I always appreciate these personal approaches and descriptions. It's good to know that you've been around the block several times, and you've settled on these particular tools. I myself have centered most of my research around ChatGPT Plus, and as a bonus, I get really good image generation. I use Gemini (or Google's Experimental Model) to read and "grade" my work - ChatGPT is still better at reviewing writing, but Gemini will notice some errors ChatGPT will not.
Perplexity has become a favorite too. It's amazing for quick research, probably better than the other 2 I mentioned. I've used the paid versions of GPT and Gemini, but only the free Perplexity model, and it is nearly as good as the paid models for my needs.
I might need a crash course on Perplexity one of these days. You're one of many people on Substack who seem to use it regularly, but while I've tried it out multiple times, I could never get it to "stick" in my routine.
Same. I have now started using it, especially the "Pro" mode for deeper, slightly more complex searchers. The "Pro" mode appears to be somewhere between traditional AI search and the "Gemini Deep Research" you mentioned in a separate comment. It makes an action/research plan and follows it, although it doesn't give you the option to edit it and doesn't crawl nearly as many pages.
Yeah, Perplexity is growing on me too but not to the extend where it becomes my go-to search engine. It's definitely a nice supplement for those in-between, semi-complex queries.
Oh hey, I actually *enjoyed* using Google's 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental with apps (the title rolls off of the keyboard just as smoothly as it rolls off the tongue) today. That's a first for talking to Google about anything, ever. Big step up!
For me, if I already have an idea about something but want to verify info, it's very fast and very effective, and very transparent insofar as where the info is coming from.
I do note that what we're using these tools for very much determines which tool is the best to use. I'm not sure that was the case a year ago.
Agreed. Perhaps the reason I never got "into" Perplexity is that my current writing and research routine isn't a good fit for it. I mean, it's clearly a solid product, but I just don't find myself naturally navigating to it.
I've started using Napkin ai for ai based dynamic graphic images. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's my new go to for creating dynamic colourful images using prompts. Amazing
Oh yeah, Napkin's supposed to be great at turning concepts from text into visuals. I played around with it back when it was launched but never really used it for my own work. I might have to revisit it, thanks for reminding me.
Yeah, Freepik is very simlar to Krea in that it lets you test drive a bunch of models from other providers on one platform. I did come across Flora before but never used it heavily. Will put it on my list to check out!
Count me in as someone who's well aware of Perplexity but isn't using it actively. I remember trying it way back in early 2023 and even showcasing it as the future of search to some friends. I also know many people here on Substack who absolutely swear by Perplexity.
I've made several attempts at incorporating Perplexity into my daily life, going as far as following specific instructions on YouTube about setting up special browser extensions for it and using it as my default search engine. At the time, I went back to Google because I didn't like how Perplexity handled navigational queries - it'd take me to a Perplexity answer for a company instead of just opening their website when I'd type the name into the search bar.
So, while I recognize that Perplexity is a very useful tool for many people, it'd feel disingenuous to put it on a list of my personal used tools. I briefly considered putting it on the list (under "Research," exactly as you mentioned) but then I'd have to add the disclaimer that I don't use it, which might've given the impression that I don't approve of it. But the simple story is that it's just not in my daily repertoire. Perhaps it will be at some later stage.
I loved this! especially the breakdown of seedance, veo and kling in the video section.
I’m a student digging into how AI is changing the video production stack, and it really matches what I’m seeing: models are getting closer together in quality, and the real differentiation is shifting into workflow and product.
Curious if you’ve noticed any tools that feel more like “workflow platforms” vs just “another model wrapper” yet?
As for "workflow platforms," I assume you mean something that lets you stitch different clips together, do light editing, etc. to create a narrative out of your videos?
If so, the most obvious mainstream candidates are:
Tried FlowMusic/Google Producer twice over the couple of weeks. It is truly abysmal. Easily the worst I've used (of the top AI music options - I'm trying them all - paid). It has NO IDEA what it is doing. To say it follows prompts closely makes me suspicious of the whole WhyTryAI website I'm sorry to say! I'm quite sure I'm wrong, and TBF on creative AI music you do admit to being a lesser participant, I grant you that.
