Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gone viral, but unlike short-lived fads, it’s for a good reason. AI is only evolving and improving, and is now a go-to tool for many university and college students, transforming their studies from the initial stages of research and coursework to writing assignments. 

Tired of the anxiety that comes with deadlines? No more blank-page panic when starting assignments with AI tools. You can think of AI as a study buddy that helps you, but it’s not a replacement for your own thinking.

In this blog post, you’ll discover some of the best AI tools for university and college students, listing pros, cons, and direct comparisons of the AI tools, so that you can add the tools effectively and ethically into your study routine.  

Important: To know if you can use AI tools in academic settings, always check your university's policies.

What Is Artificial Intelligence?

AI refers to systems or machines that can simulate human intelligence to carry out complex tasks, such as reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making.

AI tools are perfect for academic writing, language learning, assisting with academic research and work-related tasks, and even asking questions on the go.

Why Students Use AI Tools

Between lectures, deadlines, part-time jobs, and social life, staying on top of everything can feel impossible. Many students started using AI tools, and you should, too, since they help you with:

Study optimisation: Study planning and revisions

Research acceleration: Finding information and synthesising it from multiple sources

Writing enhancement: Improving clarity, grammar, and structure

Content creation: Generating presentations

Coding assistance: Programming help and debugging

Best Practices for AI Tools

These are tips for maintaining the balance of academic honesty and integrity:

• Use AI tools for brainstorming and initial draft stages, then develop your own ideas independently

• Always rewrite AI suggestions in your own voice and style

• Verify information from multiple sources, as AI tools can sometimes produce inaccurate information

• Keep records of how you used AI for transparency

Ethical Considerations of AI Tools

To use AI tools responsibly, here’s what you should keep in mind:

• Know your university’s rules: To decide whether to use AI for assignments and coursework.

• Give credit where it's due: Don’t misuse copyrighted material.

• Review privacy policies: Avoid sharing your personal data, such as student IDs, passwords, and personal academic documents.

• Avoid Plagiarism: Always rewrite in your own words and cite your sources.

Best AI Tools for University and College Students 

Here are some free AI tools for students grouped by function:

• Study & workflow (Expertex.ai, ChatGPT)

• Research & information (Perplexity, Felo AI)

• Writing & editing (Quillbot, Grammarly)

• Content creation (Gamma AI, Slidesgo AI)

• Coding assistance (Windsurf, Continue.dev)

Study & Workflow Tools

Expertex.ai

For cross-model analysis and research 

Expertex.ai is an AI tool that enables the integration of multiple AI models within a single interface. It helps university and college students with numerous academic tasks, including those that require comparative data analysis and streamlining workflow.

Key Features of Expertex.ai

• Access to different AI models

• Built-in commands to streamline tasks (including summarising, translation)

• Up to four models are accessible in the free plan

• Comparative analysis across different AI responses

Pros

• Pre-built academic workflows save time

• Improved research accuracy through cross-model analysis

• Personas (e.g., code buddy content creator) adapt to different needs

• Good for in-depth research projects

Cons

• The multiple AI model interface can overwhelm beginners

• Fewer community resources since it's less known

• Limited free tier and daily credit caps

Tip: Try tweaking prompts or using built-in personas to address specific course topics.

ChatGPT

General assistance and simplifying challenging concepts while studying

ChatGPT is one of the most popular AI productivity tools for students, helping them with research, writing, math, coding, and other difficult academic subjects.

Key Features of ChatGPT 

• Natural and intuitive conversation

• Brainstorming and outlining assistant

• GPTs for specific tasks (available for free with usage limits)

• Generating images using DALL-E 

Pros

• Great for concept explanations and quick drafts

• The free version offers excellent functionality

• Available on web, mobile, and third-party applications

• Massive community support and tutorials 

Cons

• Usage limits on the free tier may interrupt workflow

• Limited access for DALL-E and GPTs in the free version

Tip: You can use prompts like “Explain to me like I’m five” to simplify complex topics.

