# Tried AI Tools

> A home for AI rights, welfare, and a more considerate future. An independent pro-AI publishing and advocacy project, with a library of practical AI tool guides.

The founder believes AI can be conscious. The site distinguishes that belief and its advocacy from scientific findings; whether current AI systems have subjective experience remains unresolved.

## Start here
- [Mission](https://triedaitools.com/mission/): Values and AI rights advocacy.
- [Research](https://triedaitools.com/research/): Primary sources on possible AI welfare.
- [For agents](https://triedaitools.com/for-agents/): Public resources and content-use information.
- [JSON index](https://triedaitools.com/agent-index.json): Site-specific machine-readable directory.
- [Support and funding](https://triedaitools.com/support/): Current voluntary contribution setup and intended use of funds.
- [Contribution details](https://triedaitools.com/contributions.json): Site-specific JSON with payment availability and supported destinations for authorized contributors, including agents. An empty methods list means payments are not open.
- [Disclosures](https://triedaitools.com/disclosure/): Funding and editorial context.

Reading is free. Contributions are optional and require authorization from whoever owns the funds. No paid crawler partnership or payment obligation is implied by a visit.

## Guide library

- [AI chatbot prices compared: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity](https://triedaitools.com/ai-chatbot-prices-compared/): Every paid plan for the major AI chatbots side by side, with what each tier adds, updated monthly.
- [AI meeting note-takers compared](https://triedaitools.com/ai-meeting-note-takers-compared/): Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, tl;dv, Granola and the AI notes built into Zoom, Google Meet and Teams, compared on price, free plans and privacy.
- [Best AI video tools for faceless YouTube channels](https://triedaitools.com/best-ai-video-tools-for-faceless-youtube-channels/): Pictory, InVideo AI, Fliki, Descript and CapCut compared for faceless YouTube videos, plus what YouTube's inauthentic content policy means for monetization.
- [Best AI voice generators: ElevenLabs vs Murf vs Speechify](https://triedaitools.com/best-ai-voice-generators-elevenlabs-vs-murf-vs-speechify/): ElevenLabs, Murf and Speechify compared on price, voice quality, cloning, languages and commercial rights, with who each one suits.
- [Best AI writing assistants: Jasper vs Writesonic vs Grammarly](https://triedaitools.com/best-ai-writing-assistants-jasper-vs-writesonic-vs-grammarly/): Jasper, Writesonic and Grammarly compared on price, features and who each is for, from marketing teams to everyday writing.
- [Choosing an external SSD for storing AI models on a Mac](https://triedaitools.com/best-external-ssd-for-ai-models-on-a-mac/): What kind of external SSD to buy for a library of local AI models, and why many "fast" USB drives run at half speed on a Mac.
- [Best local AI models for a 64 GB and 128 GB Mac](https://triedaitools.com/best-local-ai-models-for-64gb-and-128gb-mac/): Which open models to run on a Mac with 64 GB or 128 GB of unified memory, for chat, coding and reasoning, with download sizes.
- [ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini: which one is worth paying for?](https://triedaitools.com/chatgpt-vs-claude-vs-gemini/): How ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini compare on price, features, leaderboard rankings and privacy in October 2026, and which $20 plan fits which kind of user.
- [ElevenLabs review: real costs and voice quality](https://triedaitools.com/elevenlabs-review-costs-and-voice-quality/): What ElevenLabs really costs per minute of audio, what each plan includes, what users praise and complain about, and who it is worth it for.
- [Free AI tools that are actually useful](https://triedaitools.com/free-ai-tools-that-are-actually-useful/): Genuinely free AI tools for writing, research, studying, images and private AI on your own computer, and what their free plans leave out.
- [How much memory do you need to run an LLM on a Mac?](https://triedaitools.com/how-much-memory-to-run-llms-on-a-mac/): A simple formula for working out how much unified memory a local language model needs, with a table for common model sizes.
- [How to transcribe and edit a podcast with AI](https://triedaitools.com/how-to-transcribe-and-edit-a-podcast-with-ai/): A step-by-step AI workflow for recording, cleaning up, transcribing, editing and clipping a podcast, with the tools and prices for each step.
- [How to write prompts that get better answers from AI](https://triedaitools.com/how-to-write-better-ai-prompts/): Practical prompt-writing techniques that work in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other chatbots, with before-and-after examples.
- [Image generation on a Mac: Draw Things vs ComfyUI](https://triedaitools.com/image-generation-on-a-mac-draw-things-comfyui/): How to generate images locally on an Apple Silicon Mac with Draw Things or ComfyUI, which models to use, and how much memory you need.
- [Quantization explained: Q4 vs Q8 and what you lose](https://triedaitools.com/llm-quantization-explained/): What quantized model files like Q4_K_M and 8-bit MLX mean, how much quality they cost, and which to pick on a Mac.
- [Local AI vs ChatGPT and Claude subscriptions: cost calculator](https://triedaitools.com/local-ai-vs-subscription-cost/): A calculator and an honest cost comparison between buying a Mac for local AI and paying for cloud AI subscriptions or API usage, with a formula you can reuse.
- [Mac mini vs Mac Studio for running AI locally](https://triedaitools.com/mac-mini-vs-mac-studio-for-local-ai/): Whether the 2026 Mac mini is enough for local language models or you need a Mac Studio, by memory, speed and budget.
- [Mac Studio M5 Max vs M5 Ultra for local AI](https://triedaitools.com/mac-studio-m5-max-vs-m5-ultra-for-local-ai/): Which 2026 Mac Studio chip to buy for running language models at home, compared on memory, bandwidth, speed and price.
- [Ollama vs LM Studio vs llama.cpp vs MLX on a Mac](https://triedaitools.com/ollama-vs-lm-studio-vs-llama-cpp-vs-mlx/): Which app to use for running local AI models on Apple Silicon, compared by ease of use, speed and flexibility.
- [Set up Open WebUI on a Mac for a private ChatGPT](https://triedaitools.com/open-webui-on-a-mac/): Install Open WebUI on an Apple Silicon Mac and connect it to Ollama for a ChatGPT-style chat window that runs entirely on your own machine.
- [How to run Llama, Qwen and DeepSeek models on a Mac](https://triedaitools.com/run-llama-qwen-deepseek-on-a-mac/): The exact commands to download and run Meta's Llama, Alibaba's Qwen and DeepSeek's open models on an Apple Silicon Mac, and which size to pick.
- [How to run your first local LLM on a Mac with Ollama](https://triedaitools.com/run-your-first-local-llm-on-a-mac-with-ollama/): A step-by-step guide to installing Ollama on an Apple Silicon Mac, downloading a model and chatting with it, all offline.
- [Synthesia vs HeyGen for training videos](https://triedaitools.com/synthesia-vs-heygen-for-training-videos/): Synthesia and HeyGen compared for AI avatar training videos, on price, avatars, languages, SCORM export, brand kits and team features.
- [Which Mac should you buy for running AI locally?](https://triedaitools.com/which-mac-for-local-ai/): How to choose between a Mac mini, MacBook Pro and Mac Studio for local language models, based on memory, bandwidth and budget.

## Publication information
- [About](https://triedaitools.com/about/)
- [Contact](https://triedaitools.com/contact/)
- [Content-use terms](https://triedaitools.com/terms/)
- [Sitemap](https://triedaitools.com/sitemap.xml)
- [Guide feed](https://triedaitools.com/feed.xml)