To help you keep up to speed with AI and the steady stream of tools, the IAB New Zealand Emerging Technology Council's AI Working Group has updated their AI Tools Tracker for Q4 2026. This is a live document that will be updated quarterly.
Designed to be a helpful reference guide, this report contains hyperlinks to AI tools and platforms, a brief description of their main functions, and costs where available. Thank you to Niko Batinica, Partner, Team Circle and Vice Chair, IAB NZ Emerging Technology Council and Remo Clarison Performance Director, PHD Aotearoa, both members of the IAB New Zealand AI Working Group for this update. This report was current at the time of publication on the 14 October 2026, and will be updated again by end Q1 2027.
| Product Link | Type of AI / Main Function | Description | Cost (NZD approx.) |
| Core LLMs & Assistants | |||
| ChatGPT Plus (GPT-5.6 Sol; GPT-6 in Work/Codex) | Generative AI: Text/Multimodal/General Use | The industry standard for complex reasoning, multi-step planning, and multimodal task execution. Chat runs GPT-5.6 Sol; the new GPT-6 family (Astra/Sol/Luna, Sept 2026) is available to Plus users only inside ChatGPT Work and Codex. New ad-supported Go tier (US$8) sits below Plus. | Free; Go ~$14/mo (US$8); Plus ~$36/mo (US$20, monthly only) |
| Claude Pro (Opus 5.5 / Sonnet 5.5 / Fable 5.1) | Generative AI: Strategy/Copy/Coding | Preferred by marketers for high-fidelity, human-sounding copy and large-scale document analysis. Opus 5.5 (22 Sep) and Sonnet 5.5 (28 Sep 2026) are the current models; Fable 5.1 is the top tier on usage credits. Pro now bundles Cowork (agentic tasks), Design, Docs and Slides in one app. | Free; Pro ~$36/mo (US$20; US$17/mo billed annually) |
| Google AI Pro (Gemini 4 Argon) | Generative AI: Frontier Reasoning and Google Workspace | Deep integration with Docs/Sheets and live Google Search grounding; 1M-token context, 5TB storage, 1,000 Google Flow credits/mo, Gemini Notebook higher limits and Antigravity access. From 9 Oct 2026 the free Gemini tier drops to Flash-Lite only, making AI Pro the minimum plan for Pro models; Deep Think is being added to Pro. | Google AI Pro about NZ$36/mo at US$19.99. API introductory pricing about NZ$3.60 per 1M input tokens and NZ$17.80 per 1M output tokens until 30 Nov 2026. |
| Perplexity Pro | Search/Research AI | Combines LLM reasoning with real-time web citations; effectively replaces traditional search for research. Pro adds the model picker (GPT-6.1 Sol, Claude, Gemini), 20 Deep Research runs/day, and the free Comet browser with Comet Assistant for in-browser tasks. | Free; Pro ~$36/mo (US$20; US$200/yr); Max US$200/mo |
| Meta AI (Muse Spark) | Generative: Social/Conversational | Native integration across Meta apps; best for quick creative brainstorming and trending topics. Now runs Meta's closed-weight Muse Spark model. New Meta One subscription (Sept 2026) adds higher image/video generation limits; core Meta AI stays free. | Free; Meta One Core ~$14/mo (US$7.99) / Premium ~$36/mo (US$19.99), limited regions |
| Meta Muse Wonder / Wonder Full | Generative AI: Frontier Reasoning and Coding | Meta's new frontier model for complex coding, computer use and agent tasks. Muse Wonder is available through Meta Model API and Muse Code, while the more capable Wonder Full is available through the higher Muse Code subscription tiers. Both support a 1M token context window. | Muse Wonder API about NZ$7 per 1M input tokens and NZ$36 per 1M output tokens. Wonder Full via Muse Code Power about NZ$89/mo or Maximum about NZ$356/mo. |
| Kimi (K3) | Generative AI: Coding/Reasoning (open-weight) | Moonshot AI's Kimi K3 (API 16 Jul, open weights 27 Jul 2026) is a 2.8T-parameter open-weight multimodal model with a 1M-token context window; the strongest cost-effective option for long-horizon coding and agentic work. OpenAI/Anthropic-compatible API. | Free app; API ~US$3 per 1M input tokens (pay-as-you-go) |
| Grok (SuperGrok) | Generative AI: Text/Real-time Social Data | xAI's assistant with real-time X (Twitter) data; Grok 4.7 (Oct 2026) is the flagship for coding and knowledge work, with Grok Imagine for image and video generation. Useful for trend monitoring and social listening; also bundled into X Premium. | Free (limited); SuperGrok Lite ~$18/mo (US$10); SuperGrok ~$53/mo (US$30); Heavy US$300 |
| Content & Ad Creative | |||
