • Built-in video hosting options
• Cons:
  • The user interface can be confusing initially
  • May struggle with transcribing speakers with strong non-native English accents

Grammarly – Best for Content Editing

Beyond providing excellent basic grammar and spell-checking, Grammarly's premium tiers elevate content editing significantly. It not only catches errors but also offers suggestions for improving sentence structure, clarity, and tone based on your intended audience and purpose. This helps refine your writing into polished, error-free copy.

• Pricing:
  • Free Tier
  • Various Paid Plans (Premium, Business)
• Features:
  • Excellent for identifying spelling and grammar issues
  • Suggests rewrites for awkward or clunky sentences
  • Adapts suggestions based on target tone and audience
  • Supports multiple English dialects
• Cons:
  • Can sometimes repeat the same suggestions frequently
  • Primarily focused on the English language
  • May occasionally make incorrect suggestions

Notion AI – Most Useful AI Tools for Business Meetings

While also capable of content generation, Notion AI particularly shines in managing meeting notes. It can analyze notes taken during a meeting, extracting key information and suggesting actionable steps that your business can implement. Its strength lies in simplification, making it ideal for generating summaries and simplifying complex written information.

• Pricing:
  • Free Tier
  • Various Paid Tiers (Plus, Business, Enterprise)
• Features:
  • Summarizes meeting notes and generates takeaways/action items
  • Helpful content editing and simplification tools
  • Can assist with writing longer content pieces
  • Useful translation capabilities for multiple languages
• Cons:
  • Can have a steep learning curve for new users
  • AI features are primarily integrated within the Notion workspace

AgentGPT – Top AI Tool for Developing Your Own AI Agent

AgentGPT allows you to create your own AI agents tailored to your company's specific needs, often without requiring extensive coding knowledge. By using text-based prompts, you can configure agents to perform tasks like scouring the web for information.

• Pricing:
  • Free Tier
  • Various Paid Tiers
• Features:
  • Enables AI agent creation without coding
  • Generated agents can follow specific instructions
  • Higher tiers offer the ability to create more agents per day
• Cons:
  • Agents are often tied to a specific AI framework (e.g., GPT)
  • Customization options may be somewhat limited

Fireflies.ai – Best for Voice Conversation Analysis

Fireflies.ai is an excellent tool for managing recorded voice conversations, such as business calls or meetings. It automatically transcribes and summarizes your calls, saving you the effort of listening through lengthy audio. Additionally, it offers search features, allowing you to quickly locate the most important parts of your conversations.

• Pricing:
  • Free Tier
  • Various Paid Tiers
• Features:
  • Uses AI to transcribe and summarize business calls
  • Helpful search functionality for call content
  • Often integrates with popular calendar and meeting platforms
• Cons:
  • Transcription accuracy can sometimes vary
  • May not fully support video recordings

SaneBox – Best Business AI for Email Management

Email clutter is a common challenge for businesses. SaneBox tackles this by intelligently sorting incoming emails before they reach your primary inbox. It creates custom folders and redirects less important messages there, helping you maintain a clean and organized inbox focused on essential business communications.

• Pricing:
  • Various Paid Tiers (often based on email accounts)
• Features:
  • Automated email sorting and folder creation
  • Integrates with most major email clients
  • Allows user training through dragging emails to improve sorting accuracy
• Cons:
  • Initial training might misdirect some emails
  • May sometimes keep recurring emails if a reply isn't received

FAQs about the Best AI Tools for Business

Q: What is the best AI tool for business? A: The "best" AI tool depends entirely on your specific business needs. If you require comprehensive content creation and editing capabilities, a platform like Merlio, with its wide range of tools, is an excellent contender. For image generation, Midjourney is a top choice, while SaneBox excels at email management. Many businesses find that using a combination of several specialized AI tools provides the most benefit.

Q: Are there truly free artificial intelligence tools for business? A: Yes, many of the leading AI tools for business offer a free tier or a free trial period. While free tiers usually have limitations on features or usage, they provide a valuable opportunity to experiment with the tool's capabilities before committing to a paid plan. Merlio, for instance, offers a free tier that allows users to experience its AI writing and other features.

Q: How can AI help my business? A: AI software tools can assist businesses in numerous ways. For content needs, AI can help generate drafts, rewrite text, check grammar, and even create images. AI productivity tools can automate tasks like sorting emails, transcribing meetings, and summarizing information, freeing up employee time for more strategic work. AI can also assist with data analysis, customer service (chatbots), and developing specialized agents for specific tasks.