DEV Community: Mauli Patel

Top 10 Free AI Tools I Use Every Week

Mauli Patel — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 12:50:56 +0000

AI tools are everywhere right now, but let’s be honest, 80% are either gimmicks or locked behind paywalls. So here’s my no-fluff, dev-approved list of the 10 free AI tools I actually use every single week, whether I’m coding, analyzing data, or just automating life.

ChatGPT (Free Tier)
Use for: Brainstorming ideas, debugging code, drafting content
Even the free version of ChatGPT is a beast. I use it to whip up SQL queries, explain tough concepts, or even write emails faster.
🔗 https://chat.openai.com
Perplexity.ai
Use for: Research with sources
It’s like Google... but smarter. Cites sources, gives straight answers, and can deep dive like a mini research assistant.
🔗 https://www.perplexity.ai
Notion AI (Free with Notion)
Use for: Writing content, auto-generating tasks, summarizing notes
Makes managing your second brain a lot smarter.
🔗 https://www.notion.so/product/ai
Gamma.app
Use for: AI-powered presentations
No more boring slides. Gamma lets you input a topic and boom, you get a slick deck.
🔗 https://gamma.app
Monica
Use for: Personal AI assistant that remembers context
It’s like your smart AI buddy that keeps track of your convos. Great for writing or dev tasks.
🔗 https://monica.im
Replit Ghostwriter (Free on Community Plan)
Use for: Code generation
It’s a code autocomplete tool inside the Replit IDE, helps with quick prototyping.
🔗 https://replit.com
Whimsical AI
Use for: Flowcharts, wireframes, mind maps with AI help
Perfect for project planning or team discussions.
🔗 https://whimsical.com/ai
Durable.co AI Website Builder
Use for: Instant website mockups
Generate a whole website (copy + design) in seconds. Perfect for MVPs.
🔗 https://durable.co
Leonardo.Ai
Use for: AI art for posts and presentations
For stunning visuals, it’s like Midjourney but has a generous free tier.
🔗 https://leonardo.ai
Voicemod AI Voices
Use for: Fun voice filters or character-based voiceovers
Great for content creators or building game-like voice UX.
🔗 https://www.voicemod.net

I use Notion and save each AI tool with use-cases.
See what still serves your workflow.
Learn the why behind the AI’s suggestions.

The best AI tool is the one that makes you faster, sharper, and more creative, not just the one with the flashiest homepage.

Which tool are you obsessed with lately?

Drop it below 👇

Top 10 Free AI Tools I Use Every Week

Mauli Patel — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 12:50:56 +0000

ChatGPT (Free Tier)
Use for: Brainstorming ideas, debugging code, drafting content
Even the free version of ChatGPT is a beast. I use it to whip up SQL queries, explain tough concepts, or even write emails faster.
🔗 https://chat.openai.com
Perplexity.ai
Use for: Research with sources
It’s like Google... but smarter. Cites sources, gives straight answers, and can deep dive like a mini research assistant.
🔗 https://www.perplexity.ai
Notion AI (Free with Notion)
Use for: Writing content, auto-generating tasks, summarizing notes
Makes managing your second brain a lot smarter.
🔗 https://www.notion.so/product/ai
Gamma.app
Use for: AI-powered presentations
No more boring slides. Gamma lets you input a topic and boom — you get a slick deck.
🔗 https://gamma.app
Monica
Use for: Personal AI assistant that remembers context
It’s like your smart AI buddy that keeps track of your convos. Great for writing or dev tasks.
🔗 https://monica.im
Replit Ghostwriter (Free on Community Plan)
Use for: Code generation
It’s a code autocomplete tool inside the Replit IDE — helps with quick prototyping.
🔗 https://replit.com
Whimsical AI
Use for: Flowcharts, wireframes, mind maps with AI help
Perfect for project planning or team discussions.
🔗 https://whimsical.com/ai
Durable.co AI Website Builder
Use for: Instant website mockups
Generate a whole website (copy + design) in seconds. Perfect for MVPs.
🔗 https://durable.co
Leonardo.Ai
Use for: AI art for posts and presentations
For stunning visuals — it’s like Midjourney but has a generous free tier.
🔗 https://leonardo.ai
Voicemod AI Voices
Use for: Fun voice filters or character-based voiceovers
Great for content creators or building game-like voice UX.
🔗 https://www.voicemod.net

I use Notion and save each AI tool with use-cases.
See what still serves your workflow.
Learn the why behind the AI’s suggestions.

