The artist's AI toolkit.
What's out there for each job, paid and free, in one list. Easiest first, and everything's marked by how technical it is. Want my pick and how I'd use it? That's Field Guide 02. Whichever you pick, give it your brand file first.
- Jobs
- 31
- Tools
- 132
- Levels
- 4
- To read it
- Free
AI assistants · An everyday assistant for writing and thinking
- ChatGPTEasyPaid
- JanSome learningOpen source
- Open WebUITechnicalOpen source
01 · Find your level
Pick how deep you go.
No list like this stays complete. I checked every open source license and whether each project is still active on November 9, 2026. The levels are my own read, and I haven't run all of these myself. Paid means there's a paid plan, and many have a free one too. See something wrong? Tell me.
- Easy
- Open it and start. No setup.
- Some learning
- No code, but set aside time to figure it out.
- Technical
- A terminal, Docker or API keys. An AI assistant can walk you through it. Here's the prompt.
- Very technical
- A server you rent and keep running. When it breaks, you fix it.
9 jobs
AI assistants
-
An everyday assistant for writing and thinking
Most people land on one of the first three. Running your own usually means weaker answers, and the reason to do it is that nothing leaves your machine.
Field Guide 02 · part 01How I'd use this- ChatGPT Paid
The one most people have tried. Also makes images.
Easy
- Claude Paid
Strong on writing and long documents.
Easy
- Gemini Paid
Built around Google, so it fits if you live in Gmail and Docs.
Easy
- Jan Open source
A desktop app that runs AI on your own computer.
Some learning
- Ollama Open source
Does the same job with fewer buttons. The bigger AI systems want a lot of memory.
Some learning
- Open WebUI Open source
Adds a chat window on top of Ollama.
Technical
-
-
Research with sources
- Perplexity Paid
Answers with links to where it found things.
Easy
- Vane Open source
This was called Perplexica until recently. Runs in Docker.
Technical
-
-
Ask questions about your own documents
Think contracts, press, and old interviews.
Field Guide 02 · part 01How I'd use this- Gemini Notebook Free
From Google, and called NotebookLM until July 2026. Upload your files and ask. The basic version is free.
Easy
- AnythingLLM Open source
Has a desktop app. Your files can stay on your computer.
Some learning
- Open Notebook Open source
Built as an open version of NotebookLM, which Google now calls Gemini Notebook. Runs in Docker.
Technical
-
-
Notes from calls and meetings
Tell people when you are recording. In some states you legally have to.
-
Talk instead of type
- Wispr Flow Paid
Dictation that works in any app and cleans up how you talk.
Easy
- Superwhisper Paid
Dictation with a lot of settings to tune.
Easy
- Handy Open source
A desktop app that works offline. Press a key and talk.
Easy
-
-
Agents that do the work for you
These can change your files and act on your accounts. Most still need an AI account behind them. Start in a folder you could afford to lose, and watch what they do.
- goose Open source
Has a desktop app, which makes it the gentlest place to start.
Some learning
- Claude Code Paid
Works in your terminal, on your files.
Technical
- Cursor Paid
A code editor with an agent inside it.
Technical
- OpenCode Open source
Works from the terminal, and with many AI services.
Technical
- Codex Open source
OpenAI's agent for your terminal. The code is open, and it runs on your ChatGPT account.
Technical
- OpenClaw Open source
An assistant you message from your phone. By default its tools run right on your computer, so read its security guide first.
Very technical
-
-
A personal agent that runs errands for you
You text these like a person and they go do the thing: book, buy, email, follow up. All three are new as of fall 2026. They ask for real access to your accounts, so decide what they can reach before you connect anything.
- Instinct Free
Text it, call it or WhatsApp it. Invite only, and free during the beta. The real site is instinct.com, so ignore invite codes sold anywhere else.
Easy
- Muse Paid
Meta's. Has a free tier, US only for now, and it asks for a card when you sign up.
Easy
- Grok Bot Paid
xAI's named AI teammates, each with its own computer in the cloud. Still in beta, and only on its top plans.
