Free No-Code AI Tools: 15 Powerful Picks for Startups

If 2023 was the year everyone tried a chatbot, 2025 is the year those chatbots got a job title, a calendar, and a quota. We’ve entered the agentic AI era—where autonomous systems don’t just generate content, they take action across your stack. The best part? You don’t need to be a developer to harness them.

In this guide, we’ll tour 15 free or free-to-start no-code AI tools any startup can use today. I’ll show you where each shines, how to stack them for impact, and what to watch on pricing and limits. Think of it like drafting your all-star AI roster—without breaking your burn rate.

Why now: The agentic AI wave (and what it means for you)

Businesses are shifting 40–60% of AI budgets to agentic systems in 2025.
Early adopters report 3–5x efficiency gains; some platforms like Lindy AI show 3x productivity within 90 days.
Adoption is real, not just hype: 64% of businesses report a positive impact from AI agents.

Translation: the early movers are getting compounding gains. If you’re a founder or an executive leader, this is a rare window where no-code tools let you sprint ahead while your competitors are still drafting requirements.

How to pick your no-code AI tools (without getting lost)

Start with the job, not the tool: What recurring tasks steal the most time? (Support replies, lead qualification, back-office ops, content production?)
Decide data posture: Self-hosted/open-source (n8n) vs. cloud platforms (Zapier, Make, Lindy) and where sensitive data lives.
Prototype in days, not weeks: Free tiers exist to validate ROI. Use them aggressively.
Measure outcomes: Track hours saved, cycle time, and conversion lift—not just “it’s cool.”

Pro tip: Treat AI agents like new hires. Give them one job, clear SOPs, tight guardrails, and then expand scope after they prove value.

The 15 free or free-to-start tools you should know

Below, you’ll find each tool’s pricing, best use cases, core features, pros/cons, and realistic startup applications—so you can match the right tool to the job.

1) Lindy AI (No-code AI agent builder)

Pricing: Free (400 credits/month), Pro $49.99/month
Best for: Business automation, lead gen, full-stack app building
Key features: Visual workflow builder, pre-made templates, multi-agent orchestration, 400+ integrations
Pros: Intuitive, fast deployment, strong templates, good docs
Cons: Limited free tier, some advanced features require coding, can be pricey for multiple agents
Startup uses: Sales automation, support, data enrichment, lead qualification, email management
Notable ROI: 3x productivity within 90 days

Why it matters: Lindy is like hiring a power VA who already knows your tech stack. Start with a template—say, lead qualification—and let it route, enrich, and email without babysitting. If you need quick time-to-value, this is a strong first agent.

2) n8n (Open-source automation/agent orchestration)

Pricing: Free self-hosted; Cloud from $20/month
Best for: Technical teams needing flexibility and data control
Key features: 400+ integrations, self-hosting, advanced workflow logic, API access, webhooks
Pros: Open source, self-hosted, cost-effective, highly customizable, active community
Cons: Steeper learning curve, requires technical knowledge, infra needed for self-hosting
Startup uses: Custom automations, internal tools, data pipelines

Why it matters: n8n is your Swiss Army knife for orchestrating agentic workflows with full control. If data governance and cost-efficiency matter, and you’re okay rolling up your sleeves, it’s a fantastic backbone for complex automations.

3) Make (formerly Integromat) (No-code automation)

Pricing: Free (1,000 operations/month), Core $9, Pro $16
Best for: Visual workflow building, complex automation
Key features: Visual scenario builder, 1,400+ integrations, error handling, data transformation, scheduling
Pros: Best visual builder, affordable, great templates, excellent error handling, good docs
Cons: Can get complex, steep learning for advanced features, limited free tier
Startup uses: Marketing ops, back-office automations, multi-app workflows

Why it matters: Make’s canvas helps you “see” your automation. Great for marketing and ops teams who want robust scenarios without touching code.

4) Zapier (No-code automation)

Pricing: Free (100 tasks), Starter $19.99, Professional $49
Best for: Non-technical users, quick integrations, popular apps
Key features: 6,000+ integrations, AI agent features, multi-step workflows, filters/formatting
Pros: Easiest to use, largest integration library, strong support, reliable uptime
Cons: Most expensive at scale, limited free tier, less powerful than alternatives
Startup uses: Fast integrations, lead routing, notifications, simple agent actions

Why it matters: Zapier is the “it just works” connector. If you want speed over fine-grained control, it’s a reliable starter.

