foundations · Level 1
The free AI toolkit: how to choose tools and stay safe
A calm way to pick free AI tools, test them properly, spot the fakes and build a small starter stack of your own.
Start with the essentials
The short answer
Many AI tools offer a free tier with limits on use, features, quality or commercial rights, and some may use your inputs to improve their service. Pick a job first, shortlist two tools, test both on the same real task, and read each tool's own pricing and privacy pages for the current terms before you rely on it. Treat look-alike apps and pressure to pay with suspicion.
What you will learn
- You will be able to name the main categories of AI tool and match them to jobs you actually do.
- You will understand how free tiers typically work, and what to check before you rely on one.
- You will be able to find a tool's current free terms and privacy settings on its own pages.
- You will be able to test two tools fairly and choose between them.
- You will be able to spot fake AI apps and common scams, and know what to do if you are caught out.
- You will have a small starter stack and a set of personal safety rules.
Who it is for
Anyone starting out with AI who wants to pick tools sensibly and safely. It suits people who want to use AI at work, make videos or build a website. No technical knowledge is needed.
Before you start
- None. It helps to have read What is AI? and Your first prompts, but it is not essential.
Keep learning
The complete workbook
This workbook helps you choose and use free AI tools without wasting time or taking risks. You will learn the main kinds of tool, how free tiers typically work, how to check a tool's current terms yourself, how to test two tools fairly, how to spot fake apps and scams, and how to protect your privacy. It ends with a worksheet for your own starter stack.
- 01The map: nine kinds of AI toolIn the workbook · 1 exercise
AI tools come in many kinds. Knowing the categories helps you choose a tool for a job, instead of collecting apps for their own sake.
- 02How free tiers work, and how to check the termsIn the workbook · 1 exercise
A free tier is usually a taster of a paid product. Once you see the pattern, you know what to look for.
- 03Choose and test: a four-step methodIn the workbook · 1 exercise
The best tool is the one that does your job well, safely, within limits you can live with. A simple fair test beats a hundred review articles.
- 04Spotting fake AI apps and scamsIn the workbook · 1 exercise
Whenever a technology becomes popular, imitators and scammers follow. A few habits keep you safe.
- 05Privacy and safe useIn the workbook · 1 exercise
A free tool still runs on a real company's computers. What you type or upload leaves your device, so decide what goes in.
- 06Your starter stack worksheetIn the workbook · 2 exercises
A starter stack is a small set of tools, one for each job that matters to you, plus a few personal rules. Build yours now.
Also inside: a 8-point checklist, a glossary of 10 terms and 10 questions and answers to test yourself. 7 hands-on exercises, each with a worked answer at the back where the workbook gives one.
No login, no card, no account. Before the download we ask you to follow Mickai (two quick links). Free to download and use for personal learning, study groups and inside your own team. Please do not resell the workbooks or republish them as your own. Link people to trust-agent.ai instead.
Test yourself
Questions and answers
Are free AI tools really free?
Often yes, within limits. A free tier typically restricts how much you can use, which features you get, the quality or size of the output, or how you may use the results. Some are trials that become paid plans. Read the tool's own pricing page for the current terms.
Which free AI tool is best?
There is no single best tool. It depends on your job. Name the job, shortlist two tools, test them on the same real task and keep the one that suits you. Any names in this workbook are examples, not endorsements.
How do I find out what a tool's free plan includes today?
Go to the tool's own website, open its Pricing page and read the free plan. Then read its Terms and privacy information. Terms change, so note the date you checked and look again before any big project.
Will a free tool use my data?
It might. Some tools may use your inputs to improve their service unless you switch that off, and practices differ between plans. Look for the tool's data controls and privacy policy, and never paste secrets or other people's private data.
Can I use free AI output commercially, for example in a video or on a website?
It depends on the tool's terms. Some free plans limit commercial use or add watermarks. Read the terms on ownership and permitted use before you publish or sell anything. If they are unclear, choose another tool or ask the provider.
How can I tell if an AI app is fake?
Warning signs include a look-alike name, an advert instead of an official link, pressure to act now, card details demanded to 'verify' you, unusual permissions and promises of easy money. Check the publisher and reach the official site by a route you trust.
Are AI browser extensions safe?
Some are, but extensions can see and change the pages you visit, so treat them with care. Install only from a source you trust, check the publisher and the permissions requested, and remove any you no longer use.
Is it safe to let an AI tool see my email or files?
It is a bigger decision than pasting one paragraph. Grant only the access the job needs, read what the tool will do with it, and review or remove access later. Do not connect work accounts without your organisation's approval.
What should I do if I think I have been scammed?
Contact your bank at once if money or card details are involved, change any password you shared, keep screenshots and report it. In the UK, the National Cyber Security Centre has pages for reporting scam emails, texts, websites and adverts.
How many AI tools do I need?
Fewer than you think. Many beginners do well with one chat assistant and perhaps one specialist tool for their main creative job. Each extra tool is another account and another place your information lives.
When you have finished
Get your certificate of completion
Type your name and download a certificate for this workbook as a PDF, ready to print or to add to LinkedIn. It is made on your own device, so your name is never sent to us. It is a self-declared certificate, not an accredited qualification.
Learn the language
Key terms
- Free tier
- A version of a tool that you can use without paying, usually with limits on use, features or how you may use the results.
- Credits
- A pool of usage units that a tool gives you. When they run out you wait, upgrade or stop. How and when they renew varies by tool.
- Watermark
- A visible mark or logo that a tool adds to its output, often removed only on a paid plan.
- Terms of use
- The rules you agree to when you use a tool, including what you may do with it and with what it produces.
- Privacy policy
- A company's statement of what personal data it collects, how it uses that data and what choices you have.
- Opt out
- To switch off a particular use of your data, for example the use of your chats to improve a service.
6 of the workbook's 10 terms. The complete glossary is in the workbook.
Follow the evidence
Sources and checks
Facts last checked: .
These workbooks use AI assistance. See how the workbooks are made.
- Phishing scams: how to spot and report themNational Cyber Security Centre (UK)
- How to spot a scam email, text message or callNational Cyber Security Centre (UK)
Created by Mickarle Wagstaff-Irons - Micky Irons with the Mickai team. Published by Mickai LTD. Last updated 25 September 2026.
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