Our 10 favourite AI tools for productivity '24

It seems like yesterday we were raving about the pomodoro technique or time management hacks. Now, those methods to shave hours feel quaint. AI is the new upgrade, and it's not just hype – it's genuinely making a difference in how we get things done.

Suddenly, every task has an AI-powered alternative ready to step in. Need to write an email? AI will draft it for you. Struggling to make sense of data like me? AI gives insights and simple graphs. Even our calendars and to-do lists are getting smarter. The result? We're powering through our workloads much quicker.

Of course, not all tools are created equal. Some are game-changers, while others might be a bit of a gimmick.  So, we've done some digging to bring you our top picks –  the AI-powered tools that truly deliver on the promise of smarter, faster, and more efficient work.

#1 Knowledge management: Slite

Slite is an intuitive knowledge management tool that makes it easy for teams to collaborate, organise, and find information. With a user-friendly interface and powerful AI features, Slite streamlines your workflow and boosts productivity.

Key features

1. Seamless integrations: Embed tasks, projects, and databases from apps like Linear and Excalidraw directly into your docs for better context and collaboration.
2. Streamlined Knowledge Management Panel: Access knowledge insights and doc filters in one place, and use natural language to find the docs you need, like "Show me all docs related to the annual earnings report."
3. Easy channel and doc management: Organise your docs within channels using categories, quickly access them via the sidebar, and automatically archive inactive docs to keep your workspace clean.
4. Hassle-free migration: Import your existing docs from Drive, Notion, or other tools with just a few clicks.

AI features

1. AI Editor: Get intelligent suggestions and improvements as you write, ensuring your docs are clear and concise.
2. AI Knowledge Management Panel: Leverage AI to automatically categorise and organise your docs based on their content and relevance.
3. AI Search Everywhere with Ask: Find the information you need across all your docs and external sources using natural language queries.

#2 Spreadsheets and data analysis: Equals or Rows

If you're into data and spreadsheets, you might want to give Equals a go. It's a nifty tool that uses AI to make data analysis much easier and faster. You can snag it for $19/month if you're an individual, or $99/month for teams. It's great for anyone who loves digging into data, whether you're an analyst or just someone who wants to make sense of all those numbers.

Another direct competitor to Equals is Rows. At Slite, we love them both. They’re definitely more intuitive, lighter, and make data more share-able. And they play really well with our CRM tools and Zapier integrations. Here’s a couple of AI features Equals recently shipped:

AI Features

1. AI Assist: This handy helper lets you do a lot of quick data analysis via GPT prompts. We often use this for querying data, analysis, and even whipping up reports. Brilliant, right?
2. Formula Building and Fixing: If formulas aren't your forte, AI Assist's got you covered. It can write formulas for you, spot and fix any mistakes, and even help you understand the really tricky ones. It's a real time-saver if you find formulas a bit of a headache.
3. Data Analysis and Insights: Want to uncover the secrets hidden in your data? AI Assist can do that in a snap. It'll analyse your data, surface the key insights, create dashboards that'll impress your boss, and give you a quick summary of the important bits. It's a game-changer for anyone who wants to get to the bottom of their data fast.
4. Proactive Error Detection: We've all been there – staring at a spreadsheet, trying to figure out where we went wrong. Equals' AI Assist spots errors as you go and suggests quick fixes, keeping your data in tip-top shape.
5. Contextual Awareness: AI Assist is pretty clever – it gets the context of your spreadsheet and gives you the help and suggestions you need based on what you're working on.

#3 Workflow automation: Zapier

If you're looking to streamline your workflows and save time, Zapier is definitely worth checking out. It's an automation platform that allows you to connect your favourite apps and automate tasks without needing to know any code. Whether you're working solo or as part of a team, Zapier can help you get things done more efficiently. They offer a free plan, and if you need more advanced features, their paid plans start at $20/month.