Some learning
-
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Build a site or small app by describing it
Good for a tour page or a fan sign-up. Have someone look it over before it takes payments or stores fan data.
- Lovable Paid
Describe it and get a working web app.
Some learning
- Bolt Paid
The same idea, in your browser.
Some learning
- v0 Paid
From Vercel. Strong on how things look.
Some learning
- Replit Paid
Builds and hosts it in one place.
Some learning
- Dyad Open source
A desktop app. You bring your own AI service key.
Some learning
- bolt.diy Open source
The open version of Bolt, which you run yourself.
Technical
-
-
Connect your apps together
- Zapier Paid
The default, with the most apps connected.
Some learning
- Make Paid
Visual, and better suited to longer chains of steps.
Some learning
- Activepieces Open source
The simpler of the two you can host yourself.
Very technical
- n8n Open source
More powerful. You can read the code and run it for your own work, but this isn't a standard open source license.
Very technical
-
5 jobs
Reach your fans
-
Send a DM when someone comments a keyword
ManyChat's free plan covered 25 active contacts a month when I checked, which is enough to try the idea.
Field Guide 02 · part 03How I'd use this- Linktree Paid
The easiest start. Comment-to-DM replies come with the free plan, up to a monthly cap.
Easy
- Inro Paid
Made for Instagram comment and DM automation.
Easy
- ManyChat Paid
The best known. Builds whole conversation flows, not just one reply.
Some learning
- OpenReply Open source
Uses Instagram's official API and never asks for your password. Needs a database, Redis, an always-on worker and your own Meta app. Started in July 2026, so it's young.
Very technical
-
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Email your list
The two you host yourself still need a service to actually send the mail.
Field Guide 02 · part 04How I'd use this- Laylo Paid
Made for drops. Fans sign up and hear when something is out.
Easy
- Kit Paid
Built for creators.
Some learning
- Mailchimp Paid
The long-time default.
Some learning
- beehiiv Paid
Built around newsletters and growing them.
Some learning
- listmonk Open source
Just the list and the sending. No website attached.
Very technical
- Ghost Open source
A website and a newsletter in one. They also sell hosting if you would rather not run it.
Very technical
-
-
Link in bio
- Linktree Paid
The default. Has a free plan.
Easy
- Beacons Paid
Link page plus a store and media kit.
Easy
- LittleLink Open source
A template you edit and publish yourself. Nothing to keep running.
Technical
- LinkStack Open source
Has an admin page, so you can edit links without touching files.
Very technical
-
-
Smart links and click tracking
Pre-saves and sending listeners to their own music app are music-specific, so the general link tools won't do them.
Field Guide 02 · part 06How I'd use this- Feature.fm Paid
Pre-saves and smart links, built for music.
Some learning
- Linkfire Paid
Smart links with data on where listeners go.
Some learning
- Hypeddit Paid
Pre-saves and fan gates for releases.
Some learning
- Shlink Open source
Short links and click counts on your own domain.
Very technical
- Dub Open source
More polished than Shlink. They also sell a hosted version.
Very technical
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-
Schedule posts
Field Guide 02 · part 02How I'd use this- Buffer Paid
Simple scheduling across your accounts.
Easy
- Later Paid
Built around Instagram and visual planning.
Easy
- Metricool Paid
Scheduling plus your numbers in one place.
Some learning
- Hootsuite Paid
Made more for teams.
Some learning
- Postiz Open source
The more active of the two you can host yourself.
Very technical
- Mixpost Open source
Simpler, and updated less often.
Very technical
-
6 jobs
Make video
-
Cut a long video into short clips
The open source ones need API keys or a real setup. Search this category on GitHub and you will also find copycat repos using the Opus Clip name. Stick to the links here.
Field Guide 02 · part 02How I'd use this- Opus Clip Paid
Paste a link and get clips back, ranked.
Easy
- Vizard Paid
The same idea, with more editing after.
Easy
- Klap Paid
Same idea, simpler.
Easy
- OpenShorts Open source
Docker, 8GB of memory, and your own Gemini key. Its README puts an 8-minute video at 5 to 8 minutes without a graphics card. They also sell a hosted version.
