I built a ‘free forever’ AI stack — and it gives you Pro features for $0

I test and review AI tools for a living, and somewhere along the way I fell into a trap that’s become weirdly common: I went from paying for one premium subscription to paying for several. And once you’re juggling multiple AI tools, the monthly fees add up faster than you expect.

Because that’s how subscriptions work. You start with one. Add another. Justify a third because it’s “slightly better” at one specific thing. And suddenly your AI stack costs as much as a streaming bundle — except you’re not even sure you’re using half of what you’re paying for and want to cancel.

So I hit reset this year and built a “free forever” AI stack that costs $0 but still offers the pro features people actually want: research with sources, document summaries, writing and rewriting, planning, vibe coding, content creation and simple automation.

To be clear, it’s not identical to paying for the Pro tiers. But honestly? It gets you way closer than you might think. Here’s the exact stack I use, what each AI tool is best at and the prompts that make it feel like a paid setup.

The “free forever” AI stack

ChatGPT (free): the everyday brain

One of the biggest reasons I paid for ChatGPT Plus for as long as I did was simple: I wanted access to ChatGPT-4o. But after testing the different personalities in ChatGPT-5.2, I had a bit of a surprise — the newer model is actually the better everyday tool.

Even better? You don’t need to pay to get real value out of it. Even on the free tier, ChatGPT is still one of the best all-around AI assistants for brainstorming, rewriting, outlining and getting unstuck when your brain feels like it’s buffering.

What it replaces: a writing coach, a brainstorming partner, a productivity planner
Best for: ideas, structure, rewrites, clarity and planning

Try these prompts:

• “Take this messy paragraph and rewrite it in a cleaner, more confident voice without changing my tone.”
• "Give me 10 headline options for Google Discover. Make them curiosity-driven and utility-focused.”
• “Turn this idea into a step-by-step plan I can actually follow in 20 minutes.”
• Expert tip: If you’re getting generic answers, don’t start over — just add:
  "Be more specific, add examples and make this feel like advice from a human.”

Perplexity (free): the research engine that actually shows its work

I’ll be honest: I didn’t like Perplexity at first. It felt like an outlier compared to the chatbots I was used to, and I wasn’t sure I could trust it.

But after giving it a second shot, it quickly became one of the most useful tools in my stack — especially when I need quick research without falling into a 27-tab spiral.

Now it’s my go-to because it doesn’t just give you a confident-sounding answer. It gives you something better: sources. It’s not trying to be a people pleaser — it’s trying to show its work.

What it replaces: endless Googling and tab chaos
Best for: fast research, citations, comparisons and summaries of current topics

Try these prompts:

• “Explain this like I’m smart but busy. Give me the key facts, what changed recently and why it matters.”
• "Give me a quick breakdown of the pros/cons of X, then cite your sources.”
• "What are the most common complaints people have about [tool]? List them and link sources.”
• Expert tip: Use it like a fact-checker, not a creative writer. It’s a “get me oriented fast” tool, and it’s excellent at that.

NotebookLM (free): the closest thing to a document superpower

NotebookLM is one of the most underrated free AI tools right now — and easily one of my favorites. If you need to summarize and actually understand anything longer than a few paragraphs, this is the best tool I’ve found.

It’s what I use when I have a pile of information and need to turn it into something usable fast. I can drop in PDFs, notes, transcripts, drafts and research links, and NotebookLM helps me organize the mess and pull out what matters.

What it replaces: manual summarizing, rereading everything twice and the “where did I see that?” spiral
Best for: PDFs, deep summaries, key takeaways and outlining

Try these prompts:

• “Summarize this document in 10 bullet points, then list the 5 most important details I should not miss.”
• “Create a clean outline for a story based on these sources. Add suggested subheads.”
• “What are the key contradictions, disagreements or missing info across these sources?”
• Expert tip: Ask it to format the output the way you’ll actually use it:
  “Give me this as a table.” or “Give me a 30-second version and a 2-minute version.”

Canva (free): the tool that polishes your work

Before you start scratching your head, hear me out: Canva is the tool most people skip — not because it isn’t useful, but because they don’t realize how many AI-powered features you can use for free.