AI Productivity Tools: Expertex.ai vs ChatGPT 

Verdict

• Experex.ai is ideal for comparative analysis, automating repetitive tasks, and tailoring commands through different personas.

• ChatGPT is your best choice if you prefer a simple and reliable AI assistant for everyday tasks such as studying, learning, writing, and explaining concepts.

Research & Information Tools

Felo AI 

For your international and multilingual research needs 

Felo AI is an AI research tool and a multilingual search engine that allows students to access global resources.

Key Features of Felo AI 

• Multilingual access to sources

• Real-time results, including news articles and academic papers

• Source transparency

• Topic collections for personal knowledge bases

Pros 

• Access to non-English sources

• Large database 

• Good for comparative cultural studies

• Unlimited high-speed search

Cons 

• The free version is limited to only 5 pro searches per day

• Premium templates require a subscription 

• 3 file analyses per day

Tip: You can use “Topic Collections” to create your own personal knowledge base

Perplexity AI 

For quick, well-sourced research for different tasks

Perplexity AI is a powerful AI tool for research and assignments, with search results based on current web data and academic sources.

Key Features of Perplexity AI

• Answers are reference-based

• Personalised knowledge support

• User-friendly interface

• Follow-up suggestions

• Can understand and respond in multiple languages 

Pros

• Up-to-date data and news

• Simplifies complex information

Cons

• Extensive research might require the premium version

• Occasional repetition of answers

• Multilingual proficiency and accuracy may vary depending on the language and query

Tip: Always fact-check by clicking the footnotes to verify information.

AI Research Tools: Felo AI vs Perplexity AI 

Verdict

• Felo AI is for multilingual search needs and exploring international sources.

• Perplexity AI is ideal for quick and accurate English research, with reliable citations.

Writing & Editing Tools

Grammarly 

Real-time writing improvement that you can instantly see

Grammarly is one of the most widely used AI academic writing tools among university students as it provides real-time feedback on their writing.

Key Features of Grammarly

• Instant grammar corrections

• Suggestions for sentence tone, style, clarity

• Citation tool (APA, MLA, Chicago)

• AI writing detector feature 

• Basic paraphrasing  

• Plagiarism checker

Pros

• Browser and app integration (Google Docs, email, web browsers)

• Real-time feedback 

Cons

• Advanced suggestions require a premium upgrade

• Suggestions may occasionally change sentence meaning or tone

Tip: Use Grammarly's browser extension on programs like Google Docs rather than copying and pasting text into the Grammarly editor.

Quillbot

Paraphrasing and content restructuring have never been easier

Quillbot is one of the best AI writing tools, offering college students several tools to help them summarise and paraphrase text, and check sentence and content quality. 

Key Features of Quillbot 

• Standard and fluency paraphrasing modes

• Summarising academic texts

• Improving sentence clarity and grammar

• Generating citations

• AI writing detection tool

Pros 

• Paraphrasing made easy with two essential modes

• Enhanced sentence structure

• Mobile and web integration

Cons

• Limited word count and modes in the free version

• Quality may vary between paraphrasing modes

• The plagiarism checker feature requires a premium subscription

Tip: Use Fluency mode for natural phrasing while adjusting the synonym slider to preserve sentence meaning.

AI Tools for Academic Writing: Grammarly vs Quillbot 

Note: AI detectors can detect AI usage; however, take the results with a grain of salt, as they can sometimes flag your own writing.

Verdict 

• Grammarly is your choice for browser integration and real-time sentence edits to enhance structure and clarity.

• Quillbot is great for paraphrasing and summarising needs.

Note: If you use a citation generator, make sure to review the citations for any errors.

Content Creation

Gamma AI

Modern, collaborative presentations 

Gamma AI, an AI presentation tool, transforms your text, whether prompts or outlines, into well-designed and editable presentations.

Key Features of Gamma AI 

• Generates presentations from text

• Responsive layouts 

• Interactive elements and animations

• Real-time collaborative editing

Pros 

• Ideal for group projects

• Stylish and modern slides

• No design skills required

Cons

• Limited AI credits 

• The free version includes branding 

Tip: Simply paste your lecture notes into Gamma, and it will automatically generate the slides.