| Canva Pro (Magic Studio / Canva AI 2.0) | Generative: Full-Suite Design | The primary creative hub for non-designers, using "Magic Media" for text-to-graphics. AI is now metered in Standard/Premium/Ultra tiers (Pro = 10x the free allowance, AI Pass add-on for more). Canva AI 2.0 conversational design and Magic Layers (flat image to editable layers) are rolling out. | Pro ~$27/mo (US$15; ~US$12/mo billed annually) |
| AdCreative.ai | Generative: Performance Ads | High-volume ad variant generation with a focus on conversion data and creative scoring. Generations are unlimited; credits are consumed on download (Starter = 10/mo), so budget for the Professional tier if producing at volume. | Starter ~$69/mo (US$39; US$20/mo annually); Professional US$249/mo |
| Jasper (Pro / Business) | Generative: Brand Content | Enterprise-grade content creation with "Brand Voice" memory for consistency across teams. Creator tier retired; Pro (1 seat, 2 brand voices, marketing agents) is the entry point and Business is custom-quoted on a 12-month term. | Pro ~$123/mo (US$69; US$59/mo annually); Business custom |
| Foreplay | Analytics: Creative Intelligence | Creative research and competitor monitoring built around advertising. Search more than 200 million ads, save references, track competitor launches, analyse Meta and TikTok creative performance and turn examples into briefs and scripts. It can also connect its data to ChatGPT and Claude through MCP. (Foreplay) | Basic about NZ$105/mo at US$59. Workflow about NZ$312/mo at US$175. Agency about NZ$692/mo at US$389. (Foreplay) |
| Pencil | Generative: Performance Ad Creative | Creates ad concepts, copy, images and video from a brief, then scores the output using predicted performance. Ads can be launched and tracked across Meta, TikTok, YouTube, Google Display, DV360 and LinkedIn from the same platform. (Pencil) | Free trial; Core ~$25/mo (US$14); Growth ~$99/mo (US$55); Pro custom |
| Video & Audio | |||
| Seed by Bytedance | Generative: Video & Audio | Seedance 2.5 launched 31 Jul 2026: 30-second one-take clips with native synced audio, up to 50 reference inputs, in-video editing and extension. Access internationally via ByteDance's Dreamina (CapCut) app, or through Higgsfield, fal and Runway; API via BytePlus ModelArk (480p/720p). Seed Audio 1.0 adds sound effects to scenes. | Dreamina Basic from ~$25/mo (~US$14); API ~US$0.12-0.27 per second |
| Higgsfield | Generative: Video & Audio | Aggregator bundling Kling 3.0, Seedance 2.5, Nano Banana Pro, FLUX.2 and 50+ other models in one workspace to test and compare outputs. Free plan is preview-only (0 credits, no video). A pay-per-generation API launched Sept 2026. | Free (preview only); Starter ~$34/mo (US$19, 270 credits); Plus US$47-59; Ultra US$99-129 |
| Fal | Generative: Video & Audio | API aggregator offering pay-per-use access to the latest image, video and audio models (Nano Banana 2/Pro, Seedance, Kling, FLUX, ElevenLabs) priced per call rather than a monthly fee; also serverless GPU compute. | Pay-as-you-go: images from ~US$0.04-0.15, video ~US$0.03-0.22 per second |
| ElevenLabs | Generative: Speech Synthesis | The gold standard for voice cloning and multilingual localized audio. Eleven v4 and v4 Turbo went GA 28 Sep 2026 with in-script audio tags ([laughs], [whispers]), 10-second instant voice clones and 90+ languages. Commercial licence starts on Starter. | Free; Starter ~$11/mo (US$6); Creator ~$39/mo (US$22); Pro US$99 |
| Topaz Studio | Generative: Video/Image Upscaler | Upscale video and images toward 4K/8K with AI. Studio bundles all Topaz apps (Video, Photo, Gigapixel, Astra, Bloom) with unlimited local rendering and 300 video cloud credits/mo; Topaz Video can be bought alone. | Studio ~$123/mo (US$69) or ~$80/mo on annual (US$45; US$399/yr); Topaz Video alone US$59/mo or US$299/yr |
| Suno | Generative: Music | Create high-quality music with or without lyrics. The v6 family (9 Sep 2026: v6, v6-wild, v6-mini) adds plain-language section edits, mashups, 8-minute songs and multimodal prompts (image/video to music); older models retired. Commercial rights on paid plans. | Free (v6-mini); Pro ~$18/mo (US$10; US$8 annually); Premier ~$53/mo (US$30) |
| HeyGen | Generative: Video/Avatars | Lifelike AI avatars (Avatar IV) for personalized video messages at scale, plus translation and 4K export on Pro. Credit-based plans; free tier allows 3 videos/month. | Creator ~$52/mo (US$29; US$24 annually, 600 credits); Pro from ~$87/mo (US$49, 1,000 credits) |
