Choose calmly, install carefully
Free is enough to learn
The free plans of the major assistants (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot and others) are enough to learn everything in this course. Paid plans mainly raise usage limits and unlock stronger models or features such as longer tasks and agents. Pay when you keep hitting a limit on work that matters, not because a feature looks exciting. Plans and limits change often, so compare what is current.
Provider and region matter
AI providers are based in different countries, which affects privacy law, where data is stored and what the tool will and won't discuss. Many are American; some, such as DeepSeek or Qwen, are Chinese; others come from elsewhere. None of that makes a tool good or bad on its own, but it is worth knowing, especially for work data. Check the terms and the data settings before you commit.
Uploads and context windows
The context window is how much text a tool can keep in view at once. Bigger windows let you work with long documents, but they do not guarantee it reads everything carefully; details in the middle of long material are the most often missed. A good habit: paste a short section first and check the answer, then ask it to quote the passages it used when you work with the full file.
Browser first, official apps only
A browser tab is the safest place to start. Desktop apps and agents can ask for access to your files, microphone, clipboard or the ability to run at start-up, and those permissions matter more than the marketing. Install only from the provider's official site or app store: fake installers for popular AI tools, pushed through search ads, are a common way people get hacked.
What would make you switch from a free AI plan to a paid one? Write down the reason before you see an advert telling you.