⚠️ Affiliate Disclosure: This post is not an affiliate associated review. It may become one in the future and this disclosure will reflect that. This does not affect my reviews and I only recommend tools I genuinely believe in.
Teachers are the group AI could help most and the group with least time to work out how. This list is deliberately practical: tools that cut marking, planning and admin time, that work on a school network, and that mostly have free tiers — because most teachers are paying out of their own pocket. Everything here has been tested and reviewed on this site.
The Short List
| Tool | Best for | Score | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Planning, differentiation and admin | 9.0/10 | Free tier, Plus around $20/mo |
| Perplexity AI | Research pupils can actually cite | 9.0/10 | Free tier available |
| Canva Magic Studio | Worksheets, displays and slides | 8.5/10 | Free tier, Pro around $15–18/mo |
| Gamma | Building lesson slides fast | 8.8/10 | Free tier available |
| QuillBot | Adjusting reading level | 8.6/10 | Free tier, paid from around $10/mo |
| Otter.ai | Recording and transcribing | 7.5/10 | Free tier, 300 mins/month |
| ElevenLabs | Audio versions of texts | Not scored | Free tier available |
Every tool below has been reviewed on this site. Scores use the same four criteria we apply to everything: does it work, is it worth the price, is it easy for a non-technical user, and would we recommend it. See how we test and score.
1. ChatGPT — Planning, differentiation and admin
The workhorse. Give it a learning objective and a year group and it will draft a lesson plan, a starter activity and a set of comprehension questions in seconds.
The genuinely valuable use is differentiation: take one worksheet and ask for a version at a lower reading age, an extension task, and a scaffolded version for EAL pupils. That is an hour of work in three prompts.
It also handles the admin nobody trained you for — parent emails, report comments, risk assessments, trip letters.
Score: 9.0/10 · From: Free tier, Plus around $20/mo · Read the full ChatGPT review
2. Perplexity AI — Research pupils can actually cite
Where ChatGPT tends to assert, Perplexity cites. Every answer comes with sources you can click, which makes it far more defensible in a classroom context.
Useful for your own subject research, and a better tool to teach pupils to use than a chatbot that invents references.
Score: 9.0/10 · From: Free tier available · Read the full Perplexity AI review
3. Canva Magic Studio — Worksheets, displays and slides
Canva offers free Pro access to teachers, which makes this the best-value tool on the list by a distance.
The AI handles background removal for display work, expanding images to fit a board, and generating visuals for topics where stock photos fail you.
Score: 8.5/10 · From: Free tier, Pro around $15–18/mo · Read the full Canva Magic Studio review
4. Gamma — Building lesson slides fast
Describe the lesson and Gamma builds the deck — structure, slides, images. For a cover lesson or a CPD session you have been handed at short notice, it turns an evening into fifteen minutes.
Score: 8.8/10 · From: Free tier available · Read the full Gamma review
5. QuillBot — Adjusting reading level
Paste a text and rewrite it simpler. For adapting a source document, a news article or an exam text to different reading ages, this is faster and more reliable than asking a chatbot to do it.
It is also the tool to understand if you teach older pupils — knowing what paraphrasing software produces is now part of the job.
Score: 8.6/10 · From: Free tier, paid from around $10/mo · Read the full QuillBot review
6. Otter.ai — Recording and transcribing
Live transcription is genuinely useful for accessibility, for pupils who need captions, and for capturing a meeting you are also supposed to be participating in.
The free plan caps conversations at 30 minutes, which covers most lessons but not a full parents’ evening.
Score: 7.5/10 · From: Free tier, 300 mins/month · Read the full Otter.ai review
7. ElevenLabs — Audio versions of texts
Convert a reading text into natural-sounding audio for pupils who need it. The voices are good enough that pupils do not tune out, which was always the problem with older text-to-speech.
From: Free tier available · Read the full ElevenLabs review
How to choose
Check your school’s policy first. Many schools have rules about which AI tools staff may use with pupil data. Nothing on this list requires you to input pupil information, and it is worth keeping it that way.
Never put pupil names or personal data into a chatbot. Anonymise before you paste. This applies to report writing especially — describe the pupil generically, then add names yourself afterwards.
Start with differentiation. It is the highest-value use of AI for teachers and the one that saves most time per prompt.
What we would skip
Anything that marks work autonomously. Nothing we have reviewed is reliable enough to grade unsupervised, and the professional risk sits with you rather than the tool.
Paid subscriptions before you have checked school provision. Many schools already licence tools centrally, and Canva gives teachers Pro free — check before spending your own money.
What we have not reviewed yet
We have not reviewed education-specific AI platforms — the marking assistants, MIS integrations and safeguarding tools sold directly to schools. This list covers general-purpose tools that happen to work well for teaching, which is a different thing.
If you use something education-specific that deserves testing, tell us about it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free AI tool for teachers?
ChatGPT for planning and differentiation, and Canva — which gives teachers free Pro access, making it the best value of anything here. Both cover most of what a teacher needs without spending anything.
Is it safe to use AI for report writing?
Only if you anonymise first. Describe the pupil generically, generate the comment, then add names and specifics yourself. Never paste pupil names or personal data into a general-purpose chatbot.
Can AI help with differentiation?
This is the strongest use case. One worksheet can become a lower reading-age version, an extension task and a scaffolded version in a few prompts — work that would otherwise take an hour.
Which AI tool helps with marking?
None that we would recommend for autonomous marking. AI can help you write feedback faster once you have judged the work, but nothing we have tested is reliable enough to grade unsupervised.
Related reading
- ChatGPT vs Claude AI — which assistant to use
- AI for beginners — start here if this is all new
- How we test — our scoring criteria
- All AI productivity tool reviews
James is an SEO and content specialist with over 12 years’ experience, and tests AI tools so everyday people don’t have to. WhatAITools.co.uk covers honest, no-jargon reviews to help you find the right tool for your needs.
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