A decade ago, AI felt like something out of a sci-fi movie. Today, it’s become a part of our daily lives. AI-powered tools can help you with research, enhance your writing, and even optimize your study sessions.

But not all AI tools are created equal. Some are truly game-changing, while others just add to the digital clutter. That’s why I’ve curated this list of the top 10 AI tools that students should be using in 2025—each designed to make studying more efficient, learning more engaging, and academic life just a little bit easier.

I’ll break down how each tool works, what makes it special, and even provide pricing details.

Let’s dive in.

1. Jotform AI Quiz Generator

Self-testing is one of the most effective ways to retain information, but creating quizzes manually can be tedious. Jotform’s AI Quiz Generator removes that burden by automatically turning notes, PDFs, and prompts into quizzes.

What Does Jotform AI Quiz Generator Do?

This tool takes any text, document, or prompt and instantly converts it into a quiz. Whether you’re studying for a history exam or preparing for a science test, you can generate practice questions in seconds.

It supports multiple-choice, short-answer, and true-or-false formats, making it a flexible tool for self-assessment.

Pricing

• Free Plan – Basic quiz creation with limited features.
• Paid Plans (starting at $39/month) – Advanced features for educators and teams.

Pros & Cons

? Saves time by generating quizzes instantly.
? Works with different types of content—notes, PDFs, and prompts.
? Great for self-assessment before exams.

? Not ideal for complex subjects that require deep understanding rather than memorization.
? The paid version is expensive for casual student use.

2. Grammarly – More Than Just a Grammar Checker

There was a time when spell-check, such as the MS Word spell check, was the best writing assistant we had. Those days are long gone. Grammarly has evolved beyond just catching typos—today, it’s a full-fledged AI-powered writing coach that helps you refine your writing style, improve the clarity of your work, and even sound more confident on paper.

What Does Grammarly Do?

Grammarly analyses your writing and suggests improvements in real-time. It corrects spelling and grammar errors, offers word choice recommendations, and even provides suggestions based on tone, clarity, and conciseness. Whether you’re working on an essay, sending an email to a professor, or polishing a resume, Grammarly ensures your writing is clear, professional, and free of mistakes.

Pricing

• Free Plan – Covers basic grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
• Premium ($12/month) – Adds advanced clarity suggestions, tone adjustments, and plagiarism detection.

Pros & Cons

? Accurate and fast—catches errors that traditional spell-checkers miss.
? Enhances clarity and readability with intelligent rewriting suggestions.
? Works across multiple platforms, including Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and even emails.

? Premium version may be pricey for students on a tight budget.
? Doesn’t completely replace human proofreading, your judgment is also important.

3. Otter.ai – A Smarter Way to Take Notes

Imagine sitting in class, trying to scribble down every word your professor says while also trying to understand the lecture. It’s frustrating, right? That’s where Otter.ai steps in.

What Does Otter.ai Do?

Otter.ai is an AI-powered transcription tool that records, transcribes, and even summarizes spoken content in real-time. Whether you’re in a lecture, a group study session, or watching an online webinar, Otter captures everything word for word, so you can focus on listening instead of writing.

It even lets you search transcripts for key phrases, add highlights, and generate quick summaries—perfect for reviewing notes before an exam.

Pricing

• Free Plan – 300 minutes of transcription per month.
• Pro ($8.33/month) – 1,200 minutes per month, advanced summaries, team and note-sharing features.
• Business ($20/month per user) – 6,000 transcription minutes per month. Team collaboration features with live captions.

Pros & Cons

? Saves time—no more struggling to take perfect notes in class.
? Searchable transcripts make it easy to find important points.
? Integrates with Zoom and Google Meet for seamless online class recordings.

? Free plan is very limited and may not be enough for most users.
? Speech recognition isn’t perfect—technical terms and accents can sometimes cause errors.

4. ChatGPT

When you’re stuck on a difficult concept, wouldn’t it be great to have a personal tutor available 24/7? That’s what ChatGPT offers—instant explanations, study help, and even assistance with assignments.

What Does ChatGPT Do?

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that can answer questions, explain topics in simple terms, generate study guides, and even help with problem-solving.

Need an essay outline? ChatGPT can draft one in seconds. Struggling with a math concept? It can break it down step by step. It’s like having a virtual tutor that never gets tired.

