Tanveer Ahmad 
Reading time: 8 minutes | Last tested: 29 September 2025 The Bottom Line Up Front Most “free” AI tools are glorified demos that lock everything useful behind a paywall. After spending two weeks testing 23 free AI tools, I found 7 that deliver genuine value without constant upgrade nags. These tools actually work for real … Read more
Key Takeaway If you remember nothing else: NotebookLM updates brought the ability to turn your boring PDFs into surprisingly good AI-hosted podcasts with two hosts discussing your research. But here’s what the NotebookLM updates didn’t fix – it literally can’t see entire chunks of your documents and will confidently give wrong answers about them. These … Read more
Key Takeaway If you remember nothing else: Claude is like ChatGPT’s more careful, articulate sibling who actually admits when they don’t know something. It genuinely writes better than any AI I’ve tested but frustrates with excessive caution and no image generation. Best for writers, researchers, and anyone tired of ChatGPT’s overconfidence. Worth the $20/month if … Read more
Reading time: 5 minutes | Week of September 28, 2025 The ONE Thing You Need to Know DeepSeek just gave away what OpenAI charges $20/month for – their open-source R1 model briefly knocked ChatGPT off the #1 spot on the App Store and sent NVIDIA’s stock tumbling. Translation: The AI monopoly just cracked, and this … Read more
Key Takeaway If you remember nothing else: ChatGPT used to be a genius intern who never sleeps. Then GPT-5 arrived and turned it into a confused committee that can ace medical exams but fails at folding paper. It still beats most AI tools, but the trust is broken. GPT-4 remains the sweet spot, GPT-5 is … Read more
Key Takeaway If you remember nothing else: Janitor AI is basically Character.AI without the training wheels for adults who want unrestricted creative conversations. It genuinely saves time on creative writing and roleplay but don’t expect it to work smoothly every day. Best for fiction writers and adults seeking AI companions, questionable value for business users. … Read more
Key Takeaway If you remember nothing else: NotebookLM is basically a podcast studio for your documents. It genuinely saves time turning research into digestible audio content but don’t expect it to replace ChatGPT. Best for students and content creators, questionable value for general users. The free tier covers most needs. Upgrade to Plus ($19.99/month) only … Read more