11 Best AI Tools for Startups and Small Business (July 2023)

Artificial intelligence is disrupting all industries around the world. With the release of the Large Language Models (LLMs) and the improvement of the best machine learning practices, we’re seeing an incredible amount of productivity gains. This allows startups and small businesses to streamline their business processes, focus on their core product and services, while being hyper-efficient doing so. But with so many AI tools available it can be challenging to pick the right ones.

In this article, we’ll look at some of the best AI tools for startups and small businesses. This article will list the best AI tools available now that can help startups augment their employees to help drive innovation and operational efficiency.

What Are the Best AI Tools for Startups?

Any startup hoping to get ahead of the competition can leverage AI tools to maximize efficiency. Whether that’s using AI tools such as Gong for customer relationship management and customer data analysis to analyze customer data, or using Jasper.ai and Content at Scale as AI copywriting tools, there’s plenty of Artificial Intelligence Tools out there for your startup.

These tools help startups maximize efficiency, accelerate growth, manage their day to day operations, and can even augment your sales team.

We’ll take a look at the industry leaders in AI technology in each of the following categories, to help you pick the best AI tool for your own use case.

Content Generation & Copywriting

Content at Scale: Best for Long Form Content

Content at Scale is an AI-driven content creation platform designed to help startups scale their content marketing efficiently, with human-like content with its own voice that bypasses AI detection.

Top Features

• Produce 10 long-form, SEO-optimized blog posts in a single day.
• Bypasses AI content detection for a more authentic feel.
• Direct integration with Copyscape for plagiarism checks.
• WordPress plugin for seamless content syncing and automatic internal linking.
• Cost-effective solution for scaling content production without hiring additional writers.

Differences from Jasper.ai and Copy.ai

• Focuses on scalability for businesses of varying sizes.
• Emphasis on content optimization for better user engagement.
• Offers content management and CMS integration features.

Pricing

• 4 blog posts at $37.50/post, totaling $150/month.
• 8 blog posts at $31.25/post, totaling $250/month.
• 20 blog posts at $25/post, totaling $500/month. (Est. $0.009/word)
• 50 blog posts at $20/post, totaling $1,000/month.
• 100 blog posts at $15/post, totaling $1,500/month.

My Take

Content at Scale is great for startups that need to scale their content marketing quickly and efficiently without the hassle of hiring and managing writers. Their long form content management & generation system is unmatched, and the built in plagiarism detection is a nice perk.

Request an invite from their homepage today to experience the power of AI-driven content creation.

Jasper.ai: Best for defeating Writer’s Block

Jasper is an AI tool designed to help startups create various types of content 10X faster, improving productivity and efficiency. It’s trusted by over 100,000 teams globally, making it an extremely widely used AI business tool and an excellent choice for scaling your business.

Top Features

• Create content in 26 languages, including English, Spanish, and Japanese.
• Generate social media content, marketing copy, articles, and more.
• Collaborate with team members in real-time.
• Chrome extension for seamless integration into your workflow.
• Rated 4.8/5 stars in 5,000+ reviews, showcasing its effectiveness.

Differences from Copy.ai and Content at Scale

• Offers a Chrome extension for seamless integration into your workflow.
• Provides real-time collaboration features for teams.
• Jasper.ai can read and write content in 25 languages, including English, Spanish, Japanese, and Portuguese.
• Doesn’t include content management and CMS integration features like Content at Scale.

Pricing

• Boss Mode: $82/mo (estimated) with 50,000 words/mo, tailored for individuals and small teams.
• Business: Custom Plan & Price, designed for growing teams and businesses with custom features and support.

My Take

Jasper is the incumbent standard in the fast moving AI writing space. With an emphasis on collaboration and a Chrome extension, Jasper.ai stands out from its competitors. I found the chrome extension to be a great way to combat writer’s block. Request a demo or sign up with their Boss Mode plan today.

Copy.ai: Best for Copywriting

Copy.ai is an AI-driven content generator designed for startups seeking rapid growth. The platform helps create various types of content efficiently, enabling users to write better content faster, and streamline their content production process.

Top Features

• Over 90 tools and templates for various content types.
• Write content in 25+ languages.
• 2,000 free words per month for the free plan.
• Supports blog writing, social media management, and email marketing.
• Used by over 6 million professionals and teams.

Differences from Jasper.ai and Content at Scale

• Offers a chat interface for AI-generated content assistance.
• Provides over 90+ copywriting tools and templates for various content types.
• Offers a free plan with 2,000 words per month, which Jasper.ai and Content at Scale don’t.
• Less focus on team collaboration features compared to Jasper.ai.
• Lacks content management and CMS integration capabilities that Content at Scale offers.