Simple Zapier Automations

One of the great things about Zapier is its versatility. It works with a huge range of SaaS tools, so chances are, if you use it, Zapier can automate it. And you can get creative with your automations to suit your specific needs. Here's an example of a simple automation we use at Slite:

Whenever we get a demo request, we have a Zap set up that:

• Assigns the request to a team member based on their calendar availability
• Notifies us on Slack with key details:some text
  • The person's note
  • Their enrichment details
  • Their lead score

It's a simple but effective way to make sure demo requests get handled promptly without anything falling through the cracks.

AI-Powered Zapier Automations

Things get even more interesting when you bring AI into the mix. Zapier has integrated with various AI tools, opening up a whole new world of automation possibilities. Here are a few examples:

1. Create tasks in Notion using ChatGPT based on certain triggers
2. Draft email replies to customers using AI to save time while still providing a personal touch
3. Generate blog post drafts from form submissions using AI writing tools
4. Create personalised content for new leads using AI to analyse data and craft relevant messages
5. Automatically generate summaries of new PDF files added to Dropbox using ChatGPT

These are just a few examples, but the potential applications are virtually endless. By combining the power of Zapier's automation with AI tools, you can automate more complex tasks and save even more time.

Of course, Zapier and AI aren't going to magically solve all your productivity woes. You still need to put in the work to set up your automations and make sure they're running smoothly. But if you're willing to invest a bit of time upfront, the time savings and efficiency gains can be significant.

So if you find yourself spending too much time on repetitive tasks or wishing you had an assistant to handle some of the grunt work, give Zapier a try. With its wide range of integrations and AI-powered automation capabilities, it might just become your new favourite productivity tool.

#4 Best email app: Superhuman

Every startup founder uses Superhuman for email.

But jokes aside, it delivers on its promise of being the fastest email client ever. It was the first email client to really nail features like autocorrect, read receipts, calendar integration, and more. It's aimed at high-performing teams and individuals seeking to save time and reduce email stress.

Superhuman is designed to help you fly through your inbox twice as fast as traditional email clients. It boasts a split inbox that prioritises emails from your team, VIPs, or even tools like Google Docs.

Superhuman also integrates with your calendar, allowing you to view availability and schedule meetings directly from your email. And if you're working with a team, Superhuman's team read statuses and reply indicators can help you avoid collisions and enhance collaboration.

AI Features

Where Superhuman really shines is in its AI-powered features. Here are some of the standout AI capabilities:

1. Auto Summarise conversations: Superhuman provides a one-line summary above every conversation that updates instantly as new emails arrive. This can help you quickly get up to speed on a thread without having to read through every message.
2. Reply in an instant: With this feature, Superhuman generates draft replies to emails, allowing you to quickly edit and send. Users have reported being able to write emails twice as fast using this feature.
3. Turn an idea into an email: Jot down a few phrases, and Superhuman will turn them into a full email written in your voice and tone. This can be a huge time-saver when you need to send a quick message but don't have time to write it out in full.
4. Type at the speed of thought: Superhuman's autocorrect works as you type, fixing errors and speeding up your writing. No more embarrassing typos or time wasted correcting mistakes.
5. Polish your writing: With just a few keystrokes, Superhuman can help you fix spelling, grammar, clarity, and length issues in your emails. It can even rewrite emails in your voice, ensuring your messages always sound polished and professional.

While Superhuman isn't for everyone (the price tag alone can be a dealbreaker for some), it's clear to see why it's become so popular among startup founders and other high-performers. Its combination of speed, productivity features, and AI-powered writing assistance can help you power through your inbox.

#5 Best research copilot: Perplexity AI

When it comes to finding the best search copilot, Perplexity AI is a strong contender. This powerful tool is designed to help you find the answers you need quickly and efficiently, no matter how complex your questions may be.

