The Only AI Tools I’d Spend My Last $20 On (PhD Edition)

Links and Codes:
Paperpal: https://paperpal.com/?linkId=lp_72673... (PAP20 - 20% off)
Thesify: https://www.thesify.ai/?via=andrew
Thesis AI: https://www.thesisai.io/?via=andrew, ANDY20 - 20% off
Elicit: https://elicit.com/?via=andrew
SciSpace: https://bit.ly/AndyStapleton (ANDY20 — offers 20% off on monthly plan)
Jenni AI: https://jenni.ai/?via=andy-stapleton (Use codes: andy30, ANDY20)
Julius AI: https://julius.ai/?via=andrew-stapleton (ANDY20 — offers 20% off)
AnswerThis: https://answerthis.io?deal=andy42 (STAPLETON10 - 10% off)
Unriddle: https://www.unriddle.ai/?ref=andrew (ANDY20 - 20 % off)

When I first started experimenting with different AI platforms, I noticed just how easy it was to get lost in the noise. Every week there’s another app claiming to be the next big thing, but the truth is not every option is worth your time or money. That’s why I’ve become very intentional about finding the best AI tools for academic work—tools that don’t just sound impressive, but actually deliver results when you need them.

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As someone who has worked in research and higher education, I think a lot about efficiency. The right AI writing tools or research assistants don’t replace critical thinking, but they do reduce the draining, repetitive parts of the process. When you find the best paid AI tools, they feel less like a subscription fee and more like buying back time to focus on creativity, analysis, and originality. Whether it’s summarising complex papers, improving drafts, or organising references, these tools can give you an edge.

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is about timing. You don’t need to subscribe to everything at once. Instead, match the tool to your stage of study. Some AI tools for students are most powerful in the early stages of a PhD or research project when you’re trying to sort through an overwhelming amount of literature. Others become essential later on, when you’re drafting chapters, editing journal articles, or preparing papers for publication. By treating subscriptions this way, I’ve saved money and still accessed the features that matter most.

For me, the real benefit of AI isn’t about outsourcing thought—it’s about shifting the workload. By letting AI handle the administrative and repetitive academic tasks, I can stay focused on the deeper questions, the unexpected insights, and the creativity that no algorithm can replace. That balance makes the research process feel less overwhelming and more sustainable. And that’s why I think it’s worth knowing which platforms to skip and which ones really belong in your workflow if you want the best AI tools for PhD students, researchers, and academics today.

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▼ ▽ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:22 How this works
01:09 When Starting PhD
01:37 SciSpace
03:13 The Next Challenge
03:29 Drafting and Editing
04:15 ChatGPT Canvas
06:11 Generating Full Paper Drafts
06:32 GenSpark
07:55 Gathering Feedback
08:32 Thesify.AI
10:15 What PhD Students should do...
11:04 Outro

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