AI Tools for Students: 8 Tools With Verified Prices, Free Plans and Expiry Dates

These are the AI tools for students where the price is the story: what costs nothing, what is free for a year and then charges your card, and what was free yesterday and is not free today. Prices were checked on vendors' own sites on 1 November 2026. The warning first: OpenAI's 4-month student Plus offer ended 31 October 2026, with no replacement verified.

Same format as our AI tools for real estate agents guide: what it does, price and terms, and the catch.

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Illustration created for INORYVA — student with laptop; not a real person or place.

1. Google Gemini — a free year, with a card on file

Gemini turns your course materials into study notebooks, quizzes and summaries. In the US, eligible college students aged 18 and over get Google AI Pro free for one year: 4x higher usage limits, 5 TB of storage, Gemini Spark and Gemini Omni.

Price, checked on Google's students page on 1 November 2026: free for one year, redeem by 31 December 2026, payment method required at sign-up. Unless cancelled, AI Pro then charges $19.99 a month. Outside the US the offer is AI Plus, also free for one year, with 2x limits and 400 GB. Renewal varies: Canada $6.99 a month, another locale $7.99 — so check your own country page. Catch: the charge is automatic.

2. ChatGPT — $20 a month; the offer expired

ChatGPT is the general assistant for drafting, explaining and coding help. Free costs $0, with limits. Plus, OpenAI's Help Center states, is $20 a month, billed monthly, with no annual billing.

OpenAI's 4-month student Plus offer ended 31 October 2026; no replacement was verified. No permanent student discount was verified, so a student who wants Plus pays the same $20 a month as everyone else.

3. Perplexity — cited answers, student discount exists

Perplexity answers with citations to web sources. The free tier gives 3 Pro Searches a day and 1 Research query a month. Pro adds deep research, uploads, model choice, higher limits.

Price, checked on Perplexity's pricing page on 1 November 2026: Pro is $17 a month when billed annually; Max is $167 a month when billed annually. No monthly Pro price was printed; confirm at checkout. Perplexity does offer a student route: Education Pro, for verified students and educators, includes everything in Pro, verified through SheerID, discount at checkout. The help page prints no discounted price, so none is stated here.

4. Notion — free workspace, not free full AI

Notion is the workspace for notes, revision databases, group projects and planning. Its pricing FAQ states the Plus Plan, with a 1-member limit, is free for students and educators with a school email address.

The catch decides this entry: the free student Plus plan does not include full AI. Notion's pricing page, re-read on 1 November 2026, lists only an AI trial on Free and Plus; full AI is on Business. Dollar figures did not display on the page re-read today, so no Notion prices are published here; check notion.com/pricing before paying.

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Illustration created for INORYVA — student notes on a desk; not a real person or place.

5. Grammarly — free checks, verified student discount

Grammarly checks spelling, grammar, tone and clarity. Free costs $0 and includes 100 AI prompts a month. Pro adds full-sentence rewrites, tone suggestions, plagiarism and AI-text detection, and 2,000 AI prompts a month.

Price, checked on Grammarly's own pages on 1 November 2026: Pro is $12 per member a month billed annually ($144 a year), or $30 billed monthly. Grammarly's support page confirms a student discount: eligible users can save up to $72 (50% off) on Pro through SheerID verification, including students and graduate students. The catch: offers last one period only, then renew at standard rate, and verification can take up to seven business days.

6. Quizlet — flashcards, capped unless you pay more

Quizlet turns course material into flashcards, practice tests, Learn rounds and textbook solutions. The free tier covers basic study sets. Paid tiers add practice tests and ad-free studying, with caps by tier.

Price, checked on Quizlet's upgrade page on 1 November 2026: Plus is $2.99 a month billed at $35.99 a year, with 3 practice tests, 3 textbook solutions and 20 Learn rounds a month. Plus Unlimited is $3.75 a month billed at $44.99 a year, with complete practice-test access and unlimited Learn rounds. Family is $6.99 a month billed at $83.99 a year, for up to 5 accounts. The catch: the cheapest tier is still capped, and all three renew automatically. No free Plus for students was found; Quizlet's separate teacher plans are not a student offer.

7. Khanmigo — guiding tutor, US-only for families

Khanmigo, from the nonprofit Khan Academy, guides a learner through questions with hints instead of answers, inside Khan Academy's free content library. Teachers separately get Khanmigo Teacher Tools for planning and rubrics.

Price, checked on Khan Academy's own pages on 1 November 2026: learner and parent subscriptions are $4 a month, according to Khan Academy's Help Center. The buyer must be 18+, a US resident with a US billing address; a parent must sign up under-18s. Teacher Tools are free for teachers in the United States and listed locales. No annual or country-count figure is stated; none rendered on vendor pages re-read today. The catch: an individual teacher cannot grant students tutor access — classroom access comes through a school or district.

8. GitHub Copilot Student — free, no model choice

GitHub Copilot suggests code as you type and helps with chat and agent workflows. Copilot Student is the free plan for verified students. GitHub's docs state it gives verified students access to Copilot's features for free, with an allowance of GitHub AI Credits — no number is stated. Model access is through auto model selection only.

Eligibility, from GitHub's own docs: at least 13, enrolled in a degree- or diploma-granting programme such as a high school, college, university or homeschool, able to prove current student status, with a personal GitHub account. Coverage citing GitHub reports eligibility is re-checked monthly. The catch: auto model selection only, an unstated credit allowance. No sign-up date is claimed; sources conflicted.

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Illustration created for INORYVA — campus library scene; not a real person or place.

