Past ChatGPT, 7 useful AI instruments for college students in 2025

Whether or not serving to with creating research plans, summarising 200-page-long paperwork, or designing displays, AI instruments are quick changing into a research companion for college students on the continent. 

For Anjola, a third-year historical past pupil on the College of Lagos, they’re a lifeline when course supplies are outdated and complete assets are scarce. “You get pages and pages of knowledge based mostly in your request. So while you actually wish to dig deeper into a subject, it’s extremely helpful,” she mentioned. 

Past ChatGPT, listed here are another AI-powered platforms serving to college students to remain forward. 

7 AI instruments for college students in 2025

1. Quillbot

Quillbot is an AI-powered device for paraphrasing and writing. It could actually assist college students rewrite sentences by enhancing readability and checking for grammar errors. It could actually assist refine essays whereas sustaining authentic that means. 

Key options for college students:

• It features a paraphrasing device with completely different types. If you wish to sound extra educational, artistic, or formal, there’s an appropriate selection for you. 
• An AI Detector that may assist analyse in case your textual content sounds AI-generated or human-written.
• A grammar checker and spell-checker
• A summariser for getting condensed variations of lengthy analysis papers or articles, which might additionally assist velocity up your analysis course of. 
• Quillbot works in Google Docs and Microsoft Phrase by downloading extensions. 

Professionals & cons

• Professionals:
  • The format is straightforward to make use of, regardless of its varied options. 
  • It is usually ad-free and doesn’t require any sign-up. 
  • You’ll be able to analyse textual content in over 20 languages, from English to German to Chinese language.
  • The free model presents respectable paraphrasing help.
  • The completely different paraphrasing modes provide help to appropriately form your writing based on your wants. 
• Cons
  • There are phrase limits on the free plan. You’ll be able to solely paraphrase 125 phrases at a time on the free plan. 
  • Some superior paraphrasing modes require a paid subscription. 
• Platforms:
  • Net, Android, iOS, Chrome Net Extension, Microsoft Phrase, and Google Docs. 
• Value:
  • Freemium (Free plan with limits accessible, Premium plan provided at round $9.95 monthly).

2. Grammarly

Grammarly is an AI-powered writing assistant that checks grammar, spelling, punctuation, and writing model. It helps college students enhance readability in essays and writing stories. 

Key options for college students:

• Presents solutions for writing tone and readability. These solutions will be customised to particular objectives you resolve every time you begin a brand new doc on their platform. 
• Gives a real-time grammar and spelling checker.
• Consists of plagiarism and AI checkers, however just for premium customers.
• Works in Google Docs, Microsoft Phrase, internet browsers, and smartphone keyboards. 

Professionals & cons

• Professionals:
  • Useful for skilled and educational writing.
  • It really works throughout 500,000+ web sites and apps, so you may write assignments and get corrections with out switching throughout completely different platforms and breaking focus.
  • The free model covers quantity of grammar and spelling wants.
  • The free model means that you can generate texts utilizing over 100 prompts.
• Cons:
  • The plagiarism checker and extra superior options are premium.
  • Its grammar and spelling solutions aren’t at all times 100% appropriate.
• Platforms:
  • Net, Android, iOS, Chrome Net Extension, Microsoft Phrase, Google Docs, Gmail. 
• Value:
  • Freemium (Free plan with limits accessible, Premium plan provided at round $12 monthly).

3. Google Gemini

Gemini is Google’s AI chatbot and search assistant that may assist college students write, analysis, code, and generate concepts. 

“Gemini is critical enterprise for me,” Anjola mentioned. “When I’ve critical assignments, I exploit its deep analysis possibility to seek out in-depth data on issues.”

Key options for college students:

• Built-in with Google Workspace (Google Docs, Slides, Sheets)
• Consists of ‘Gems’, mainly particular AI assistants designed to function an professional for a particular job like writing,  brainstorming, or coding.
• It has a mannequin centered on heavy maths calculations and evaluation, which will be useful for college students on the lookout for particular assist. 
• It enhances studying by partaking with customers in a conversational model that helps follow-up questions and requests.
• Can analyse photographs, charts, and paperwork for solutions.

Professionals & cons

• Professionals:
  • Able to dealing with a number of kinds of media, resembling texts, photographs, and code.
  • Lets you create customized AI assistants on any subject of curiosity
  • Gemini additionally has a guided studying mode that helps learners construct a deep understanding of advanced matters. 
• Cons:
  •  The free model can not assist with understanding and digesting massive books and stories. Customers can not add greater than 1,500 pages of content material which will be limiting for college students attempting to do deep analysis. 
• Platforms:
  • It’s accessible to be used on the Net, Android,  and iOS
• Value:
  • Freemium (Free plan with limits accessible, Premium plans are included with the Google AI Professional plan, which begins from $20 a month). 

4. Elicit

Elicit is an AI analysis assistant that finds, analyses, and summarises educational papers for college students. 

Key options for college students:

• It helps college students discover related summaries of educational papers related to their analysis matters. 
• It has a function that lets customers evaluate completely different elements of a analysis paper, like methodologies, limitations, and key findings, which saves time that will have been spent aimlessly scrolling via many analysis journals. 
• It additionally has a library function that means that you can retailer papers and extract key information and insights from these papers. You too can chat with the educational papers you add. 
• Customers may create alerts to obtain notifications when extra educational papers associated to matters of curiosity can be found. 

