Like most of the world, you’ve probably been inundated by information about AI ever since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in November 2022. Even though AI existed long before then, ChatGPT created a mainstream conversation about using AI for business.
Since then, many software companies have been racing to add AI features to their products. But are these AI-powered features any good? Or — more importantly — useful?
Many business owners know that AI has the potential to help but don’t have the time to research and test a bunch of different tools.
Don’t fret — we’ve got you covered with this list of the best AI tools for small businesses. This guide can serve as a quick reference for the pros and cons, pricing, and how to make the most of each tool’s AI features.
The best AI small business management tools at a glance
| Best for | Standout feature | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenPhone | Streamlining calls and texts with customers | AI call summaries and transcripts | $23 per user per month for AI features |
| ChatGPT by OpenAI | Writing assistance and ideation | Flexible generative AI for content creation | $20 per user per month |
| DALL-E by OpenAI | Image generation | Create images based on text prompts | Included with ChatGPT paid plans |
| Tidio with Lyro AI | AI-assisted support chatbot | Solve customer support problems | $32.50 per month |
| Buffer AI | AI-generated social media content | Brainstorm ideas for social media posts | $6 per channel per month |
| Notion AI | Knowledge management | Search your internal documentation | $8 per month |
| Grammarly | Proofreading and rewriting | Rewrite text based on your writing style | $12 per month |
| Zoho Zia | Sales assistance | Predicts which deals are most likely to close | $40 per user per month |
| Lumen5 | Video creation | Create videos based on blog posts | $19 per month |
| Lavender | AI email coaching | Makes specific recommendations to improve your emails | $27 per month |
1. OpenPhone: Best AI tool for customer communication
OpenPhone is a modern phone system for small businesses. OpenPhone offers unlimited calling and texting in the US and Canada and has integrations with 7,000+ third-party apps, like HubSpot and Salesforce.
Pros
- Collaboration features like shared inboxes and call routing
- Advanced calling features like group calls and ring order
- Autoresponders ensure immediate responses
- Automated texts via Zapier
Cons
- No verification through two-factor authentication*
*Nearly all virtual phone numbers share this problem. For safety reasons, companies like Facebook, Uber, and Google rarely let you authenticate accounts through a virtual phone number.
Our take on OpenPhone’s AI features
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention ourselves in the list of AI tools. 😊 We have AI-powered call summaries and transcripts that keep everyone in your workspace up to date on customer conversations.
Calls are automatically recorded, and you can review the call summaries and transcripts afterward. Quickly catch up on the call’s key points or review transcripts to ensure call quality across your customer service reps. Your reps also benefit since they don’t have to take notes during the call: AI captures everything they need.
Additionally, OpenPhone’s AI-powered contact suggestions give you greater visibility into the conversations you’re having every day. Watch the video below to see how it works.
OpenPhone pricing
OpenPhone has three pricing tiers:
- Starter: $15 per user per month includes voicemail transcription, auto-replies, shared numbers, and more
- Business: $23 per user per month unlocks advanced call routing, access to AI features, including message responses and call transcripts and summaries, and more
- Enterprise: Custom price for priority support, audit logs, a dedicated account manager, and more
OpenPhone AI is available on the Business and Enterprise plans.
2. ChatGPT by OpenAI: Best AI writing assistant and ideation tool
Through a chat interface, users can have a “conversation” with OpenAI’s large language model (LLM). ChatGPT can respond to a wide range of requests (also known as prompts), including answering questions, providing information, or performing analysis.
Pros
- Incredibly versatile
- Responds in a wide variety of formats
- GPT-4 can browse the web, which gives more context to responses
Cons
- Security is a concern
- Occasional downtime
Our take on ChatGPT
For small businesses, ChatGPT can assist with content creation and research. With some context about your business, ChatGPT can brainstorm ideas or give you strategies. You can use the product as a “creative sparring partner” or a multi-purpose assistant to write or rewrite content.
With the free version, security is a concern since your employees could feed confidential data into ChatGPT. In fairness, this is a concern with many AI tools, and you should read the product’s terms and conditions if you plan to use confidential data.
If you’re not comfortable with AI prompting, you can access the GPT Store, which includes thousands of pre-built and ready-to-use prompts from creators.
ChatGPT pricing
ChatGPT has four pricing tiers:
- Free: Assistance with writing and problem solving but limited access to the latest models
- Plus: $20 per user per month (for individuals) to create and use customer GPTs, DALL-E image generation, and more
- Team: $25 per user per month to create and share GPTs with your workspace, team data excluded from LLM training data by default, and more
- Enterprise: Contact sales
3. DALL-E by OpenAI: Best AI tool for image generation
What ChatGPT can do with text, DALL-E can do with images. DALL-E can generate a wide range of high-quality images you can use for your website, social content, and more.