Pricing

• Free: $0, 2,000 words per month, 1 user seat.
• Pro: $36/mo (billed $432/year), unlimited words, 5 user seats.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing with API access and advanced features.

My Take

Copy.ai is the only one on this list that has a free plan, making it an attractive choice for those who want to test AI-driven content writing before committing to a paid plan. Upgrade as needed to support your growing business.

Design & Image Generation/Editing

Flair.ai: Best for Branded Content

Flair AI is an innovative design tool that leverages artificial intelligence to create branded content, including AI-generated product photography. With a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, Flair AI enables users to construct scenes around their products and generate visually stunning images for marketing purposes.

Top Features

• Intuitive drag-and-drop interface for seamless scene creation.
• AI-assisted scene construction with a variety of accessories.
• Smart Prompt feature for effective communication with the AI.
• User Generated Examples gallery for inspiration and learning.
• Comprehensive tutorials and prompt guidance to enhance user experience.

Pricing

• Basic: Free trial with 30 free images, one product per image, and access to image editing tools.
• Professional: Starting from $10/month, unlimited images, one product per image, unlimited upscaling, and editing tools.
• Custom: Tailor-made design tool for teams, with brand-consistent and collaborative features (contact for pricing).

My Take

With AI-driven features and in-depth tutorials, Flair AI empowers users to generate professional-quality images for their marketing campaigns. Try Flair AI with their free trial or choose a subscription plan that suits your needs.

Illustroke: Best for Vector Icons

Illustroke AI is a powerful text-to-SVG tool that generates unique vector illustrations from text prompts, perfect for startups and businesses looking to scale quickly. Create stunning visuals for personal and commercial projects with ease, saving time and effort.

Top Features

• Generate SVG illustrations from text prompts.
• Receive 3 illustration variants per request for optimal choice.
• Free-to-use illustrations for commercial and non-commercial purposes.
• Unique illustrations, inaccessible to other users.
• API integration for seamless project incorporation.

Pricing

• Personal Bundle: 50 tokens for $6, suitable for personal projects.
• Growth Bundle: 200 tokens for $18, designed for business growth.

Note: One token is equivalent to one illustration generation request, which produces 3 variants.

My Take

One of the few on this list with an API integration, Illustroke is perfect for incorporating into existing projects. Follow Illustroke on Twitter for a chance to receive free tokens through promo codes, and get started on enhancing your visual content today.

Accomplice AI: Best for Stock Photos

Accomplice AI is an innovative platform that helps startups and businesses generate royalty-free logos, photos, and graphics using AI technology. Streamline your workflow, save time, and reduce costs with this powerful AI-powered design software.

Top Features

• Generate a vast array of AI image styles.
• AI-powered image editor for precise adjustments.
• Compatible with Figma through Accomplice plugin.
• Train Accomplice AI with drag-and-drop interface.
• Organize, share, and upscale images easily.

Pricing

• Free: 100 free credits, 1 user, and 100 images of cloud storage.
• Personal: $9/month or $99/year, 500 credits/month, 1 user, and 5,000 images of cloud storage.
• Pro: $20/month or $240/year, unlimited credits/month, up to 3 team members, and 10,000 images of cloud storage.
• Team: $40/month or $480/year, unlimited credits/month, up to 10 team members, and 40,000 images of cloud storage.

My Take

Accomplice AI is a game-changer for startups and businesses that need to create unique, high-quality visual content without breaking the bank. The platform is ideal for social content, game development, web design, and more. With a 7-day free trial available, there’s no reason not to give Accomplice AI a try and revolutionize your design process.

CRM, Task Management Software & Scheduling

Gong: Best for your Sales Team

Gong is a powerful platform that analyzes customer interactions, providing actionable insights to help businesses grow revenue efficiently. The Gong Reality Platform offers complete visibility into deals, team performance, and market changes, making it an invaluable tool for startups and rapidly expanding companies.

Top Features

• Comprehensive analysis of customer interactions across multiple channels
• Pipeline and forecast management for accurate predictions
• Coaching and assist tools for team development
• Trusted by 3500+ customers, including major enterprises
• Integration with existing tech stack at no additional cost

Pricing

Gong’s pricing is customized based on factors specific to your team. To get an accurate quote, fill out the form on their website, and they will provide a tailored proposal including seat edition, optional products, and platform subscription.

My Take

Gong is perfect for startups and growing businesses looking to optimize their sales and customer success processes. With its unique approach to analyzing customer interactions, Gong can help teams uncover risks, opportunities, and actionable insights. To see if Gong is right for your business, request a live demo or explore their platform tour.

ClickUp: Best for Project Management

ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity and collaboration platform that consolidates tasks, docs, chat, goals, and more into one easy-to-use interface. Designed to boost efficiency and streamline team communication, ClickUp is perfect for scaling startups and rapidly growing businesses.