| Google Veo 3.1 (via Google Flow) | Generative: Cinematic Text-to-Video | Cinematic text-to-video with native synchronized audio (dialogue + SFX in one pass); still Google's flagship (no Veo 4 yet) in Lite/Fast/Quality tiers. Accessed through Google Flow, which now requires an AI Plus/Pro/Ultra plan (Pro = 1,000 credits/mo; a Veo 3.1 Quality 8s clip = 100 credits) and also runs the Gemini Omni Flash video model. | Via Google AI Pro ~$36/mo; extra AI credits purchasable |
| Runway (Gen-4.5) | Generative: Controllable Video | Editor-style AI video generation and editing (motion brush, camera control, Aleph 2.0 restyling of existing footage); the pro choice for creative control. Also hosts Kling 3.0, Seedance 2.0 and Nano Banana Pro inside one credit pool. | Free (125 one-off credits); Standard ~$27/mo (US$15; US$12 annually); Pro US$35 |
| KlingAI (Kling 3.0) | Generative: Text-to-Video | Professional-grade video generation for social reels and cinematic sequences; Kling 3.0 (Feb 2026) adds native 4K, 3-15s clips and native multilingual audio. Note first-month promo prices renew ~25% higher. | Standard ~$16/mo (US$8.80 renewal; US$6.60 annually); Pro ~$58/mo (US$32.56) |
| Agentic & Workflow Automation | |||
| n8n | Agentic: Multi-Agent Workflows | Workflow automation tool that connects applications, APIs, and databases in an easy-to-use platform; includes AI agent/MCP nodes and an AI Assistant. Self-hosted Community edition is free; cloud is priced per workflow execution. | Free (self-hosted); Cloud Starter ~$42/mo (EUR20 billed annually, 2,500 executions); Pro EUR50 |
| CrewAI | Agentic: Multi-Agent Workflows | A Python framework for orchestrating specialized AI "crews" to handle complex, multi-stage business tasks; supports all major model providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Llama, Kimi). | Free (Open Source); managed cloud (AMP) paid |
| Gumloop | Generative: No-Code Automation | Visually build "AI agents" that interact with your existing tech stack (CRM, Email, Sheets). New 2026 pricing passes model tokens and compute through at cost plus an 8% orchestration fee; BYO API keys reduce credit usage. | Free (2,000 credits); Pro ~$66/mo (US$37, 20,000 credits) |
| Manus AI | Generative: Autonomous Agent | A general-purpose autonomous agent capable of executing complex end-to-end projects (research, reports, app builds) independently. Credit-based; free tier refreshes 300 credits daily. | Free (300 credits/day); Pro ~$36/mo (US$20, 4,000 credits) or US$40 (8,000); Team US$20/seat |
| ChatGPT Work (OpenAI) | Agentic: Autonomous Work Agent | An agent inside ChatGPT that works for hours across your connected apps, files and browser to deliver finished docs, decks, spreadsheets, reports and web apps, with Plan mode, scheduled/recurring tasks and 1,400+ plugins. Built on Codex; Plus users get GPT-6 Astra here. | Included in ChatGPT Plus/Pro/Business (usage-metered like Codex) |
| Claude Cowork (now built into Claude) | Agentic: Autonomous Work Agent | Anthropic's agentic mode for non-coding knowledge work: hand Claude a goal and it works in your files, tools and a built-in browser to deliver finished research, documents and analysis, continuing in the cloud after you close your laptop. Merged into the main Claude app (Sept 2026) alongside Claude Design, Docs and Slides. | Included in Claude Pro ~$36/mo (US$20), Max and Team |
| Sales & Research Intelligence | |||
| Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) | Assistive: Deep Research | Uses your uploaded sources to create "Audio Overviews", video overviews and structured insights grounded in your data; now runs code in a secure cloud computer for data analysis and syncs notebooks with the Gemini app. Higher limits with Google AI Pro/Ultra. | Free; higher limits via Google AI Pro ~$36/mo |
| Apollo.io | Assistive: Sales Intelligence | Comprehensive B2B database with AI-driven outreach and lead scoring. | Free (75 credits/mo); Basic ~$87/user/mo (US$49 annually; US$65 monthly) |
| SparkToro v2 | Predictive: Audience Research | Essential for finding where your specific NZ audience spends time online without cookies. Personal plan now includes MCP access (use SparkToro data inside ChatGPT/Claude); Business adds Persona Builder and 10 users. | Free (3 preview reports/mo); Personal ~$89/mo (US$50); Business US$150 |
