Omega Scholar AI / Which AI?
Scholar AI chooser
Which AI should I use?
Pick the job you’re doing, then try the first tool in that row. Free options are listed first, and every price and student offer links to the vendor’s own page, checked 2026-10-18. Short version: Perplexity or Gemini for research with sources, Gemini Notebook for long PDFs, GitHub Copilot Student for coding, Wolfram|Alpha or ChatGPT study mode for step-by-step math, and Otter for lecture transcripts (where recording is allowed).
Use AI as a tutor, not a ghostwriter. Check your school’s rules first.
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| Job | Tool | Free | Paid | Student offer | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research with sources Research guide · Citations | Perplexity | Yes, limited Pro searches | Pro $17/mo billed annually | Education Pro $10/mo (verified students) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 |
| Gemini (Deep Research) | Yes, Deep Research is on the Free plan; compute-based limits | Google AI Pro $19.99/mo | Google AI Pro free for 1 year for eligible U.S. college students 18+ (redeem by Dec 31, 2026; card required; then $19.99/mo) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 | |
| ChatGPT (deep research) | Limited deep research | Plus $20/mo (expanded deep research) | 4 free months of Plus for eligible U.S. college & grad students (claim by Oct 31, 2026; card required; then $20/mo) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 | |
| Reading long PDFs Note-taking | Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) | Yes: 50 sources per notebook, up to 500,000 words or 200 MB per source | Higher limits with Google AI plans | Google AI Pro free for 1 year for eligible U.S. college students 18+ (redeem by Dec 31, 2026; card required; then $19.99/mo) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 |
| Claude | Yes; usage limits apply; context window up to 1M tokens, varies by model | Pro $17/mo billed annually, $20 monthly | None published (check site) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source | |
| ChatGPT | Limited uploads; Free input max about 12 pages for GPT Instant | Go $8/mo or Plus $20/mo: about 40 pages (Instant), about 320 pages (reasoning) | 4 free months of Plus for eligible U.S. college & grad students (claim by Oct 31, 2026; card required; then $20/mo) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 | |
| Writing feedback & grammar School rules | LanguageTool (grammar & spelling checker) | Yes, free grammar and spelling checks | Premium from €4.90/mo billed yearly (€59.89/yr), €19.90 monthly (EUR prices from help center; USD: check site) | Up to 20% off Premium for students | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source |
| Microsoft Word spelling & grammar check | Free Office 365 A1 (web apps) is available to schools; ask if yours provides it | Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr (adds Copilot; AI usage limits apply) | 50% off for verified college students (exact price: check site) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 Source 3 | |
| Gemini (feedback against a rubric) | Yes | Google AI Pro $19.99/mo | Google AI Pro free for 1 year for eligible U.S. college students 18+ (redeem by Dec 31, 2026; card required; then $19.99/mo) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 | |
| Coding help School rules | GitHub Copilot Student | Free for verified students (an allowance of AI credits) | Copilot Pro $10/mo | Copilot Student is free for verified students | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 |
| Claude (incl. Claude Code on Pro) | Chat, code execution; Claude Code not on Free | Pro $17/mo billed annually, $20 monthly | None published (check site) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source | |
| ChatGPT (incl. Codex) | Limited Codex access | Plus $20/mo (expanded Codex) | 4 free months of Plus for eligible U.S. college & grad students (claim by Oct 31, 2026; card required; then $20/mo) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 | |
| Math, step by step Exam study | Wolfram|Alpha | Basic: free with sign-in, no step-by-step solutions | Pro for Students $5.00/mo billed $60/yr; Pro Premium for Students $8.25/mo billed $99/yr | Student plans are the prices shown | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source |
| ChatGPT study mode | Yes, study mode on Free | Go $8/mo · Plus $20/mo | 4 free months of Plus for eligible U.S. college & grad students (claim by Oct 31, 2026; card required; then $20/mo) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 | |
| Gemini | Yes (step-by-step explanations are an official student use) | Google AI Pro $19.99/mo | Google AI Pro free for 1 year for eligible U.S. college students 18+ (redeem by Dec 31, 2026; card required; then $19.99/mo) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 | |
| Slides | Claude Slides | Yes, Claude Slides is on the Free plan | Pro $17/mo billed annually, $20 monthly | None published (check site) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source |