Professionals & cons

• Professionals:
  • The free plan permits customers to seek for a vast period of time.
  • It helps save hours of guide studying and looking out, which might typically be overwhelming.
  • It’s a useful useful resource for college students conducting literature critiques for his or her remaining 12 months initiatives.
• Cons:
  • It’s primarily restricted to educational analysis use circumstances.
  • The free plan solely permits you to evaluate two elements of a analysis paper at a time. This may be limiting for college students attempting to do deeper analysis for larger initiatives. 

Platforms:

• It’s only accessible on internet browsers in the mean time. 

Value:

• Freemium (Free plan with limits accessible, Premium plans with completely different advantages and options begin from $12 monthly).

5. NotebookLM

NotebookLM is Google’s AI-powered analysis and research device. It helps college students summarise paperwork, create research outlines, and ask questions on their uploaded supplies.

Key options for college students:

• It permits college students to add PDFs, plain textual content, web site hyperlinks, YouTube movies, audio information, Google Docs, or Slides. NotebookLM can summarise these uploaded supplies and spotlight connections between the completely different supplies based mostly on the questions you ask it. 
• It has an Audio Overview function that permits you to create audio information with explanations of advanced ideas. 
• With the free model, you may add as much as 50 sources and have a day by day restrict of fifty chat queries and three audio generations. 

Professionals & cons

• Professionals:
  • NotebookLM will present clear citations for the responses it generates. This helps customers perceive and confirm whether or not the data offered is definitely from the supply supplies that they’ve offered. 
  • It means that you can organise your completely different initiatives into notebooks. That is useful for customers who want to make use of the app for varied analysis and research initiatives often. 
  • It means that you can share your notebooks with classmates and different collaborators, which is beneficial for group initiatives. 
• Cons:
  • It’s primarily suited to Google Workspace. 
  • The cellular apps have fewer options in comparison with the online model.
  • The free model doesn’t let customers customise the model and tone of the device to suit their wants.

Platforms:

• It’s accessible to be used on the Net, Android,  and iOS

Value:

• Freemium (Free plan with limits accessible, paid plans are included with the Google AI Professional plan, which begins from $20 a month).  The Google AI Professional plans embody higher performance for Google Gemini as effectively. 

6. Gamma

Gamma is an AI-powered presentation creator that helps college students flip concepts and ideas into presentation slides. 

Key options for college students:

• It could actually assist generate displays, paperwork, and webpages utilizing prompts and notes.
• It permits fundamental picture technology utilizing AI instruments.
• It means that you can create these displays in a number of languages, resembling Yoruba and Swahili.
• It additionally helps real-time collaboration and suggestions with different college students. 

Professionals & cons

• Professionals:
  • Creating displays for sophistication initiatives will be time-consuming. Gamma might help college students save time on designing.
  • The collaborative options make group initiatives that contain displays simpler for college students.
  • College students can create smooth visible displays with out the necessity for particular design expertise.
• Cons:
  • The free plan has branding restrictions. There’s a “Made with Gamma” watermark that seems on content material made with the AI device. 
  • It isn’t but built-in into frequent presentation instruments like PowerPoint and Google Slides. This implies customers could must continuously change between the completely different apps to edit presentation slides. 

Platforms:

• It’s only accessible on internet browsers for now.

Value:

• Freemium: There’s a free plan accessible with limits. The month-to-month plans vary from $10-$25 

7. Perplexity

Perplexity is an AI search assistant that may ship detailed solutions to advanced questions with cited sources. 

Key options for college students:

• It could actually mix AI-generated responses with verified citations from the online to assist its claims. At the moment, instruments like ChatGPT could present citations to sources that didn’t exist. 
• It has a Areas function that enables customers to add private information, together with PDFs, Phrase paperwork, and mix them with internet search outcomes. Customers can question and search via these uploaded information and the overall internet on the similar time. 
• Perplexity’s Areas function lets customers invite others to contribute to analysis initiatives. That is useful for college students working collectively on long-term group initiatives and assignments. 

Professionals & cons

• Professionals:
  • It presents a unique expertise from search engines like google like Google, which use key phrases. College students can ask advanced questions and get well-structured solutions with clickable sources. 
  • It could actually assist cut back the time spent cross-checking data as a result of you could have simpler entry to the web sources used. 
  • It’s useful for fast analysis as a result of it offers solutions backed by credible sources. 
  • Customers have entry to a number of AI fashions resembling GPT-5, Claude, and others that may present completely different capabilities relying on the duty. 
• Cons:
  • It could actually generate incorrect data or misread sources at occasions.
  • Customers on the free plan can solely make three queries day by day on the deep analysis function. This may be limiting for college students doing extra heavy analysis work. 
  • Citations on the free plan are additionally restricted typically.

Platforms:

Value:

• Freemium (Free plan with limits accessible, Premium plans with completely different advantages begin from $20 monthly).

Balancing using AI instruments 

Whereas AI instruments promise to spice up productiveness, they increase issues over plagiarism and overreliance, prompting warning amongst college students and school.

Some lecturers in Nigerian universities stay cautious, arguing that AI might erode college students’ intelligence and impartial pondering. “I don’t suppose they see it as a device to assist our schooling. There’s already this established sentiment towards using AI,” mentioned Daniel, a third-year structure pupil at Covenant College.

Others are taking a extra measured method, quietly encouraging college students to discover the expertise with out letting it change core studying. Nonetheless, some college students fear they’re changing into too dependent and are intentionally scaling again.

For Anjola, AI’s limits are clear. “AI can’t be so particular to what my lecturers need,” she mentioned. “I’m human. My lecturers are human. Solely each of us know what’s occurring.”

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