5) Replit Agent (AI app builder with agentic coding)

Pricing: Free tier; Cycles $7/month; Replit Core $15/month
Best for: Rapid prototyping, education, devs who want AI assistance
Key features: Full-stack code generation, built-in PostgreSQL, instant hosting, real-time collaboration
Pros: Full-stack capability, DB included, fast deployment, AI assistance, education-friendly
Cons: Agent can be slow, free tier limited, some technical knowledge helpful
Startup uses: MVP web apps, APIs, automation agents

Why it matters: When you need working software fast, Replit Agent is like pairing with a junior dev who never sleeps. Perfect for whipping up an MVP or an internal tool on a deadline.

6) Glide (No-code app builder)

Pricing: Free; Maker $25; Team $99; Business $249
Best for: Data-driven apps from spreadsheets
Key features: Spreadsheet integration (Google Sheets, Airtable), mobile-first design, fast deployment
Pros: Very easy, fast to build, mobile responsive, good templates
Cons: Limited customization, spreadsheet-dependent, performance issues with large data, per-user costs can add up
Startup uses: Internal tools, CRM, inventory, event management

Why it matters: Glide turns your spreadsheet into a polished mobile app. For internal tools and lightweight customer portals, it’s tough to beat the “hours, not weeks” setup.

7) Bubble (No-code app builder)

Pricing: Free; Starter $29; Growth $119; Team custom
Best for: Advanced no-code users building complex apps/MVPs
Key features: Powerful logic engine, 1,000+ plugins, full database, API integration, scalable
Pros: Very powerful, scalable, large ecosystem, active community
Cons: Steep learning curve, performance can be slow, expensive at scale, complex pricing
Startup uses: SaaS MVPs, marketplaces, client portals, social platforms

Why it matters: Bubble is the heavyweight. If you want to build a serious product without code—workflows, databases, user auth—it’s a strong bet. Budget time to learn it.

8) Google Veo 3 / 3.1 (AI video generation)

Pricing: Free in Google AI Studio (limited); Enterprise pricing available
Best for: Social media virality, short ads, product demos
Key features: Built-in audio, sound effects from prompts, cinematic realism, text-in-video
Specs: ~8s generation with native audio
Pros: Built-in audio, free tier available, Google ecosystem integration
Cons: Limited duration, some prompts fail, enterprise pricing unclear
Startup uses: TikTok/Reels, quick explainer clips, ad creatives

Why it matters: Veo is built for speed. If short-form video is your growth engine, it’s a fast path to scroll-stopping clips—complete with native audio.

9) Runway Gen-4 (AI video generation + editing suite)

Pricing: Basic Free; Standard $15; Pro $35; Unlimited $95
Best for: Creative professionals needing end-to-end tools
Key features: Generation, editing, effects; high creative control; professional output
Pros: Professional toolkit, multiple AI features, active development, creator community
Cons: Steeper learning curve, more expensive for quality, requires creative skills
Startup uses: Brand videos, ad iterations, content production workflows

Why it matters: Runway is a studio in a browser. If Veo is a fast sketch, Runway is your full storyboard-to-export pipeline.

10) HeyGen (AI avatar video creation)

Pricing: Free trial; Creator $29; Business $89; Enterprise custom
Best for: Avatar videos for training, presentations, marketing
Key features: 100+ avatars, 40+ languages with lip-sync, 300+ templates
Pros: Realistic avatars, easy to use, multi-language, fast rendering
Cons: Avatar-focused, can look AI-generated, limited creative control, pricey for frequent use
Startup uses: Onboarding videos, product updates, multilingual content

Why it matters: Need training or product explainers in multiple languages by tomorrow? HeyGen gives you a consistent on-brand face and voice on demand.

11) Gemini 2.0 / 2.5 Pro (Google) (Multimodal LLM tool)

Pricing: Free tier available (limited); Gemini Advanced $19.99/month; API pay-per-use
Best for: Research, multimodal apps, long-context analysis, Google ecosystem users
Key features: Text/image/audio/video, native code execution, fast reasoning, up to 1M token context, Search/Workspace integration
Pros: Best multimodal, massive context, Google integration, generous free tier, fast performance
Cons: Less creative than GPT-4, inconsistent availability, learning curve, privacy concerns (Google)
Startup uses: Competitive research, content ideation, document analysis

Why it matters: Gemini’s context window means you can load huge docs and complex briefs. If your work lives in Google Workspace, it’s a natural fit.