Also possible I'm 'doing it incorrectly'. I'll go back in a week or so. Would love to hear from others having success, but giving an already made demo of mine and asking it to mimic, embellish, or even make something in the same vein is a waste of time.
It's very clear software companies can tweak their software for maximum profit, not maximum output, especially on 'creative' output. Dice throwing. Costs them nothing, we pay for the experience, they gain hugely.
Heya, sad to hear you've had such a poor experience. What kind of specific issues have you run into? Back when I tested it, it was still called Producer, not FlowMusic. You can see the exact test and outputs that I based my judgment on here: https://www.whytryai.com/p/free-ai-song-music-makers
Either things have changed quite a bit over the past several months, or your tests are more robust and detailed than mine. It also sounds like you're asking it to rework an existing track, while my tests were all purely based on text prompts. Sucks in any case!
There is an issue that is quite hard to describe, even for audio people, that plagues Suno et al. It's best described as a "drainpipe" anomaly on frequencies above 4-5Khz 'move'. Those are high notes, and can often be percussive (or just high notes, strings, piano) like the tch, ss, chh, of speech. The 'move' is slow and hard to spot by listening from beginning to end over a few minutes. But if you can do some A/B listening, jumping from the start and then somewhere towards the end its more apparent. Suno are aware of it - my evidence is they flatly refuse to engage on support emails that mention it. Once you hear it, you'll notice it a lot.
Basically, imagine the sound of a hi-hat. To hear it on a stereo piece of music (virtually all music presented is in stereo), it might for example appear to you the sound is 'sitting' in the middle of the left right stereo image. As the Suno track plays, the left or right side 'changes their phase relationship to each other, which is unnatural, it's not panning, going left to right, it's subtly changing the sound and so how it 'sits' in the stereo image. For the hi-hat to stay in the middle, the phase must be consistent.
Some kind of error in AI creations mean the phase relationship of sounds doesn't stay put, unlike a real recording or a real sample of a hi-hat. It's not something you generally want or ever add. The sound is akin to what something sounds like if you listen to something through a long tube, like a drainpipe, and move your listening position.
I'll periodically return to your AI music goto's, I'm still paying for Suno et al, and will report back. And it goes without saying I always enjoy catching up on your thoughts and experiences at WhyTryAI. Thank you.
Oh wow, thanks for sharing such a detailed analysis and explanation.
Sounds like you're much more well-versed in this than I am. I see it from an "average Joe" consumer perspective (song sounds nice), while you have a way more professional take and analysis.
So in your experience, does Suno do the best job out of the tools you tested when it comes to faithfully recreating the sound (compared to Producer)? Or is there a "gold standard" tool that's better? Or is your conclusion basically that no AI tools are good enough yet at all?
The real question with tool lists is always workflow, not features. Most people try 20 tools and stick with 3. The ones that survive are the ones that actually fit how you already work.
It's important to note that on UDIO the downloading of music you make is no longer allowed. That makes UDIO a far lesser option, no matter the quality IMHO (both are virtually the 'same' (UDIO slightly better control) for all intents and purpose).
It happened quite unbeknownst to me. I had built up a large collection of songs and tracks, and overnight downloading was removed. I am having to play the tracks I've made and record the output (AudioHijack) to maintain an offline record of them. I was annoyed. I no longer subscribe to UDIO because of this download ban.
I have coalesced on GPT 5.2 thinking for a lot of research and proofreading for factual accuracy and continuity. Gemini "Thinking" acts as a great 2nd opinion. I still like Jippity images, but Gemini NB is very good as well - just not my present ecosystem. I see that I'm actively selecting a more narrow set of tools.
For building things, codex-> github is rad. I am learning the ropes and getting some things done, and it's frustrating and cool and magic. I have not had the opportunity to fiddle w/the new Claude Code, but am looking forward to the app when it hits windows users.
Advanced voice by ChatGPT is still tops IMO, but show me a better model and I'll tell you why I think you're wrong. I hope my view on this is forced to change soon, because that means we'll see the same rapid innovation in voice as we've seen elsewhere. IMO this has lagged more than any other sector or aspect.
