I get a lot of people asking me which GenAI apps to try out in workshops and professional learning sessions. Since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, we’ve been flooded with different Generative AI applications.
By now, you’ve probably seen those images of hundreds of Generative AI apps – intimidating looking lists of every app imaginable, including hundreds you’ll never actually use.
I prefer a more streamlined list, pointing out a few of the apps which I use myself for text, code, image, audio, and video generation. I have reproduced this list so often that I’ve decided to turn it into a blog post which I can update as necessary.
Text Generation, Search, and Coding:
- ChatGPT (GPT 4o)
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet (and 3 Opus)
- Microsoft Copilot (GPT4o)
- Meta Llama 3.1:8B locally via Ollama
- Google Gemini
- Perplexity
Image Generation:
- Adobe Firefly
- Midjourney
- ChatGPT (DALL-E 3)
- Microsoft Copilot (DALL-E 3)
- Flux (Dev)
- Flux (Schnell)
- Google Image FX
- Blockade Labs Skybox
Audio and Video Generation:
Other Tools:
- Grok AI in X (formerly Twitter)
I know there are many more GenAI apps out there, and I even use some of them… occasionally… but honestly, I don’t stray far from Claude and ChatGPT for most tasks, and Adobe Firefly is my go-to for image generation for these blog posts. Occasionally, I’ll use Perplexity if I want an AI powered search engine (but I still mostly use good ol’ fashioned Google).
Some, I only use for demonstration purposes. I have issues with the ethical positions of some of these companies including Suno, Udio, and Midjourney. However, I also admit there is a tension and maybe even some hypocrisy in using any of these products and still trying to take a moral high ground.
In terms of free versus paid, I currently have subscriptions to: ChatGPT Plus, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Copilot Pro, Runway, Gemini (via Google Workspace), ElevenLabs and a free year of Perplexity. Mostly, these subscriptions are just to stay ahead of developments. Again, the two most used subscriptions are ChatGPT and Claude.
The most important advice I can offer is to find a tool that works for you, whatever your context, and stick with it for a while. If you use it a lot, consider the paid version.
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