Checked on 5 September 2026 — prices change; the link beside each tool takes you to the maker’s own page.
Every tool taught in Your First 30 Days With AI has a free tier, and the free tier is enough for the whole course. You do not need to pay for anything to finish it.
Prices appear nowhere in the course videos, on purpose. They live here, where they can be corrected the day they change. If a number you see anywhere else disagrees with this page, trust this page — this is the one that gets checked.
The five tools
ChatGPT
Made by OpenAI. The general-purpose assistant used in most of the course.
Yes. Unlimited text conversations, with limits on file uploads, voice chats, deep research, and image making — images on the free tier are described as limited and slower.
Go, Plus and Pro. No price figure was displayed on OpenAI’s pricing page when we checked — the price is shown on the maker’s page in your own currency.
Worth knowing: OpenAI’s page says the Go plan “may include ads”.
Yes, free, on iPhone and Android. Free accounts get a limited amount of voice each day.
Google Gemini
Made by Google. Built into Android phones and into Google’s own apps.
Yes. Free with a Google account, including image generation and editing, Deep Research, and the Gemini Live voice conversation.
Google AI Plus, Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra. Google’s page showed these prices in US dollars when we checked, so the price is shown on the maker’s page in your own currency.
Yes, free — but Gemini Live is available on Android phones and tablets only. It is not on iPhone or iPad. If you use an iPhone, use ChatGPT for voice instead.
Microsoft Copilot
Made by Microsoft. Sits inside Windows, Edge and the Office apps.
Yes. Microsoft says that for personal use you can use Copilot on the web for free, or download the app.
Copilot’s extra allowances come with a Microsoft 365 subscription. On Microsoft’s UK page: Personal £8.49 a month or £84.99 a year; Family £10.49 a month or £104.99 a year; Premium £18.99 a month or £189.99 a year.
One trap to know about: on the Family plan the AI features go to the subscription owner only. They cannot be shared with the other people on the plan.
If you're already paying for ChatGPT and wondering whether a Copilot tier on top is worth it, I ran both side by side for a week — the honest verdict is here.
Yes. Microsoft announced free voice for all Copilot users in February 2025, with a note that it can be delayed at busy times.
Claude
Made by Anthropic. The one to reach for when you want careful, considered writing.
Yes. Conversations on the web, on iPhone, on Android and on the desktop app, with web search, memory across conversations, and file creation.
Pro and Max. Anthropic’s page showed these prices in US dollars when we checked, so the price is shown on the maker’s page in your own currency.
Yes. Voice mode is listed as included on the free plan.
Canva
A design tool with AI built in. Used in the course for anything you want to look good on a page.
Yes. £0 a year for one person, with up to 200 Standard AI uses or 20 Premium AI uses, plus templates, photos and 5GB of storage.
On Canva’s UK page: Pro £100 a year for one person; Business £180 a year per person.
Not applicable. Canva is a design tool, not a voice assistant.
How to read this page
Three things are worth knowing before you spend anything.
- The free tiers are enough for the whole course. Every lesson, every exercise, the capstone folder at the end — all of it can be done without paying a penny.
- Where a price is missing, that is deliberate. Some makers show their prices in US dollars, or show no figure at all until you sign in. Converting a dollar price into pounds would give you a number that is wrong the moment the exchange rate moves, and wrong again once tax is added. So we send you to the maker’s own page, which will show you your own currency.
- A free account is the right place to start. Give a tool a fortnight before you pay for it. Most people who pay early pay for something they were never going to use.
A note on making pictures: you may have read about DALL·E. It was retired in May 2026, and image making now lives inside ChatGPT itself. If a book or an article tells you to go and find it, that was written before the change — ask ChatGPT for the picture instead.
This page is re-checked every month. The date at the top is the last time somebody opened each of those five pages and read them.
These are the tools taught in Your First 30 Days With AI, the eight-module beginners’ course. The first two modules are free.