AI tools for small business
Fewer repetitive jobs, clearer marketing, and decks that do not eat the weekend.
How this stack was picked
Each stack picks four or five tools already listed in the directory, with one line on why each earns its place. These are starting points drawn from the directory’s prices and free-tier notes — not separate hands-on tests for each profession. Start on the free tiers and only pay for the tool you actually use every week. Prices, scores and verdicts above are the directory’s own, linked to each tool’s full page.
Common questions
Can I use free AI tools for commercial work?
Sometimes — and the rights line matters more than the credit count. In CapCut's free editor only assets labelled Commercial Use are cleared for commercial use, and most free generation tiers (Kling, Pika, Runway, ElevenLabs) are non-commercial or watermarked. If money is involved, check the tool's commercial-use terms before you publish, not after.
ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Perplexity — which AI chatbot should I use?
ChatGPT is the best all-rounder, with images, voice and coding in one subscription. Claude writes the most natural long-form prose and handles long documents best. Perplexity is the pick when an answer needs live-web sources you can open and check. Gemini is Google's assistant and fits people who already live in Google apps. Light users can run the free tiers of all four before paying for anything.