Choosing a tool
There is no best AI tool. There is a tool that fits your task. Like shoes. You don't wear hiking boots to the swimming pool. A few questions lead you to the right kind of tool, and to the lesson that goes with it.
First, what do you think?
Which AI tool is the best one? Have a guess.
What does choosing a tool mean?
The whole story in three sentences. There is no best AI tool. There is a tool that fits your task, your age and your data. You choose by asking a few questions, in a fixed order.
Think of shoes. Hiking boots are great in the mountains. At the swimming pool, they're useless. Nobody asks which shoe is the best. You ask: where am I going?
The questions, in order:
- Is it about personal or secret information? Then think about privacy first.
- What do you want to make or do? Text, an image, sound, a search, code, or a task done for you.
- Which tools can do that, and may you use them? Check the card: what it's good at, age, free or paid.
Here are all eight tools of this course, in alphabetical order. Each card shows what kind of task it's for.
ChatGPT
- Made by
- OpenAI
- Can make or do
- text, code
- Free
- Yes, with limits
- Paid
- Subscriptions in several levels (Go, Plus, Pro)
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Chatting
- writing and explaining
- Help with code in the paid plans
- Watch out
- Under 18 only with permission from a parent or guardian
- Your chats are used for training unless you turn off 'Improve the model for everyone'
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
Claude
- Made by
- Anthropic
- Can make or do
- text, search, code
- Free
- Yes, with limits
- Paid
- Subscriptions in several levels (Pro, Max)
- Minimum age
- 18 years
- Good for
- Chatting
- writing and explaining
- Searching the web
- Making files such as documents and slides
- Watch out
- Only from 18
- Your chats are used for training if you allow it (setting: Model Improvement)
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
Copilot
- Made by
- Microsoft
- Can make or do
- text, images, audio, tasks
- Free
- Yes, with limits
- Paid
- Part of Microsoft 365 subscriptions
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Chatting and making images
- Help in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook (with Microsoft 365)
- Watch out
- Sometimes older than 13, depending on your country
- Microsoft itself says Copilot can make mistakes: check it
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
ElevenLabs
- Made by
- ElevenLabs
- Can make or do
- audio
- Free
- Yes, with a monthly limit, not for commercial use
- Paid
- Subscriptions in several levels
- Minimum age
- 18 years
- Good for
- Turning text into speech
- Turning speech into text
- Designing voices and sound effects
- Watch out
- Only from 18
- A copied voice can be misused: only use your own voice, or a voice you have permission for
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
Gemini
- Made by
- Can make or do
- text, images, search
- Free
- Yes, with a Google account
- Paid
- Google AI subscriptions in several levels
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Chatting and making images
- Deep Research
- a report from many websites
- Watch out
- Some chats are read by people at Google: don't type anything confidential
- With Keep Activity on, your chats can be used for training
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
Midjourney
- Made by
- Midjourney
- Can make or do
- images
- Free
- No free trial on the website
- Paid
- Subscriptions in four levels
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Making images from a description
- Making variations of an image
- Watch out
- Below the age of consent in your country, a parent agrees for you
- You pay before you can try it
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
Perplexity
- Made by
- Perplexity
- Can make or do
- search, text
- Free
- Yes, with a daily limit
- Paid
- Subscriptions in several levels (Pro, Max)
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Answers with a source for each claim
- Searching the web
- Watch out
- Under the age of majority, a parent or guardian must accept the terms
- A source next to a claim doesn't prove the claim: click it and check
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
Vibe (Le Chat)
- Made by
- Mistral AI
- Can make or do
- text, images, search, code
- Free
- Yes, with limits
- Paid
- Subscriptions in several levels (Pro, Team)
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Chatting and searching the web
- Simple images
- Help with code
- Watch out
- A minor needs permission from a parent or guardian
- On the free plan your chats are used for training unless you turn it off
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
What the predictor does
Every tool on these cards has a predictor inside. That's the rule.
