The Best Free AI Tools for Irish Small Businesses in 2024
You do not need to spend a fortune to start using AI in your business. Several of the most useful tools are free, or have free tiers that are more than adequate for a small business.
Here is a practical rundown of what is worth trying.
1. ChatGPT (OpenAI)
Free tier: Yes — the free version is genuinely useful Paid: €20/month for ChatGPT Plus
ChatGPT is the most well-known AI tool and, for most business owners, the best place to start. It is a text-based assistant you can ask to write emails, create social media posts, summarise documents, answer questions, and help you think through problems.
Best for: Writing tasks — emails, posts, descriptions, documents, customer replies.
Start here: Go to chat.openai.com, create a free account, and try asking it to write a follow-up email for a job you recently quoted.
2. Google Gemini
Free tier: Yes Paid: Included with Google Workspace (from €6/month per user)
Google's AI assistant. If your business already uses Gmail and Google Docs, Gemini is deeply integrated — you can ask it to help write emails in Gmail, summarise documents in Docs, and analyse data in Sheets.
Best for: Businesses that run on Google — Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar.
Start here: Go to gemini.google.com and sign in with your Google account.
3. Microsoft Copilot
Free tier: Yes (at copilot.microsoft.com) Paid: Included with Microsoft 365 Business plans
Microsoft's answer to ChatGPT, built into Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. If your business runs on Microsoft Office, Copilot can help you draft emails in Outlook, summarise Word documents, and do basic data analysis in Excel.
Best for: Businesses that run on Microsoft Office 365.
Start here: Go to copilot.microsoft.com — you can use it in a browser with a free Microsoft account.
4. Canva (with AI features)
Free tier: Yes — generous free plan Paid: €11.99/month for Canva Pro
Canva is a design tool that has added strong AI features. You can generate images, write text, resize designs for different platforms, and use templates for social media, posters, presentations, and flyers — all without any design experience.
Best for: Creating visual content — social media graphics, flyers, menus, presentations.
Start here: canva.com — create a free account and try the social media post templates.
5. Notion AI
Free tier: Limited (Notion has a free plan; AI features cost extra) Paid: AI features from $8/month per user (approx €7.50)
Notion is a workspace tool for notes, documents, and project planning. The AI add-on lets you write, summarise, and organise content within your workspace. Useful if you already use Notion, but probably not worth adopting just for the AI features.
Best for: Businesses that already use Notion for notes and planning.
6. Otter.ai
Free tier: Yes — 300 minutes/month Paid: From $8.33/month
Otter records and transcribes meetings, calls, and conversations. You get a searchable transcript and an AI-generated summary of key points and action items. Useful if you have a lot of meetings or calls with clients.
Best for: Tradespeople, consultants, and service businesses that spend time on calls and site visits.
7. Mailchimp (with AI features)
Free tier: Yes — up to 500 contacts Paid: From €9.65/month
Mailchimp is an email marketing tool that has added AI features to help you write subject lines, email body content, and segment your audience. If you have a customer list and want to start sending newsletters or promotional emails, this is a good starting point.
Best for: Any business with a customer email list — shops, restaurants, salons, service businesses.
Which One Should You Start With?
If you have never used an AI tool before: start with ChatGPT. It is the most flexible, has the best free tier, and you will learn the most from it in the shortest time.
If your business runs on Google: try Gemini alongside ChatGPT.
If you need help with design and social media: Canva is the one.
If you do a lot of meetings or client calls: Otter.ai will save you time immediately.
One Important Note
All of these tools have privacy policies that mean the text you type may be used to improve their models (though most allow you to opt out). As covered in our GDPR and AI article, the simple rule is: do not type personal customer or employee data into free AI tools.
Use them for writing templates, drafting documents, and generating ideas — and you will be on safe ground.
Not sure which tools make sense for your specific business? The free AI Readiness Assessment takes 5 minutes and gives you a personalised recommendation based on your business type, how you currently work, and where the biggest time savings are.