The best AI tool is the one that makes you faster, sharper, and more creative, not just the one with the flashiest homepage.

Which tool are you obsessed with lately?

Drop it below 👇

Guess The Graph 💹 —> A Gameified Way to Learn Data Visualization

Mauli Patel — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 12:37:35 +0000

This is a submission for the World's Largest Hackathon Writing Challenge: After the Hack.

🎮 What is Guess The Graph?
"Guess The Graph 💹" is an interactive game-based project that transforms how you approach charts and graphs. Instead of static learning, users are shown different types of visualizations, line, bar, pie, etc. and must guess what kind of data it represents. Think of it as Kahoot meets Tableau!

💡 The Spark Behind the Idea
As someone deeply into data science, I realized how many beginners struggle to understand graph types and interpret visuals correctly. So I thought: what if learning graphs was fun like a game? This became the root of this project.

✨ What’s Unique?

Randomly generated chart-based quiz questions
Focused on visual literacy, a key data skill
Fun, fast, and brain-training
Clean, beginner-friendly UI made using Bolt.new

🌱 My Growth Journey
During this challenge, I:

Learned to build intuitive UIs with Bolt.new
Practiced simplifying technical concepts into playful formats
Gained confidence turning an abstract idea into a tangible app
Learned how to write clearer instructions, test UX, and iterate fast

🔧 Tech Stack

Bolt.new (Frontend)
GitHub (Code Hosting & Screenshots)
Markdown for documentation

🔗 Live Demo: https://bolt.new/~/sb1-nwxuykyd
🔗 GitHub Repo: https://github.com/itsmemauliii/My-Dev.io-Projects/tree/main/Guess%20The%20Graph💹

🚧 Deployment: Hosted on Bolt.new

🔮 What’s Next?
I plan to:

Add multiple difficulty levels
Introduce a scoreboard / streak feature
Bring in real datasets to teach industry-level graph analysis
Maybe even convert it into a mobile app! 📱

🙌 Shoutouts
Big thanks to the DEV community and Bolt.new and to every beginner trying to master data science. You inspired this. 🫶

Hey DEV community 👋 Just built Fridge to Feast AI using Google AI Studio! Upload a fridge photo, get a recipe + a realistic image of the dish with Gemini Pro & Imagen API. First AI app, more to come! #buildinpublic #GenAI #AIStudio #deved

Mauli Patel — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 02:21:50 +0000

Education Track: Build Apps with Google AI Studio

Mauli Patel

Jul 17 '25

Fridge to Feast AI: Your Kitchen's AI Sous Chef

#deved #learngoogleaistudio #ai #gemini

Comments

1 min read

Fridge to Feast AI: Your Kitchen's AI Sous Chef

Mauli Patel — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 02:19:25 +0000

Title

Fridge to Feast AI: Your Kitchen's AI Sous Chef

Fridge to Feast AI

This post is my submission for DEV Education Track: Build Apps with Google AI Studio.

What I Built

I built Fridge to Feast AI, an app that takes a photo of your fridge contents and turns it into a full recipe + a photorealistic image of the final dish.

I used Google Gemini Pro to identify the ingredients from the uploaded image, then generated a recipe based on those ingredients. Finally, I used the Imagen API to create a realistic image of the dish, all within Google AI Studio, no deployment needed!

Demo

https://github.com/itsmemauliii/My-Dev.io-Projects/tree/main/Fridge%20to%20Feast%20AI%20🍳🥬

My Experience

This was my first time building inside Google AI Studio, and it felt like magic. Here's what stood out to me:

🔍 Image-to-Insight flow is smooth: Gemini Pro picked up small ingredients like green onions and block cheese accurately.
🎨 Imagen API is insanely powerful. The generated dishes look real enough to eat.
🧱 AI Studio made the entire development process feel modular, just like working with components in React or a no-code IDE, but with full control.

