The Shortlist

Best AI Tools of 2026.

Updated quarterly. Only tools we'd put our own money behind. Ranked by overall score across our five-lens methodology, and grouped by the buying decision you're actually making.

Hollywood in your browser.

  1. 01
    ElevenLabs
    The most realistic AI voice generator we've tested — voiceovers, podcasts and audiobooks that sound genuinely human.
    9.8*
  2. 02
    Synthesia
    The leading AI avatar video platform — studio-quality business videos in 140+ languages, no camera required.
    9.6*
  3. 03
    Descript
    Edit video and audio like a document with world-class AI features.
    9.3*
  4. 04
    DaVinci Resolve
    The most capable video editor you can legally download for free — a professional NLE with world-class colour, and a learning curve to match.
    9.3*
  5. 05
    HeyGen
    AI avatar videos with strong lip-sync and huge language support.
    9.2*
  6. 06
    Opus Clip
    Turn long videos into viral short-form clips automatically.
    8.9*
  7. 07
    Runway Gen-3
    The first text-to-video model that feels production-ready.
    8.8*
  8. 08
    Google Veo
    Google DeepMind's flagship text-to-video model with high fidelity motion.
    8.8*
  9. 09
    Kling AI
    Chinese-built text-to-video model competing directly with Sora and Runway.
    8.8*
  10. 10
    Luma Dream Machine
    Fast, cinematic text-to-video and image-to-video generation.
    8.7*
  11. 11
    Murf AI
    The most polished AI voice studio for teams — corporate voiceovers, eLearning and product videos, all from one web editor.
    8.6*
  12. 12
    Pictory
    Turn long-form video, blog posts and scripts into short social clips automatically.
    8.4*
  13. 13
    VEED.IO
    Browser-based video editor with strong AI features for social teams.
    8.4*
  14. 14
    Colossyan
    AI avatar video platform built for corporate learning and L&D.
    8.4*
  15. 15
    Wondershare
    Parent-company overview of the Wondershare creative and utility software portfolio.
    8.4*
  16. 16
    Retouch4me
    AI plugins that automate specialist retouching steps — skin, dodge and burn, colour, clothing — inside a professional photo workflow rather than replacing it.
    8.4*
  17. 17
    InVideo AI
    Prompt-to-video generator aimed at social and marketing teams.
    8.3*
  18. 18
    Fliki
    Turn text into video with AI voices, stock footage and captions.
    8.3*
  19. 19
    D-ID
    AI avatars and talking-photo videos with a strong developer API.
    8.3*
  20. 20
    MAGIX
    Creative software for video editing, music production, audio editing and photography, including VEGAS Pro, ACID Pro and SOUND FORGE.
    8.3*
  21. 21
    Wondershare Filmora
    Approachable Wondershare desktop video editor with a growing bundle of AI features.
    8.2*
  22. 22
    Movavi
    A desktop video editor, screen recorder and converter suite for Windows and macOS, built for people who want a finished video rather than a career in post-production.
    8.2*
  23. 23
    FlexClip
    A browser-based video editor with AI assistance, built for social, marketing and explainer video rather than long-form post-production.
    8.2*
  24. 24
    Wondershare UniConverter
    Video conversion, compression and light editing in a single toolkit.
    8.0*
  25. 25
    Kaiber
    Music-first AI video generator for artists and visualisers.
    7.9*
  26. 26
    Quso.AI
    The tool formerly known as vidyo.ai, turning long video into short-form clips. We verified the tiers; the clip judgement is still unproven.
    7.8*
  27. 27
    VideoScribe
    Whiteboard-animation software for explainer, training and e-learning video — a specific visual style rather than a general video editor.
    7.8*
  28. 28
    VideoProc Converter AI
    A desktop converter with AI upscaling and interpolation. Vendor-documented throughout — no TTML hands-on testing yet.
    7.5*
  29. 29
    Nero Screen Recorder PRO 2026
    Evidence conflict: the listing resolves to Nero's corporate homepage and the standalone product identity is unresolved.
    5.9*

Faster drafts, better thinking.