12) Apollo.io (AI-enhanced sales platform)

Pricing: Free tier; Basic $49/user; Professional $79/user
Best for: Lead generation and outreach
Key features: Large lead database, email sequences, lead scoring, CRM integrations, Chrome extension
Pros: Huge database, all-in-one, generous free tier, good deliverability, easy to use
Cons: Data accuracy varies, can be expensive, some outdated contacts
Startup uses: Prospecting, outbound campaigns, enrichment

Why it matters: Prospecting without data is like fishing without bait. Apollo gives you a big tackle box—and workflows to automate follow-up.

13) HubSpot Sales Hub (CRM with AI features)

Pricing: Free tier; Starter $15/seat; Professional $90/seat
Best for: All-in-one sales CRM with AI
Key features: AI email writing, call summarization, predictive lead scoring, workflow automation, pipeline management
Pros: Generous free tier, easy to use, extensive integrations, great support
Cons: Can get expensive, some features gated to higher tiers, learning curve for advanced features
Startup uses: CRM foundation, automated outreach, sales process scaling

Why it matters: HubSpot is the sales-operating-system many startups grow into. The AI helpers reduce admin time—so your reps spend more time selling.

14) Softr (No-code app builder; spreadsheet-based)

Mentioned for: Integration-focused builds (spreadsheet-based) and non-technical users
Startup uses: Internal tools and client portals from spreadsheets

Why it matters: When teams live in spreadsheets, Softr can turn them into polished portals and apps with minimal friction. Note: verify current free-tier availability and pricing—details vary and weren’t provided here.

15) AppSheet (No-code app builder; spreadsheet-based)

Mentioned for: Integration-focused apps (spreadsheet-based)
Startup uses: Operational apps tied to Google Sheets/Airtable data

Why it matters: For operations teams deeply embedded in Google Sheets, AppSheet can turn processes into mobile-ready apps quickly. As with Softr, verify current free-tier availability and pricing.

Quick selection guide for startups

Fastest to launch: Glide; Make (visual builder)
Most capable no-code app builder: Bubble
Easiest automation: Zapier (largest integrations, simplest UI)
Best value automation: n8n (free self-hosted), Make (free 1,000 ops)
Non-technical teams: Glide; Softr
Spreadsheet-centric apps: Glide; Softr or AppSheet
Video for growth: Google Veo (free, short clips); Runway (free basic with editing)
Sales stack basics: Apollo (free tier) + HubSpot Sales Hub (free tier)
Agentic workflows: Lindy AI (free credits), n8n (multi-agent orchestration via workflows)

High-impact, no-code-friendly use cases

Customer service: Autonomous support agents to resolve FAQs, check order status, and craft sentiment-aware replies.
Sales/marketing: Lead qualification, personalized outreach, and predictive analytics to prioritize deals.
Operations: Workflow orchestration, resource allocation, and supply chain alerts around thresholds and SLAs.
Software: Test automation, documentation generation, and code review assistance.
Content/video: Short-form ads, explainer clips, and training videos with avatars.

Story quickie: One seed-stage e‑commerce brand used Lindy to pre-qualify inbound leads, enrich profiles via Apollo, and route to HubSpot with automated follow-up. In 90 days, their team reported 3x productivity—aligning with market benchmarks—while keeping headcount flat.

What the numbers say (and how to translate them into ROI)

Budgets: 40–60% of AI spend shifting to agentic systems in 2025.
Efficiency: Early adopters see 3–5x efficiency improvements overall.
Lindy benchmark: 3x productivity within 90 days.
Sales adoption: 27% of teams actively use AI; saving 15–20 hours per rep/month, with 15–30% win-rate improvements when conversation intelligence is in play.
Adoption sentiment: 64% of businesses report positive impact from AI agents.

To make this tangible, measure:

Time saved/week per role (support, SDRs, ops)
Cycle-time reduction (lead-to-demo, ticket-to-resolution)
Pipeline impact (conversion rate lift, SQL volume)
Content throughput (videos/scripts per week)

Free tier realities (read this before you scale)

Limits: Task/operation caps (Zapier/Make), credits (Lindy), duration limits (Veo/Runway).
Scale costs: Zapier gets pricey at volume; Bubble’s higher tiers can add up.
Technical overhead: n8n self-hosting needs infrastructure and know-how.
Quality vs. speed: Runway and Bubble have learning curves; Replit Agent can be slower than competitors.

Rule of thumb: Prove ROI on a free tier, then pre-budget your scale-up path so “success” doesn’t surprise your finance team.