What I learned:

The quality of prompts makes or breaks your app, especially when generating images.
AI Studio’s built-in file structure helped keep logic, services, and components organized.
I now understand how to build a multimodal app that goes from image → text → image, all within one tool.

Magic Screens, Talking Robots, and Family Time - How the World is Changing!

Mauli Patel — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 06:34:34 +0000

This is a submission for the Future Writing Challenge: How Technology Is Changing Things.

Dear Friends and Family,

I hope you're all doing well! Lately, I’ve been thinking about how much our world has changed because of technology. It’s happening so fast that sometimes it feels like we’re living in a sci-fi movie! I wanted to take a moment to talk about what this means for us—our relationships, our traditions, and the way we stay connected.

The Way We Communicate is Different

Remember when we used to wait by the phone for a call? Now, we send a quick text, a voice note, or a meme instead. It’s easier than ever to stay in touch, but at the same time, we don’t talk as much as we used to. A simple “How are you?” over coffee has turned into a few blue bubbles on a screen. Maybe we should try calling each other more—just to hear a familiar voice.

Family Time Looks Different Now

Growing up, family gatherings meant sitting together, sharing stories, and playing games. Now, we often find ourselves staring at screens even when we’re in the same room. Technology has made life convenient, but let’s not forget the warmth of real conversations and the joy of simply being present with each other.

The Way We Work and Learn Has Changed

These days, people don’t always go to an office to work. Some work from home in their pajamas, while kids are learning from tablets instead of chalkboards. It’s amazing how much we can do from anywhere, but it also means we have to find new ways to stay connected and keep our traditions alive.

Even the Smallest Things Feel Different

Dinner used to be a time to sit together and share stories about our day. Now, we have food delivered at the tap of a button, and sometimes we eat while scrolling through our phones. Technology makes life easier, but let’s not forget the little moments that make life meaningful.

Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll have flying cars or robots cooking our meals. But no matter how much the world changes, some things should stay the same—our love for each other, the way we laugh together, and the way we support one another.

So, let’s embrace the good in technology but also remember to hold onto the human moments that truly matter. Let’s call more, visit more, and be present with each other—because no app, gadget, or screen can ever replace that.

With love,
Mauli

🌌Galactic Frontend Code Quest-Create!🚀

Mauli Patel — Sat, 07 Sep 2024 05:24:16 +0000

This is a submission for Frontend Challenge v24.09.04, Glam Up My Markup: Space

What I Built

I created a simple and fun landing page to explore the Solar System. Using HTML CSS and JavaScript, I added cool visuals and interactive features to make learning about planets, moons, and other celestial objects more exciting.

The goal was to keep the design engaging and easy to use, while also being educational. Users can explore the Solar System in a dynamic way without any clutter or complicated navigation.

Demo

<!DOCTYPE HTML> <html lang="en"> <head> <style> a:link,a:visited { color: Black; background-color: #FFFFFF; text-decoration: none; target-new: none; } a:hover { color: #0000FF; background-color: #FFFFC0; text-decoration: underline; target-new: none; } </style> </head> <body>  <a href="<script src="https://gist.github.com/itsmemauliii/1b64355d67415cd8f02c296cbe2a0905.js"></script>">Github Link To My Code</a> </body> </html>

https://codepen.io/Mauli_Patel_18/pen/PorXdQz

Journey

Building this project was a fun learning experience! My process started by working with the basic HTML structure and finding creative ways to bring it to life using CSS for styling and JavaScript for interactivity. I focused on making each planet and celestial object visually appealing, adding animations and hover effects to keep users engaged.

I learned a lot about improving user experience through clean, responsive design and accessible features. I’m particularly proud of how the planets animate and the way facts are displayed interactively.

Next, I hope to enhance the page further by adding more detailed information, 3D effects, and maybe even a mini solar system simulation!

License Used For My Code

LICENSE-2.0