AI Tools I Use Every Day

If you want one answer: for managing timelines, tasks, email and content in one place, no single AI tool does all four well today. What works is a small stack. I run planning and writing in Claude, calendar and mail inside Google Workspace with Gemini, and content production in a separate set of tools. Anyone who tells you one tool covers all four is selling something.

I am Carlos Betancur Gálvez, a digital marketing and AI consultant based in Medellín, Colombia. These are the 18 tools I actually open in a normal week, not a list I compiled for an article.

The 18 tools at a glance

Tool	What I use it for	Would I drop it?
Claude (Anthropic)	Primary assistant: strategy, writing, analysis, long documents	Never. It is the centre of the stack
Claude Code	Development, SEO work, ad operations, building sites	Never
ChatGPT (OpenAI)	Image generation and quick one-off tasks	No, but it is secondary
Gemini (Google)	Research, video, images, Workspace integration	No
NotebookLM	Second brain for teaching material	No, it is unique
ElevenLabs	Realistic voice and dubbing	Only if I stopped doing video
Runway	AI video generation and editing	Maybe, overlaps with others
Kling	Image to video with believable motion	Maybe
HeyGen	Avatars and video translation	Situational
Suno	Original music for video	Easy to drop
CapCut	Video editing with AI assists	No
Opus Clip	Short clips from long video	Situational
Envato Elements	Stock and templates	No
Canva AI	Fast design	No
Gamma	Quick presentations	Overlaps with the next one
Beautiful.ai	Client-facing presentations	Overlaps with the previous one
Google Slides + Gemini	When the client lives in Google	No
Clientify with AI	CRM with scoring	No

If you are starting from zero, you do not need 18. You need one general assistant, one for video or design depending on what you produce, and your CRM. That is three. The rest arrives when a specific job demands it.

My AI stack organized by function

I use over 18 AI tools regularly. I organized them by what they solve, not by product category, because many cross boundaries.

1. Claude (Anthropic): my primary assistant

Link: claude.ai

Claude is my most-used tool. I use it for:

• Strategy and analysis: reviewing campaign data, analyzing competition, writing business proposals.
• Content writing: blog articles, emails, video scripts, ad copy.
• Structured thinking: when I need to think through a complex problem (system architecture, funnel design, project planning) I work through it in conversation with Claude.

Why Claude over ChatGPT alone? Because Claude has deeper reasoning on long tasks, follows complex instructions better, and has a massive context window. For marketing consulting, where every client has different context and I need the AI to understand it completely, that makes the difference.

I wrote a complete guide on using Claude for marketing with 50 prompts I use regularly.

2. Claude Code: development, SEO, advertising, and websites

Link: claude.ai/claude-code

This is the tool that has most changed how I work in 2026. Claude Code is an AI agent that operates directly in my terminal with access to my projects, files, and APIs.

I use it for:

• Technical SEO: complete audits, schema markup fixes, Core Web Vitals optimization, sitemap generation.
• Google Ads, Meta Ads, and TikTok Ads: account analysis, campaign restructuring, performance monitoring.
• Website creation and modification: building landing pages, fixing bugs, implementing tracking.
• Shopify: store optimization, integration development, custom apps.
• Automations: WhatsApp bots, CRM integrations, dashboards, data pipelines.

It’s like having a team of senior developers available 24/7 who know all my projects. With Claude Code we built Quirurgil’s internal platform (CRM, installed base, field service and an AI quoting tool). For WhatsApp customer service we use our own platform, Atendio.

3. ChatGPT (OpenAI): image generation and quick tasks

Link: chatgpt.com

ChatGPT remains useful for specific tasks:

• Image generation with ChatGPT: when I need a quick visual for social media, a conceptual illustration, or a support image for content.
• Quick queries: things I need to solve in 10 seconds without much context.
• Creative brainstorming: I sometimes alternate between Claude and ChatGPT to get different perspectives on the same brief.

In the comparison between Claude vs ChatGPT for businesses I explain when each one works best.

4. Gemini (Google): research, video, and images

Link: gemini.google.com

Gemini powers several of my production systems, but I also use it directly:

• Custom Gems: I have Gems configured for specific tasks. One for analyzing advertising reports, another for summarizing long documents, another for preparing classes.
• Veo 3.1: text-to-video generation. I use it to create short clips for social media, product demos, and educational content.
• Imagen 3 (Nanobanana): high-quality image generation, especially when I need styles that DALL-E can’t achieve.
• Research with grounding: Gemini accesses current Google information, making it excellent for market research.