So no tool knows the truth. They differ in what they predict: words, pixels, sounds. And in what's around the predictor. A search tool looks things up on the web first, and can show its sources. A chat tool without search only has what it learned in training.
The rules differ too. Some tools are only for adults. Anthropic and ElevenLabs set the age at 18. And on some plans, your chats are used for training unless you turn it off.
Picking a different tool doesn't change the job. You still write a good prompt. You still check the answer.
There's no best shoe, only a shoe for the walk. First privacy, then the task, then the card.
Try it yourself
Answer a few questions. The compass shows the kind of tool, and the lesson to read.
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
How do you choose?
Four steps. Use them for your next task.
Name your task
Write it in one sentence. For example: "Summarise this chapter."
Check the data
Does your task include names, health, money or passwords? Then read the privacy lesson first. Maybe you leave it out.
Pick the kind of tool
Text, image, sound, search, code or agent. Look at the cards for tools that do that kind.
Read the card, and try small
Check the age, what's free, and what to watch out for. Then try one small task first.
In practice
Three people choose shoes for their walk.
Case 1The talk about volcanoes
Mila (12) prepares a talk about volcanoes. She needs recent facts, and wants to know where they come from.
Ask the tool her friend uses, without search.
A chat tool without search only has its training. It may not show where a fact comes from.
Use a tool that searches the web and shows sources. Check the card for her age.
She can click through, and name her sources in her talk.
Case 2The poster for the club
Jeroen (45) wants a poster image for his football club. He asks a chat tool that only does text.
Give up, and think AI can't make images.
He picked the wrong kind of tool. Not every tool makes images.
Look at the cards for tools that make images. Check what's free.
He finds a tool that fits the task, in one minute.
Case 3The letter from the doctor
Hanna (58) wants a letter from her doctor explained. It has her name and her diagnosis.
Paste it straight into the first chatbot she finds.
It's personal health data. On some plans, chats are used for training.
Start with privacy. Remove her name, and check the training setting.
She gets an explanation, without handing over her medical details.
When not to
- Don't search for the best toolIt doesn't exist.Search for the tool that fits your task.
- Don't switch tools after one bad answerEvery tool is a predictor.Improve your prompt first.
- Don't skip the cardAge and privacy rules differ.Read it before you start.
By situation
Check which tools your school allows. Then check the age on the card.
Your employer may have chosen a tool already, with rules about data. Use that one.
Start with the task. Then pick a tool that does that kind, and that fits your age.
Myths and mistakes
| Claim | True? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| There's one best AI tool | No | Tools do different kinds of tasks. Choose by task. |
| A different tool gives the truth | No | Every tool is a predictor. Check the answer. |
| Every tool is for everyone | No | Some tools are only from 18. |
| Every tool shows its sources | No | Search tools can. A chat tool without search can't look things up. |
Related topics
Read first
- Free or paidwhat costs money, and what doesn't.
Next
- A good promptonce you've chosen, ask it well.
Related
- Privacy and your datathe first question of the compass.
Sources
- documentationAnthropic. Consumer Terms of Service.You must be at least 18 to use Claude.
- documentationElevenLabs. ElevenLabs Terms of Service.You must be at least 18. Free users may only use it for non-commercial purposes. (Checked through a search engine.)
- documentationAnthropic. Web search tool.Web search lets a model answer with up-to-date information beyond its knowledge cutoff, with citations. It searches for recent news, current prices and scores; for stable facts, maths or writing it answers directly. Search results go into the context window.
- documentationMistral AI. Can I opt out of my input or output data being used for training?.On the free plan, your chats are used for training unless you turn it off in the privacy settings. (Checked through a search engine.)
- documentationAnthropic. Is my data used for model training?.Chats on Free, Pro and Max are used for training if you allow it. You change that with the Model Improvement setting. Incognito chats are never used.
Test
You get 7 questions about the whole page. Get 5 right, and you've mastered the topic.
About the tools in this course. Every tool is described in the same way, in alphabetical order, without a recommendation. Names, prices and features change often: the maker's own site is always right. This site was built with the help of Claude, one of the tools described here.