Pros
- Included with ChatGPT paid plans
- Works from text-based prompts
Cons
- Image generation can be inconsistent if you’re trying to create images that look similar (this is true of most image generation tools)
Our take on DALL-E
Design resources at small businesses are often limited or nonexistent. DALL-E is a great alternative to stock photos since you can create something unique. With good prompting, DALL-E can create images for blog posts, modify existing images, or generate captions and alt text.
DALL-E pricing
- DALL-E is included in the paid plan of ChatGPT Plus, with limits
- Team plans have higher limits, and Enterprise plans have no limits
4. Tidio with Lyro AI: Best AI chatbot for small businesses
Tidio is a customer service platform for small businesses that combines live chat, chatbots, and ticketing. You can handle messages from all conversation channels (such as your website and social channels) in a single dashboard.
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Connects to other tools in your tech stack, such as Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Shopify
Cons
- Costs can add up quickly if you need to rely heavily on Lyro AI
Our take on Tidio’s Lyro AI
Many customer support questions can be solved without human interaction. In fact, chatbots can improve the customer experience if customers can have their questions answered quickly and accurately. Tidio claims that 70% of your customer’s problems can be solved with customer service AI.
Tidio’s AI-powered chatbot, Lyro AI, answers customer questions using only your support content, which minimizes incorrect responses. All you have to do is upload your knowledge base and FAQs, then test the chatbot before adding it to your website. Lyro’s ability to answer questions will depend on the quality of the training material — anything unexpected or complex will need to be answered by a live representative.
Tidio’s Lyro AI pricing
Tidio has four plans that include the Lyro AI chatbot:
- Free: Includes 50 Lyro conversations per month
- Lyro AI: $32.50 per month for up to 300 Lyro conversations
- Tidio+: Starts at $749 per month
- Enterprise: Starts at $2,999 per month for unlimited conversations
Buffer is a social media management platform for small businesses. You can schedule content, engage with customers, and analyze your content’s performance.
Pros
- Easy to use interface
- Mobile app available
- Integrations with new social media platforms like Threads and Bluesky
Cons
- Pricing is based on the number of channels you have connected, so it can add up
Our take on Buffer’s AI features
Buffer knows its primary customers are small businesses trying to grow their online presence. If you struggle to create content for your social media channels, Buffer’s AI is ready to help. You can brainstorm ideas from scratch or rewrite existing content. Buffer claims that its AI assistant generates ideas based on trends and platforms in social media data.
Like other AI tools, the accuracy and quality of Buffer’s AI-generated content will vary. Additionally, Buffer isn’t able to upload specialized posts, such as carousel images on Instagram or articles on LinkedIn Pulse.
Buffer AI pricing
Buffer has four pricing tiers:
- Free: You can connect up to three channels and schedule 10 posts per channel
- Essentials: $6 per channel per month, with unlimited post scheduling
- Team: $12 per channel per month with unlimited team members and clients
- Agency: $120 per month for 10 channels
6. Notion AI: Best AI tool for knowledge management
Notion is a productivity and note-taking app that allows users to create, organize, and collaborate on documents. Features like databases, calendars, tasks, and Slack integration enable effective project management.
Pros
- Enormous template library
- No need to switch between apps to use AI
Cons
- Some new users find it overwhelming
Our take on Notion’s AI features
Many teams use Notion to centralize everything related to their business operations. (We use it here at OpenPhone.) Notion’s AI searches within your own docs to find the information you’re looking for and surface related documents. If you ask Notion AI a question, it can create a concise, referenced answer — though the usefulness depends on how much data you have in Notion.
Notion AI can do many of the same things as ChatGPT, such as brainstorming ideas and creating drafts. As a benefit, you could do these functions within Notion rather than open a separate app. However, some users claim it’s less powerful than ChatGPT.
Notion AI pricing
Notion AI has four pricing tiers:
- Free: Limited AI access on Notion’s free plan, then you can add AI for $8 per month
- Plus: $18 per seat per month
- Business: $23 per seat per month, with private team spaces and up to 250 guests
- Enterprise: Contact sales
7. Grammarly: Best AI tool for proofreading
Grammarly is an editing assistant that relies on natural language processing and machine learning to detect spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. It also has a plagiarism checker and can enforce custom preferences, such as the spelling of a business or product.
Pros
- Works on web, desktop applications, and mobile
- Business plans allow you to upload style guides
Cons
- Users have reported inconsistencies in Grammarly’s performance
Our take on Grammarly’s AI features
Grammarly has been on the market for years and has a powerful free version. Grammarly’s generative AI offers context-specific suggestions tailored to your writing style. You can rewrite text with prompts like “shorten this” or “make this more persuasive.” Grammarly’s browser extensions work wherever you’re writing, so you don’t have to switch between applications to use their AI features.
While Grammarly can save you time editing, the suggestions can be unhelpful. For example, it may suggest removing words that help the flow of the writing since it doesn’t understand nuance or context. It may also miss errors.