Pricing

• Free Plan – Access to GPT-3.5.
• Plus ($20/month) – Access to GPT-4, faster and more advanced responses.

Pros & Cons

? Great for quick explanations and study guides.
? Helps with brainstorming essays and structuring ideas.
? Can generate personalized practice questions.

? Doesn’t always provide 100% accurate information. Don’t use it to replace yourself. It’s a helper or assistant to you, not your replacement.
? Free version has usage limits for advanced features.

5. Duolingo AI – A Smarter Way to Learn Languages

Learning a new language is tough. Memorizing vocabulary, figuring out grammar rules, and trying to pronounce words correctly, can feel overwhelming. Traditional methods like textbooks and flashcards can help, but they’re not always engaging. That’s where Duolingo comes in.

What Does Duolingo Do?

Duolingo has always been one of the most popular language-learning apps in the world, but with its AI-powered features, it has become even more effective. The language learning tool adapts to your learning style, identifies weak areas, and customizes exercises to help you improve.

One of its standout features is Duolingo Max, which offers AI-driven roleplay exercises and detailed explanations for mistakes. Instead of just memorizing phrases, you get to practice conversations with AI chatbots that simulate real-life scenarios—a huge advantage for students who need to build confidence in speaking.

Pricing

• Free Plan – All lessons with ads and hearts which get depleted and need to be refilled by either waiting or doing practice exercises.
• Super Duolingo ($6.99/month) – Removes ads, provides unlimited hearts (lives) and other cool features.
• Duolingo Max ($12.99/month) – Includes AI-powered roleplay and smart explanations.

Pros & Cons

? Personalized lessons adapt to your learning speed.
? AI-powered roleplay makes practicing conversation more natural.
? Gamified experience keeps learning engaging and consistent.

? Free version has limited features and frequent ads.
? AI-generated feedback can sometimes be generic.

If you’re looking for an interactive and engaging way to learn a new language, Duolingo AI is one of the best options available.

6. Quizlet

Flashcards have been a student favourite for years, but what if they could be smarter? Instead of manually creating flashcards and guessing what to review, Quizlet AI does the hard work for you.

What Does Quizlet AI Do?

Quizlet uses AI to generate flashcards, quizzes, and personalized study plans based on your learning patterns. It also uses spaced repetition, a scientifically proven method to help students retain information more effectively.

One of its newer AI-powered features is Magic Notes, which automatically transforms lecture notes into flashcards. Instead of spending hours organizing study materials, students can let AI turn notes into study sets instantly.

Pricing

• Free Plan – Basic flashcards and quizzes.
• Quizlet Plus ($6.33/month or $28.36/year) – AI-generated study plans, Magic Notes, smart grading and more.

Pros & Cons

? AI-generated flashcards save time.
? Spaced repetition improves memory retention.
? Smart grading and practice tests make studying more efficient.

? Free version has ads and limited features.
? Not ideal for subjects that require deep critical thinking.

7. Elicit – AI-Powered Research Assistant

Writing research papers can be one of the most time-consuming tasks for students. Finding reliable sources, reading through lengthy academic articles, and summarizing information takes hours. Elicit helps streamline the process by using AI to find, analyse, and summarize research papers.

What Does Elicit Do?

Elicit is designed to help students quickly gather and understand research articles without spending endless hours sifting through irrelevant sources. Instead of relying solely on Google Scholar, Elicit’s AI scans academic databases and extracts key insights from research papers.

It also provides AI-generated summaries of complex studies, making it easier to digest long papers without missing important details.

Pricing

• Free Plan – Basic AI research assistance.
• Paid Plans (starting at $12/month) – Advanced research tools and priority access to AI-generated summaries.

Pros & Cons

? Saves time by summarizing lengthy academic papers.
? Finds relevant research faster than traditional search engines.
? Helps students quickly compare different studies.

? Doesn’t always find the most recent or niche research.
? May require manual verification of AI-generated summaries.

8. Notion AI 

Most students use some kind of note-taking system, but keeping everything organized—class notes, assignments, project ideas, and deadlines—can quickly become overwhelming. That’s where Notion comes in.

What Does Notion AI Do?

