If you’re overwhelmed by the number of AI tools available, this is the guide for you. Not a list of 30 tools. Not a comprehensive comparison. Five tools. One specific task each. All available to try today — mostly free.
1. Claude — Write Your Next Client Email
Time to try: 5 minutes
Go to claude.ai, create a free account, and ask it to write a follow-up email to a client. Give it the context: what you do, who the client is, what you’re following up on.
The free tier gives you enough usage to understand immediately whether AI-assisted writing is going to save you time.
If it does — which it will — the Pro plan is the upgrade. Anthropic bills in US dollars at $20/month plus VAT, which typically lands around £17–£19 on a UK card depending on the exchange rate.
Try Claude (Free)2. Grammarly — Check Everything Before It Leaves Your Desk
Time to try: 2 minutes
Install the Grammarly browser extension. That’s it. It will immediately start checking your emails, documents, and web forms for errors and tone issues.
The free tier catches everything you actually need. It’s the highest-effort-to-value ratio AI tool we use.
Try Grammarly (Free)3. Canva — Create One Professional Graphic
Time to try: 10 minutes
Create a Canva account, search for a “LinkedIn post” template, and use the AI tools to generate a graphic for your next piece of content.
Canva’s AI features — Magic Write, Magic Design, and Background Remover — are all available on the free tier. For most visual content needs, you won’t need the paid plan.
Try Canva (Free)4. Zapier — Automate One Repetitive Task
Time to try: 20 minutes
Think of one repetitive task you do every week. Something you manually copy from one tool to another.
Sign up at zapier.com and build that automation. The free tier still includes 100 tasks/month (as of July 2026), though it’s now limited to two-step Zaps — one trigger, one action. That’s enough to automate your first workflow and see whether automation is going to be valuable for your business.
Try Zapier (Free)5. Notion AI — Summarise Your Last Meeting
Time to try: 15 minutes
If you’re not already in Notion, create a free account and paste in the notes from your last meeting. Then click the AI button and ask it to summarise the key decisions and action items.
One important pricing change since we first published this guide: Notion discontinued the separate AI add-on. Notion AI is now bundled into the Business plan ($20/user/month billed annually, roughly £16) rather than sold as a cheap bolt-on to the free tier. The free plan still gives you a taste of the AI features, but if you want them properly, you’re looking at Business — a harder sell for a solo operator than the old add-on was. Notion without AI remains excellent and free.
Try Notion AIPricing checked July 2026. Tool pricing changes frequently — always confirm on the vendor’s own pricing page before subscribing.
What Next?
If you try even two of these tools and find them useful, you’re ready to think about building a proper AI stack.
The best starting point is our complete stack guide for one-person businesses — which shows you exactly how these tools connect and what to prioritise.