  1. 01
    Claude Sonnet
    The thinking writer's AI. Better taste than most of its peers.
    9.4*
  2. 02
    Rytr
    The best-value AI writing assistant we've tested — affordable, fast and surprisingly capable across blogs, emails and marketing copy.
    9.3*
  3. 03
    Writesonic
    The AI SEO & GEO platform — rank in Google and get cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini.
    9.2*
  4. 04
    Google Gemini
    Google's flagship AI assistant with deep Workspace and search integration.
    9.0*
  5. 05
    Grammarly
    The everyday writing assistant — grammar, tone, clarity and now generative AI.
    8.8*
  6. 06
    Writer
    Full-stack generative AI platform for the enterprise.
    8.7*
  7. 07
    Sudowrite
    AI writing partner built specifically for fiction authors.
    8.6*
  8. 08
    Jasper
    Enterprise-grade AI writing platform built around brand voice and marketing workflows.
    8.5*
  9. 09
    NeuronWriter
    SERP-driven SEO content editor with terms scoring and AI writing.
    8.5*
  10. 10
    QuillBot
    Paraphrasing, summarising and grammar all in one — the student favourite.
    8.4*
  11. 11
    Frase
    Research, brief and write SEO content in one workflow.
    8.4*
  12. 12
    Copy.ai
    AI copywriting and go-to-market workflow platform for sales and marketing teams.
    8.3*
  13. 13
    Anyword
    Marketing copy AI with predictive performance scoring.
    8.3*
  14. 14
    Wordtune
    AI rewriter that keeps your voice while making sentences clearer.
    8.2*

Protect your data and accounts.

  1. 01
    Bitdefender
    Category-leading malware detection with a light system footprint for home, family and business.
    9.4*
  2. 02
    Proton Unlimited
    The complete Proton bundle — Mail, VPN, Pass, Drive and Calendar in one plan.
    9.4*
  3. 03
    Proton
    Swiss-based privacy suite covering mail, VPN, password manager and cloud storage.
    9.3*
  4. 04
    Proton VPN
    Audited, open-source VPN with a genuinely usable free tier.
    9.3*
  5. 05
    Norton 360
    The broadest consumer security bundle — AV, VPN, password manager, cloud backup and (US) LifeLock identity.
    9.2*
  6. 06
    Bitwarden
    Open-source password manager with a strong free tier.
    9.2*
  7. 07
    Proton Mail
    End-to-end encrypted email built on open standards.
    9.2*
  8. 08
    NordVPN
    Best-known consumer VPN, with the biggest server network and fastest average speeds.
    9.2*
  9. 09
    ESET
    Quiet, technical, ultra-light antivirus with a serious business platform behind it.
    9.1*
  10. 10
    1Password
    Polished password manager built for individuals, families and teams.
    9.1*
  11. 11
    Surfshark
    Best-value mainstream VPN — unlimited devices and a strong bundled security suite.
    9.0*
  12. 12
    Proton Pass
    Encrypted password manager with built-in email aliasing.
    9.0*
  13. 13
    Mullvad VPN
    Privacy-first VPN with anonymous accounts and a flat €5/month price.
    8.9*
  14. 14
    Malwarebytes
    Cleanup heritage plus modern real-time protection in the simplest interface in the category.
    8.9*
  15. 15
    Proton Drive
    End-to-end encrypted cloud storage from the Proton suite.
    8.8*
  16. 16
    NordPass
    Password manager from the Nord team with a strong business tier.
    8.8*
  17. 17
    ExpressVPN
    Fast, easy-to-use consumer VPN with a strong global network.
    8.7*
  18. 18
    Ente Photos
    End-to-end encrypted alternative to Google Photos.
    8.7*
  19. 19
    Dashlane
    Password manager and VPN bundle aimed at consumers and teams.
    8.6*
  20. 20
    Keeper
    Business-focused password manager with strong compliance features.
    8.6*
  21. 21
    SimpleLogin
    Email aliasing service to protect your real inbox from spam and tracking.
    8.6*
  22. 22
    HackerOne
    Researcher-powered platform for vulnerability disclosure, bug bounty programmes and scoped penetration testing.
    8.6*
  23. 23
    Tresorit
    Swiss end-to-end encrypted cloud storage for businesses.
    8.5*
  24. 24
    Pentera
    Automated security validation that emulates attacks across internal, external and cloud environments for enterprise security teams.
    8.5*
  25. 25
    PureVPN
    Broad-coverage value VPN with strong dedicated IP and business/team plans.
    8.4*
  26. 26
    Webroot
    Cloud-first, ultra-lightweight antivirus purpose-built for MSPs and distributed SMBs.
    8.4*
  27. 27
    IDrive
    Backup-first cloud storage that covers whole machines rather than a single sync folder.
    8.4*
  28. 28
    Intruder
    Continuous vulnerability management and external attack-surface scanning for SMB and mid-market engineering teams.
    8.4*
  29. 29
    Detectify
    External attack surface management and application scanning powered by a curated ethical hacker community.
    8.3*
  30. 30
    Webroot Total Protection
    Webroot's broader consumer security bundle combining antivirus, identity and online-privacy tools in one subscription.
    8.2*
  31. 31
    CyberSuite
    Penetration testing, dark web monitoring and security awareness training sold as one SMB subscription instead of a consulting engagement.
    8.2*
  32. 32
    GRC Solutions
    Professional cybersecurity, governance, risk and compliance training, toolkits and services covering standards including ISO 27001, GDPR, NIS2 and DORA.
    8.2*
  33. 33
    EaseUS Todo Backup Home
    A long-established Windows backup utility — but our restore test, the only test that matters, is still outstanding.
    7.4*
  34. 34
    FastestVPN
    A budget VPN that does not yet meet TTML's evidence bar: no independent audit, jurisdiction analysis or measured throughput on file.
    6.2*