Notion has long been a favorite for productivity and organization, but its AI-powered features take it to another level. It can summarize long notes, generate to-do lists, and even suggest ways to structure your study materials.

One of its most useful features is AI-powered task automation, which helps students manage assignments by automatically prioritizing tasks and setting reminders. Whether you need to organize research, plan a group project, or just keep track of deadlines, Notion keeps everything organized and in one place.

Pricing

• Free Plan – Basic note-taking and organization features.
• Notion Plus ($10/month) – AI-powered writing, summaries, and advanced organization tools.
• Notion AI ($8) – Charged independently from the notion plan. Meaning you can use Notion AI with a free plan by paying $8.

Pros & Cons

? AI-generated summaries help condense study materials.
? Organizes notes, assignments, and research in one place.
? Customizable templates make planning easy.

? AI features require a paid subscription.
? Can be overwhelming to set up for beginners.

9. TLDRThis

Long readings are a major part of academic life. Whether it’s research papers, textbooks, or articles, students often find themselves drowning in pages of dense reading material. Not everything needs to be read in full, and that’s where TLDRThis comes in.

What Does TLDRThis Do?

TLDRThis is an AI-powered text summarization tool that condenses long articles, research papers, and essays into key points. Instead of spending hours reading through unnecessary details, students can use TLDRThis to get a concise summary of the most important takeaways.

It also allows students to summarize web pages and PDF documents—a great feature when working on research projects.

Pricing

• Free Plan – Basic text summarization.
• Premium ($9.99/month) – Advanced summaries, unlimited usage, and customizable summary length.

Pros & Cons

? Saves time by highlighting key information in seconds.
? Works with academic papers, articles, and PDFs.
? Helps students quickly extract relevant details from research.

? Doesn’t work well with complex, technical content.
? AI-generated summaries may miss some nuanced details.

10. Coral AI – Your AI-Powered Research Assistant

Research is one of the most time-consuming parts of academic work. Finding relevant sources, sifting through studies, and organizing research can take hours or even days. Like Elicit, Coral AI is built to change that. However, Coral and Elicit each have their own unique features.

What Does Coral AI Do?

Coral AI is an AI-powered research assistant designed to help students gather, analyze, and structure academic research faster. It automates source discovery, summarizes key points, and even organizes research findings.

One of its most valuable features is its ability to quickly extract insights from multiple sources and present them in a structured format. Instead of manually scanning dozens of papers, Coral AI finds the most relevant information for you. Coral also allows you to chat with the files by asking questions and getting answers based on the sources provided.

Pricing

• Free Plan – Basic research assistance.
• Pro Plan ($14) – Advanced AI-driven research features.

Pros & Cons

? Automates research and organizes sources efficiently.
? Saves time by summarizing academic content.
? Helps students discover relevant studies faster.

? May require manual fact-checking of AI-generated summaries.
? Many advanced features may be behind a paywall.

For students working on research-intensive assignments, Coral AI can significantly cut down the time spent finding and analyzing academic sources.

Conclusion:

AI is changing the way students learn, study, and manage academic tasks. Instead of relying on outdated study methods, today’s students have access to powerful AI tools that can enhance productivity, improve writing, and streamline research.

Here’s a quick recap of the 10 best AI tools for students in 2025:

1. Jotform AI Quiz Generator – Converts notes into interactive quizzes.
2. Grammarly – AI-powered writing and grammar assistant.
3. Otter.ai – Real-time lecture transcription and note-taking.
4. ChatGPT – AI-powered study assistant and tutor.
5. Duolingo AI – Smart language learning with AI-driven exercises.
6. Quizlet AI – Personalized flashcards and spaced repetition.
7. Elicit – AI-driven research summarization.
8. Notion AI – AI-powered study organization and task management.
9. TLDRThis – AI summarization for faster reading.
10. Coral AI – AI research assistant to streamline academic work.

Each of these tools addresses a specific academic challenge, from writing better papers and taking smarter notes to optimizing study sessions and conducting research efficiently. While AI won’t replace hard work and dedication, it can certainly make studying easier, more effective, and less stressful. Whether you need help writing an essay, preparing for exams, or conducting research, these AI tools can help you work smarter, not harder.

Featured image by Siora Photography on Unsplash