| Copilot in PowerPoint (Microsoft 365 Personal) | Check site | $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr | 50% off for verified college students (exact price: check site) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 | |
| Scheduling & planning Semester stack guide | Notion + Notion Calendar | Notion Calendar is on the Free plan; Education Plan free with a college email | Plus $10/member/mo (billing period: check site) | Education Plan free (re-verify yearly) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 |
| ChatGPT (scheduled tasks) | Chat to build a study plan: yes. Scheduled tasks: not on Free | Go $8/mo (includes scheduled tasks) · Plus $20/mo | 4 free months of Plus for eligible U.S. college & grad students (claim by Oct 31, 2026; card required; then $20/mo) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 | |
| Copilot in Outlook (Microsoft 365 Personal) | Check site | $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr | 50% off for verified college students (exact price: check site) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 | |
| Transcribing lectures Note-taking | Otter.ai | Basic: 300 min/month, 30 min per conversation | Pro $16.99/mo, or $8.33/mo billed annually | 20% off Pro with .edu email: $13.59/mo or $79.99/yr | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 |
| LM Studio (offline, on your computer) | Free: offline voice transcription; audio stays on your device | Bionic+ $20/mo (optional cloud models) | None published | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 | |
| Images & diagrams | ChatGPT image creation | Limited image creation | Plus $20/mo (expanded) | 4 free months of Plus for eligible U.S. college & grad students (claim by Oct 31, 2026; card required; then $20/mo) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 |
| Gemini image generation | Yes, image generation and editing on Free | Google AI Pro $19.99/mo | Google AI Pro free for 1 year for eligible U.S. college students 18+ (redeem by Dec 31, 2026; card required; then $19.99/mo) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 | |
| Grok Imagine | Limited image generation | Plus $8/mo · Premium $30/mo | None published | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source | |
| Spreadsheets & data | ChatGPT data analysis | Limited data analysis on Free | Go $8/mo or Plus $20/mo | 4 free months of Plus for eligible U.S. college & grad students (claim by Oct 31, 2026; card required; then $20/mo) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 |
| Copilot in Excel (Microsoft 365 Personal) | Check site | $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr; file must be saved to OneDrive with AutoSave on | 50% off for verified college students (exact price: check site) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 | |
| Gemini in Google Sheets | No: needs an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan | Google AI Pro $19.99/mo (check site that your plan includes Sheets) | Google AI Pro free for 1 year for eligible U.S. college students 18+ (redeem by Dec 31, 2026; card required; then $19.99/mo) | Last checked: 2026-10-18 Source Source 2 |
“Check site” means we couldn’t confirm that detail on an official page today. Prices are U.S. unless noted. Student offers usually need verification and a payment method, and they renew at full price unless you cancel.
How to pick
- Start free. Every row has a free option. Upgrade only when you keep hitting a limit.
- Prefer tools that show sources (Perplexity, Gemini Notebook) when facts matter, and open the sources.
- Mind privacy. Some tools may use your chats for training unless you opt out. See Models explained.
- Check the rules for each assignment. Allowed for studying doesn’t mean allowed on graded work.
FAQ
Which AI should I use for school?
It depends on the job. For research with sources, try Perplexity or Gemini Deep Research. For long PDFs, Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM). For coding, GitHub Copilot Student is free for verified students. For step-by-step math, Wolfram|Alpha or ChatGPT study mode. Check your syllabus before using any of them on coursework.
What AI tools are free for college students?
As of 2026-10-18: Gemini Notebook, ChatGPT Free (including study mode), Claude Free, Microsoft Copilot (free app), Perplexity Free, Zotero, and GitHub Copilot Student for verified students. Google AI Pro is free for a year for eligible U.S. college students 18+ (redeem by Dec 31, 2026).
Is it OK to use AI for writing feedback?
Grammar and spelling checks and feedback on your own draft are often allowed, but some courses ban AI on writing assignments. Never hand in AI-written text as your own. Check your syllabus and ask your instructor.
Why don't you list tools that disguise AI writing?
Because tools built to disguise AI writing or get around plagiarism and AI checks are built for cheating. Omega Scholar AI only lists tools that help you learn and do your own work.
Disclosure: no one paid to be on this page and it has no affiliate links. If we ever add one, it will be labeled right next to the link (for example, “paid link: we earn a commission”). Prices and student offers change often. We checked each one on the vendor’s own page on the date shown; confirm on their site before you pay.