From prompt to live site.

  1. 01
    Lovable
    Chat-driven AI app builder from prompt to production — the tool we used to build The Tool Money Lab.
    9.3*
  2. 02
    Framer AI
    The most designed-feeling AI site builder. Output you can actually ship.
    9.1*
  3. 03
    Bolt.new
    StackBlitz's AI full-stack app builder that runs in the browser.
    9.0*
  4. 04
    Relume
    AI wireframer and design library for Webflow and Figma.
    8.7*
  5. 05
    Webflow AI
    AI features layered onto Webflow's visual development platform.
    8.6*
  6. 06
    Replit
    A browser IDE plus hosting and an AI agent — build, run and deploy without configuring a local environment.
    8.6*
  7. 07
    10Web
    AI website builder generating WordPress sites with managed hosting.
    8.3*
  8. 08
    Wix AI
    Wix's AI website builder for small businesses and creators.
    8.2*
  9. 09
    Squarespace AI
    Squarespace's AI generator layered on top of its design-first platform.
    8.2*
  10. 10
    Hostinger AI Website Builder
    Cheap AI site builder bundled with Hostinger hosting.
    8.0*
  11. 11
    Weblium
    AI-assisted website builder for building and hosting professional business sites without code.
    8.0*
  12. 12
    Durable
    30-second AI website builder for small local businesses.
    7.9*
  13. 13
    Create
    A long-running UK website builder that bundles hosting, ecommerce and human support into one subscription.
    7.8*
  14. 14
    Sellful
    An all-in-one SMB platform sold at an all-in-one price. Breadth is documented; depth and entitlement are not.
    6.5*

Books, bills and forecasts, automated.