Best Features

1. One of Perplexity AI's standout features is its Unlimited Pro Search. This is the platform's most powerful search capability, and it's ideal for getting in-depth answers to complicated queries. With Pro Search, you can ask up to 300 questions per day, ensuring you always have access to the information you need.
2. Perplexity AI also offers a range of upgraded AI models to choose from, including the latest and greatest like GPT-4, Claude 3, and Perplexity's own proprietary model. These advanced models provide improved answers and can handle longer context, making it easier to get the information you need without having to piece together multiple searches.
3. Another great feature of Perplexity AI is its Unlimited File Uploads. This allows you to ask questions about images, documents, and other files, with the power of models like Claude 3 and GPT-4V behind the scenes. Whether you're trying to analyse a complex dataset or understand the content of a lengthy report, Perplexity AI can help.
4. For developers, Perplexity AI also offers API Credits. You get $5 of monthly credit to use towards the platform's text generation API, allowing you to integrate Perplexity AI's powerful search capabilities into your own applications and workflows.
5. Last but not least, Perplexity AI's own large language model (LLM) is no slouch. It provides up-to-date information with low latency, making it a great choice for quick searches and general queries.

Perplexity AI is a great choice for anyone looking to streamline their search process and get better results faster. Whether you're a researcher, a student, a professional, or just someone with a lot of questions. While Perplexity AI's pricing will set you back another $20/mo, it’s a wonderful tool worth checking out.

#6 Best meeting notes taker: TL;DV

TL;DV is a game-changer for anyone whose days are packed with meetings. If you're involved in things like UX research, hiring, sales, or need to collaborate closely with other teams, this tool is worth its weight in gold. You can create clips straight from recordings to highlight key points, and the search function is a lifesaver when you need to find that one discussion buried under hours of meetings.

And don't just take my word for it...Anouk, our Head of Customer Success, swears by it:

"TL;DV is my new personal favourite ❤ ️. Great notes, saving me a ton of time on admin work and follow up emails. And, although I have not been able to use it yet, being able to ask questions on multiple calls to, for example, get the most-requested feature request without manually having to go through all the call recordings, would be awesome."

The best part is TL;DV's seamless integration with the tools you already use – Notion, Slack, Salesforce...sharing those meeting insights is a breeze.

Best AI features

• TL;DV is like your own little AI meeting assistant. It joins your Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams calls to record, transcribe, and even summarise everything for you.
• Need those notes in another language? No problem! It can automatically transcribe meetings in over 30 languages, even telling you who's speaking.
• TL;DV's AI is super smart – it timestamps important moments and summarises the big topics so you can skip the small talk and get right to what matters.

#7 Best video recording app: Loom

Loom is the way to go for quick, easy video updates, tutorials, or whenever you need to share your screen alongside your smiling face. It's incredibly versatile – we use it for everything from onboarding new team members to sharing customer feedback. The fact that you can easily trim videos, add captions, and get insights on who watched makes it even better.

Standard features

• Screen and camera recording: Get your point across with both screen recordings and talking-head videos.
• Easy sharing and embedding: Loom videos are instantly shareable with a link or can be embedded right into your docs.
• Trim and stitch video clips: Clean up any 'ums' or merge multiple recordings into one.
• Download and upload: Save recordings locally or upload them to other platforms.
• Transcriptions and closed captions: Make your videos accessible to everyone.
• Video privacy controls: Choose who gets to see your Loom masterpieces.
• Custom background: Hide your messy room or add a touch of branding.
• Video and viewer insights: See who's watched your videos and how much engagement they're getting.

AI features

• Edit by Transcript: This feels like magic! Easily chop out sections of your video just by editing the transcript.
• AI-powered video messages: Loom's AI helps you communicate more effectively for those times a quick video is a better option than long emails.
• Loom AI enhances communication and collaboration: AI features make Loom even better for seamless teamwork and sharing knowledge.

#8 Best calendar, tasks, and email in 1 - Amie

If you're a fan of having everything streamlined, Amie might just become your productivity app. Imagine scheduling meetings by just dragging and dropping them on your calendar, getting those handy notifications right in your menu bar, and managing your to-dos alongside your email – all in one place! Amie works on Mac, iOS, and the web, making it a versatile all-in-one solution.

Standard Features

• Drag and drop scheduling: Makes scheduling feel super intuitive.
• Notifications for upcoming meetings: Stay on top of your day with those handy menu bar reminders.
• Share your free time slots: Makes booking meetings a breeze for you and others.
• Natural language scheduling using NLP: Type "Lunch with Sarah next Tuesday" and Amie figures out the rest!
• Widgets: Get quick access to your schedule, birthdays, and to-do lists.
• Support for multiple email/calendar accounts: Keep your work and personal life in sync.
• Pomodoro Technique timer: Built-in focus sessions to beat procrastination.
• Timezone management: Perfect for anyone coordinating across multiple time zones.
• Free basic version: Give it a try before committing to the paid Pro or Enterprise plans.

