3 AI tools that actually save you time (and 1 that wastes it)

I’ve been meaning to check out some of these AI tools everyone keeps talking about, but most of them looked either too techy or too good to be true.

So I finally sat down, tested a few, and here’s what actually helped, what surprised me and what straight-up wasted my time.

ChatGPT

The one and only — the first tool that pulled me into this whole AI world.

It does almost everything. You can ask it for text or book summaries, tasty chicken recipes (it helped me break a 5-year dry chicken streak), advice about your ex at 3 AM, or random questions about the universe. All the answers, in one place. It even remembers what you said a month ago, which makes longer convos and projects way easier.

But no system’s perfect. This one? Sometimes fails basic logic, you ask for 3 ideas, and it gives you 4. It can also agree with you a little too much, so you’ve got to be direct and ask for real, no-fluff answers. Then it usually delivers.

Verdict: 9.5/10
Your all-around go-to. Reliable, smart, and weirdly human.

Perplexity.ai

This one was new to me, but I didn’t want to be that guy who only uses GPT for everything. Gotta diversify the toolkit, right?

So here’s the deal:
The interface is super clean — no distractions, no learning curve. Best part? It shows you where it got the info. Click the little citations, check the sources. Makes it feel a lot more trustworthy.

And it’s fast. Felt quicker than GPT in most cases.

Now for the downsides:
It asks you to sign in way too early. And the vibe? More like “Google with a brain” — cool, but it doesn’t give you that warm, conversational feel like GPT does. Also, sometimes it gives a lot of info, but still misses the actual point of your question.

Verdict: 8/10
Awesome for quick facts and sources. Just don’t expect personality.

Writesonic

This was the one I had the most mixed feelings about.

On the plus side: it gives you a clean, well-structured article, nice headings, clean formatting, and even throws in images. The dashboard is easy to use, and if you’re working on SEO or content, it saves you time.

But... the writing feels robotic. And the worst part? You can’t tweak much. If the tone feels off, you’ll have to rewrite a lot yourself. It’s fast, but you’ll still need to edit.

Verdict: 7/10
Great for quick drafts. Just don’t expect much personality or control.

Rytr.me

This one felt like a budget version of ChatGPT.

In theory, it does a lot: blog ideas, emails, CTAs, paragraphs. But in practice? It all comes out sounding bland and generic. Plus, the editor feels clunky, and most features get locked fast unless you pay.

Verdict: 4.5/10
Tried to love it. Didn’t. There are better options with more soul.

AI tools can save you time, but only if they actually help you do your thing better. Some of these? They’re fun to try, but only a couple truly earn a spot in your digital toolbox.