Best AI for teachers in 2026: tools compared by task
The best AI for teachers depends on the task. MagicSchool has the widest set of teacher tools and a free plan. Brisk works inside Google Docs and Slides. Diffit levels readings, Curipod runs interactive lessons and Gradescope speeds up grading. ChatGPT for Teachers is free for verified US K-12 educators until June 2027. StudyPDF turns your slides into quizzes you share by link.
Most AI tools for teachers do one of four jobs: plan lessons, make materials, adapt them for different readers, or speed up feedback and grading. Start with the job that eats most of your week. Try the free plan of the tool built for it before you pay or ask your school to.
Check privacy before you paste anything about students. Many schools have approved tools and data agreements, and features like rostering or admin dashboards often sit only in school plans. Read AI output before it reaches students: these tools can get facts wrong or miss your curriculum.
For a step-by-step guide to using AI in your teaching, see studypdf.net/answers/how-can-teachers-use-ai. To build quizzes from your own lessons, see studypdf.net/use-cases/quiz-maker-for-teachers.
Picks by use case
- 1MagicSchoolBest for: The widest set of teacher tools in one place
- 2BriskBest for: AI inside Google Docs, Slides and the pages you already use
- 3EduaideBest for: Lesson planning with many resource formats
- 4DiffitBest for: Leveled readings and resources for mixed classes
- 5CuripodBest for: Interactive lessons and daily writing practice with feedback
- 6ChatGPTBest for: A flexible all-round assistant for drafts and ideas
- 7GradescopeBest for: Faster grading of paper and online assessments
- 8StudyPDFBest for: Quizzes, tests and worksheets from your own slides, shared by link
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | Free tier | Price (October 2026) | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MagicSchool | The widest set of teacher tools in one place | Free for individual teachers, 80+ tools | Plus $12.99 a month, or $8.33 a month yearly | Web |
| Brisk | AI inside Google Docs, Slides and the pages you already use | Free for teachers: 20+ tools in the browser extension | Free; school and district plans on request | Chrome and Edge extension, web |
| Eduaide | Lesson planning with many resource formats | Free plan with a monthly generation limit | Pro plan, check the current price | Web |
| Diffit | Leveled readings and resources for mixed classes | Free Basic plan: create, edit, download, last 90 days | Individual and school plans, check the current price | Web |
| Curipod | Interactive lessons and daily writing practice with feedback | Free for teachers, with a weekly session limit | School and district plans, custom pricing | Web |
| ChatGPT | A flexible all-round assistant for drafts and ideas | Free plan; free teacher workspace for verified US K-12 staff | Paid plans; US K-12 teachers free until June 2027 | Web, iOS, Android, desktop |
| Gradescope | Faster grading of paper and online assessments | Basic plan is free | Institutional plan, custom pricing | Web |
| StudyPDFThat's us | Quizzes, tests and worksheets from your own slides, shared by link | About 4 materials a week, 2 courses, no card | Pro and Ultra plans, see the pricing page | Web, iPhone, iPad, Android |
Prices as of October 2026. Check the vendor's site for the current price.
Tool by tool
1. MagicSchool
Best for: The widest set of teacher tools in one place
MagicSchool bundles 80+ AI tools for teachers, from lesson plans and rubrics to quizzes and writing feedback, plus tools for students. Plus adds more for one teacher, and schools and districts buy an enterprise plan.
Strengths
- A free plan that covers most everyday planning tasks
- Built for schools, with privacy terms and district plans
Limits
- So many tools that finding the right one takes a while
- Output stays generic until you add your own materials and context
2. Brisk
Best for: AI inside Google Docs, Slides and the pages you already use
Brisk is a browser extension that works on the page you have open. It creates lesson plans, quizzes and activities, gives feedback on student writing and changes reading levels, across Google and Microsoft tools.
Strengths
- No new app to learn: it works on the doc or page you already have open
- Feedback tools for student writing on the free plan
Limits
- Admin dashboard and rostering only on paid school plans
- Needs Chrome or Edge
3. Eduaide
Best for: Lesson planning with many resource formats
Eduaide helps teachers draft lesson plans, activities and assessments in many formats, with a feedback bot for student work. The free plan caps how much you can generate each month.
Strengths
- A large library of resource types for planning
- A free plan to try it before you pay
Limits
- The free plan runs out fast if you plan every day
- We could not confirm current prices on its site
4. Diffit
Best for: Leveled readings and resources for mixed classes
Diffit turns a topic, text or standard into readings and activities at different levels, ready to print, download or share. The free plan keeps what you made in the last 90 days, and the school plan adds standards alignment and exports.
Strengths
- Quick differentiation for students at different reading levels
- Exports to Google, Canva and Microsoft on the school plan
Limits
- The free plan only keeps your last 90 days of content
- Focused on readings, less on assessment
5. Curipod
Best for: Interactive lessons and daily writing practice with feedback
Curipod builds interactive lessons with polls and open questions, and now centers on writing practice where every student gets feedback. Teachers use it free, and schools buy a site licence for more live sessions.
Strengths
- Every student writes and gets feedback in the same lesson
- Free for individual teachers
Limits
- The free plan limits live sessions each week
- Built for live class time more than homework
6. ChatGPT
Best for: A flexible all-round assistant for drafts and ideas
ChatGPT drafts lesson ideas, parent emails, examples and quizzes in a chat. OpenAI's ChatGPT for Teachers workspace is free for verified US K-12 educators until June 2027 and does not train on your data by default.
Strengths
- Handles almost any writing task you can describe
- The teacher workspace adds admin and privacy controls for schools
Limits
- Starts from the internet, not your curriculum, unless you upload your materials
- Answers can sound sure and still be wrong, so check them
7. Gradescope
Best for: Faster grading of paper and online assessments
Gradescope, from Turnitin, lets you grade scanned paper exams, online assignments and code with shared rubrics. AI-powered grading and roster matching come with the Institutional plan.
Strengths
- A rubric you set once applies to every copy of a question
- Handles paper exams once you scan them
Limits
- AI grading only on the paid Institutional plan
- Built for grading, not for making materials
8. StudyPDF
That's usBest for: Quizzes, tests and worksheets from your own slides, shared by link
Upload your slides, worksheets and notes, and StudyPDF builds quizzes, practice tests, flashcards and study guides you check and edit. Share a course with one link that opens in any browser, no account needed.
Strengths
- Quizzes export as a blank worksheet PDF with the answer key on its own page
- One link per course: 3 people can join on Free, 10 on Pro, 30 on Ultra
- Every question comes from your teaching materials, not the open internet
Limits
- No classes, gradebook or per-student reports
- Weekly caps on every plan
How we picked
- We started from the jobs teachers name most: planning, making materials, differentiating, feedback and grading.
- Free plans and prices come from each vendor's own site, checked October 2026. Prices and limits change, so check before you pay.
- We sort by task, not by rank. Most teachers end up with one general tool and one or two built for a specific job.
- Where we could not confirm a price on the vendor's own site, as with Eduaide and Diffit, we give no number.
- Follow your school's rules on student data before you use any of these with student work.