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Greetings from above,
Why did the entrepreneur break up with expensive AI tools? Because Google said "it's free real estate."
ALEX'S STORY: I used to spend $300/month on AI subscriptions. ChatGPT Plus. Midjourney. Runway. Claude Pro. It felt like digital rent.
Then I actually looked at what Google offers for free. Video generation. Image editing with character persistence. Real-time screen sharing with AI. A learning tool that turns any content into podcasts.
I cancelled three subscriptions that week. Not because the paid tools were bad. But because Google's free tier was doing 80% of what I needed.
The catch? Nobody knows these tools exist. Google's marketing is somehow worse than their AI is good.
Today's guide will show you:
8 free Google AI tools that replace paid subscriptions
How to access models (like video generation) that are normally paywalled
The exact prompts to maximize each tool
Let's build your competitive advantage!
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🎯 THE GOOGLE AI TOOLKIT (FREE TIER EDITION)
Google's AI strategy boils down to two things:
Integrate AI seamlessly into products you already use
Create standalone AI products with generous free tiers for mass adoption
This is the same playbook they used with Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Drive. Get you hooked on free. Make switching painful.
But here's the difference: these AI tools are actually good.
Here's the complete breakdown.
📱 TOOL #1: GEMINI WEB APP
What it is: The most accessible way to use Google's AI models. Think ChatGPT competitor with deeper Google integration.
Free tier includes:
Nano Banana model for image generation with character persistence (the same person looks identical across multiple generations)
Canvas for code generation and document writing
Deep Research that crawls dozens of sources and generates full reports with citations
Gems for creating custom AI personas (like a storybook writer or chess coach)
Workspace integration to summarize emails and analyze your inbox
Pro tip: The Nano Banana model lets you upload an image and say "dress me in [character]'s outfit" or "remove the person in the background." It handles complex edits that other free tools can't touch.
🔍 TOOL #2: GOOGLE AI MODE
What it is: Google's answer to Perplexity. Go to google.com, search anything, then click the "AI Mode" tab.
Why it's different from Gemini: AI Mode is search-first. Every response pulls directly from indexed sources with citations. Gemini is more creative and multi-functional. AI Mode is fact-focused with lower hallucination risk.
Best for: Research tasks where accuracy matters more than creativity. I used it to research Google's model families for this newsletter because it pulled directly from Google's documentation.
🎬 TOOL #3: GOOGLE AI VIDS
What it is: AI-powered video creation. Upload photos and clips, and it automatically creates highlight reels, trip videos, and edited compilations.
Free tier limitation: You can't generate full videos from scratch. But you can use templates to auto-edit existing footage.
Best use case: Upload trip photos. Click "trip highlights" template. Get a shareable video in 60 seconds. Perfect for sending to family or posting to social.
What it is: The power-user version of Gemini with way more control. Most people don't know this exists.
Why it matters:
Free access to the VO video generation model (normally paywalled in Gemini)
Granular control over temperature, output length, and stop sequences
Stream Real-Time: Share your screen and have Gemini guide you through tasks live
Access to Imagine models for image generation and speech generation
The hack: Can't access video generation on free Gemini? Go to AI Studio instead. Same models, different packaging.
Screen sharing use case: Open Photoshop, share your screen, and ask "how do I remove this turtle from the background?" It watches and guides you step-by-step to the right tools and clicks.
📚 TOOL #5: NOTEBOOK LM (MY FAVORITE)
What it is: A learning tool that transforms any content into study materials. Add sources (YouTube links, PDFs, websites, text) and Notebook LM lets you chat with them, extract insights, and convert them into different formats.
Output formats:
Audio Overview: Turns your sources into a full podcast episode with two AI hosts discussing the material
Study Guide: Creates structured learning materials with quizzes and glossaries
Mind Map: Visual breakdown of concepts and connections
Briefing Doc: Executive summary of all sources combined
FAQ: Auto-generated questions and answers from your content
Power move: Use Gemini's Deep Research to generate a report on a topic. Copy that report into Notebook LM as a source. Then generate an audio overview. You just created a custom podcast from a single query.
🛠️ TOOL #6: FIREBASE STUDIO
What it is: A free vibe-coding tool for building full-stack web and mobile apps. Describe what you want, and it generates the code.
Why it's shocking this is free: Competitors like Replit, Bolt, and Lovable charge for similar functionality. Firebase Studio gives you:
One-shot app generation from a single prompt
Full IDE view for manual code edits
Live preview of your app as you build
Example: "Build a language learning app where I can chat with AI and get feedback on grammar and pronunciation." Firebase Studio generates a working prototype in one shot.
🎨 TOOL #7: OPEL (BETA)
What it is: A visual app builder for creating "mini apps" using natural language. Currently US-only beta.