  1. 01
    Ramp
    The AI-first corporate card and spend platform that pays for itself.
    9.3*
  2. 02
    Link My Books
    Ecommerce accounting automation that syncs Amazon, Shopify, Etsy, TikTok Shop and more into Xero or QuickBooks with clean payout reconciliation.
    9.2*
  3. 03
    QuickBooks Online
    The default cloud accounting platform for small businesses, now with AI-assisted books.
    9.1*
  4. 04
    Xero
    The global cloud accounting platform loved by modern bookkeepers.
    9.0*
  5. 05
    Numeric
    AI-powered close management and reporting for modern controllers.
    8.9*
  6. 06
    Brex
    Corporate cards and spend management built for global startups and enterprise.
    8.9*
  7. 07
    Puzzle
    AI-native accounting built for startups on Stripe, Ramp and Brex.
    8.8*
  8. 08
    Dext
    AI-powered receipt and bill capture built for accountants and bookkeepers.
    8.8*
  9. 09
    Zoho Books
    Full double-entry cloud accounting with AI Zia — the best-value QuickBooks/Xero alternative.
    8.8*
  10. 10
    FreshBooks
    The invoicing-first accounting platform built for freelancers and service businesses.
    8.7*
  11. 11
    BILL
    The AP/AR automation standard for US SMBs and accounting firms.
    8.7*
  12. 12
    Vic.ai
    Autonomous AP automation for mid-market and enterprise finance.
    8.7*
  13. 13
    Zoho Expense
    AI receipt capture, corporate card feeds and travel expenses — half the price of Expensify.
    8.7*
  14. 14
    Campfire
    AI-native ERP for high-growth startups outgrowing QuickBooks.
    8.6*
  15. 15
    FloQast
    The incumbent close management platform for accounting teams.
    8.6*
  16. 16
    Zoho Invoice
    Genuinely free invoicing, estimates and time-tracking for freelancers and service businesses.
    8.6*
  17. 17
    Melio
    Free bill pay for US small businesses — pay by card, get paid by ACH.
    8.5*
  18. 18
    Zeni
    AI-powered finance concierge — bookkeeping, bill pay and CFO in one.
    8.5*
  19. 19
    Zoho Billing
    End-to-end subscription billing, revenue recognition and dunning — a Stripe Billing alternative.
    8.5*
  20. 20
    Expensify
    The long-running expense management app with SmartScan and unlimited receipts.
    8.4*
  21. 21
    Truewind
    AI bookkeeping and back-office for early-stage startups.
    8.4*
  22. 22
    Docyt
    AI bookkeeping and back-office automation for multi-location SMBs.
    8.3*
  23. 23
    BlueDot
    AI VAT and expense compliance platform for global enterprises.
    8.3*
  24. 24
    Wave
    Genuinely free accounting and invoicing for freelancers and microbusinesses — with real ceilings you should understand before you commit.
    8.3*
  25. 25
    Hubdoc
    Xero-owned receipt and bill capture, included with Xero plans.
    8.2*
  26. 26
    Botkeeper
    AI-augmented bookkeeping platform sold to accounting firms.
    8.2*
  27. 27
    Sage
    The UK accounting incumbent with the deepest payroll and compliance heritage — and the most confusing product line-up of any major vendor.
    8.1*
  28. 28
    1-800Accountant
    US accounting, bookkeeping and business tax service delivered by accountants, CPAs and enrolled agents through an online platform.
    7.9*
  29. 29
    Online Check Writer
    A B2B payables platform that keeps paper cheques, ACH and eChecks in one place — useful precisely because US vendors still ask for cheques.
    7.8*
  30. 30
    Integra Global Solutions
    Dedicated offshore teams for accounting and back-office work — a services engagement, not software you can trial.
    7.4*

Send, spend and operate globally.

  1. 01
    Wise
    Real mid-market exchange rates, transparent fees and local account details in 10+ currencies — the default modern option for cross-border money.
    9.2*
  2. 02
    Stripe
    The developer-first payments platform: card acquiring, subscriptions, invoicing and marketplace payouts behind one API.
    9.2*
  3. 03
    Starling Bank
    A fully licensed UK bank with app-first design — deposit protection included, not bolted on.
    8.9*
  4. 04
    Adyen
    Single-platform payments for scale: direct acquiring, local payment methods and unified online plus in-store commerce.
    8.9*
  5. 05
    Mercury
    Startup banking for US-incorporated companies: sub-accounts, granular permissions, cards and an API finance teams can automate against.
    8.9*
  6. 06
    Revolut Business
    A multi-currency business account with staff cards, spend controls and in-app FX for companies earning and paying in several currencies.
    8.8*
  7. 07
    Square
    Commerce infrastructure that starts at the counter: till software, first-party hardware and one catalogue across channels.
    8.7*
  8. 08
    Airwallex
    A global business finance platform built for companies that collect, hold and pay in several currencies at once.
    8.6*
  9. 09
    Monzo Business
    A UK business current account from a licensed bank, with Pots that make tax and VAT provisioning automatic.
    8.6*
  10. 10
    Remitly
    The best remittance app for sending money to family abroad — cash pickup and mobile-money reach that Wise simply doesn't have.
    8.5*
  11. 11
    PayPal
    A payments network with a consumer wallet in front of it — chosen for buyer recognition rather than developer experience.
    8.4*
  12. 12
    Relay
    US business banking designed around cash-flow discipline — multiple accounts, multiple cards, clear ownership.
    8.3*
  13. 13
    N26 Business
    A euro business account from a German-licensed bank, built for freelancers and the self-employed rather than teams.
    8.3*
  14. 14
    Payoneer
    Cross-border receiving accounts for freelancers, sellers and contractors paid by overseas clients.
    8.2*
  15. 15
    Braintree
    PayPal's developer-focused payments platform. Best when you specifically need the PayPal wallet at checkout.
    8.0*

Hours back, every week.