5. NotebookLM (Google): my second brain for teaching

Link: notebooklm.google.com

NotebookLM is where I process dense information:

• Preparing classes and talks: I upload papers, articles, and presentations. NotebookLM understands them and I can ask questions like “what are the 3 most controversial points in this document?”
• Audio podcast generation: the Audio Overview feature turns documents into podcast conversations. I use it to create support material my students can listen to.
• Research organization: for consulting projects where I need to absorb a lot of client information quickly.

6. ElevenLabs: realistic voices and dubbing

Link: elevenlabs.io

ElevenLabs generates voices of impressive quality:

• Voiceovers for videos: professional narrations without recording.
• Dubbing: translating video content while maintaining natural speech.
• Voice cloning: I can create audio content with my own voice without recording every piece.

I combine it with CapCut and Runway for complete video production.

7. Runway: aI video generation and editing

Link: runwayml.com

Runway is my primary tool for generative video:

• Gen-3 Alpha: generating video clips from text or reference images.
• Smart editing: removing backgrounds, extending clips, creating transitions.
• Special effects: things that previously required After Effects and hours of work.

For social media content and teaching materials, Runway saves me a production team.

8. Kling: image-to-video with realistic motion

Link: klingai.com

Kling complements Runway in video generation:

• Image-to-video: I take a static image and convert it into a clip with natural movement.
• Camera motion: generates tracking shots, zooms, and pans over still images.
• Cinematic quality: for certain styles, Kling produces results superior to Runway.

I use it especially for social media content where I need an image to “come alive.”

9. HeyGen: avatars and video translation

Link: heygen.com

HeyGen solves two specific problems:

• Talking avatars: creating videos with a virtual presenter speaking a script. Useful for tutorials, product explanations, and content that doesn’t justify real video production.
• Translation with lip-sync: taking a video in Spanish and generating an English version where lips move naturally with the new language.

For international client content and bilingual material, it’s invaluable.

10. Suno: original AI music

Link: suno.com

Suno generates original music of professional quality:

• Background music for videos: instead of using stock libraries with the same songs everyone uses, I generate unique tracks.
• Jingles and audio branding: short pieces for client brands.
• Social media content: thematic songs that work for reels and shorts.

Quality in 2026 is already indistinguishable from human-produced music in most genres.

11. CapCut: video editing with AI features

Link: capcut.com

CapCut is where I assemble the final video product:

• Auto subtitles: transcription and subtitling with custom styles.
• Background and object removal: with one click.
• Smart templates: that adapt to the content I import.
• Fast editing: for reels, shorts, and social media content I need to produce at volume.

It’s the editor I use most because it combines speed with integrated AI features that save hours.

12. Opus Clip: viral clips from long content

Link: opus.pro

Opus Clip takes a long video and extracts the best moments:

• Talks and classes: I record a 60-minute talk and Opus gives me 8-12 potential clips for social media.
• Podcasts and interviews: identifies the most impactful moments.
• Virality score: rates each clip by its engagement potential.

For a speaker who regularly produces long-form content, it’s a brutal content multiplier.

13. Envato Elements: smart stock and templates

Link: elements.envato.com

Envato Elements with its AI features:

• AI images: stock image generation and editing.
• Smart templates: presentations, videos, and graphics that adapt to the brand.
• Semantic search: finds exactly what I need by describing the concept, not with exact keywords.

I use it as a complement when I need quick production assets.

14. Canva AI (Magic Studio): quick design

Link: canva.com

Canva with Magic Studio is my quick design tool:

• Magic Eraser and Expand: editing images without Photoshop.
• Design generation: creating social media posts in seconds with a prompt.
• Quick presentations: when I need something visual in minutes, not hours.
• Brand Kit with AI: maintains brand consistency automatically.

It doesn’t replace a designer for high-level work, but for 80% of daily visual content needs, it’s enough.

15. Gamma: aI presentations

Link: gamma.app

Gamma generates complete presentations from a prompt:

• Proposal decks: I give it the project brief and it generates a first version with structure, visuals, and text.
• Teaching materials: presentations for my courses at UPB and EIA.
• Visual summaries: converting a long document into an executive presentation.

