Find the AI tool that fits the job you actually have.
Fifty AI tools across nine categories, priced from their own vendor pages, with the tradeoff stated before you sign up.
Every price on The AI Shelf was read from the vendor's own page on 26 October 2026. No outbound link carries a tracking code yet: how that works.
Start with the job, not the logo
Nine categories, fifty tools. Each one is compared with the tools doing the same work, on price, output and where it falls short.
Writing and chat
Drafting, editing and research help for everyday text work.
6 toolsImage generation
Pictures, product shots and art from a written prompt.
6 toolsVideo and avatars
Clips, talking heads and edited footage without a crew.
6 toolsCoding and development
Autocomplete, agents and review inside the editor.
6 toolsVoice and audio
Speech, music and transcript based editing for sound.
5 toolsResearch and knowledge
Answers built from sources you can open and check.
5 toolsAgents and automation
Connected apps doing multi step work on a schedule.
5 toolsMeeting notes
Recorders that turn calls into decisions and actions.
6 toolsDesign and prototypes
Interfaces, sites and visuals from a prompt or a sketch.
5 toolsA price tag is only useful next to the limits
Every listing starts from the vendor's own pricing page, then states what the plan actually gives you: the cap, the seat count, the feature held back for a higher tier.
Where a vendor hides the number behind a sales call or a credit system, the listing says so instead of guessing.
Compare pricing side by sidePerplexity
Pro about $17/mo- Best for
- Researchers who want source backed answers across topics.
- Skip it if
- You need business use plans, or conclusions you can rely on without checking.
- Cost
- Free tier. Pro is about $17/month billed annually, Max $167.
- Watch out
- Cited answers still need checking.
- Runs on
- Web
See it work before you pay
Every tool carries a demo video from the vendor or a working user, chosen for recency and for showing the product rather than the pitch.
Describe the job in a sentence.
Tell us what you need done, your monthly budget and what matters most. You get a ranked shortlist of five tools with prices, tradeoffs and a demo for each.
Find my tool