# Best AI tools for students in Saudi Arabia: seven free tools, sorted by task

> **The short answer**: The best AI tools for students are seven free ones, each with a job: ChatGPT for studying with study mode, Claude for long writing, Gemini with a free year of Google AI Plus, NotebookLM for your own files, Perplexity for sources, and Gamma and Canva for slides. Paid ChatGPT or Claude starts at USD 20 a month.
>
> tiswa lists the current student offers in Saudi Arabia for [Canva](https://tiswa.app/en/deals/canva/), [Google AI](https://tiswa.app/en/deals/gemini/) and [GitHub](https://tiswa.app/en/deals/github-student-pack/).

**Key takeaways**

- ChatGPT study mode is free on every plan.
- Claude's free plan includes web search and up to five projects.
- Google AI Plus is free for 12 months for students, with a payment method at sign-up.
- Gamma gives 400 credits once, at sign-up.
- Three tools cover most students. Ten tools that overlap just scatter your files.

![AI tools for students: the best free tools by task](https://tiswa.app/assets/blog/best-ai-tools-for-students/best-ai-tools-for-students-cover-en.webp)

## What are the best free AI tools for students?

| Tool | Job | Free plan | Price if you need more |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Understanding and self-testing | Study mode on every plan[^1] | Plus at USD 20 a month[^2] |
| Claude | Long writing and organising courses | Web search, memory and up to 5 projects[^3] | Pro at USD 20 a month, or 17 billed yearly[^3] |
| Gemini | All-round assistant with storage | Yes, on any Google account | Google AI Plus free for 12 months for students[^4] |
| NotebookLM | Studying from your own files | Up to 50 sources per notebook[^5] | Higher limits on Google AI plans[^5] |
| Perplexity | Finding sources | Free plan | Education Pro at a discount for verified students[^6] |
| Gamma | Presentations | 400 credits at sign-up[^7] | Paid plans on its pricing page |
| Canva | Design and slides | Canva Free[^8] | Pro free through Canva for Campus if your university joins[^8] |

![Comparison card of the guide table](https://tiswa.app/assets/blog/best-ai-tools-for-students/best-ai-tools-for-students-inline-2-en.webp)


## How we ranked them

Three questions: which university job does the tool do better than the others, what does it give free without a card, and what does it cost if you outgrow it? We dropped tools that repeat a job already on the list, and image and video generators, which have their own guide in [AI image generators](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/ai-image-generators/). Prices are in dollars because that is how the companies list them, and your bank may add a foreign-currency fee on a Saudi card.

## The verdict on each tool

1. **ChatGPT**: Best for interactive study. Study mode is on every plan on the web, iOS and Android, and it asks and guides instead of answering, with uploads for notes and photos of problems.[^1] Start it by typing @study. Ready prompts are in [ChatGPT prompts for studying](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/chatgpt-study-prompts/).
2. **Claude**: Best for a graduation project. The free plan includes web search, file creation, code execution, memory and up to five projects, with usage that resets every 5 hours.[^3] Keep references and drafts in one project and come back to it weekly.
3. **Gemini**: Best value for a student in Saudi Arabia. Google's student page offers Google AI Plus free for a full year, asks for a valid payment method at sign-up and renews at the monthly price unless you cancel.[^4] Conditions are in [Gemini free for students](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/gemini-free-for-students/).
4. **NotebookLM**: Best when you want answers from your own files only. Google now calls it Gemini Notebook; the free plan allows 50 sources per notebook, and usage refreshes every 5 hours up to a weekly limit.[^5] Upload your course slides from Blackboard and ask for questions, not a summary. See [NotebookLM for students](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/notebooklm-for-students/).
5. **Perplexity**: Best for starting research, because every answer comes with numbered sources. Education Pro is discounted for students and educators verified through SheerID.[^6] Cite the original source, not the tool, as [Perplexity AI for research](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/perplexity-for-research/) explains.
6. **Gamma**: Fastest from text to slides. The free plan gives 400 credits once, at sign-up.[^7] Write the structure yourself first, then generate, then check every number on the slides.
7. **Canva**: Best when design matters. University students start on Canva Free and may get Pro features free through Canva for Campus if their university is signed up.[^8] Slide tools are compared in [AI presentation makers](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/ai-presentation-makers/).

> **tiswa's take**: Our view at tiswa: in your first year, three tools are enough: Google AI Plus, because the year is free and NotebookLM comes with it; free ChatGPT for study mode; and Canva Free for slides. Add Claude when a graduation project or a semester-long paper starts, and Perplexity if a course asks for a literature review. Do not pay for anything until you hit a free limit twice in the same week.