Pro models are coalescing on more and more useful work, but you still have to really hold their hands today. I'm looking forward to more delegating and less hand-holding by the end of '26.
Yeah I think for most users it kind of makes sense to pick one ecosystem and lean into that, and ChatGPT still gives you lots of bang for your buck for sure!
I'm only starting to appreciate the Claude Code setup and so far really digging it. But codex is very much on my list as soon as the Windows app is out!
Nice! It took me a while to finally try Claude Code, but it's grown on me very quickly! It'll be added to the next update to this "Go-To AI Tools" list next week, actually.
Solid roundup! Appreciate that you include both personal context and tool updates instead of just listing names. The “why it fits your workflow” angle makes this much more useful than a typical AI tools post.
For AI trends and practical insights, check out my Substack where I break down the latest in AI.
I always appreciate these personal approaches and descriptions. It's good to know that you've been around the block several times, and you've settled on these particular tools. I myself have centered most of my research around ChatGPT Plus, and as a bonus, I get really good image generation. I use Gemini (or Google's Experimental Model) to read and "grade" my work - ChatGPT is still better at reviewing writing, but Gemini will notice some errors ChatGPT will not.
Perplexity has become a favorite too. It's amazing for quick research, probably better than the other 2 I mentioned. I've used the paid versions of GPT and Gemini, but only the free Perplexity model, and it is nearly as good as the paid models for my needs.
I might need a crash course on Perplexity one of these days. You're one of many people on Substack who seem to use it regularly, but while I've tried it out multiple times, I could never get it to "stick" in my routine.
For me it helps to think of Perplexity as a research tool, not a colleague that I’m chatting with. (Maybe this only makes sense to me though!)
Same. I have now started using it, especially the "Pro" mode for deeper, slightly more complex searchers. The "Pro" mode appears to be somewhere between traditional AI search and the "Gemini Deep Research" you mentioned in a separate comment. It makes an action/research plan and follows it, although it doesn't give you the option to edit it and doesn't crawl nearly as many pages.
I have little to add, but feel obligated since today's email triggered me like one of Pavlov's dogs.
I do use Perplexity from time to time, especially for a quick alternative "opinion" or incognito search where I don't want to sign in, etc.
Yeah, Perplexity is growing on me too but not to the extend where it becomes my go-to search engine. It's definitely a nice supplement for those in-between, semi-complex queries.
Oh hey, I actually *enjoyed* using Google's 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental with apps (the title rolls off of the keyboard just as smoothly as it rolls off the tongue) today. That's a first for talking to Google about anything, ever. Big step up!
For me, if I already have an idea about something but want to verify info, it's very fast and very effective, and very transparent insofar as where the info is coming from.
I do note that what we're using these tools for very much determines which tool is the best to use. I'm not sure that was the case a year ago.
Agreed. Perhaps the reason I never got "into" Perplexity is that my current writing and research routine isn't a good fit for it. I mean, it's clearly a solid product, but I just don't find myself naturally navigating to it.
Yep. Same reason I don't use Midjourney every day.
I've started using Napkin ai for ai based dynamic graphic images. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's my new go to for creating dynamic colourful images using prompts. Amazing
Oh yeah, Napkin's supposed to be great at turning concepts from text into visuals. I played around with it back when it was launched but never really used it for my own work. I might have to revisit it, thanks for reminding me.
Gamma for presentations is awesome! For video also Leonardo and Freepik, ElevenLabs for audio, Flora for creative workflow genning!
Yeah, Freepik is very simlar to Krea in that it lets you test drive a bunch of models from other providers on one platform. I did come across Flora before but never used it heavily. Will put it on my list to check out!
Did you miss to mention perplexitiy.ai?
I was expecting that to show up under research.
At this point, I'd be curious to hear from anyone who knows about perplexity and is _not_ using it. I guess that is not you, but just double-checking.
Hey Nico. Nope, haven't missed it.
Count me in as someone who's well aware of Perplexity but isn't using it actively. I remember trying it way back in early 2023 and even showcasing it as the future of search to some friends. I also know many people here on Substack who absolutely swear by Perplexity.