Top Features

• Comprehensive project and task management
• Real-time chat and collaborative docs
• Powerful automations for sales processes
• Accessible on any device, including mobile and desktop
• 24/7 real-time customer support

Pricing

• Free Forever: $0, limited features, 100MB storage
• Unlimited: $5 per member per month, enhanced features
• Business: $12 per member per month, advanced features
• Business Plus: $19 per member per month, custom options
• Enterprise: Custom pricing, tailored for large teams

My Take

ClickUp is ideal for startups and growing businesses that require a centralized, efficient platform for managing tasks, communication, and collaboration. With a free trial available and tiered pricing options, it’s easy to find a plan that suits your team’s needs and budget.

Motion: Best for Calendar Management

Motion is one of the best AI productivity apps designed to automate planning and scheduling for startups and teams. It combines calendars, task management, project management, and meeting scheduling in one intuitive platform, helping you save time and stay focused on what matters most.

Top Features

• AI-driven daily scheduling and prioritization for tasks, meetings, and projects
• Intelligent calendar with automatic reminders and rescheduling
• Automatic task and project manager, including Kanban and list views
• Meeting scheduler with customizable booking templates and availability control
• Integration with existing calendars, mobile app, and browser extension

Pricing

• Individual Plan: $19/month (billed annually) or $34/month (billed monthly)
• Team Plan: $12/user/month (billed annually) or $20/user/month (billed monthly)

My Take

Motion is perfect for startups and teams looking to scale quickly and efficiently without getting bogged down in manual planning and scheduling. I’ve found their machine learning algorithm incredibly effective at organizing my calendar. With a 7-day free trial, you can see firsthand how Motion’s AI-driven features can revolutionize your productivity and work-life balance.

Reclaim: Best for Deep Work

Reclaim is an intelligent scheduling tool that helps busy teams save up to 40% of their workweek by creating a flexible and adaptive schedule, prioritizing tasks, and integrating with popular work tools. It’s used and loved by over 15,000 companies.

Top Features

• Time blocking for tasks, routines, and 1:1 meetings
• Calendar sync and availability management to prevent conflicts
• Integrations with Slack, Zoom, Google Tasks, Todoist, Asana, JIRA, ClickUp, and more
• Advanced analytics for tracking productivity and schedule optimization
• Customizable options like event privacy controls, meeting buffers, and auto color-coding

Pricing

• Free Plan: $0 per user/month (for simple calendars)
• Pro Plan: $6.50-$7.80 per user/month (for professionals with busy, complex schedules)
• Team Plan: $9.50-$11.40 per user/month (for teams with lots of meetings & competing priorities)

My Take

Reclaim is perfect for growing startups that need to optimize their time and resources while scaling. The platform offers a free 14-day trial, allowing you to test its features and see how it can benefit your team.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

NeuronWriter: Best Combined SEO and AI Writing

NeuronWriter is an advanced AI SEO tool designed for content creators and website owners seeking an efficient way to write and optimize content. It streamlines the process by using semantic models (NLP), Google SERP analysis, and competition data, ensuring your content ranks higher on Google while saving time.

Top Features

• Content score in the content editor to help you optimize as you write.
• NLP-based recommendations for content optimization.
• In-app content planning and management. 
• AI writing with GPT 3.5 models.
• Easy document management and collaboration.
• Content performance analysis for consistent monitoring and results.

Pricing

• Bronze Plan: $19/month – 25 Keyword Analyses and 15,000 AI Credits
• Silver Plan: $37/month – 50 Keyword Analyses and 30,000 AI Credits
• Gold Plan: $57/month – 75 Keyword Analyses and 45,000 AI Credits
• Platinum Plan: $77/month – 100 Keyword Analyses and 60,000 AI Credits
• Diamond Plan: $97/month – 150 Keyword Analyses and 70,000 AI Credits

Wrap Up

NeuronWriter is a great SEO AI tool for individuals, small agencies, and larger businesses looking to improve their content quality and ranking on Google.

It uses Natural Language Processing in order to determine a score for your content, helping you rank higher on SERPs, while also providing an AI writer that you can leverage to write your articles faster.

For a more detailed review, check out my dedicated NeuronWriter Review.

Conclusion

The emergence of general AI productivity tools has transformed the way businesses handle their operations.

Companies no longer have to rely solely on manual processes and human labor, instead relying on this new technology to automate mundane tasks, allowing for better time and resource management.

By leveraging a range of AI tools in different categories such as content writing, image editing/generation, or task management and scheduling, companies can now do more with less headcount than before.

If you like this content – stay tuned for more articles on the best AI powered tools. In our next article, we’ll be digging deeper into creation and editing, showcasing some AI tools that can edit audio files.