AI tools for startup founders: 33 tools by task

An early team does many jobs at once. These are the tools in our directory for the main ones, grouped by task, so you can compare options for each job side by side. We list what each vendor publishes about price and limits, and we have not tested them.

Listed by task, alphabetical within each task, not ranked and not tested: we have not used these tools. Descriptions and starting prices are the ones on each tool's page, from the vendors' own sites and other public sources, and they change, so confirm on the vendor's site before you pay.

Before you pick a tool

Start on a free plan and note the limits. Many tools here have a free plan, but caps on credits, seats or exports can arrive quickly. Check what happens when you reach them.
Price the team you will have, not the one you have. Per-seat and credit-based pricing grows with the team and the usage. Compare the unit each vendor charges for.
Be careful with customer data. Read how a vendor stores what you send and whether it trains models on it before you put customer or investor information in a tool.
Generated code and documents need review. An AI-built app or deck is a first draft. Check security, accuracy and anything you promise to customers or investors.

Search tools

Building a first version7 tools

App builders and coding assistants.

Base44AI app builder that creates web apps from text prompts, with a built-in backend, database and authentication. Free plan; Starter is $16 a month billed annually ($20 monthly).Free / $16+ (yearly)
Bolt.newBrowser-based AI builder for websites, web apps and mobile apps, with hosting, databases and GitHub sync. Free plan with daily token limits; Pro is $25 a month.Free / $25+
CursorAI code editor for Windows, macOS and Linux with Agent, Chat and Tab. Free plan with limited usage; paid plans from $8 a month with a weekly usage pool, up to $200 for Ultra.Free / $8+
GitHub CopilotGitHub's AI coding assistant: completions, chat, code review and agents in VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Xcode and on GitHub. Free plan; Pro is $10 a month.Free / $10+
LovableAI app builder that generates editable full-stack web apps from plain-language prompts and publishes them online. Free plan with daily credits; paid from $21/mo billed annually.Free / $21+
Replit AgentAI agent in Replit that builds, tests and publishes apps from plain-language prompts. Free Starter plan; Core is $18 a month billed annually ($20 monthly).Free / $20+
v0 by VercelAI agent from Vercel that builds web apps and full-stack projects from prompts, with publishing to Vercel and GitHub sync. Free: 7 messages a day; Plus is $30 per user a month.Free / $30+

Pitch decks and investor material5 tools

Tools for building decks and sharing them.

Beautiful.aiBrowser-based presentation software with auto-formatting Smart Slides and AI drafting; no free plan, 14-day trial. Pro is $14.50 a month billed annually.$14.50/mo
GammaAI tool that generates presentations, documents and websites from a prompt or outline. Free plan with 400 credits; paid plans add credits, no badge and custom domains.$9/mo
PitchPresentation software with templates, shared workspaces and AI actions. Free plan available; paid plans start at €10 a month billed annually (Plus, 1 member).Free / €10+
SlidebeanWeb app for startup pitch decks with an AI deck builder and AI reviews. Free plan available; Starter is $7 a month billed annually, Accelerate $99 a month.Free / $7+
StorydocWeb-based AI builder for interactive pitch and sales decks with viewer analytics. Starter is $19.80 a month billed annually; a 14-day free trial is offered.$19.80/mo

Finding customers and outreach5 tools

Lead lists and outreach tools.

Apollo.ioB2B contact database with sequences, dialing and AI research tools. Free plan available; Basic is $49 per user a month billed annually (Reported).Free / $49+
ClayTable-based data enrichment and outbound workflows using Actions and Data Credits. Free plan; paid plans from $167 a month billed annually ($185 monthly).Free / $167+
Instantly.aiCold email outreach platform with unlimited email accounts and warmup, plus separate credits plans for lead data and AI agents. Outreach starts at $47 a month, billed monthly.$47/mo
lemlistSales engagement platform for email and multichannel outreach with a lead database; Email plan from $55 a month billed yearly ($69 monthly).$55/mo
SmartleadCold email outreach platform with unlimited mailboxes, warmup and a unified inbox; Base is $32.50 a month billed annually ($39 monthly), with a 14-day trial.$32.50/mo

Customer support and chat4 tools

Helpdesks and chat widgets.

ChatbasePlatform for building AI support agents trained on your own content and deploying them to web chat, email, WhatsApp, Slack and more. Paid plans with a 7-day trial.$40/mo
CrispShared inbox and live chat platform with Hugo, an AI agent billed through monthly credits. Free plan available; paid plans start at $45 a month per workspace.Free / $45+
IntercomCustomer service platform with a shared inbox and help center, plus Fin, an AI agent for chat and email billed per outcome. Per-seat plans; 14-day free trial.$29/mo
TidioLive chat and helpdesk with Lyro, an AI agent that answers from your content. Free plan; Starter is $24.17 a month billed annually.Free / $24.17+

Finance and spending5 tools

Bookkeeping, cards and expense tools.

