The Best AI Tools in 2026

I resisted paying for AI tools for a long time. "The free tier is fine." "I don't need that." "It's overhyped."

Then I actually tried them. Some were worth it. Some weren't. Here's where my money goes.

The Tools I Pay For

Claude Pro ($20/month)

My main AI assistant. Longer context, better reasoning.

Why I pay:

• 200K context window. Can actually read long documents.
• Better at nuanced tasks than free tiers.
• Artifacts feature is legitimately useful for code.

What I use it for:

• Research and summarization
• Code review and debugging
• Long-form writing assistance

Limitations:

• Usage caps exist even on Pro.
• Sometimes refuses things it shouldn't.

Worth it? Yes. The context window alone justifies it for document work.

Claude Pro

ChatGPT Plus ($20/month)

The other AI. Different strengths.

Why I pay:

• GPT-4 is still better at some coding tasks.
• Browse feature works well for research.
• DALL-E integration for quick images.

What I use it for:

• Quick code generation
• Research with browsing
• Image generation when needed

Limitations:

• Context window shorter than Claude.
• Quality varies by task.

Worth it? Situationally. I use it less than Claude but keep it for specific tasks.

ChatGPT Plus

Cursor Pro ($20/month)

AI-powered code editor. Fork of VS Code.

Why I pay:

• Inline code completion that actually understands context.
• Chat with your codebase built-in.
• Cmd+K for quick edits is addictive.

What I use it for:

• Daily coding
• Refactoring
• Understanding unfamiliar codebases

Limitations:

• Eats through API usage fast.
• Sometimes suggests bad code confidently.

Worth it? Yes, if you code daily. Changed my workflow.

Cursor

Perplexity Pro ($20/month)

Search with citations. Replaced Google for research.

Why I pay:

• Cites sources. I can verify claims.
• Pro Search actually digs deeper.
• Less SEO garbage than Google results.

What I use it for:

• Technical research
• Fact-checking
• Finding primary sources

Limitations:

• Sometimes cites unreliable sources.
• Can hallucinate like any LLM.

Worth it? Yes for research-heavy work. Maybe not otherwise.

Perplexity Pro

What I Stopped Paying For

GitHub Copilot ($10/month)

Why I cancelled:

• Cursor does the same thing better.
• Context awareness was worse.
• Suggestions often missed the mark.

Jasper ($40+/month)

Why I cancelled:

• Overpriced wrapper around GPT.
• Marketing-focused. Not useful for technical writing.
• Better to use Claude directly.

Notion AI ($10/month add-on)

Why I cancelled:

• Mediocre compared to dedicated AI tools.
• Just use Claude/ChatGPT and paste results.
• Not worth the add-on cost.

The Free Tiers Worth Using

• Claude Free: Good for occasional use, just limited.
• ChatGPT Free: Basic GPT-4 access now.
• Perplexity Free: 5 Pro searches per day is often enough.
• Phind: Free AI search for developers. Surprisingly good.

My Monthly AI Spend

That's $80/month on AI. A year ago I would've laughed at that. Now it's my most productive$80.

The Honest Take

AI tools are not magic. They make some tasks faster. They make some tasks possible that weren't before. They also hallucinate, make mistakes, and cost money.

I was skeptical. Now I'm a convert. But I still verify everything.

The hype is real. But also, verify.