  1. 01
    Fathom
    Free AI meeting notetaker with polished summaries and CRM sync.
    9.1*
  2. 02
    Granola
    Meeting notes that read like a great chief of staff wrote them.
    9.0*
  3. 03
    Motion
    AI scheduler that automatically plans your day around tasks and meetings.
    9.0*
  4. 04
    Make
    The visual automation platform ops teams graduate to when Zapier pricing stops adding up.
    9.0*
  5. 05
    Gamma
    Generate polished presentations, docs and web pages from a prompt.
    9.0*
  6. 06
    GetResponse
    All-in-one email marketing, automation, landing pages and webinars — with AI drafting and 40–60% recurring commissions on the affiliate side.
    9.0*
  7. 07
    Notion
    The most flexible team workspace on the market — one tool for docs, wikis, projects and lightweight databases, with real discipline required to keep it usable.
    9.0*
  8. 08
    Superhuman
    Premium email client with AI triage, replies and follow-ups.
    8.9*
  9. 09
    Notion AI
    AI writing and Q&A layered natively into your Notion workspace.
    8.7*
  10. 10
    Reclaim AI
    Automatic calendar assistant that protects habits, tasks and focus time.
    8.7*
  11. 11
    Fireflies.ai
    AI notetaker with strong CRM, search and analytics for teams.
    8.7*
  12. 12
    Google Drive
    The default collaborative drive for anyone already working in Google Workspace.
    8.7*
  13. 13
    Sunsama
    Calm daily planner that combines tasks, calendar and reflection.
    8.6*
  14. 14
    Wondershare PDFelement
    AI-first PDF editor and Adobe Acrobat alternative from Wondershare.
    8.6*
  15. 15
    Clay
    A spreadsheet-shaped GTM data engine that enriches prospect lists from many providers at once.
    8.6*
  16. 16
    Gong
    Revenue intelligence built on recorded customer conversations — coaching and forecasting from what was actually said.
    8.6*
  17. 17
    Luminar Neo
    Skylum's AI-first photo editor — masking, relighting and sky replacement without a Lightroom-style catalogue ritual.
    8.6*
  18. 18
    Salesforce
    The enterprise CRM standard — endlessly configurable, and priced and staffed accordingly.
    8.5*
  19. 19
    Intercom
    Conversational support with an AI agent that answers first and escalates second.
    8.5*
  20. 20
    Mem AI
    Self-organising AI notes and knowledge base.
    8.4*
  21. 21
    ClickUp Brain
    AI layer on top of ClickUp's project management suite.
    8.4*
  22. 22
    Coda AI
    AI baked into Coda's docs-that-are-apps platform.
    8.4*
  23. 23
    Otter.ai
    Long-standing AI meeting transcription and notes tool.
    8.4*
  24. 24
    Wondershare EdrawMax
    All-in-one diagramming and visualisation platform — a serious Visio and Lucidchart alternative.
    8.4*
  25. 25
    Dropbox
    The most reliable cross-platform file sync we've used — priced above rivals, and worth it only if sync quality is your bottleneck.
    8.4*
  26. 26
    Zendesk
    Ticket-first customer service software for teams that need queues, SLAs and reporting.
    8.4*
  27. 27
    Apollo
    A prospecting database and sequencer in one — find contacts and email them without leaving the tool.
    8.4*
  28. 28
    Read AI
    Meeting, email and messaging copilot with engagement analytics.
    8.3*
  29. 29
    Fellow
    Meeting agenda and notes app with AI summaries and follow-ups.
    8.3*
  30. 30
    EngageBay
    An all-in-one CRM, marketing automation, sales and service suite priced for small businesses that cannot justify HubSpot.
    8.3*
  31. 31
    Taskade
    AI-powered outlining, project and team collaboration tool.
    8.2*
  32. 32
    pdfFiller
    Browser-based PDF editing, form filling, document storage and e-signature workflow platform.
    8.2*
  33. 33
    HyperWrite
    Personal AI assistant with agents that can operate your browser.
    8.1*
  34. 34
    Wondershare Recoverit
    Consumer-grade data recovery for lost partitions, formatted drives and deleted files.
    8.1*
  35. 35
    PDF Agile
    PDF productivity software for editing, converting, compressing, organizing and annotating documents.
    8.1*
  36. 36
    Piktochart
    A visual-communications tool built for infographics and reports first — narrower than Canva, and better at the thing it is narrow about.
    8.1*
  37. 37
    Wondershare Dr.Fone
    iOS and Android mobile toolkit covering recovery, unlock, transfer and repair.
    8.0*
  38. 38
    BizzBox.ai
    An all-in-one AI business operations suite that puts CRM, projects, invoicing and AI assistance behind one subscription.
    7.9*
  39. 39
    Rewarx Studio AI
    AI product-image generation for e-commerce sellers — background replacement and styled product variants created from an existing product photograph.
    7.9*
  40. 40
    DealFuel
    A marketplace for discounted SaaS, AI, design, development, marketing, WordPress and other digital tools.
    7.6*
  41. 41
    LightPDF
    A broad browser-based PDF suite with a hard free limit and privacy claims we could not independently confirm.
    7.6*
  42. 42
    EchoWrite
    Windows dictation with a bring-your-own-key model — and a local-processing claim we could not confirm.
    6.6*