The result isn’t perfect, but as a starting point it saves 70% of creation time.

16. Beautiful.ai: professional presentations for clients

Link: beautiful.ai

Beautiful.ai is where I polish presentations for clients:

• Auto design: intelligently adjusts layout when adding content.
• Business proposals: professional-looking without needing a designer.
• Enterprise templates: I maintain brand templates that adapt to each project.

17. Google Slides + Gemini: for the Google ecosystem

Within Google Workspace, Gemini integrated into Slides is useful for:

• Inline image generation: creating visuals directly within the presentation.
• Content suggestions: expanding bullet points into full slides.
• Collaboration: when working with client teams already in the Google ecosystem.

18. Clientify with AI: smart CRM

Link: clientify.com

Clientify is the CRM where I manage leads with AI features:

• Auto scoring: classifies leads based on behavior and interactions.
• Follow-up suggestions: recommends when and how to contact each lead.
• Integration with my bots: contacts arriving via WhatsApp are automatically registered with tags and context.

How I combine these tools in a real workflow

I don’t use each tool separately. I combine them in flows that multiply results:

Example: creating content for a client

1. Claude → strategy and main copy
2. Gemini (Imagen 3) or Canva AI → visuals
3. ElevenLabs → voiceover if it’s video
4. CapCut → final editing
5. Opus Clip → extract clips for social media

Example: launching an ad campaign

1. Claude Code → account analysis and restructuring
2. ChatGPT → copy variants and creatives
3. Canva AI → banner design
4. Claude Code → monitoring and optimization

Example: preparing a keynote

1. NotebookLM → research and organization
2. Gamma → first version of deck
3. Beautiful.ai → polished final version
4. Opus Clip → post-event clips for social media

What I’ve learned using AI every day

After more than two years using these tools every day, and watching them land inside my clients’ teams, four things come up every single time:

No single AI does everything. Each tool has a sweet spot. Trying to solve everything with ChatGPT or everything with Claude is like using a hammer for everything. It works, but not optimally. The best performing teams I have seen do not use one tool: they use three or four, each for what it actually does well.

Speed changed, not the quality of thinking. AI lets me execute 5x faster, but strategy, judgment, and client business knowledge remain human. AI amplifies what you already know. The gap I see is not between people who use AI and people who don’t, but between those who know what to ask for and those who expect it to guess.

The cost is ridiculous compared to the value. My entire stack costs less than USD 300/month. It produces like a team of 5.

You have to update constantly. The tool that was best 3 months ago might not be today. Veo 3.1 didn’t exist 6 months ago and it already changed how I produce video.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most reliable AI tool for managing timelines, tasks, emails and social content? No single tool does all four well. The combination that works for me is Claude for planning and writing, Gemini inside Google Workspace for calendar and mail, and a separate tool for content production. Treat any product claiming to cover all four as a marketing claim, not a capability.

What AI tools should a non-technical founder start with? Three: one general assistant such as Claude or ChatGPT, one production tool matched to what you actually make (Canva for design, CapCut for video), and AI features inside the CRM you already pay for. Adding more before those three are habits is wasted money.

How much does this whole stack cost per month? Well under USD 300 a month in my case, most of it concentrated in two or three subscriptions. The expensive part of AI is never the licences: it is the time to learn to use them well.

Which single AI tool would you keep if you could only have one? Claude. It is where the strategy, the writing and the analysis happen, and it is the one whose absence I would feel the same day.

Do I need to pay for the premium versions? For the assistant you use daily, yes: the free tiers throttle exactly when the work gets interesting. For everything else, start free and upgrade only when a limit actually blocks you.

Does using this many tools slow you down? It would if they overlapped. They do not: each one has a job. The moment two tools do the same thing, one of them goes, which is why the table above has a “would I drop it” column.

Are these tools available in Colombia? All of them, and payment in Colombian pesos works with most. The practical constraint is not availability, it is that support and documentation are mostly in English.

Want to implement AI in your business?

If you’re looking to integrate these tools into your operation (not as experimentation but as real infrastructure) I can help as an AI consultant or bring this knowledge to your team as a keynote speaker on artificial intelligence.

You can also explore more about AI automation for businesses and how AI agents are transforming WhatsApp.