AI Perks curates and provides access to exclusive discounts, credits, and deals on AI tools, cloud services, and APIs to help startups and developers save money.
What is the best free AI for teachers in 2026?
Start with ChatGPT for Teachers, worth $240 in the catalogue. It is free for verified U.S. K-12 educators through June 2028. Canva and Claude offers sit alongside it.
Most lists of AI tools for teachers stop at names. This one gives you the value of each educator offer and what it is best for in a classroom. Every offer below has its own card in the AI Perks catalogue, and the card is where you see who qualifies and how to claim.
AI Perks tracks free AI credits across a wide range of companies, and the educator group is one of the more useful ones for a school year. Open a card, check the details, and start the trial while the idea of a lesson is still fresh.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
Claude $200
Eligible for early-stage startups
Canva $144
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
ChatGPT for Teachers: what does the free offer cover?
The ChatGPT for Teachers card lists $240 in value. OpenAI says the offer is free for verified U.S. K-12 educators through June 2028. As of August 2026, OpenAI reports free access and training for more than 300,000 educators and staff across more than 100 K-12 organizations in 30 states.
The workspace includes search, file uploads, connectors and image generation for classroom materials. It connects to Canva, Google Drive and Microsoft 365, so a chat can start with your lesson plans and files instead of a blank page. That makes it the strongest fit for weekly prep work.
Some points matter before you rely on it:
- Content you share is not used for model training by default, and the workspace is built with FERPA in mind.
- You own the output you generate.
- It is for educators and school staff, not students.
- Pricing after June 2028 is not fixed. OpenAI says it may adjust pricing, aims to keep it affordable, and will give advance notice.
- The Teacher Account is separate from a personal account and is for educational use only.
The card shows who qualifies and how to claim. Open the ChatGPT card to start.
Claude for Teachers: what is it worth?
The Claude for Teachers card shows $200 in value in the AI Perks catalogue. That is the second-largest of the three mainstream teacher offers.
Anthropic's offer gives U.S. K-12 educators free access to Claude Pro features, teaching skills for lesson planning and differentiation, and curriculum mapped to academic standards in all 50 states. Educators who sign up by June 30, 2027 get a full year of free access. The card has the details, including who qualifies and how to claim. If you already use one assistant for prep, a second one is a cheap way to compare outputs on the same task, such as a reading passage or a rubric.
If you are also a student, our guide to the Claude student discount covers the student side separately.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
Claude $200
Eligible for early-stage startups
Canva $144
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
Canva for Education: the free option for classroom design
The Canva Education card lists $144 in value. Canva describes the offer as 100% free for verified teachers and students, and says it is not restricted to any country.
You get Canva's premium features and thousands of templates for any subject, grade or topic. The offer also includes access to Affinity for professional photo editing, layout and illustration. For AI, Magic Write generates lesson plans, teaching ideas and student activities.
Canva calls the AI classroom-safe and says it never uses student data to train AI models. It also integrates with Schoology, D2L, Moodle, Blackboard, Google Classroom, Canvas and Microsoft Teams. Canva also publishes a free whole-school option for K-12 schools and districts, which is worth raising with your administrator.
Canva is best for worksheets, slides, posters and anything visual. Our Canva discount code guide covers the startup route if you also run a business.
How do the free AI tools for teachers compare?
Here is the headline view of the three main offers.
| Offer | Headline value | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT for Teachers | Free through June 2028 | Prep with files, search and image generation |
| Canva for Education | 100% free | Visual materials and Magic Write lesson ideas |
| Claude for Teachers | A free year for sign-ups by June 30, 2027 | Lesson planning and standards-aligned material |
Choose by the task you repeat most. If you build lessons from existing documents, start with ChatGPT. If you build slides and handouts, start with Canva. You can claim more than one, because they cover different jobs.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
Claude $200
Eligible for early-stage startups
Canva $144
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
Which other educator perks add value?
The catalogue lists more educator perks beyond the big three. Amounts come straight from the AI Perks catalogue, and each row links to that perk's own card.
| Company | Free credits | How to get |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT (teachers) | $240 | Get this perk |
| Claude (teachers) | $200 | Get this perk |
| Canva (education) | $144 | Get this perk |
| Notion (education) | $120 | Get this perk |
| Figma (education) | $1,080 | Get this perk |
| Perplexity (education) | $84 | Get this perk |
| HeyGen (educators) | about $250 | Get this perk |
Total across all seven: about $2,118, from $240 + $200 + $144 + $120 + $1,080 + $84 + $250 = $2,118.
Figma is the largest single value at $1,080, followed by HeyGen at about $250 and ChatGPT at $240. The HeyGen figure is approximate, so the total is too. What each of these perks includes, and who can claim it, is on its card.
How do you get started? Step by step
Pick one offer, claim it, and use it on a real task this week.
- Get credits via AI Perks. Go to getaiperks.com and open the educator perk that matches your biggest time sink. The card shows who qualifies and how to claim, so you can start the trial from there.
- Read the card before you claim. Check the value, then follow the claim instructions on the card exactly.
- Run one real task. Try a unit plan, a differentiated worksheet or a parent email, and judge the output against what you would write yourself.
- Keep use educational. The ChatGPT Teacher Account is for work in your role as an educator, and your school can take control of the account. Check your school's policy on student information before you upload anything.
- Add a second perk. Pair a prep assistant with a design tool, such as the Canva card, so one tool plans and the other produces.
For other academic users, see free AI credits for researchers.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
Claude $200
Eligible for early-stage startups
Canva $144
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
FAQ
Is there free AI for teachers?
Yes. ChatGPT for Teachers is free for verified U.S. K-12 educators through June 2028, and Canva describes its education offer as 100% free for verified teachers and students. The ChatGPT card shows who qualifies and how to claim.
What are the best AI tools for teachers?
It depends on the task. ChatGPT for Teachers suits prep with files, search and image generation. Canva Education suits visual materials and Magic Write lesson ideas. Claude for Teachers suits lesson planning and standards-aligned material. Compare the full educator list at getaiperks.com.
Can students use ChatGPT for Teachers?
No. OpenAI states that ChatGPT for Teachers is available to administrators, faculty and educators only. Canva Education is different, since Canva describes it as free for verified teachers and students. Students under 13 need parental consent there. Check the Canva card for details.
What happens after June 2028?
It is not decided. OpenAI says the free period runs through June 2028 and that it may adjust pricing after that, with a goal of keeping ChatGPT for Teachers affordable. It has promised advance notice. No post-2028 price is published.
Is student data safe in these tools?
Both vendors make public statements. OpenAI says content shared with ChatGPT for Teachers is not used to train its models by default, and the workspace is built with FERPA in mind. Canva says it never uses student data to train AI models. Still check your school's own policy.
Where can I find more educator and student offers?
AI Perks tracks more student and educator offers than the ones above. Browse the whole catalogue at getaiperks.com and open any card to see its value, who qualifies and how to claim.
Open a card and start your free trial
Seven educator perks are listed above, and the biggest single line is $1,080. The fastest way to see whether one fits your classroom is to open its card and start.
Get free AI credits at getaiperks.com →
Every educator perk card, with value, who qualifies and how to claim, is at getaiperks.com.