BrexCorporate card and spend-management platform with AI custom rules and an expense assistant. Essentials is $0 per user a month; Premium is $12 per user a month (cycle not stated).Free / $12+
Pilot.comUS bookkeeping, tax and CFO service using an AI accountant with human support. Essentials bookkeeping is $99 a month, billed monthly per the pricing page.$99/mo
PuzzleAccounting software with AI transaction categorization and optional bookkeeping services. Starter is $30 a month (monthly equivalent, billed annually).$30/mo
RampCorporate card and spend platform with AI policy review and invoice coding. Free plan; Plus is $15 per user a month, or about $12 with annual billing, plus a platform fee.Free / $12+
XeroCloud accounting software for small businesses with JAX, an in-product AI assistant that answers questions about your Xero data. Plans start at $27 a month, billed monthly.$27/mo

Hiring3 tools

Applicant tracking for small teams.

Breezy HRApplicant tracking system with job board distribution, pipelines and interviews. Free plan covers one active position; Startup is $157 a month billed annually.Free / $157+
HomerunHiring and applicant-tracking platform with a 15-day free trial and no free plan; Core appears to start at €109 a month billed annually (€139 monthly).€109/mo
WorkableHiring platform with applicant tracking, sourcing and HR tools, plus a credit-based AI agent add-on. Standard is $299 a month, or $3,588 billed yearly.$299/mo

Automation and agents4 tools

Tools that connect apps and run tasks for you.

GumloopNo-code builder for AI agents and workflows, with MCP support. Pro starts at $37 a month with a 14-day trial; no free plan is listed on its pricing page.$37+/mo
Lindy AIAI teammate that connects to a team's tools and does tasks like inbox, CRM and reporting work. Credit based, with $50 of free credits for 7 days; the pricing page lists Team at $49.99 a month.$49.99/mo
n8nWorkflow automation and AI-agent platform. Self-host the Community Edition or use n8n Cloud from €20/mo billed annually; billing counts workflow executions.From €20/mo
Zapier AgentsNo-code AI agents that work across 9,000+ apps in Zapier. Free plan of 400 activities a month; Pro is $400 a year (about $33 a month).Free / $33+

Tools on this page with a free plan17 tools

These list a free plan on their tool page. Free plans differ a lot in limits, watermarks and what you may do commercially, so open the profile before you rely on one.

Apollo.ioB2B contact database with sequences, dialing and AI research tools. Free plan available; Basic is $49 per user a month billed annually (Reported).Free / $49+
Base44AI app builder that creates web apps from text prompts, with a built-in backend, database and authentication. Free plan; Starter is $16 a month billed annually ($20 monthly).Free / $16+ (yearly)
Bolt.newBrowser-based AI builder for websites, web apps and mobile apps, with hosting, databases and GitHub sync. Free plan with daily token limits; Pro is $25 a month.Free / $25+
Breezy HRApplicant tracking system with job board distribution, pipelines and interviews. Free plan covers one active position; Startup is $157 a month billed annually.Free / $157+
BrexCorporate card and spend-management platform with AI custom rules and an expense assistant. Essentials is $0 per user a month; Premium is $12 per user a month (cycle not stated).Free / $12+
ClayTable-based data enrichment and outbound workflows using Actions and Data Credits. Free plan; paid plans from $167 a month billed annually ($185 monthly).Free / $167+
CrispShared inbox and live chat platform with Hugo, an AI agent billed through monthly credits. Free plan available; paid plans start at $45 a month per workspace.Free / $45+
CursorAI code editor for Windows, macOS and Linux with Agent, Chat and Tab. Free plan with limited usage; paid plans from $8 a month with a weekly usage pool, up to $200 for Ultra.Free / $8+
GitHub CopilotGitHub's AI coding assistant: completions, chat, code review and agents in VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Xcode and on GitHub. Free plan; Pro is $10 a month.Free / $10+
LovableAI app builder that generates editable full-stack web apps from plain-language prompts and publishes them online. Free plan with daily credits; paid from $21/mo billed annually.Free / $21+
PitchPresentation software with templates, shared workspaces and AI actions. Free plan available; paid plans start at €10 a month billed annually (Plus, 1 member).Free / €10+
RampCorporate card and spend platform with AI policy review and invoice coding. Free plan; Plus is $15 per user a month, or about $12 with annual billing, plus a platform fee.Free / $12+
Replit AgentAI agent in Replit that builds, tests and publishes apps from plain-language prompts. Free Starter plan; Core is $18 a month billed annually ($20 monthly).Free / $20+
SlidebeanWeb app for startup pitch decks with an AI deck builder and AI reviews. Free plan available; Starter is $7 a month billed annually, Accelerate $99 a month.Free / $7+
TidioLive chat and helpdesk with Lyro, an AI agent that answers from your content. Free plan; Starter is $24.17 a month billed annually.Free / $24.17+
v0 by VercelAI agent from Vercel that builds web apps and full-stack projects from prompts, with publishing to Vercel and GitHub sync. Free: 7 messages a day; Plus is $30 per user a month.Free / $30+
Zapier AgentsNo-code AI agents that work across 9,000+ apps in Zapier. Free plan of 400 activities a month; Pro is $400 a year (about $33 a month).Free / $33+

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