What You're Getting

Google Labs free AI tools are secretly better than most paid alternatives. Here's what you can access right now:

Tool	Purpose	Best For	Access
Pomelli	AI marketing automation	Social posts, ads, brand assets	Labs waitlist
NotebookLM	Research assistant	Podcast generation, document analysis	Instant access
Flow (Glowflow)	Video/image creation	Cinematic content, thumbnails	Labs portal
Opal	No-code app builder	Custom tools without coding	Labs tools
Mixboard	Visual concepting	Mood boards, UI mockups	Labs ecosystem
Antigravity	Autonomous coding agents	Full-stack development	AI Hub
AI Studio	Gemini API playground	Prompt testing, API access	Web app

Key Takeaway: While everyone argues about ChatGPT vs Claude, Google quietly shipped a full creative suite, a development environment, and marketing automation – all free.

Why Google Buried These Tools (And Why That's Good)

We've tested every tool on this list. Here's what we noticed: Google didn't launch these with fanfare because they're experimental lab projects. That means three things:

No waiting lists on most tools (unlike GPT-4 vision when it launched)
Faster iteration cycles (features appear weekly)
Zero cost while Google figures out pricing

The catch? Some tools live in Google Labs, which requires joining the experimental programme. Takes about 2 minutes. Worth it.

The 7 Google Labs Free AI Tools, Tested

1. Google Pomelli: Marketing Automation That Actually Gets Your Brand

The Vibe: An AI marketing agent that handles design so you don't have to.

What Google Pomelli tool does: You paste your website URL. Pomelli scans your site and extracts your "business DNA"—brand colours, fonts, tone, and visual style. Then it generates platform-ready content.

In our testing: We fed it a basic landing page. Within 60 seconds, Pomelli delivered:

5 Instagram carousel posts (correctly sized, on-brand)
3 Facebook ad variants with different hooks
A product lifestyle shoot (AI-generated but looked professionally photographed)
A 15-second animated video ad

The real workflow:

text

1. Drop your URL → Pomelli analyzes
2. Pick content type (social post, ad, video)
3. Get 3-5 variants instantly
4. Export or iterate

Pros:

Understands brand consistency better than ChatGPT + Canva
Generates actual video (most tools still do static images)
No manual "brand guidelines" upload needed

Cons:

Waitlist access only (approved in 1-3 days for us)
Video clips max at 15 seconds currently
Can't manually override the colour palette yet

Best for: Small business owners, social media managers, anyone who needs content volume without a design team.

Access: Google Labs Waitlist Dashboard

2. Google NotebookLM: The Research Tool That Became a Podcast Generator

The Vibe: Your ultimate AI research assistant and note-taking companion.

What Google NotebookLM does: Creates a private AI workspace grounded in your documents only. Upload PDFs, Google Docs, YouTube links—NotebookLM only references what you feed it.

The standout feature: Audio Overviews. It generates a 10-20 minute podcast episode where two AI hosts discuss your notes. They banter, disagree, and make jokes. It's unsettlingly natural.

In our testing: We uploaded:

3 research papers on AI alignment (PDFs)
2 YouTube videos about transformer architecture
Our own meeting notes (Google Doc)

NotebookLM created a podcast that

Summarized all sources accurately
Made connections between the papers and videos
Referenced our meeting notes in context
Used conversational language ("Wait, so what they're saying is...")

Real use case: We used this to prep for a conference presentation. Instead of reading 50 pages of dry research, we listened to the AI podcast during a commute. Cut prep time by 70%.

Pros:

Zero hallucinations (only uses your sources)
The podcast feature is legitimately useful for learning
Free with no usage limits we've hit yet

Cons:

Can't mix sources from multiple notebooks
Audio can't be edited (you get what you get)
Voice options limited to 2 hosts

Best for: Students, researchers, anyone drowning in information who needs synthesis fast.

Access: Google NotebookLM - instant access, no waitlist

3. Google Flow (Glowflow): Multimodal Content Creation Done Right

The Vibe: A cinematic AI creative studio for high-velocity video and image generation.

What Google Flow does: Combines text prompts, sketches, and reference images in a layered workflow. You're not limited to one-line text prompts anymore.

The workflow that matters:

text

Layer 1: Text description ("cyberpunk street scene at sunset")
Layer 2: Rough sketch (stick figure placement of elements)
Layer 3: Reference image (upload a photo for style matching)
→ Flow generates coherent output respecting all inputs

In our testing: We wanted to create a YouTube thumbnail. Here's what worked:

Wrote prompt: "Tech reviewer shocked face, bright studio"
Drew a rough sketch showing face placement (left side, dramatic lighting from right)
Uploaded our brand colors as reference

Flow generated 4 variants. We picked one, tweaked the prompt ("more dramatic shadows"), and got the final in under 3 minutes.

