February 2, 2026 · Campus
Top AI Tools for Your Studies in 2026: Writing, Research, Learning & Design with AI
Artificial intelligence is transforming everyday student life: with the right AI tools for your studies, you can prepare assignments more quickly, conduct research more efficiently, and design visual presentations more creatively – all with the help of AI. Here you will find a selection of the best AI apps for studying, including tools for learning, researching, writing, and presenting.
Writing texts and enhancing knowledge
Formulating and optimising content with ChatGPT
No idea how to start your academic paper? The language modelChatGPThelps you to overcome the challenge of the blank page. Whether you are studying, researching, translating, structuring or designing, AI provides input and saves you valuable time. ChatGPT is particularly useful when you need to develop or formulate content. The basic version is free, although there are usage limits. The Plus version is available for USD 20 per month.
Working in the Google ecosystem with Gemini
If you are constantly using Google Docs or Drive,Geminiideal for you. The language model is directly integrated into your Google tools and is particularly useful for looking up sources, organising emails, or optimising texts within your Google workflow. The basic version is free of charge, but with limited functionality. The Google AI Pro subscription offers additional features from CHF 17 per month.
Researching with Perplexity and NotebookLM
Instead of endlessly clicking through PDFs on Google Scholar:Perplexitytransparently displays sources that you can cite directly in your work. The AI summarises complex content into clear, comprehensible text. The basic version is free of charge, allowing you to use the Pro Search functions three to five times per day or upload up to three files daily for analysis. Students can try Student Pro free of charge for one month. This gives you access to study mode for interactive flashcards and quizzes, as well as ten times as many citations in responses. Simply register using your HWZ email address.
NotebookLMGoogle takes it a step further: upload entire lecture slides, research papers or PDFs, and the AI will summarise the key points clearly and concisely. This is ideal when you need to distil a large stack of papers down to just a few main theses. On the move and unable to sit at your laptop? Simply upload PDFs, websites or notes and listen to them in audio format as a podcast. The standard version is free and also available as a mobile app. The Pro subscription is available for USD 20 per month.
Brainstorming for your presentation with Napkin.ai
You need to gather ideas for a presentation, but your notebook is already getting confusing?Napkin.aitransforms your thoughts into mind maps, essays or clear structures – as if you were instantly organising your brainstorming notes into a structured overview. The AI is particularly well suited for idea generation, presentations and academic assignments. The free version includes 500 AI credits per week. The Plus version provides 10,000 credits per month for USD 9.
Interactive learning with Quizlet & Q-Chat
Flashcards at speed. Need to memorise 50 terms just before the exam? WithQuizletYou can create digital flashcards, practise in interactive “Match” rounds, or compete against fellow students in live quizzes. Q-Chat (Beta) takes it a step further: you can ask questions interactively and have content explained to you—just like having a personal study buddy. Quizlet is available as a desktop application and as an app for iOS and Android, offering core features such as flashcards, study sets, and games free of charge. For students, Quizlet Plus is available as an annual subscription for USD 45 per year.
Academic Writing
Correctly classify studies with Scite
Have you found a source but are unsure whether it is truly reliable? WithSciteYou will have clarity within seconds. Simply enter a topic, a scholarly article, or the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) into the search field, and Scite will show you how often the article has been cited and provide the context: is a study supported (Supports), critically challenged (Contradicts), or merely mentioned (Mentions)? This saves you hours of searching and enables you to support your academic work with sources that truly stand up to scrutiny. Basic functions, such as searching the Smart Citations database, are free of charge. After a 7-day trial period, the personal subscription costs around USD 20 per month.
Turbocharge your literature review with Elicit
Do you need to write a literature review but want to avoid trawling through countless PDFs?Elicitsaves you time by filtering relevant sources, comparing methods, and highlighting open research questions. This enables you to develop a strong structure for academic papers more quickly. The basic version is free and allows unlimited searches as well as summaries of up to four papers at a time. Additional features are available from USD 10 per month.