I've made several attempts at incorporating Perplexity into my daily life, going as far as following specific instructions on YouTube about setting up special browser extensions for it and using it as my default search engine. At the time, I went back to Google because I didn't like how Perplexity handled navigational queries - it'd take me to a Perplexity answer for a company instead of just opening their website when I'd type the name into the search bar.
So, while I recognize that Perplexity is a very useful tool for many people, it'd feel disingenuous to put it on a list of my personal used tools. I briefly considered putting it on the list (under "Research," exactly as you mentioned) but then I'd have to add the disclaimer that I don't use it, which might've given the impression that I don't approve of it. But the simple story is that it's just not in my daily repertoire. Perhaps it will be at some later stage.
Interesting
I loved this! especially the breakdown of seedance, veo and kling in the video section.
I’m a student digging into how AI is changing the video production stack, and it really matches what I’m seeing: models are getting closer together in quality, and the real differentiation is shifting into workflow and product.
Curious if you’ve noticed any tools that feel more like “workflow platforms” vs just “another model wrapper” yet?
Hey Tanisha,
Happy to hear you found this useful!
As for "workflow platforms," I assume you mean something that lets you stitch different clips together, do light editing, etc. to create a narrative out of your videos?
If so, the most obvious mainstream candidates are:
https://labs.google/fx/tools/flow (with Google's own models like VEO under the hood)
and
https://runwayml.com/ (they're an all-in-one AI video suite, but they're also quite pricy)
Also, I highly recommend Tim from Theoretically Media on YouTube if you're interested in AI video models, tools, etc: https://www.youtube.com/@theoreticallymedia
He has lots of great deep dives and actually creates narratives with AI.
Good luck and keep me posted on what you find out!
PS: I did a deep dive comparison of image-to-video models a while back, in case you're interested: https://www.whytryai.com/p/free-ai-image-to-video-tools-tested
Tried FlowMusic/Google Producer twice over the couple of weeks. It is truly abysmal. Easily the worst I've used (of the top AI music options - I'm trying them all - paid). It has NO IDEA what it is doing. To say it follows prompts closely makes me suspicious of the whole WhyTryAI website I'm sorry to say! I'm quite sure I'm wrong, and TBF on creative AI music you do admit to being a lesser participant, I grant you that.
Also possible I'm 'doing it incorrectly'. I'll go back in a week or so. Would love to hear from others having success, but giving an already made demo of mine and asking it to mimic, embellish, or even make something in the same vein is a waste of time.
It's very clear software companies can tweak their software for maximum profit, not maximum output, especially on 'creative' output. Dice throwing. Costs them nothing, we pay for the experience, they gain hugely.
https://www.whytryai.com/i/150276977/4-ai-music
Heya, sad to hear you've had such a poor experience. What kind of specific issues have you run into? Back when I tested it, it was still called Producer, not FlowMusic. You can see the exact test and outputs that I based my judgment on here: https://www.whytryai.com/p/free-ai-song-music-makers
Either things have changed quite a bit over the past several months, or your tests are more robust and detailed than mine. It also sounds like you're asking it to rework an existing track, while my tests were all purely based on text prompts. Sucks in any case!
There is an issue that is quite hard to describe, even for audio people, that plagues Suno et al. It's best described as a "drainpipe" anomaly on frequencies above 4-5Khz 'move'. Those are high notes, and can often be percussive (or just high notes, strings, piano) like the tch, ss, chh, of speech. The 'move' is slow and hard to spot by listening from beginning to end over a few minutes. But if you can do some A/B listening, jumping from the start and then somewhere towards the end its more apparent. Suno are aware of it - my evidence is they flatly refuse to engage on support emails that mention it. Once you hear it, you'll notice it a lot.
Basically, imagine the sound of a hi-hat. To hear it on a stereo piece of music (virtually all music presented is in stereo), it might for example appear to you the sound is 'sitting' in the middle of the left right stereo image. As the Suno track plays, the left or right side 'changes their phase relationship to each other, which is unnatural, it's not panning, going left to right, it's subtly changing the sound and so how it 'sits' in the stereo image. For the hi-hat to stay in the middle, the phase must be consistent.