## Do I need to pay for any of them?

Most students do not. The free Google AI Plus year covers an all-round assistant, storage and NotebookLM,[^4] study mode is free in ChatGPT,[^1] and Claude's free plan works as long as five projects are enough.[^3] Paying makes sense when you hit the same limit again and again in exam week, or start a graduation project with long daily sessions. Then pick one plan. Claude drops to USD 17 a month if you pay yearly; ChatGPT Plus has no annual option and stays at USD 20 a month.[^3][^2]

## Which AI tools work well in Arabic?

ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all write Modern Standard Arabic and understand questions in it. The difference shows in terminology: ask in every prompt for the English term in brackets if your course is taught in English, as medicine and engineering are at King Saud University and KFUPM. To polish an Arabic report without losing your own voice, read [AI paraphrasing in Arabic](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/ai-arabic-writing/).

## How do I set up my tools in an hour?

1. **Claim Google AI Plus**: At gemini.google/students, on your personal Google account, with a payment method ready.[^4]
2. **Create a notebook per course**: In NotebookLM, upload the syllabus and the first two weeks of slides.
3. **Try study mode**: In ChatGPT, type @study and ask it to quiz you on your first topic.
4. **Set up a project for your paper**: If you have a paper or graduation project, give it a Claude project with its files and instructions.
5. **Read each course policy**: Know what is allowed before you use any tool on graded work.
6. **Set a reminder**: A week before the Google AI Plus year ends, so you can decide whether to keep it.

![5-step flow: Claim Google AI Plus / Create a notebook per course / Set up ChatGPT / Give your paper a Claude project / Read each course policy](https://tiswa.app/assets/blog/best-ai-tools-for-students/best-ai-tools-for-students-inline-1-en.webp)


## Which AI tools suit which major?

- Medicine, nursing and pharmacy: NotebookLM for long references, study mode for case questions.
- Engineering: ChatGPT or Claude for step-by-step problems, with every number checked on a calculator.
- Computer science: Claude for reviewing and explaining code, plus the [GitHub Student Developer Pack](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/github-student-developer-pack/).
- Business and accounting: Gamma or Canva for slides, Claude for case reports.
- Design and architecture: Canva, and more in [design software for students](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/design-software-for-students/).

## What mistakes do students make with AI tools?

- Trusting a reference the tool names without opening it. Some are invented.
- Pasting answers into graded work. University rules are in [AI and academic integrity](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/ai-academic-integrity-rules/).
- Sharing a university login or ID number in a chat.
- Buying a shared account from an online shop instead of using a free plan.
- Forgetting to cancel after a free year, so the price lands on your card.
- Collecting tools that overlap until your files are spread over five accounts.

If you are stuck between the big three, the detailed matchup is [ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/chatgpt-vs-claude-vs-gemini/), and what never to upload is in [AI privacy for students](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/ai-privacy-for-students/).

A first prompt to try in any tool:

```
I am a [year] student in [major] at a Saudi university. This term I am taking: [list].
Help me plan my study week: suggest a fixed slot for each course and a review method that suits each one (problem sets, flashcards, reading), and ask me for anything you need before you suggest.
```

Many of these tools and apps have student versions. tiswa collects them for verified university students under [study tools](https://tiswa.app/en/deals/study/), with major-specific offers such as [computer science deals](https://tiswa.app/en/deals/majors/computer-science/). [Join tiswa](https://tiswa.app/en/join/)

Free software beyond AI is in [free software for university students](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/free-software-for-students/).

## Questions

### What are the best AI tools for students for free?

For a student in Saudi Arabia: Gemini with the free Google AI Plus year, free ChatGPT for study mode, and NotebookLM for studying from your files.

### What are the best AI tools for students research?

Perplexity for finding sources, since it numbers them in every answer, then Claude for organising references and drafts. Always cite the original.

### Are there AI tools for students like ChatGPT that are free?

Yes. Claude and Gemini both have free plans, and students at Saudi universities can get Google AI Plus free for 12 months.

### What is the best AI tool for students writing?

Claude, for long papers, because a project keeps your references and drafts together. Write the draft yourself and use it for feedback.

### What is the best free AI presentation tool for students?

Gamma for speed, with 400 free credits at sign-up, and Canva when design matters. Outline the deck yourself first.


## Sources

[^1]: OpenAI Help Center: Using study mode in ChatGPT, https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11780217-using-study-mode-in-chatgpt
[^2]: OpenAI Help Center: What is ChatGPT Plus?, https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6950777-what-is-chatgpt-plus
[^3]: Claude: Plans and pricing, https://claude.com/pricing
[^4]: Google: Gemini for Students, https://gemini.google/students/
[^5]: Gemini Notebook Help: Learn about Gemini Notebook plans, https://support.google.com/gemininotebook/answer/16213268?hl=en
[^6]: Perplexity Help Center: What is Education Pro?, https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/12590157-what-is-education-pro
[^7]: Gamma: Pricing, https://gamma.app/pricing
[^8]: Canva: Canva for students, https://www.canva.com/education/students/