AI Features

Amie's NLP scheduling is where the AI magic happens. Being able to type naturally and have your calendar fill itself in is a serious time saver!

#9 Reclaim

If your calendar is a hot mess of meetings, deadlines, and random "focus time" blocks that always get eaten up, Reclaim.ai might be your saviour. It's designed to bring order to the schedules of anyone who needs a balance of meetings and deep work. Think of it as your digital assistant for keeping calendar chaos at bay.

Elisa, from our marketing team, has been a fan since the beginning:

"Reclaim is great to make sure you don't overload yourself and for those like me that struggle taking breaks. I've used it since they launched back in 2019 and love how they've smoothly expanded what the product does with AI."

Features

• Habits: Schedule recurring personal time for non-work stuff like exercise or those moments to just zone out.
• Tasks: To-dos get their place on your calendar, so you see them alongside meetings.
• Smart 1:1s: Automate scheduling those regular catch-ups with your team.
• Scheduling Links: Take the back-and-forth out of booking meetings with others.
• Calendar Sync: Keeps everything connected to your trusty Google Calendar.
• Buffer Time: Reclaim knows prep is important and automatically blocks it out.
• Planner: See your week at a glance, including all those tasks you've scheduled.
• Time Tracking: Get insights into where your hours are actually disappearing.
• People Analytics: This is more for managers or those concerned about team burnout and workload.

AI Features

Reclaim's AI is gradually making its way into more features. The Smart 1:1s scheduling is a great example of AI-powered convenience.

#10 Best Sales CRM - Salesforce

Salesforce is a CRM giant, and for good reason. Their Einstein AI Platform brings those classic CRM features to the next level, making it a great choice for businesses who want to leverage AI for truly customised customer experiences.  It's a complex tool, but if you're ready to invest in tailoring it to your needs, the payoff can be huge.

Best Features

• Customer data insights: Salesforce's AI shines when it comes to digging into customer data. It finds patterns, makes predictions about likely behaviour, and surfaces insights to help you close those deals or resolve issues faster.
• Support team superpowers: Einstein acts like a super knowledgeable assistant for your support team, quickly finding relevant information to aid in customer interactions.
• Ethical AI focus: Salesforce provides tools and resources to promote transparency and mitigate bias in its AI, something more businesses are taking seriously.
• Customization options: Salesforce isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. The real strength lies in how deeply you can tailor the features and models to work seamlessly with your business processes.

AI Features

• Einstein AI Platform: This is the heart of Salesforce's AI. Use it to build your own AI models, create predictive analytics, and customise intelligent experiences.
• AI assistant for CRM (Einstein Copilot): Einstein Copilot is your AI-powered CRM companion. It automates routine tasks, highlights important insights, and keeps you focused on what matters.

Notable mentions

Here’s some other favourites from our team:

1. Descript: A video editing tool particularly made for use cases a startup GTM team would have. Think podcast edits, clip cuts, product demos, and everything else. Elisa loves this one too,
   
   “Descript still seems the most impressive video editing tool for marketers to me, with solid AI features that have been around since say 2020. They've stayed relevant because they were already ahead of the curve in terms of ease and features.”
2. DEVONthink: This is a personal favourite from Mathieu, from our Customer Support team. It’s like Obsidian on steroids. Long-form writers, and note-taking enthusiasts will appreciate that it’s not as stripped as Obsidian, and does the connecting of dots with AI - another thing that’s painful to do manually.

Conclusion

The tools we've covered prove just how much AI can change the game.  Whether it's digging into data, wrangling your inbox, or magically understanding your messy notes, AI is like having super-smart assistants working alongside you.

While some AI features are as easy as typing a quick note or asking a question. Others might take a bit more setup to really shine, but the payoff is worth it.  Find the perfect mix, and those tough tasks suddenly become a whole lot easier.

‍