When it comes to AI tools, the difference between a general-purpose AI writing assistant and an AI document generator often gets lost. While some assistants produce stand-alone prose, document generation tools assemble structured documents that follow standardized formats.
The latter focus is what separates them from general purpose assistants like ChatGPT or Google Bard.
“Manus gathers sources and reads context before drafting your document with evidence rather than just generating generic text,” explains a platform that uses the OpenAI API as its foundation. “It understands the difference between creating a formal legal contract and writing a casual email.”
Free tools also help
For example, there are many free AI document generators available, and they all do more than generate prose. Many of them include zero barriers to entry — you don’t need to sign up for any of them, you can use them freely and download them at will. And they can create all sorts of documents.
Here’s our survey of free AI document generators:
What AI doc makers can do
These generative AI tools produce files of various formats. Some may allow you to save in multiple file types, while others provide just one option. You’ll want to know what to expect ahead of time. Here’s how the free tools differ:
File format options
AI Doc Maker
AI Doc Maker (which features on OpenAI’s GPT Store) allows users to create documents by selecting a topic, choosing from three different lengths, and clicking “Generate.” AI Doc Maker produces downloadable PDFs, DOCX, XLSX, or HTML files.
Users can upload drafts or research materials to Template.net to analyze, expand, rewrite, summarize, restructure, or even generate new versions of a given text. It also offers fully editable, download-ready documents in PDF or DOCX.
Legal Templates
Legal Templates generates customized legal documents for download in either PDF or Word.
Piktochart AI
You can paste in text or upload a PDF, DOCX, or TXT file into Piktochart AI and the tool will generate a multi-page document with headings, sections, and a visual hierarchy based on the prompt. The resulting document includes a table of contents.
What kind of documents?
Free AI document tools vary in their output, too. One might be ideal for proposals; another for contracts.
Template.net offers templates and tools to help with creating proposals, reports, contracts, letters, business plans, project documents, manuals, policies, resumes, meeting notes, and educational materials. It also has marketing content creators.
AI Doc Maker
AI Doc Maker creates everything from standard reports and proposals to contracts and research papers.
Legal Templates
Customized legal documents are Legal Templates’ specialty.
Who should use these tools?
There are differences among these free and freemium tools, too. For instance, some cater to specific professionals, while others offer workflow automation for teams.
Sintra AI
Sintra AI is a powerful platform designed for full workflow automation. Its AI can draft emails, manage tasks, and integrate directly into existing platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Outlook.
Gamma
Gamma makes it easy for users to design visually stunning documents and presentations with its drag-and-drop interface. Gamma’s goal is to make document creation accessible to everyone, regardless of skill level.
JotForm
Designed for form-based document workflows, JotForm enables businesses to streamline their processes. The service provides a first AI-generated document for free.
Notion AI
Ideal for internal documentation, Notion helps users create and collaborate on projects within the confines of their company or organization. Users can take advantage of AI-powered suggestions and recommendations to refine and enhance their ideas within Notion.
Docupilot
If you’re looking to increase productivity, Docupilot is a great fit. It’s built for high-volume document creation and editing, helping companies manage data-driven reporting and document development more efficiently.
Visme
Visme offers a wide variety of visual content and templates for use across social media, blogs, websites, and presentations. It also works well for branding purposes, providing an array of customizable themes, backgrounds, fonts, and images.
Kimi Docs
Like ChatGPT, Kimi Docs delivers value across a variety of user types and professions. A basic plan costs nothing, though premium plans cost money. That said, it’s worth mentioning because Kimi Docs does offer 50 free credits that can be used for students, freelancers, business users, and researchers.
ChatGPT
Finally, we’ve got ChatGPT, which can deliver a range of benefits, from saving time to increasing engagement. Marketing teams, businesses, and students all benefit from using this chatbot, though the latter two will need to purchase access if they don’t already have it.
Input flexibility and multilingual support
Some AI tools accept uploads to analyze and incorporate into the final product, and several also support multiple languages. These capabilities aren’t always obvious upfront, so here’s where to look.
Uploads: Yes
Accepted file types: Drafts, PDFs, DOCX, and text documents
Language options: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Hindi, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Turkish, Vietnamese, Thai, Malay, Polish, and Swedish
AI Doc Maker
Uploads: No
Language options: English only
Legal Templates
Uploads: No
Language options: English only
Piktochart AI
Uploads: Yes
Accepted file types: PDF, DOCX, or TXT
Language options: English only
Adoption and productivity
In the past year, Microsoft Copilot saw an impressive 10% increase in usage as users edited 10% more documents across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. In some cases, the highest-impact companies saw as much as a 20% increase in overall document creation, demonstrating how impactful document automation can be.