| Peec AI (AI Search Visibility / GEO) | Analytics: AI Search Visibility | Tracks whether and how your brand is cited in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews/AI Mode answers versus competitors: visibility, share of voice, sentiment and which sources the engines cite. Unlimited seats. Enterprise alternatives: Profound (US$399+/mo), Semrush AI Visibility (US$99/mo). | Starter ~$169/mo (US$95 / EUR89, 25 prompts); Pro US$245 |
| Clay | Agentic: Sales and Audience Intelligence | Combines company and contact data from many providers, then uses Claygent to research accounts and fill missing information. It can monitor signals such as job changes and web intent, enrich CRM records, build prospecting workflows and push audiences into advertising platforms. (Clay) | Free plan available. Launch starts at about NZ$329/mo at US$185. Growth starts at about NZ$881/mo at US$495. Data usage can add further cost. |
| Productivity & Specialist | |||
| Microsoft 365 Premium (replaces Copilot Pro) | Assistive: 365 Integration | Embedded Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook for rapid deck creation and email management, plus Premium-only agents (Researcher, Analyst, Actions). Covers up to 6 people with 6TB storage and Defender security. | ~$36/mo (US$19.99; US$199.99/yr) |
| Replit Agent | Generative: App Development | Allows non-technical users to build and deploy web applications through a chat interface. Core includes US$20 of model credits, Plan mode, 2 parallel agents and Economy/Power agent modes; Pro adds Turbo mode and 10 parallel agents. | Free (Starter); Core ~$36/mo (US$20; US$17 annually); Pro US$100 |
| Gamma | Generative: Presentations/Decks | AI generator for pitch decks, presentations and one-page sites from a prompt; strong for marketing collateral. Free plan is a one-time 400-credit grant; Plus removes Gamma branding, Pro adds API, custom domains and analytics. | Free (400 one-off credits); Plus ~$21/mo (US$12; US$9 annually); Pro ~$45/mo (US$25; US$18 annually) |
| Cursor | Generative: AI Code Editor | The dominant AI-native coding IDE for professional developers; agentic multi-file editing, cloud agents and Bugbot review inside a VS Code-style app. | Free (Hobby); Pro ~$36/mo (US$20); Teams US$40/user |
| Lovable | Generative: App Development | Prompt-to-app builder aimed at non-technical users; ships full-stack apps with built-in deploy and GitHub sync. Pro credits are shared across unlimited collaborators. | Free; Pro ~$45/mo (US$25 on annual billing) |
| Whimsical AI | Assistive: Mapping/Diagrams | Generates flowcharts and product maps from text; excellent for UX/UI planning. | Free; Paid from $18/mo |
| Image Generation | |||
| Midjourney (V8.2) | Generative: AI Art/Images | The aesthetic/editorial-illustration leader for cinematic, on-brand imagery. V8.2 became default 24 Jul 2026 with a new Edit Model (replacing Omni/Character Reference), native 2K HD mode and faster rendering. Subscription-only (Discord + web); no free tier or API. | Basic ~$18/mo (US$10; US$8 annually); Standard US$30 |
| Google Nano Banana 2 / Nano Banana Pro | Generative: Photorealistic Images | Best-in-class photorealism and legible in-image text; ideal for product and ad imagery. Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image, Feb 2026) is now the default across Gemini, Search, Google Ads and Flow; Nano Banana Pro remains for AI Pro/Ultra subscribers. Also available inside Adobe Firefly, Canva, Runway and fal. | Free (Gemini; free-tier limits tighten 9 Oct 2026); Pro model via Google AI Pro ~$36/mo |
| Adobe Firefly | Generative: Commercially-Safe Images | Trained on licensed data so output is commercially safe for client work; integrates with Creative Cloud. Firefly is now a multi-model hub: Firefly Image 5 plus partner models (Nano Banana 2/Pro, FLUX.2, GPT Image 2, Runway Gen-4.5, Veo 3.1, Kling) with unlimited generations on select models for paid plans. | Firefly Pro from ~$18/mo (US$9.99); Pro Plus / Premium tiers higher |
| Ideogram (4.5) | Generative: Text-in-Image Design | Specialist for legible text inside images - posters, signage and on-image ad copy where other models fail; Ideogram 4/4.5 add precise graphic-design layouts and ultra-wide/tall ratios. Free-tier images are public; commercial rights need a paid plan. | Free (~40 images/week); Plus ~$36/mo (US$20; US$15 annually); Pro US$60 |
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