Some kind of error in AI creations mean the phase relationship of sounds doesn't stay put, unlike a real recording or a real sample of a hi-hat. It's not something you generally want or ever add. The sound is akin to what something sounds like if you listen to something through a long tube, like a drainpipe, and move your listening position.
I'll periodically return to your AI music goto's, I'm still paying for Suno et al, and will report back. And it goes without saying I always enjoy catching up on your thoughts and experiences at WhyTryAI. Thank you.
Oh wow, thanks for sharing such a detailed analysis and explanation.
Sounds like you're much more well-versed in this than I am. I see it from an "average Joe" consumer perspective (song sounds nice), while you have a way more professional take and analysis.
So in your experience, does Suno do the best job out of the tools you tested when it comes to faithfully recreating the sound (compared to Producer)? Or is there a "gold standard" tool that's better? Or is your conclusion basically that no AI tools are good enough yet at all?
solid take on this. curious how it plays out long term
thank
The real question with tool lists is always workflow, not features. Most people try 20 tools and stick with 3. The ones that survive are the ones that actually fit how you already work.
Felt like I found yet another gem on Substack. Thank you!
Awesome to hear, Nihal. I usually update this page several times a year, so it'll probably capture some other tools soon.
That’s a great approach. And nice to meet you, Daniel! :)
A reliable go-to list for AI tools is so valuable. Bookmarking this for reference.
https://www.whytryai.com/i/150276977/4-ai-music
It's important to note that on UDIO the downloading of music you make is no longer allowed. That makes UDIO a far lesser option, no matter the quality IMHO (both are virtually the 'same' (UDIO slightly better control) for all intents and purpose).
Oh man, that's a new development and that does suck. Definitely makes Udio less of an appealing free option then.
It happened quite unbeknownst to me. I had built up a large collection of songs and tracks, and overnight downloading was removed. I am having to play the tracks I've made and record the output (AudioHijack) to maintain an offline record of them. I was annoyed. I no longer subscribe to UDIO because of this download ban.
Hey, I'm leaving a new comment!
I have coalesced on GPT 5.2 thinking for a lot of research and proofreading for factual accuracy and continuity. Gemini "Thinking" acts as a great 2nd opinion. I still like Jippity images, but Gemini NB is very good as well - just not my present ecosystem. I see that I'm actively selecting a more narrow set of tools.
For building things, codex-> github is rad. I am learning the ropes and getting some things done, and it's frustrating and cool and magic. I have not had the opportunity to fiddle w/the new Claude Code, but am looking forward to the app when it hits windows users.
Advanced voice by ChatGPT is still tops IMO, but show me a better model and I'll tell you why I think you're wrong. I hope my view on this is forced to change soon, because that means we'll see the same rapid innovation in voice as we've seen elsewhere. IMO this has lagged more than any other sector or aspect.
Pro models are coalescing on more and more useful work, but you still have to really hold their hands today. I'm looking forward to more delegating and less hand-holding by the end of '26.
Yeah I think for most users it kind of makes sense to pick one ecosystem and lean into that, and ChatGPT still gives you lots of bang for your buck for sure!
I'm only starting to appreciate the Claude Code setup and so far really digging it. But codex is very much on my list as soon as the Windows app is out!
What a whirlwind. I know it's trite by now to point it out, but: wow.
My biggest driver is going to be Claude Code, and I write a lot about it on my Substack: prosperinai.substack.com
I do use Windsurf a lot too, dabble in Perplexity as well. But Claude Code is the main tool!
Nice! It took me a while to finally try Claude Code, but it's grown on me very quickly! It'll be added to the next update to this "Go-To AI Tools" list next week, actually.
Solid roundup! Appreciate that you include both personal context and tool updates instead of just listing names. The “why it fits your workflow” angle makes this much more useful than a typical AI tools post.
For AI trends and practical insights, check out my Substack where I break down the latest in AI.
Great you found it useful! I try to share personal takes where I have some hands-on experience, so I'm happy to hear it resonates!
Thanks for the Learn About mention. I’d not heard of it before and it looks pretty cool.
Nice, check it out and let me know what you think!