Bonus: Zotero — and the Claude price

Zotero is a bonus, not a ninth tool: a free reference manager. File storage is 300 MB free, then 2 GB for $20 a year, 6 GB for $60 a year, or Unlimited for $120 a year. Metadata sync is free regardless of tier. Claude Pro costs $17 a month on annual billing ($200 billed up front) or $20 billed monthly. Anthropic states no standard discounted pricing for individual plans: no student discount.

Rules first: integrity and privacy

Academic integrity comes first. AI output is a study aid, not submitted work: check your school or university policy, because submitting AI work as your own can breach academic rules. Verify every citation an AI gives you — AI tools invent references that look real, so never submit an unchecked bibliography. This adapts our AI tools for teachers guide: the human checks first.

Privacy is the second rule. Never paste identifying or personal data — your own or anyone else's — into an AI tool. Never upload exam papers, unpublished research, or other people's work without permission. Check each tool's data-use terms for your account type. Accuracy is the third rule: cross-check anything that affects a grade against the primary source.

Key Takeaways

  • Gemini's free year leads: AI Pro free for one year in the US (AI Plus elsewhere), redeem by 31 December 2026 with a payment method on file, then $19.99 a month in the US unless cancelled. Copilot Student is free for verified students, auto model selection only.
  • OpenAI's 4-month student Plus offer ended 31 October 2026. ChatGPT Plus is $20 a month billed monthly, no annual billing, no permanent student discount.
  • Two student discounts are vendor-confirmed: Perplexity Education Pro (SheerID-verified, discount at checkout, price not printed) and Grammarly Pro at up to 50% off through SheerID (up to $72 saved, one period only).
  • Notion's free student Plus plan is not free full AI — only a trial. No Notion prices are published here — they did not display on re-read.
  • Quizlet Plus $2.99 a month billed annually ($35.99 a year), capped; Unlimited $3.75 ($44.99 a year). Khanmigo $4 a month, US-only, 18+.
  • Zotero is free for references (300 MB free storage; Unlimited $120 a year). Claude Pro has no student discount. Integrity first: verify citations, paste no personal data, cross-check grade-affecting claims.

Conclusion

Start free: Gemini's free year if eligible (diary the renewal), Copilot Student if you code, Zotero for references. Check the checkout price first. For the other profession entries, see AI tools for accountants. The tool drafts; the student verifies; nothing AI-generated goes in as your own work.

Sources

  • Google, Gemini for Students (US students page — AI Pro free 1 year, redeem by 31 Dec 2026, $19.99/month after): https://gemini.google/us/students/?hl=en
  • Google, Gemini for Students (Canada students page — AI Plus free 1 year, $6.99/month after): https://gemini.google/ca/students/?hl=en-CA
  • OpenAI Help Center, "What is ChatGPT Plus?" ($20/month, billed monthly, no annual billing): https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6950777-what-is-chatgpt-plus
  • OpenAI Help Center, "ChatGPT Back to School offer for students" (four free monthly billing periods, claim by 31 Oct 2026 — expired at writing; cited via verbatim quotation in coverage checked 1 Nov 2026).
  • Perplexity, Pricing (Pro $17/month and Max $167/month billed annually): https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/pricing
  • Perplexity Help Center, "What is Education Pro?" (discounted Pro for verified students/educators, SheerID, discount applied at checkout; no discounted price printed): https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/12590157-what-is-education-pro
  • Notion, Pricing (Free/Plus: trial of Notion AI only; full AI on Business; price cards did not render on re-read 1 Nov 2026): https://www.notion.com/pricing
  • Notion Help, "Notion for students and education" (Plus Plan, 1-member limit, free for students and educators with a school email): https://www.notion.com/en-gb/help/notion-for-education
  • Grammarly Support, "How much does Grammarly Pro cost?" (Pro $12/member/month annual, $30 monthly): https://support.grammarly.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000090011-How-much-does-Grammarly-Pro-cost
  • Grammarly Support, "Grammarly promo offers on SheerID" (up to $72 / 50% off Pro, one period only, renews at standard rate): https://support.grammarly.com/hc/en-us/articles/39623389691021-Grammarly-promo-offers-on-SheerID
  • Quizlet, Upgrade Your Account (Plus, Plus Unlimited, Family prices): https://quizlet.com/upgrade
  • Khan Academy, Khanmigo (payment required, 18+, US resident and billing address, parent sign-up for under-18s, core library free): https://www.khanmigo.ai
  • Khan Academy Help Center, Khanmigo subscription plans ($4/month Learner and Parent plans, US only; Free Teacher Tools): https://support.khanacademy.org/hc/en-us/articles/25921448458893-What-features-are-available-in-the-Learner-Parent-and-Teacher-Khanmigo-subscription-plans
  • GitHub Docs, "Plans for GitHub Copilot" (Copilot Student free for verified students, AI-credit allowance, auto model selection only): https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/about-github-copilot/subscription-plans-for-github-copilot
  • GitHub Docs, "Apply to GitHub Education as a student" (13+, degree/diploma programme, proof of status, personal account).
  • Zotero, Storage (300 MB free; 2 GB $20/year; 6 GB $60/year; Unlimited $120/year): https://www.zotero.org/storage
  • Zotero Documentation, Individual File Storage (storage pricing; metadata sync unlimited): https://www.zotero.org/support/individual_storage
  • Anthropic, Claude Plans and pricing (Pro $17/month annual, $200 up front; $20 monthly): https://claude.com/pricing
  • Claude Help Center, "What is the Pro plan?" (no standard discounted pricing for individual plans): https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8325606-what-is-the-pro-plan

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