Some of the most useful AI tools are not chatbots at all. They are small, focused apps that do one job you used to pay a person for, or spend a whole evening doing yourself, and they do it for free.
Here are five of our favourites. Each one replaces a paid job, each one is free to use, and each one takes about a minute to try.
1. Stitch: replaces a UI designer
Stitch is a free AI design tool from Google Labs. Describe an app, draw it roughly on paper, or upload a screenshot of something you like, and it turns that into real, multi-screen app designs, plus front-end code you can hand to a developer.
- Generates mobile and web screens from a text prompt, a sketch or a screenshot.
- Lets you refine the design by chatting or by voice instead of dragging boxes around.
- Links screens into a clickable prototype and exports to Figma or to code.
Good for: founders and product people who want to see an idea before paying a designer. Worth knowing: it is free with monthly generation limits, and it is a fast starting point rather than a finished design system.
2. Wonderplan: replaces a travel agent
Wonderplan is a free AI trip planner. Type your destination, add your dates, budget and who you are travelling with, and it builds a day-by-day itinerary with things to do, places to eat and where to stay, taking travel time between stops into account.
- Reorder, add or remove places on one dashboard until the plan fits.
- Download the finished itinerary as a PDF for offline use.
Good for: city breaks and single-destination trips. Worth knowing: complex multi-city or group trips still need some manual editing, and you should check opening hours before you go.
3. Alta: replaces a personal stylist
Alta is an AI stylist that starts with the clothes you already own. Photograph your wardrobe and it builds a digital closet, then suggests an outfit for the day based on your clothes, your plans and the weather. You can create an avatar and try outfits on virtually before you get dressed or buy something new.
Good for: getting more out of the wardrobe you have and planning outfits for trips and events. Worth knowing: the app is free on iPhone and Android and earns money through affiliate links when you buy items it recommends.
4. Onton: replaces hours of furniture hunting
Onton is a free AI shopping search for furniture and home decor. Search the way you would talk to an interior designer, for example "cozy green velvet sofa" or "low walnut coffee table under $500", or upload a photo of something you like. It searches more than 100 retailers at once and is designed to return real products that are actually for sale.
Good for: comparing styles and prices across many stores without opening 30 tabs. It can also generate room images so you can picture pieces together.
5. Daydream: replaces a personal shopper
Daydream is a chat-based fashion search. Type, say or show what you want, such as "white linen shirt for a beach wedding", and it searches more than 2 million products from fashion brands, learning your style and size as you go.
Good for: finding one specific item, or building an outfit for an occasion at a few price points. It was started by Julie Bornstein, a former Stitch Fix and Nordstrom executive.
The cheat sheet
Save this for the next time you are about to pay for one of these jobs:
- Design an app: Stitch
- Plan a trip: Wonderplan
- Pick today's outfit: Alta
- Find furniture: Onton
- Shop for clothes: Daydream
- Learn to prompt: Say What You See
- Switch your career to AI: SkillHack
- Get paid for AI work: Mercor
Every tool here is in our free AI tools directory, which lists only AI tools that are completely free to use. We check it regularly and remove anything that starts charging.
FAQ
Are these AI tools really free?
Yes, all five are free to use without a subscription at the time of writing. Some limit how much you can generate each month, and shopping tools like Alta make money from affiliate links when you buy something, which costs you nothing extra.
Can AI really replace a designer or a travel agent?
For a first draft, often yes. These tools are great at getting you from nothing to a solid starting point in minutes. For a complex trip, a brand identity or a big purchase, a professional can still add judgment that AI does not have.
Do I need to install anything?
Stitch, Wonderplan and Onton run in your browser. Alta and Daydream are mobile apps on the App Store and Google Play.