Beginner · Level 1: fundamentals
Choose a tool and a goal
You start from what you want to do, not from what is trendy. You compare two tools on the same prompt and make a small plan for your first week.
What you will learn
- Pick a concrete goal for your first week
- Compare two tools using the same prompt
- Know why prices and free limits must be checked every time
After four lessons you know what generative AI is, how to write a prompt, how to check an answer and which data to keep to yourself. The practical question remains: which tool do you start with? The short answer: there is no “best” tool in general. There is one that fits what you want to do.
Step 1: start from a goal
A good goal is small, concrete and measurable within a few days. Not “I want to learn AI”, but “I want to write work emails faster”, “I want to understand school chapters more easily” or “I want to plan a trip”. With a clear goal, you see right away whether a tool helps you or not.
Step 2: what you ask when choosing a tool
- What does it do well: text, images, code, documents, search with sources?
- Does it work in Romanian? Try it with a text of your own; do not rely on a list.
- Does it have a free plan and what limits (number of messages, missing features)?
- What does its page say about data: are conversations kept, used for training, what settings do you have?
- How much does the paid plan cost and in which currency is the price shown?
Prices, free-plan limits and features change often. Any list (ours included) shows the situation on the date it was checked. Before you pay, open the tool’s official pricing page and read the terms. Do not pay for an annual subscription based on an article.
Step 3: try two tools on the same prompt
The safest comparison is the one you make yourself, in ten minutes. Pick two tools, send them exactly the same prompt, then compare: which understood better, which wrote more naturally in Romanian, which respected your limits, which showed sources. Write one sentence for each. Then try the same test with a second prompt, so a single lucky answer does not fool you.
A test prompt, good on any tool: “I am {cine_esti} and I want to {obiectiv}. Suggest a 5-day plan, with at most 15 minutes a day, and for each day say what I do, which prompt I try and how I check the result. Write simply, without jargon.”
Where to continue on this site
In the Tools section you will find sheets with the free plan, the price and the date we checked them on their official pages. In the Prompts section you will find ready-to-copy templates with fields you fill in. Start there, but what you learned still holds: you check, you do not give personal data, and you are responsible for what you publish.
Do not rush to pay. At the start, a free plan or a trial is enough to find out whether a tool serves your goal. A subscription only makes sense when you hit a real limit.
Key takeaways
- Choose the goal first, then the tool; a small, concrete one is best.
- Compare two tools on the same prompt, in Romanian, with your own text.
- Prices and limits change: check the official page before you pay.
- Read what the tool says about your data before using it for anything important.
Try it now
Replace what is in braces with your own details, then copy.
Check what you learned
Three questions. They count for nothing but you.