Wire your business together.

  1. 01
    n8n
    The Zapier replacement serious operators are quietly moving to.
    8.9*
  2. 02
    Zapier
    The most popular no-code automation platform, now with AI actions.
    8.8*
  3. 03
    ActiveCampaign
    Lifecycle automation with a CRM attached — for marketers who have outgrown broadcast newsletters.
    8.8*
  4. 04
    HubSpot
    A connected CRM platform where marketing, sales and service share one contact record.
    8.7*
  5. 05
    Pipedream
    Developer-first integration platform with code steps and AI actions.
    8.6*
  6. 06
    Lindy
    Build AI agents that handle email, calendar and full workflows.
    8.5*
  7. 07
    Relay.app
    Human-in-the-loop automation platform with strong AI steps.
    8.5*
  8. 08
    Brevo
    Email, SMS and transactional messaging on send-based pricing rather than list size.
    8.5*
  9. 09
    Gumloop
    No-code AI workflow builder for scraping, enrichment and content.
    8.4*
  10. 10
    CrewAI
    Open-source framework for orchestrating teams of AI agents.
    8.4*
  11. 11
    Activepieces
    Open-source alternative to Zapier and Make.
    8.3*
  12. 12
    Langflow
    Open-source visual builder for LangChain-style AI flows and agents.
    8.3*
  13. 13
    Bardeen
    Browser-based AI automations and agents for sales and ops.
    8.2*
  14. 14
    ConsoleX
    An AI agent-building platform sold as a lifetime deal — the least forgiving business model for infrastructure-dependent tooling.
    6.7*

Latency, routing and network optimisation for competitive play.

  1. 01
    ExitLag
    A gaming network booster that opens multiple parallel routes to the game server and picks the best one live. Whether it moves your ping depends on your ISP, distance, hardware and Wi-Fi vs wired.
    8.1*
  2. 02
    Mudfish
    The power-user's pick in the gaming network booster category. Granular per-application routing, wide OS support and pay-as-you-go traffic-credit billing rather than a flat subscription.
    7.7*
  3. 03
    GearUP
    A gaming network booster that tries to shorten and stabilise the route between your PC and the game server. Whether it moves your ping in the right direction depends heavily on your ISP, distance, hardware and Wi-Fi vs wired connection.
    7.6*
  4. 04
    NoPing
    A Brazil-headquartered gaming network booster with strong coverage of Latin-American titles and cross-region play. Cheaper than ExitLag or WTFast in most markets, with a single-tunnel routing model.
    7.6*
  5. 05
    LagoFast
    A gaming network booster with a distinctive pay-per-minute billing option alongside monthly plans, and one of the few in the category with real mobile support.
    7.5*
  6. 06
    WTFast
    One of the original gaming network boosters. Runs a proprietary Gamers Private Network (GPN) with dedicated peering to major game hosts. Best on Windows PC for MMO and long-session competitive play.
    7.3*