The best AI tools for students and teachers
AI can be a patient tutor at midnight before an exam, or it can do your homework for you and teach you nothing. The tools below are picked for learning, not shortcuts, and almost all of them are free. Students first, then teachers, then a few simple rules for using AI fairly.
For students
Start with one of the three free tutor modes; they all guide you step by step instead of handing over answers. Add the others for your own notes, maths and revision.
Best free AI tutor for any subject
1. ChatGPT study mode by OpenAI
A mode in ChatGPT that teaches instead of handing over answers. It asks questions, explains ideas step by step and checks your understanding, whether you are learning a new topic, working through homework or preparing for an exam.
- Guides you to the answer, so you actually learn it
- Works on any ChatGPT plan, including the free one
- Can quiz you on your own notes or a photo of a textbook page
Watch out: It can still make mistakes, especially in maths. Check answers against your textbook, and follow your school's rules on using AI for homework.
Price: Free on every ChatGPT planOn: Web, iPhone, Android
Best for visual, step-by-step explanations
2. Gemini Guided Learning by Google
A mode in the Gemini app that breaks problems into steps and explains the how and why behind them. It can use your course files, add images and diagrams, and make flashcards and study guides from your material.
- Step-by-step explanations with visuals
- Makes flashcards and study guides from your files
- Free with a Google account
Watch out: Like any chatbot, it can be confidently wrong. Use it to understand a topic, then check key facts in your textbook.
Price: Free in the Gemini app; higher limits on paid Google AI plansOn: Web, iPhone, Android
Best for long readings and essays
3. Claude learning mode by Anthropic
A learning style in Claude that works like a patient tutor: it asks guiding questions and helps you reason your way to the answer instead of simply giving it. Choose "Learning" from the style menu, and switch it off whenever you want a direct answer.
- Socratic, question-led tutoring
- Strong with long readings, essays and PDFs
- Available on the free plan
Watch out: The free plan has message limits, which you can hit in a long study session.
Price: Free plan; paid plans for higher limitsOn: Web, iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac
Best for studying from your own notes
4. Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) by Google
Add your own sources (PDFs, Google Docs and Slides, websites or YouTube videos) and ask questions about them. It answers from your sources and can turn them into summaries, study guides and podcast-style audio overviews.
- Answers are based on the sources you give it
- Turns long material into audio and video summaries
- Free with a Google account
Watch out: Google renamed it from NotebookLM in July 2026, so older guides use the old name. Check your organisation's rules before uploading confidential documents.
Price: Free with a Google account; higher limits on paid Google AI plansOn: Web, iPhone, Android
Best for maths and science you can trust
5. Wolfram|Alpha by Wolfram Research
A computational answer engine for maths, physics, chemistry and statistics. Type a problem in plain English or as an equation and it calculates the answer, with graphs. Unlike a chatbot, it computes rather than guesses, so its results are reliable.
- Exact, calculated answers rather than predicted text
- Covers school maths up to university-level science
- Free to use with sign-in
Watch out: Step-by-step working, which is what most students want, needs the Pro plan.
Price: Free basic use; Pro with step-by-step solutions from about $5/month billed yearlyOn: Web, iPhone, Android
Best for flashcards and revision
6. Quizlet by Quizlet
Flashcards and practice tests for revising anything, from vocabulary to biology terms. Make your own sets or use millions shared by other students, then let its Learn mode and practice tests drill you on what you keep getting wrong.
- Quick to make flashcards, or reuse shared sets
- Learn mode focuses on the cards you miss
- Free for basic flashcards
Watch out: The free plan shows ads and limits practice tests and Learn rounds each month. Shared sets can contain errors.
Price: Free plan; Quizlet Plus from about $36/yearOn: Web, iPhone, Android
For teachers
All four have a free plan. Use them to draft, then check and adapt everything to your board's syllabus and your class.
Best free all-round teaching assistant
7. Khanmigo for Teachers by Khan Academy
Khan Academy's AI assistant for teachers: lesson plans, quizzes, rubrics, discussion questions and class newsletters, linked to Khan Academy's free lessons. It is free for teachers thanks to support from Microsoft.
- Free for teachers, from a trusted non-profit
- Available in India in English and Hindi
- Links to Khan Academy's free videos and exercises
Watch out: Still labelled a pilot, so features can change. The AI tutor for students is a separate product with its own availability.
Price: Free for teachersOn: Web
Best for ready-made teacher tools
8. MagicSchool by MagicSchool AI
An AI assistant built for teachers, with dozens of ready-made tools: lesson plans, quizzes, worksheets, rubrics, report-card comments, parent emails and more. Pick a tool, fill in a short form, and edit the result.
- Many teacher-specific tools in one place
- No prompt-writing needed: just fill in a form
- Free forever plan for individual teachers
Watch out: Built mainly for US schools, so adjust its output to CBSE, ICSE or your state board. Don't enter students' personal details.
Price: Free plan for teachers; Plus from about $8/month billed yearlyOn: Web
Best inside Google Docs and Slides
9. Brisk Teaching by Brisk
A browser extension that adds AI teaching tools inside the apps teachers already use, such as Google Docs, Slides, PDFs and websites. Turn any article into a quiz, change its reading level, or give feedback on student work without copying and pasting.
- Works right inside Google Docs, Slides and web pages
- Quizzes, lesson materials and feedback in a click
- Free plan for teachers
Watch out: Only works in the Chrome and Edge browsers, so not on iPads or Safari.
Price: Free plan for teachers; premium plans for schoolsOn: Chrome, Edge
Best for different reading levels
10. Diffit by Diffit
Paste in an article, a topic or a YouTube link and Diffit rewrites it at the reading level you choose, with a summary, key vocabulary and questions. Useful for classes where students read at very different levels.
- Adapts one text for different reading levels
- Adds vocabulary lists and questions automatically
- Printable worksheets and PDFs
Watch out: The free plan has limits and only keeps resources from the last 90 days.
Price: Free basic plan; paid plans for teachers and schoolsOn: Web
How to choose
- Stuck on homework or a new topic? Turn on a tutor mode: ChatGPT study mode, Gemini Guided Learning or Claude’s learning mode. Pick whichever chatbot you already use.
- Revising from your own notes or textbook PDFs? Gemini Notebook answers only from what you upload, which cuts down on made-up facts.
- Maths, physics or chemistry? Wolfram|Alpha calculates instead of guessing.
- Teacher short on time? Khanmigo is free and covers most planning jobs; MagicSchool and Brisk add more ready-made tools.
Using AI fairly
- Follow your school’s or university’s rules. They differ a lot: some allow AI for brainstorming but not for writing, and some ban it for assessed work.
- Learn with it, don’t hand in its work. Passing off AI writing as your own is cheating, and AI detectors are unreliable, so the only safe way is to be open about how you used it.
- Check the facts. AI can make things up with total confidence. Confirm anything important in your textbook or a trusted source.
- Teachers: protect students’ privacy. Don’t paste names, marks or personal details into AI tools unless your school has approved them.
How we pick
Features and prices come from each tool’s official pages, checked on the date shown on each card, and we only include tools that independent reviews also rate well. No tool pays to be listed. See how we pick across all jobs.