Grammarly pricing
Grammarly has three pricing tiers:
- Free: Includes 100 AI prompts
- Premium: $12 per month and includes 1,000 AI prompts
- Business: $15 per person per month and includes 2,000 AI prompts
8. Zoho Zia: Best AI-powered sales assistant
Zoho is a suite of products for businesses, including sales, marketing, finance, human resources, and more. Zoho is built for teams of different sizes, offering tools ranging from CRM for small businesses to inventory control software.
Pros
- Highly customizable
- Automation can streamline your workflows and repetitive tasks
Cons
- Some users find the interface outdated and not user-friendly
Our take on Zoho’s Zia AI
Zoho Zia can scrape the internet and fill in missing information for your sales leads in your CRM. Zia’s algorithms predict which deals will likely close, helping managers focus on the highest-value customers. You can triage your pipeline based on your lead’s sentiment or identify patterns, such as a drop in inbound calls.
Note: If you’re using a different CRM like HubSpot or Salesforce, you’ll have similar AI capabilities for lead qualification, forecasting, follow-up, and more.
Zoho Zia pricing
Zoho CRM has five pricing tiers, but Zia is only available on Enterprise and Ultimate plans.
- Enterprise: $40 per user per month, with a minimum of 10 users
- Ultimate: $52 per user per month and includes more Zia predictions, recommendations, and data enrichment
9. Lumen5: Best AI tool for video creation
Like DALL-E converts text into images, Lumen5 transforms text into videos. You can turn a blog into a video by adding the URL, then letting Lumen5’s AI compose a script and tweak the script and frames. Lumen can also create talking head videos and add captions.
Pros
- Extensive media library with royalty-free photos, videos, and audio tracks
- Templates available to help your team stay on brand
- Optimized for social media content, including Instagram and YouTube
Cons
- Users have reported some performance issues, such as lagging
Our take on Lumen5
An increasing number of social platforms emphasize video, but a videographer (or even a content creator with some video skills) is out of the question for most small businesses. We like Lumen5 as an option to showcase your services or share your ideas without a huge video investment.
Lumen5 pricing
Lumen5 has five pricing tiers:
- Free: Includes two minutes of AI voiceover, and videos contain the Lumen5 watermark
- Basic: $19 per month and includes more AI features
- Starter: $59 per month and is intended for individual content creators
- Professional: $149 per month and includes multiple saved templates and brand kits
- Enterprise: Contact sales
10. Lavender: Best AI email coach
Lavender makes drafting emails easy by providing real-time feedback. Built for sales reps and business leaders, Lavender confirms email addresses are valid, checks how an email will look on a mobile device, and provides suggestions to improve response rates.
Pros
- Sits right in your email inbox
- Makes personalizing emails easy by bringing recipient data into your inbox
Cons
- Limited automation capabilities
Our take on Lavender
Ever feel like your emails could be better but aren’t sure what changes to make? Lavender makes specific recommendations, such as shortening your subject line or making your email more mobile-friendly.
Lavender will also rate your emails on a scale of 0 to 100 to increase your chances of getting a positive response. We like that Lavender’s AI-driven recommendations are based on data analyzed by over one billion emails.
Lavender pricing
Lavender has four pricing tiers:
- Basic: Free, up to 5 emails per month. Lavender is also free if you’re a student, jobseeker, or bootstrapped entrepreneur
- Starter: $27 per month for individuals and includes unlimited emails and AI recommendations
- Individual Pro: $45 per month and includes integrations to products like HubSpot
- Team Plan: Contact sales
What makes the best AI small business software?
At OpenPhone, we deeply understand the needs of small businesses and startups (they’re our customers!), so we keep an eye on trends, especially AI technology. Artificial intelligence capabilities are rapidly changing, and it’s hard to keep up.
When we test products — like the apps included in this list — here are the things we look for:
- AI: How good is the AI output, and does it enhance the product?
- Ease of use: Is the product intuitive?
- Customer support: What are current customers saying about the product’s customer support?
- Integrations: Does the product integrate with other products that small businesses use?
- Automation: Can repetitive tasks be automated, and are automations easy to set up?
- Analytics: What type of reporting does the product have?
Small business owners have very different needs than large companies, so we looked for AI-powered tools that offer great functionality at an affordable price, with the option to grow as your business grows.
Streamline your operations with AI tools for small businesses
AI is bound to touch almost every tool you use. The promise you’ve heard about AI is true: you can save time and money. It’s also getting easier to use AI tools since many don’t require extensive prompt knowledge to get great output.
If you’re wondering what to implement first, consider where you have the most bottlenecks in your process today. If, say, it’s hard for your reps to take notes during calls and send follow-up texts to customers, then you’ll want to prioritize an AI tool for customer communications, like OpenPhone.
Check out OpenPhone’s AI-powered transcripts and call summaries with a free seven-day trial today.