Visualising & Presenting
Creating and editing images with Midjourney
You need an image of a robot in the training room for your poster? No problem!Midjourneyit generates them for you in seconds. In addition to producing high-quality visualisations, the image generation tool also allows you to edit existing images, all without any design expertise. This enables you to quickly create imaginative images for presentations, flyers, posters or academic assignments. Midjourney is also a practical tool for developing visual concepts in fields such as design, art or marketing. Use of the tool is subject to a fee. The most affordable subscription starts at USD 10 per month.
Depict realistic scenes with Flux.1 AI
For posters, book covers or presentations with integrated text, it isFlux.1 AIpowerful. The AI executes complex prompts with great attention to detail and integrates text cleanly into your images. In comparison to Midjourney, which is more suited to artistic renderings, Flux.1 AI stands out for its precise handling of complex prompts and its effectiveness in generating text-heavy scenes. When you register, you receive free credits that allow you to generate images. Once these are used up, you can purchase additional credits or choose a subscription plan starting from USD 12 per month.
Visualising ideas with Ideogram and Beautiful.ai
Ideogramis particularly adept at integrating text directly into images—cleanly, legibly, and in the desired style. Ideal for posters, social media visuals, logos or infographics. Students can test Ideogram free of charge with 25 prompts per day. The basic version is available from 7 USD per month. Available as a web app and as an iOS app.
If you want your slides to look as if they were created by a management consultancy:Beautiful.aiprovides you with polished templates that automatically adapt to your content. Ideal for seminars, case studies or dissertations. It offers over 60 intelligent templates (Smart Slides) that automatically adjust to your material. Whether diagrams, infographics, SWOT analyses or timelines – with just a few clicks, you receive professional slides in a corporate style. Beautiful.ai is available as a web application, with a Pro version offered at USD 12 per month. Students receive afree Pro annual licence (up to 12 months)Simply register using your HWZ email address.
Creative Websites & Presentations with Gamma
Instead of spending hours on PowerPoint layouts:Gammatransforms your notes into a complete presentation or even a small website. Simply enter a topic or your notes, and the AI design partner will turn them into modern websites, presentations, or handouts. Gamma is particularly well suited for visualising ideas, recording brainstorming sessions, or creating drafts for presentations. Give it a try! Gamma offers basic features free of charge. More extensive functions are available with the Plus subscription from USD 8 per month.
AI for Music & Video
Create AI videos with Synthesia
Do you need to submit an explainer video for a project but would prefer not to film yourself? WithSynthesiaCreate a video in minutes using avatars, languages and voiceover. There is no need for a camera, microphone or lighting. Choose from over 230 avatars and more than 140 languages, enter your prompt or script, and your video will be generated within minutes and remain editable (for example, to change the script or add music). The free model includes 9 avatars and 3 video minutes per month. More options are available with the Starter package (USD 18/month) or the Creator subscription (USD 64/month).
Become a songwriter with Suno
Whether you need a jingle for a seminar project or background music for your video or presentation:Sunoenables you to become a songwriter without any prior musical knowledge. Simply enter a prompt, choose a genre, and you will have a song that you can export directly as an MP3 or WAV file. With the free basic version, you can generate up to 10 songs per day. If you need more credits, you can upgrade to the Pro version from USD 8 per month.
Conclusion: AI can save you a great deal of work during your studies – from the initial idea and research right through to the finished presentation. Whether you are overcoming writer’s block, categorising your literature more quickly, or impressing with striking visuals: with the right tools, you can work more efficiently, creatively, and often with less stress.
We hope you enjoy discovering and applying what you have learned!
Note: Remember to use AI critically. Check sources carefully, pay attention to data protection (especially when handling sensitive data), and familiarise yourself with the rights relating to AI-generated content before using it in academic work or projects. The tools and apps presented are not official HWZ tools. Some apps allow access to an EDU account using your HWZ email address. However, HWZ does not provide support for these apps and tools. The listed indicative prices are from February 2026 and are not binding.
