DeepLearning.AIPaid certificate
AI For Everyone
Andrew Ng's non-technical primer on what AI is good for and how to plan around it at work. It takes 7 hours on Coursera, and the certificate is paid.
never codedai literacy
The best AI tools for small business in 2026
The best AI tools for small business are ChatGPT for drafting emails, posts and policies, Canva for marketing graphics, Zapier for automating admin between apps and Grammarly for polishing customer-facing writing. Add Notion AI if your team already works in Notion and Gamma for pitch decks. Each has a free plan; start with ChatGPT and Canva.
Small businesses get the most from AI on the jobs nobody was hired to do: marketing copy, social posts, slide decks and copying data between apps. These 6 tools cover that ground, and you can try every one of them without paying (Notion AI as a limited trial).
Last checked : each pick's free plan and price on the maker's own pricing page.
AI tools for small business at a glance
One tool per job, in the order most small business need them. Select a name to jump to why we picked it.
| Pick | Tool | Use it for | Score | Best for | Learn it free |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChatGPTOpenAI | Draft emails, posts and documents | 9.0 / 10 | Good for everyone | Generative AI for Everyone |
| 2 | CanvaCanva | Make marketing graphics without a designer | 8.6 / 10 | Best for beginners | Maker's own tutorials |
| 3 | ZapierZapier | Automate admin between your apps | 8.3 / 10 | Best for beginners | AI For Everyone |
| 4 | GrammarlyGrammarly | Polish customer-facing writing | 8.2 / 10 | Best for beginners | Maker's own tutorials |
| 5 | Notion AINotion | Summarise notes and keep a team wiki | 7.6 / 10 | Good for everyone | Generative AI for Everyone |
| 6 | GammaGamma | Build pitch and sales decks | 8.0 / 10 | Best for beginners | Maker's own tutorials |
Why we picked each tool
What each tool does for you, the catch, what is free and what costs money, from the maker's own pricing page.
- 9.0 / 10
Number 1: ChatGPT
OpenAI
Good for everyoneProduct descriptions, replies to tricky customer emails, job adverts and first drafts of policies. Paste in your own facts and tone of voice, then edit: it writes fast, but it doesn't know your business.
- Use it for
- Draft emails, posts and documents
- The catch
- It sounds as sure when it's wrong as when it's right. Check anything that matters against a real source.
- Free plan
- Free plan with unlimited chats on the standard model and limited uploads.
- Paid plans
- Go is US$8 a month; Plus is US$20 a month. ChatGPT pricing (opens in a new tab)
Learn it free
- Generative AI for EveryoneDeepLearning.AInever codedShows what chat assistants are good and bad at, with no code.
- Introduction to Generative AIGoogle Cloudnever codedA short primer on how the models behind it work.
- ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for DevelopersDeepLearning.AI and OpenAIsome PythonFor when you want to call it from your own code.
- 8.6 / 10
Number 2: Canva
Canva
Best for beginnersSocial posts, flyers, menus and simple ads from templates, with your logo and colours saved in a brand kit. Its AI features resize one design for every platform in a click.
- Use it for
- Make marketing graphics without a designer
- The catch
- Lots of people use the same templates. Change fonts and colours so yours doesn't look generic.
- Free plan
- Free plan for one person.
- Paid plans
- Canva Pro is US$144 a year for one person. Canva pricing (opens in a new tab)
Learn it free
No free course we'd recommend yet. You'll learn this one fastest by using it, and the maker's own tutorials are the best place to start.
- 8.3 / 10
Number 3: Zapier
Zapier
Best for beginnersConnects the tools you already pay for: new web form to spreadsheet, new order to Slack, new invoice to accounts. Start with one 2-step Zap that saves you 10 minutes a day.
- Use it for
- Automate admin between your apps
- The catch
- Costs climb as your automations run more often. Keep an eye on usage.
- Free plan
- Free plan with 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps.
- Paid plans
- Professional starts at US$19.99 a month and adds multi-step Zaps. Zapier pricing (opens in a new tab)
- 8.2 / 10
Number 4: Grammarly
Grammarly
Best for beginnersChecks spelling, grammar and tone in email and documents as you type. Worth it for anyone sending quotes, proposals or support replies where a typo costs trust.
- Use it for
- Polish customer-facing writing
- The catch
- Accepting every suggestion flattens your voice. Ignore the ones that don't sound like you.
- Free plan
- Free plan fixes spelling and grammar and includes 100 AI prompts.
- Paid plans
- Pro is US$12 a month and adds full-sentence rewrites, tone changes and 2,000 AI prompts. Grammarly pricing (opens in a new tab)
Learn it free
No free course we'd recommend yet. You'll learn this one fastest by using it, and the maker's own tutorials are the best place to start.