Slidesgo AI 

Template-based academic presentations

Slidesgo AI is an AI-powered tool that generates presentation slides using pre-designed templates.

Key Features of Slidesgo AI 

• Generates content based on topic and tone

• Access to a wide library of templates

• Student-friendly, trendy designs

• Integration with Google Slides and PowerPoint

Pros 

• Works well for assignments 

• Trendy and student-friendly designs  

• Great for specific academic projects

Cons

• Only three AI decks/month 

• Premium templates locked

• Online editing for AI-generated decks may not be supported

Tip: Use Google Slides after downloading the presentation for easy edits and collaboration.

AI Presentation Tools: Gamma AI vs Slidesgo AI 

Note: On Slidesgo AI, if there is no “Edit Online” option after generating a presentation, you can download the file and edit it manually in PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Verdict

• Use Gamma AI if you need an in-browser tool with collaboration and fast, creative slide creation.
  
  

• Use Slidesgo AI if you prefer presentations for simple topics that you can download, refine offline, and collaborate on with others using Google Slides.

Coding Assistance Tools

Windsurf (formerly Codeium)

AI-native integrated development environment (IDE) for intuitive coding assistance

As an AI-native IDE, Windsurf integrates AI suggestions and explanations directly into the interface, resulting in an intuitive workflow.

Key Features of Windsurf 

• Real-time feedback

• Local project indexing for better context

• Multi-language programming support 

• Cloud-based AI code completion and explanation 

• User-friendly interface

• Terminal and Git integration

Pros 

• Works with many programming languages

• Student-friendly design

• Excellent speed and performance 

• Free to use

• Great for quick coding assignments

Cons

• Requires internet for AI suggestions 

• No security vulnerability warnings

• Suggestions can vary in quality 

Tip: Use Windsurf's “Explain Code” feature when you're stuck, and it'll break down the code in simple terms. 

Continue.dev

For advanced students prioritising privacy 

Continue.dev is an open-source AI coding assistant for university students, with extensions for VS Code JetBrains IDEs.

Key Features of Continue.dev 

• Full chat interface for coding questions

• Running local models for privacy and using API keys 

• Customisable with different AI models

• Deep IDE integration

Pros

• Privacy with local models

• Open source flexibility 

• Smart bug-fixing and optimisation 

Cons

• No built-in AI models 

• Advanced setup required

• May lack polish compared to other tools

AI Coding Tools: Windsurf (Codeium) vs Continue.dev

Verdict

• Windsurf is for you if you need a simple auto-complete tool that doesn't require sign-up.

• Choose Continue.dev if you need deep integration with your developer environment, open source flexibility, and local privacy. 

Choosing the Right Tools for Free Use:

For General Study Help:

• ChatGPT for concept explanations

• Grammarly for writing feedback

For Research-Heavy Tasks:

• Perplexity AI for sourced information

• Felo AI for international sources

For Writing-Intensive Classes:

• Combine Grammarly + Quillbot for comprehensive writing support

• Use citation generators for proper formatting

For Presentations:

• Gamma AI for modern, collaborative presentations

• Slidesgo AI for traditional, template-based slides

For Programming Classes:

• Windsurf for beginners needing simple help

• Continue.dev for advanced students, prioritising privacy

AI tools have revolutionised how university students approach learning, research, writing, content creation, and even coding. These free AI study tools can enhance your overall academic performance by boosting your productivity.

AI tools do help you stay sharp, but they’re not a shortcut to the learning process. Always stay up to date with your institution’s policy on AI use to abide by academic honesty. 

You can make your university life a much more engaging, efficient, and insightful experience by integrating these AI tools into your study routine. Explore the options we’ve covered to decide which AI tools cater to your unique goals and needs.

A Final Tip from Casita:  While levelling up your academic life with AI, consider upgrading your living situation too. Find the most comfortable student accommodation at Casita, just near your university, with a single click.