The AI tools that actually help carers
A short, honest list. No tool on this page is essential, and several entries say so directly.
Disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links, marked "sponsored". If you use one to sign up, this site may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That never changes which tool is listed or what is said about it.
General assistants
Start here. A general assistant covers most of the tasks in these guides: drafting a schedule, rewriting a letter in plain English, drafting an appeal. You do not need more than one to get started, and you do not need a paid plan.
ChatGPT
A general-purpose assistant for drafting, summarising and answering questions in plain English.
Best for: Anyone who wants one tool for most of the tasks on this site: schedules, letters to clinics, plain-English rewrites.
The free tier is usable for everything described on this site. You do not need a paid plan to follow these guides.
Claude
A general-purpose assistant, similar in scope to ChatGPT, often used for longer documents.
Best for: Working with a longer document in one go, such as a full discharge summary or a care plan draft.
The free tier has a daily limit on how much you can send it, which matters if you are pasting long letters.
Gemini
Google's general-purpose assistant, built into some Google Workspace and Android features.
Best for: Anyone already using Gmail, Docs or an Android phone, since it can be closer to hand than a separate app.
Free to use with a Google account. Quality is comparable to the others for the tasks on this site.
Copilot
Microsoft's general-purpose assistant, built into Windows and some Microsoft 365 apps.
Best for: Anyone already working inside Word, Outlook or Windows, where it can appear without a separate login.
Free to use with a Microsoft account. The Microsoft 365 version adds document features most carers will not need.
Transcription
Useful if you regularly sit in on appointments or calls and want a record beyond your own notes. If you rarely record anything, you probably do not need this.
Otter.ai
Live transcription for calls and, with consent, in-person conversations.
Best for: Appointments, phone calls with insurers or funding bodies, and family care meetings where someone needs to take minutes.
It has a free tier with a monthly minutes limit, which is usually enough for occasional appointments.
Descript
Turns a recording into text you can edit and search, and cleans up audio.
Best for: Someone who wants to go back over a recorded appointment later and pull out exact quotes.
The free tier covers light, occasional use. You probably do not need this if Otter's transcript is already enough for you.
Reading aloud
Useful if you find it easier to listen than to read, or you read while doing something else. If reading on screen is fine for you, skip this category.
ElevenLabs
Turns written text into natural-sounding audio you can save and replay.
Best for: Making an audio version of something long, such as a care plan or a set of appointment notes, to listen to away from a screen or to hand to someone who takes in speech better than text.
The free tier has a monthly character limit, which is enough for the occasional document. Worth it when the audio is something you want to keep, not just hear once.
Speechify
Reads text aloud on the spot, including pasted documents and web pages.
Best for: Hearing a letter read out straight away without making a file of it, or reading while doing something else, like driving.
Has a free tier with standard voices, and is the simpler of the two if you only want to hear something once. You do not need either if you are comfortable reading on screen.
Writing help
Useful for anything going to an outside reader: an appeal, a funding application, a letter to a clinic. Less useful for notes you are only keeping for yourself.
Grammarly
Checks grammar, tone and clarity as you write, including in forms and emails.
Best for: Appeals, funding applications and letters to clinics or insurers, where tone and clarity matter as much as content.
The free tier covers spelling and grammar. You probably do not need the paid tier for the writing on this site.
Keeping it all in one place
Whatever you produce with the tools above is only useful if you can find it again. One running document per person beats a scatter of emails, screenshots and paper.
Notion
A flexible notes and document tool for keeping a running record in one place.
Best for: Keeping the medication chart, appointment notes and care plan together, instead of scattered across emails and paper.
Free for personal use. This is where most of the outputs from the other tools end up living.
Never paste someone's medical records, ID numbers or bank details into a chatbot. Remove names, dates of birth and account numbers first, or work from a summary instead of the original document. See AI safety for carers.
This is not medical, legal or financial advice.