- 7.6 / 10
Number 5: Notion AI
Notion
Good for everyoneIf your team already uses Notion, the AI can summarise meeting notes, draft procedures and answer questions from your own pages. If you don't use Notion, skip it rather than move for the AI alone.
- Use it for
- Summarise notes and keep a team wiki
- The catch
- It's only worth it if you already use Notion. Don't move your notes only for the AI.
- Free plan
- Free and Plus workspaces get a limited trial of Notion AI.
- Paid plans
- Notion AI comes with the Business plan, US$20 per seat a month. Notion AI pricing (opens in a new tab)
- 8.0 / 10
Number 6: Gamma
Gamma
Best for beginnersTurns a written outline into a designed deck. Good for investor updates, sales proposals and training slides when nobody on the team designs.
- Use it for
- Build pitch and sales decks
- The catch
- The generated text is generic. Keep the structure and replace the words with your own.
- Free plan
- Free plan for simple projects.
- Paid plans
- Plus is US$9 per seat a month billed yearly and removes Gamma branding. Gamma pricing (opens in a new tab)
Learn it free
No free course we'd recommend yet. You'll learn this one fastest by using it, and the maker's own tutorials are the best place to start.
Where should a small business start with AI?
A small business should start with AI on writing and design, using ChatGPT and Canva, because the payoff is immediate and the risk is low. Move on to automation with Zapier once you've spotted a task you repeat every day.
What should a small business never hand to AI?
Never paste customer personal data, contracts or financial records into a free AI chat plan without checking how the maker uses your data. Don't let AI send anything to customers unchecked. Legal, tax and HR wording needs a qualified person to review it.
Free courses that make these tools more useful
Knowing what AI is good and bad at makes every tool above more useful. These reviewed courses teach that, with no code.
DeepLearning.AIPaid certificate
Generative AI for Everyone
What large language models can actually do for you and your team, without writing a line of code. Andrew Ng teaches it in 6 hours on Coursera, certificate paid.
never codedai literacypromptingllms
University of HelsinkiFree certificate
Elements of AI
The gentlest way in: a University of Helsinki course with no code and no maths beyond school level. It takes about 24 to 48 hours and the certificate is free.
never codedai literacy
Questions about AI tools for small business
What is the most useful AI tool for a small business?
ChatGPT is the most useful single AI tool for most small businesses, because so much of the work is writing: emails, adverts, product descriptions and policies. Canva is a close second if you post on social media every week.
How much should a small business spend on AI tools?
Start at nothing: every tool on this page has a free plan, except Notion AI, which offers a limited trial. Upgrade one tool at a time, only once you hit its free limit every week. The prices beside each pick show what the first paid plan costs.
Is it safe to put customer data into AI tools?
Not by default. Free plans may use your inputs to improve their models. Read the maker's data policy, prefer business plans that exclude training on your data, and remove names and contact details before pasting anything in.
Can AI answer customer emails for me?
AI can draft replies, but a person should check and send them. Use ChatGPT to draft from your own notes and policies, then edit. Fully automatic replies risk wrong promises, which cost more than the time they save.
What can I automate with Zapier?
Anything that moves data between apps on a trigger: form entries into a spreadsheet, new sales into your accounts tool, or new reviews into a team chat. Start with one simple Zap and build from there once it runs reliably.
Is there a free course on AI for business owners?
Yes. AI For Everyone by DeepLearning.AI explains what AI can do for a business with no code, and Generative AI for Everyone covers tools like ChatGPT. Both are on Coursera, with the certificate price shown when you enrol.
Our verdict
If you run a team of fewer than 10 people, pick AI tools for small business that save writing and design time first: ChatGPT and Canva. Add Zapier once a repeated task is costing you an hour a week.
Where to go next
- Best AI chat assistants, ranked
The general-purpose AI you talk to. Most people should start here.
- Best AI design and presentation tools, ranked
Presentations, posters and graphics without a designer.
- Best AI automation tools, ranked
Connect your apps and let AI handle repetitive steps.
- Best AI writing tools, ranked
Tools that tidy, rewrite and check what you write.
- Best AI tools for students
Revise from your own notes, research with sources and polish essays without cheating yourself.
- Best AI tools for content creators
Script, voice, edit and package videos faster, without handing over your style.
- Best AI tools for teachers
Plan lessons, adapt resources and make slides faster, so evenings go back to marking or rest.
- Best AI tools for marketing
Copy, creative, research and reporting: the AI tools a small marketing team gets the most from.
- Best AI tools for developers
Coding assistants, research and local models: the AI stack that makes a working developer faster.
- Best AI tools for writers
Edit, check, research and hear your work, while the words stay yours.
Know your tools? Learn the ideas behind them.
Every course we link is free to start and reviewed. Browse the catalogue to find one at your level.