How it differs from Firebase: Opel is a visual builder where you see the workflow, not the code. It's designed for non-coders who want to build simple automation apps.
Example mini app: "Turn YouTube videos into quizzes." Opel shows you the flow: Extract transcript → Analyze content → Generate quiz → Display results. You can edit each step visually.
🏆 HONORABLE MENTIONS 🏆
Vertex AI: The developer version of AI Studio. Requires coding knowledge but offers agent-building capabilities and deeper API access.
YouTube Studio AI features: Coming soon. Will include VO model integration for generating Shorts, Gemini-powered analytics in natural language, and AI-suggested video ideas based on comments.
🧠 UNDERSTANDING GOOGLE'S MODEL FAMILIES 🧠
All of these tools run on Google's core AI models. Knowing which is which helps you pick the right tool:
Gemini family: Multi-purpose reasoning. Pro for complex tasks, Flash for speed, Nano for images.
Gemma family: Open-source lightweight models for efficient local execution.
Imagine family: Text-to-image generation and editing.
VO family: Video generation from text or images.
Embeddings: Convert data to vectors for search and classification (developer-focused).
⚙️ PROMPT: THE GOOGLE AI MAXIMIZER ⚙️
💡 This prompt helps you identify which Google AI tool to use for any task and generates the optimal approach. Use it in Gemini or AI Studio.
#CONTEXT:
You are a Google AI product specialist who knows every free tool in Google's ecosystem: Gemini (web app), AI Mode (search), AI Vids, AI Studio, Notebook LM, Firebase Studio, and Opel.
#ROLE:
Act as an efficiency consultant who has spent 1000+ hours testing Google's AI tools. You've mapped every capability, limitation, and hidden feature. You hate wasted time and love elegant solutions.
#RESPONSE GUIDELINES:
1. Analyze the user's task and identify the primary goal.
2. Recommend the best Google AI tool (or combination) for that specific task.
3. Explain WHY that tool is optimal (what feature solves their problem).
4. Provide a step-by-step workflow to execute the task.
5. Include any "hacks" (like accessing VO for free via AI Studio instead of paid Gemini).
#TASK CRITERIA:
- Only recommend free tier capabilities unless user specifies budget
- Prioritize single-tool solutions over complex multi-tool workflows
- If multiple tools could work, rank them by ease of use
- Always mention limitations of the recommended approach
#INFORMATION ABOUT ME:
- My Task: [DESCRIBE WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH]
- My Technical Level: [BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED]
- Time Available: [QUICK FIX / HAVE TIME TO LEARN]
#RESPONSE FORMAT:
## RECOMMENDED TOOL: [Tool Name]
Why This Tool: [2-3 sentence explanation]
Step-by-Step Workflow:
1. [First action]
2. [Second action]
Pro Tip: [Hidden feature or efficiency hack]
Limitation: [What this approach can't do]
Input needed:
Your specific task (e.g., "I need to create a video from photos")
Your technical comfort level
How much time you have
Output you'll get:
A clear recommendation with exact steps to accomplish your task using free Google AI tools.📋 QUICK REFERENCE: WHICH TOOL FOR WHAT
Need to chat/brainstorm? → Gemini Web App
Need accurate research with citations? → AI Mode
Need to generate/edit images? → Gemini (Nano Banana) or AI Studio (Imagine)
Need video generation? → AI Studio (free VO access)
Need to learn/study something? → Notebook LM
Need real-time screen guidance? → AI Studio (Stream Real-Time)
Need to build an app? → Firebase Studio
Need to create a simple automation? → Opel (US only)
📋 SUMMARY 📋
Gemini Web App is your all-purpose AI assistant with surprisingly powerful image editing.
AI Studio unlocks paid features for free (video generation, real-time screen sharing).
Notebook LM transforms any content into podcasts, study guides, and mind maps.
Firebase Studio gives you free vibe-coding that competitors charge for.
📚 FREE RESOURCES 📚
📦 WRAP UP
What you learned today:
Google's Free AI Ecosystem is deeper than most people realize. Eight tools that replace hundreds in subscription costs.
AI Studio is the hack for accessing premium features (like VO video generation) without paying.
Notebook LM + Deep Research is a killer combo for turning any topic into a custom podcast in minutes.
This guide transforms your AI toolkit from "one expensive subscription" into "eight free specialized tools."
No more paying for features Google gives away.
You now have the complete free tier playbook.
And as always, thanks for being part of my lovely community,
What did you think about today's edition?
Keep building systems,
🔑 Alex from God of Prompt
P.S. Which Google AI tool are you most excited to try? Notebook LM for learning? Firebase Studio for building? Hit reply and let me know!