Here’s the thing. You can have the best idea in the world, but if you want it to perform online, you need visuals. Even a clean graphic or simple layout can be the difference between something that gets ignored and something that actually gets clicks.

And Canva’s free tier is more than enough to turn raw AI output into something that looks polished and ready to share.

What it replaces: “I guess I’ll post plain text” and last-minute design scrambling
Best for: social graphics, Pinterest pins, simple charts and quick layouts

Try this workflow:

• Use ChatGPT to generate a clean “5 tips” list
• Paste it into Canva
• Turn it into a shareable graphic
• Expert tip: If you want a quick visual template, tell ChatGPT:
  “Format this as five short blocks with bold headers and one sentence each.” That structure drops into Canva perfectly.

Google Docs (free): underrated AI productivity move

Stay with me. This one sounds boring but it's not. Google Docs is the easiest place to keep your “AI stack” from becoming chaos. It’s where I store my best prompts, my story templates, reusable structures and swipe files. Plus, with the AI-power of Gemini, you can perfect, edit and brainstorm right inside the document.

What it replaces: losing your best prompts, rewriting the same formats
Best for: repeatable workflows, templates, prompt libraries

Try this setup:

• Create a doc called “My AI Stack Prompts” and add sections like:
• writing + editing
• planning
• research
• content ideas
• vibe coding
• personal life / parenting shortcuts

Apple Shortcuts (free): the automation super layer

This is the point where your free AI stack starts to feel Pro. Automation sounds intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be.

Even one simple shortcut can save you time every single day — and once you build a few, you’ll wonder why you waited.

Here are a few that make an immediate difference:

• a one-tap “summarize this” prompt
• a shortcut that copies your go-to template to your clipboard
• a workflow that saves ideas straight into Notes or Google Docs

What it replaces: repeating the same steps every day
Best for: one-tap workflows, saving time and reducing friction

Try this prompt to build your shortcuts: “Give me a one-tap shortcut workflow that helps me do X. Keep it simple and explain it step-by-step.”

Riplit ai (free): “I can’t code but I can build” option

Claude Code is one of my favorite vibe coding tools — but it isn’t free. So when I’m building my “free forever” AI stack, I lean on a free app called Replit AI for quick coding help without the monthly bill.

This is where things get fun. Even if you’re not a developer, a free vibe coding tool can help you turn random ideas into real, usable mini tools. You can create things like a checklist generator, a simple web page, a "prompt pack" tool, a personal tracker or even apps for things like budeting, meal planning and routines.

What it replaces: paying someone for tiny tools, or letting good ideas die in your Notes app
Best for: small builds, quick prototypes, debugging and turning ideas into “real” things

Try these prompts:

• “Build me a simple web page that does X. Use clean design and keep it beginner-friendly.”
• “Here’s my idea. Ask me 5 questions, then generate the code.”
• “Fix this code and explain what was wrong like I’m not a developer.”

Putting the stack togther: where the magic happens

The real trick isn’t just which tools you use — it’s how you use them together. That’s what makes this stack feel Pro, even though it’s free.

On their own, these apps can feel like random AI tools. But once you put them in the right order, they become a repeatable system you can run anytime you need to get something done.

Here’s the workflow I use constantly:

Step 1: Research fast
Perplexity: sources + quick summary

Step 2: Organize and extract
NotebookLM: key points, outline, contradictions

Step 3: Write and polish
ChatGPT: outlines, structure, voice, rewrites, clarity

Step 4: Package it
Canva: graphic, layout, shareable format

Step 5: Create
Riplit ai: design apps and webpages with zero coding knowledge

Step 5: Save it and repeat it
Google Docs: templates + prompt library

Bottom line

The takeaway here is this: you don’t need a paid AI subscription to get real results.If you’re overwhelmed by AI tools, or you’re trying to be smarter with your money, building a “free forever” stack is one of the easiest upgrades you can make.

Because, it really isn't about having the fanciest model when it comes to productivity. It's more about having good tools and using them in the right order with prompts that make sense.

And once you have that? You’ll stop paying for AI features you weren’t even using.

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