Best AI Tools for Teachers (2026): 10 Tools Compared

Teachers don't need another shiny app. They need their Sunday evenings back. The AI tools worth trying are the ones that take one specific chore off your plate, a set of quiz questions, first-pass feedback on thirty essays, a differentiated worksheet, and leave you in charge of the judgement.

Here are ten tools in alphabetical order and in no particular order, from lesson planners and quiz generators to writing feedback and marking platforms. Each description comes from the tool's own website, re-checked today. If you'd rather start with a general chatbot, my set of prompts for planning lessons faster works with any of the big assistants.

Teacher AI tools at a glance

Free plan shows what each site says for individual teachers: Yes for a free plan or free tier, Trial only for a time-limited trial, and No where neither is stated. If your school wants a school-wide account, ask the vendor about that separately.

Tool	Type	Good for	Free plan
Aila	AI lesson assistant	Curriculum-aligned lesson planning in the UK	Yes
Brisk Teaching	Teacher AI browser extension	Quizzes and feedback inside Google Docs	Yes
Class Companion	AI feedback and tutoring	Instant feedback on student writing	Yes
CoGrader	AI essay grader	Marking essays against a rubric	Yes
Curipod	Writing practice with feedback	Weekly writing practice with instant feedback	Yes
Edcafe	AI teaching assistant	Quizzes, graders and classroom chatbots	Yes
Eduaide	AI lesson resource generator	Worksheets, organisers and assessments	Yes
Gradescope	Assessment grading platform	Marking exams and problem sets with rubrics	Yes
MagicSchool	Teacher AI platform	Lesson plans, quizzes and class feedback	Yes
QuestionWell	AI quiz and question generator	Standards-aligned questions from any topic	Yes

Ten AI tools for planning, quizzes and marking

Aila

Best for: UK teachers who want lesson plans, slides, quizzes and worksheets drawn from Oak National Academy's curriculum-aligned content, editable before download; its page labels it beta.

Brisk Teaching

Best for: Teachers who live in Google Docs and Slides and want quiz, rubric, lesson plan and batch feedback tools right where they already work.

Class Companion

Best for: Anyone teaching writing-heavy subjects who wants students to get instant AI feedback and tutoring while the teacher sees class insights.

CoGrader

Best for: Secondary teachers buried in essay marking who want rubric-based AI feedback, including tools aligned to AP, state tests and GCSE-style marking.

Curipod

Best for: English, history and science teachers wanting weekly writing practice that gives students instant feedback and shows where skills are slipping.

Edcafe

Best for: Teachers wanting one free workspace to generate quizzes, custom chatbots and mini apps, grade assignments and borrow from a community library.

Eduaide

Best for: Classroom regulars who want lesson plans, worksheets, graphic organisers, games and assessments generated quickly, with a free monthly allowance.

Gradescope

Best for: Lecturers and high school teachers marking exams, problem sets and quizzes at volume, with rubric-based grading and per-question statistics.

MagicSchool

Best for: Individual teachers after a large menu of AI tools, from lesson plans to quizzes and writing feedback, on a plan the site calls free forever.

QuestionWell

Best for: Built for generating standards-aligned questions, readings and vocab from any topic, then exporting them to the quiz or slide tools you use.

FERPA and student data: the US Department of Education's four conditions

If you teach in the US, this rule decides what you can paste into an AI tool. The US Department of Education's Student Privacy Policy Office explains that FERPA lets a school outsource a service involving education records to a third party only if four things are true. The party does a job the school would otherwise use its own staff for, it's under the school's direct control over how the records are used and kept, it uses personally identifiable information only for the purpose it was shared, and it meets the school's annual notification criteria for a school official.

In plain terms, don't paste student names, grades or work into a tool your school hasn't agreed terms with. Use the free version for planning, quizzes and model answers that contain no student details, and ask your school or district which tools are approved before using anything with real student work. Outside the US the rules differ; in the UK, for instance, your school's data protection officer is the person to ask.

Where AI earns its place in a teacher's week

• Planning: a first draft of a lesson or unit that you then reshape for your class.
• Quizzes and questions: retrieval questions, exit tickets and vocab checks in minutes.
• Differentiation: the same text pitched at different reading levels.
• Feedback: first-pass comments on drafts, which you check before students see them.
• Marking at volume: rubric-based grading for exams and problem sets, with you making the final call.

A safe way to start with AI in your classroom

1. Check your school's policy on AI and its list of approved tools.
2. Start with one job, such as quiz questions, on a free plan.
3. Keep student names and personal details out of every prompt.
4. Read and edit everything the tool produces before it reaches a student.
5. Tell students when AI feedback is involved and how you'll check it.
6. Review after half a term: keep what saved time and drop what didn't.

Pitfalls that create more work, not less

• Trusting the first draft. AI gets facts and curriculum details wrong, and you're the subject expert.
• Too many tools. Each new login is another thing to manage; one or two is plenty.
• Marking without moderation. Spot-check AI grades against your own on a sample.
• Forgetting students' own AI use. Set clear rules for when they can use it too.

If you're weighing whether students should use AI in assessed work, my piece on allowing AI in assessments covers both sides, and these prompts for quicker marking help when there's a pile of books waiting.

Do you make AI tools for teachers or schools? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

My advice for teachers trying AI for the first time

Pick the one job that eats the most of your evening and try a single tool for it on a free plan. Planning, quizzes and model answers are the safest places to begin, because you can do them without any student data at all.

Leave anything that touches real student work until your school has approved the tool and its data terms. And keep your own judgement in the loop: AI gives you a quick first draft, not a second teacher.

Frequently asked questions

Are AI tools for teachers free?

Many have a free plan for individual teachers, with school or district plans for wider use. Check what the free tier includes before relying on it.

Can I put student work into an AI tool?

Only if your school allows it. In the US, the Department of Education says FERPA conditions apply when schools share education records with outside services.

Will AI replace marking?

It can speed up first-pass marking and feedback, but you'll still need to check grades and comments before they go back to students.

What's the easiest AI tool for lesson planning?

One that works where you already plan, such as a browser extension for documents, or a curriculum-aligned planner if you're in the UK.

Do students know when feedback is AI generated?

Only if you tell them. It's good practice to say when AI is involved and how you've checked it.

Is AI allowed in schools?

Policies vary by school and country. Ask your school leaders for the current policy and approved tools list.