Three quick startup playbooks (no code required)

Lead qual + outbound autopilot

Tools: Apollo + Lindy + HubSpot + Zapier/Make
Flow: Apollo sources leads → Lindy enriches and qualifies → Sync to HubSpot with tiered routing → Personalized sequences go out → Meeting booked.
KPI impact: Faster response times, higher conversion, less manual data entry.

Support deflection that customers actually like

Tools: Lindy + n8n + your help desk (e.g., HubSpot, Zendesk)
Flow: Lindy handles FAQ and simple requests; n8n orchestrates lookups (orders, shipping), escalations, and logs → tickets updated.
KPI impact: First-contact resolution up, handle time and backlog down, CSAT stable or improved.

Video-led growth in a week

Tools: Google Veo + Runway + HeyGen
Flow: Veo generates short attention-grabbers with native audio → Runway refines, adds branding/text → HeyGen produces localized training or product explainers.
KPI impact: Content velocity up; better reach across regions.

Step-by-step: Build your first AI agent (in an afternoon)

You’ll create a lead-qual agent that enriches contacts, scores them, and sends a personalized reply.

Step 1: Define the outcome.
- Example: “Book meetings with ICP leads; politely decline mismatches.”
Step 2: Draft the SOP.
- Inputs: name, email, company domain. Criteria: industry, employee range, geography.
Step 3: Pick your stack.
- Lindy for the agent, Apollo for enrichment, HubSpot for CRM, Zapier/Make for glue.
Step 4: Configure the flow.
- Trigger: New inbound inquiry → Apollo enrichment → Lindy qualification (apply rules) → Update HubSpot → Send personalized email.
Step 5: Guardrails.
- Set confidence thresholds and approval steps for first week.
Step 6: Pilot and measure.
- Track meeting rate, response time, and handoff quality.
Step 7: Expand scope.
- Add calendar booking, multi-language replies, and a nurture path for “not now” leads.

Hint: Use Lindy’s templates to get a head start, then tailor prompts and rules to your ICP.

Tool-by-tool examples you can try this week

Lindy AI: Stand up a shared inbox assistant that triages and drafts replies for inbound partnerships.
n8n: Build a webhook that validates incoming leads, dedupes against your CRM, and triggers alerts for VIP accounts.
Make: Sync marketing leads from forms to CRM, enrich with firmographic data, and post Slack summaries every morning.
Zapier: Notify your AE in Slack when a target account visits your pricing page (via your analytics tool), then auto-create a task.
Replit Agent: Generate a small API that aggregates public pricing data from competitor sites for internal use.
Glide: Spin up a mobile inventory tracker for field reps using your existing Google Sheet.
Bubble: Prototype your SaaS customer portal with role-based access and subscriptions.
Google Veo: Create three 8-second teaser videos with different hooks for an upcoming launch.
Runway: Turn a product demo script into a polished 30-second ad with brand overlays.
HeyGen: Record a single 2-minute script and output localized versions in 5 languages.
Gemini: Drop your competitor’s public materials and your last two QBRs in; ask for gaps and a battle card.
Apollo + HubSpot: Build a top-of-funnel engine with sequences that pause automatically when a lead replies.
Softr: Launch a client portal where partners can submit assets and check status—fed by your Airtable.
AppSheet: Give your ops team a mobile app to log site visits that write back to Google Sheets.

Buyer’s checklist (what great looks like in 2025)

Alignment: The tool maps to a specific KPI, not just a cool demo.
Governance: Clear rules, audit logs, and data boundaries.
Extensibility: Integrations and APIs to evolve with your stack.
TCO awareness: Free tier today; predictable costs tomorrow.
Team fit: Non-technical teammates can use it without hand-holding.

Analogy time: Don’t buy a race car for a grocery run. Pick the simplest tool that delivers the KPI, then layer complexity only when needed.

Notes and scope

Softr and AppSheet are included here based on their relevance to spreadsheet-based, integration-focused app builds for non-technical teams. Pricing and free-tier details can change—verify current availability before committing.

Bottom line

Agentic AI is no longer a lab experiment—it’s the new operations layer. With free or free-to-start tools like Lindy, n8n, Make, Zapier, Glide, Bubble, Google Veo, Runway, HeyGen, Gemini, Apollo, and HubSpot (plus Softr and AppSheet for spreadsheet-centric builds), you can automate real work in days.

Start small, prove ROI, and scale what works. The founders and execs who do this in 2025 won’t just save time—they’ll change their operating model. And that’s the kind of advantage that compounds.

Now, pick one workflow, launch your first agent, and watch the flywheel start to spin.