Technical
- SupoClip Open source
Docker, an AssemblyAI key for transcription, and a key for an AI service, or Ollama on your own machine.
Technical
- FunClip Open source
Runs on your machine. You pick clips from the transcript, so you make the calls.
Technical
-
-
Cut the silence out of a talking video
- TimeBolt Paid
Does just this job, quickly.
Easy
- Descript Paid
Edit the video by editing its transcript.
Some learning
- auto-editor Open source
Removes the quiet parts automatically.
Technical
-
-
Edit video
- CapCut Paid
Fast, and made for short vertical video.
Easy
- Final Cut Pro Paid
Mac only.
Some learning
- Premiere Pro Paid
Adobe's editor. Worth it if you already pay for Adobe.
Some learning
- DaVinci Resolve Free
A professional editor with a free version. It's what I'd look at first.
Some learning
- Shotcut Open source
The simpler of the two open source editors.
Some learning
- Kdenlive Open source
More features, more to learn.
Some learning
-
-
Generate video from a prompt
Running this yourself is the most demanding thing on this page. You need a serious graphics card.
- Higgsfield Paid
Presets for camera moves and effects.
Easy
- Runway Paid
Generation plus editing tools.
Some learning
- Neural Frames Paid
Built for musicians. The visuals move with your song, down to the drums and vocals.
Some learning
- Kaiber Paid
Stylized visuals synced to a track. Good for visualizers and Spotify Canvas loops.
Some learning
- Kling Paid
Strong on motion and people.
Some learning
- Veo Paid
Google's, available through Gemini.
Some learning
- Luma Paid
Generation with camera-style controls.
Some learning
- Wan 2.2 Open source
Both the code and the AI files carry the Apache license.
Technical
- LTX-2 Open source
The code is Apache, but the AI files have their own community license. Read it before you use the output commercially.
Technical
-
-
Go live
- StreamYard Paid
Runs in your browser, and guests join with a link.
Easy
- Restream Paid
Goes out to several apps at once.
Easy
- OBS Studio Open source
Not an AI tool. The free standard for streaming from a computer.
Some learning
-
7 jobs
Work on audio
-
Split a song into stems
Use it on music you have the rights to.
Field Guide 02 · part 07How I'd use this- Moises Paid
An app built for musicians. Also does chords and tempo.
Easy
- BandLab Splitter Free
Free inside BandLab, in your browser or the app.
Easy
- LALAL.AI Paid
Upload a song and download the stems.
Easy
- Ultimate Vocal Remover Open source
A desktop app. Faster with a graphics card.
Easy
- Demucs Open source
This is the maintained copy. Meta's original repo is archived.
Technical
-
-
Master a track
Any of these will get you a louder, finished-sounding file. None of them will tell you the mix has a problem.
Field Guide 02 · part 06How I'd use this- LANDR Paid
Upload a track and get a master back.
Easy
- BandLab Mastering Free
Free and unlimited, with four presets. Stereo files only.
Easy
- eMastered Paid
The same idea.
Easy
- iZotope Ozone Paid
A plugin, so you stay in control inside your DAW.
Some learning
- Matchering Open source
Makes your track match a reference song you choose.
Technical
-
-
Turn audio into MIDI
- Basic Pitch Open source
From Spotify, and it runs in your browser. It only does this one job.
Easy
- Melodyne Paid
Pitch editing first, with audio to MIDI built in.
Some learning
-
-
Clean up a noisy voice recording
Field Guide 02 · part 07How I'd use this- Adobe Podcast Paid
Upload a recording and it sounds like a studio. Sometimes too much.
Easy
- iZotope RX Paid
The professional repair tool.
Some learning
- Audacity Open source
Noise reduction you do by hand. Not AI, and often enough.
Some learning
- DeepFilterNet Open source
Removes background noise automatically.
Technical
-
-
Generate song ideas
The U.S. Copyright Office's position is that purely AI-generated material can't be copyrighted, whichever tool made it. Check your distributor's rules before you release anything made this way. I'd use these for sketches, not releases.
- Suno Paid
Type an idea and get a full song back.