What we noticed: The sketch control is game-changing. With pure text prompts (like Midjourney), you get beautiful images that don't match your layout needs. Flow respects composition.

Pros:

Multimodal input = way more control
Can turn static images into video clips
Season/style transfer actually works (change summer to winter, photo to painting)

Cons:

Learning curve for layer system (not intuitive at first)
Video clips limited to 4-6 seconds
Sketch quality matters (bad sketch = confused output)

Best for: Content creators, YouTubers, and anyone who needs specific layouts, not random AI art.

Access: Google Labs Experimental Portal

4. Google Opal App Builder: No-Code That Doesn't Feel Like Compromise

The Vibe: "Vibe coding" brought to no-code app development.

What Google Opal app builder does: Builds functional apps from natural language. You describe what you want; Opal generates a visual workflow graph with connected nodes.

Real example we built:
"Create a habit tracker that lets me upload photos, uses AI to detect if I completed my workout, and tracks streaks over time."

Opal generated:

File upload node
Image recognition node (connected via @imageAnalysis)
Boolean logic node (workout detected = yes/no)
Database storage node
Streak calculator node
Dashboard display node

Total time: 8 minutes from idea to working prototype.

The @ symbol workflow:
You route data between nodes using @mentions. Like: "Take the @uploadedImage and pass it to @workoutDetector, then store @result in the database."

In our testing: We built 3 apps:

Meeting note summarizer (ingests Zoom transcripts → generates action items)
Product comparison tool (scrapes 3 URLs → creates feature matrix)
Simple CRM (tracks contacts with AI-generated follow-up suggestions)

All worked. All required zero traditional code.

Pros:

A visual graph makes logic clear (you can debug easily)
@mention system is intuitive once you get it
Exports to actual code if you want to customize later

Cons:

Can't handle complex databases yet (simple key-value only)
No built-in authentication system
Apps run in Google's environment (can't fully self-host)

Best for: Product managers, startup founders, anyone who needs quick internal tools.

Access: Google Labs Tools

5. Mixboard: Mood Boards That Actually Help You Ship

The Vibe: An AI-powered concepting board for visual thinkers.

What Mixboard does: Collaborative visual brainstorming. Drop in brief prompts or photos and get instant cinematic grids, branding layouts, and UI concepts.

Real workflow: We used this for a client rebrand pitch.

Added 3 mood photos (minimalist interiors, muted colors)
Wrote prompt: "Premium wellness brand, calm, trustworthy, B2B"
Mixboard generated:
- 6 logo concept variations
- 3 homepage layout ideas
- 2 color palette suggestions
- Example marketing materials

Presented to client. They approved the direction in the first meeting (usually takes 3-4 rounds).

In our testing: The speed is the killer feature. You can explore 10 visual directions in the time it takes a designer to mock up 1-2. Then hand your favourite to a human designer for refinement.

Pros:

Bridges "vague idea" to "presentable concept" instantly
Collaborative (share boards with team)
Exports clean PDFs for presentations

Cons:

Generates concepts, not production files (still need designer)
Limited customization after generation (mostly pick from variants)
Can feel "samey" if you don't add reference images

Best for: creative directors, marketing teams, and freelancers pitching clients.

Access: Google Labs Ecosystem

6. Google Antigravity AI: Autonomous Agents for Actual Development

The Vibe: An "agent-first" software development ecosystem.

What Google Antigravity does: Standalone dev environment where autonomous coding agents build, test, and deploy code. Not a chatbot sidebar. A full IDE replacement.

The workflow that shocked us:

We said: "Build a user authentication system with email verification and deploy it to a test server."

The antigravity agent:

Created its own task breakdown (11 steps)
Wrote backend code (Node.js/Express)
Wrote frontend forms (React)
Set up email service integration
Ran tests in terminal
Opened browser to test signup flow
Found a bug (email wasn't sending)
Fixed the bug autonomously
Deployed to test URL
Sent us the live link

We didn't write a single line of code. Total time: 47 minutes.

What we noticed: The artifacts system is brilliant. Instead of scrolling through terminal output, you see:

Screenshots of the agent testing
File diffs (what changed)
Test results
Error logs (only when relevant)

In our testing: We've shipped:

REST API with database
Chrome extension
Data scraper with scheduler
Simple SaaS dashboard

Success rate: About 70% work perfectly, 20% need minor tweaks, and 10% fail (usually complex multi-service architectures).