Easy
- BandLab SongStarter Free
Free beats and loops to start from. You pick a genre, not a written idea.
Easy
- Udio Paid
The same idea. Check what it currently lets you download.
Easy
- ACE-Step 1.5 Open source
Its makers say it's trained on licensed and royalty-free music and that you can use the output commercially. I can't check the first part from the outside.
Technical
-
-
Clone a voice for narration
Only your own voice, or one you have written permission to use.
- ElevenLabs Paid
The best known, and quick to set up.
Easy
- Chatterbox Open source
Both the code and the AI files are MIT.
Technical
-
-
Transcribe interviews and lyrics
Field Guide 02 · part 07How I'd use this- Otter Paid
Built for meetings and interviews.
Easy
- Rev Paid
AI transcripts, and humans if it has to be exact.
Easy
- TurboScribe Paid
Upload a file and get text.
Easy
- Buzz Open source
The easy way to run Whisper. Your audio stays on your computer.
Easy
- Whisper Open source
The original, from the command line.
Technical
-
4 jobs
Make images
-
Generate images
If you run your own, pick the file carefully. FLUX.1 schnell is Apache licensed. FLUX.1 dev and FLUX.2 dev are non-commercial, which rules out merch and album art.
Field Guide 02 · part 05How I'd use this- ChatGPT Paid
The easiest way in. Describe it and adjust by talking.
Easy
- Ideogram Paid
Better than most at putting words in images.
Easy
- Adobe Firefly Paid
Adobe's, and it fits if you use Photoshop.
Easy
- Midjourney Paid
Known for its look.
Some learning
- Leonardo Paid
A lot of styles and controls in one place.
Some learning
- ComfyUI with FLUX.1 schnell Open source
Has a desktop app. Expect a learning curve: you build the steps as a flowchart.
Technical
-
-
Remove a background
-
Make a small image bigger
-
Design graphics
Field Guide 02 · part 05How I'd use this- Canva Paid
Templates for everything. Has a free plan.
Easy
- Adobe Express Paid
Adobe's answer to Canva.
Easy
- Figma Paid
More control, built for designers.
Some learning
- Penpot Open source
Runs in your browser. It's closer to Figma than Canva.
Some learning
- GIMP Open source
For photo editing more than layouts. Closer to Photoshop.
Some learning
-
02 · Before you open any of them
Give them your brand first.
Every tool on this page starts out knowing nothing about you. That's why the drafts come back sounding like somebody else. A DESIGN.md is one plain text file with your colors, your voice, and what you'd never say. Hand it over before you ask for anything.
Free. The first part is open. The full version asks for your email, and that signs you up for my newsletter.
03 · Marked technical?
Get an assistant to set it up.
Marked technical doesn't have to mean off limits. Paste this into Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini and it'll walk you through the install one step at a time. It can still be wrong, so if a step looks off, stop and ask.
I make music and I don't code. Help me set up the tool's name on my Mac or Windows computer. Here is its official page: paste the link from the toolkit.
How to help me:
- Use the project's own install instructions. Don't suggest copies or forks from anywhere else.
- First, tell me whether my computer can run it and what it will cost me, including any API keys. My computer is what kind, how much memory, its graphics card if you know.
- If I'd honestly be better off with a paid tool, say so and stop.
- Go one step at a time and wait for me to tell you what happened.
- Before each command, explain in one line what it does.
- Never ask me to paste a password or API key into this chat. Tell me where it goes instead.
- If something asks for more access than the job needs, stop and tell me.04 · Straight talk
Before you pick.
- 01
Most people use a mix.
Pay for the one or two tools you open every day. Use something free for the jobs that come up twice a year.
- 02
Free software isn't always free to run.
Anything that needs a rented server costs hosting every month, and when it breaks, you are the one who fixes it.
- 03
Install from the links on this page.
Popular tool names attract copycat projects, and some exist to get malware onto your computer. Never paste a command from a repo you found through a search or a comment.
- 04
Read the terms before you sell anything.
That goes for paid tools and open source. Open source code can run AI files with stricter terms. Where I found a mismatch, the row says so. This is not legal advice.