Pros:

Handles full-stack projects (frontend + backend + deployment)
Tests its own code before showing you
Learns from your codebase style
Integrated browser for UI testing

Cons:

Overkill for simple scripts (just use Cursor for that)
Can make architectural decisions you'd do differently
Uses Google's infrastructure (not fully local yet)

Best for: Developers who want to 10x output, founders building MVPs, agencies handling repetitive builds.

Access: Google AI Developers Hub

7. Google AI Studio Free: The Gemini API Playground

The Vibe: The fast-track playground for prototyping with raw AI power.

What Google AI Studio does: Direct web interface for testing Gemini models (1.5 Pro, 1.5 Flash, 2.0 Experimental). Control system instructions, temperature, and safety filters. Export to code instantly.

Real use case: We built a customer support bot.

Used AI Studio to test 15 different system prompts
Adjusted temperature from 0.7 to 0.3 (more consistent responses)
Set safety filters to allow business jargon
Exported final prompt to Python code
Imported into Google Antigravity for full app build

Total cost: $0 (stayed under free tier limits)

The workflow:

text

AI Studio (perfect your prompt) 
  → Export to code
  → Import to Antigravity (build full app)
  → Ship

In our testing: We compared AI Studio to OpenAI Playground:

Feature	Google AI Studio	OpenAI Playground
Free tier	1,500 requests/day	~50 requests (then paid)
Model options	Gemini 1.5/2.0	GPT-3.5/4/4.5 (paid)
Export to IDE	One-click to antigravity.	Manual code copy
Multimodal	Images, video, audio	Images only (GPT-4V)
Cost	Free (generous limits)	Pay per token

Pros:

Actually free (not a trial)
Supports video and audio inputs (rare)
Seamless export to Antigravity
Detailed token/cost tracking

Cons:

UI less polished than ChatGPT
Gemini still behind GPT-4 on some tasks
No conversation memory (each test is isolated)

Best for: Developers prototyping AI features, anyone maxing out OpenAI free tier, teams wanting cost control.

Access: Google AI Studio - instant access

How to Access Google Labs Free AI Tools (Step-by-Step)

For Instant Access Tools:

NotebookLM: Go to notebooklm.google.com, sign in with Google
AI Studio: Visit aistudio.google.com, start building

For Labs Tools (Waitlist):

Go to labs.google.com
Click "Join Labs" (top right)
Select tools you want access to
Wait 1-3 days (in our experience, usually approved in 24 hours)
Check email for access confirmation

Pro tip: Join the waitlist for all tools at once. Approval isn't competitive—Google wants testers.

Google DeepMind Apps vs. OpenAI: Which Should You Use?

We've spent 6 months with both ecosystems. Here's the honest breakdown:

Choose Google Labs free AI tools if:

You want integrated workflows (AI Studio → Antigravity is seamless)
Video/multimodal content matters (Flow, Pomelli, NotebookLM podcasts)
You're building on Google Cloud already
The budget is tight (free tiers are generous)

Choose OpenAI if:

You need best-in-class language understanding (GPT-4 still edges Gemini)
You want the most mature ecosystem (more integrations)
You're fine paying $20-100/month
Simplicity matters (ChatGPT is easier than navigating Labs)

Our setup: We use both. ChatGPT for writing/brainstorming, Google tools for execution (Antigravity for coding, Pomelli for marketing assets, Flow for content creation).

Real-World Use Cases We've Shipped

Startup MVP (Using Antigravity + AI Studio):

Built SaaS product in 3 weeks (normally 3 months)
Used AI Studio to test chatbot prompts
Used Antigravity to build full app
Shipped to beta users at zero development cost

Marketing Campaign (Using Pomelli + Mixboard):

Created 30 days of social content in 4 hours
Used Mixboard for initial concepts
Used Pomelli to generate final assets
Maintained brand consistency across all platforms

Educational Content (Using NotebookLM):

Turned 200 pages of research into 8 podcast episodes
Students learned passively (commute, gym)
Retention improved vs. reading alone
Saved 40 hours of manual summarization

The Bottom Line

Google Labs free AI tools aren't just "free alternatives" to paid tools. In many cases, they're better:

Pomelli beats any $50/month social media automation tool we've tested
NotebookLM creates podcasts no other tool can
Antigravity ships code faster than most developers

The catch? They're experimental. Features change. Some might disappear.

Our take: Use them now while they're free and powerful. Build systems that aren't 100% dependent on any one tool. And when Google inevitably starts charging, you'll have already extracted massive value.

Start with NotebookLM today. It's instant access, zero learning curve, and you'll actually use it tomorrow. Then explore the Labs waitlist while you wait for approval.

The AI advantage isn't about who has ChatGPT. It's about who finds tools like these before everyone else does.

Want more hidden AI tools? Check out our AI Tools Directory for expert reviews and comparisons.