A Cost & Feature Comparison Guide to Artificial Intelligence Software

“Imagine a world in which AI is going to make us work more productively, live longer, and have cleaner energy.” - Fei Fei Li, Director of Stanford’s Artificial Intelligence Lab

Gone are the days of imagination, as indicated in the above quote. We have started living with AI today. In this digital age, to strive successfully, it is vital for businesses to walk hand-in-hand with the latest technology. The adoption of smart advancements like artificial intelligence is changing the dynamics of the workforce. FAANG and MAMAA Companies like Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google, Microsoft, Meta (now), and Alphabet have entered the league and proved to be the biggest players in the world of artificial intelligence. By harnessing the power of AI, these companies have rapidly grown and are sustaining their leadership.

Although human and machine intelligence is radically different, combining and working results in a general superintelligence that can chip away complications in all digital processes.

A little help from AI software can do wonders for your business. To get you started in the journey of artificial intelligence, we present you a cost and feature comparison guide to the artificial intelligence software. In this guide, we will cover the basics and help you in picking the right AI tool.

Evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Software

Artificial intelligence is a wider term that consists of various techniques, technologies, and algorithms that enable machines to mimic human intelligence and reasoning. Additionally, AI provides accessibility to decipher past historical data and perform accordingly without any human intervention.   

Artificial Intelligence software is a collection of programs and tools that encompasses these features and techniques. Through this software, businesses are able to automate tasks, predict future scenarios, and even provide results/solutions to solve problems. 

AI has come a long way and rapidly developed with the advances in computer technology. From performing limited to basic functions like voice recognition, text-to-speech translation, language translation, and some simple machine learning functions. The features and functionalities were not as sophisticated as they are now. Additionally it required human assistance to navigate and learn from the data that would improve the capabilities. 

Fast-forward to the current tech era, we are living with artificial intelligence, where the majority of our tasks are backed by AI-integrated software. There has been considerable growth in the scope of algorithms and frameworks. The machine learning techniques have evolved into advanced versions which also allow the formation of deep neural networks and deep learning systems. The researchers and developers have also formed new approaches to AI  such as reinforcement learning and transfer learning. 

At the core of AI, the primary motive is to let the software conduct similarly to human intelligence, which processes and analyzes the data and then assists in the decision-making process. A multitude of AI-backed applications are available in the fields of healthcare, logistics, entertainment, and more. For instance, AI in supply chain and logistics can aid in route optimization, warehouse management, predictive maintenance, and more. For finance, AI algorithms will analyze huge amounts of data, make predictions, and then identify the bottlenecks.  

An AI tool can translate heaps of data and yet make accurate predictions, learn from mistakes, and ensure a strategic solution that will empower the overall decision-making process for businesses. All of this can be done within a limited time frame and with the help of artificial intelligence software. 

To sum up, AI software is a brilliant tool that will boost productivity, skyrocket businesses to success, and help them focus more on strategic goals. It’s high time for businesses to embrace AI tools and beat their competitors in the digital landscape. 

How Does AI Software Work, Think, and Act for Businesses?

As we mentioned earlier, AI software is primarily designed to work in a human-like intelligence form for better decisions and solving complex problems. AI software works in a similar way, just like a human brain. It adapts to the latest surrounding information and learns from it. Artificial Intelligence software works by analyzing a huge dataset and learning patterns based on past predictions. This process is called machine learning, which helps in recommending decisions and forecasting predictions. 

The algorithms used in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Software can be categorized as supervised, unsupervised, or reinforcement learning. 

• Supervised Learning - It involves the AI software being trained to classify/bifurcate the new information using labeled data. 
• Unsupervised Learning - This comprises feeding the software with unstructured data, further analyzing it, and then producing the learnings and results from it. 
• Reinforcement Learning - This encompasses the combination of supervised and unsupervised learning that will aid rewards for taking better decisions and submit penalties for the poor ones. 

Another important component of AI tools is natural language processing (NLP). NLP is the software's ability to understand the verbal and nonverbal forms of human language. NLP is usually integrated into powerful chatbots, virtual assistants, and other customer-oriented service platforms/software. 

Further, AI software can be categorized into specific types solely based on their functioning. This includes:

Expert systems  - used to form complex decisions within a specific domain

Chatbots - to stimulate human-like conversations. 

Neural Networks - specifically for image and speech recognition 

Machine Vision - useful for visual analysis of images and videos. 

AI Made Easy - Top Tips on Selecting the Best AI Software For Your Business  

We are halfway through 2023 and the surge of AI across different industries has been indispensable. Reports indicate that the global AI software market can touch 126 billion U.S. dollars by 2025. There’s no doubt that artificial intelligence is here to revolutionize the way we function and conduct our daily operations. From AI in marketing to the healthcare and tech sector, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Software is entering every sphere. It becomes very challenging to identify “the one” that will deliver genuine results among the countless options. Here are our top tips for selecting the best Artificial Intelligence (AI) Software for your business. 

Identify Your Goals 

Before investing in AI software, it is essential to identify your goals. Think about what processes you want to streamline among your business functions. Do you want to automate time-consuming tasks? Do you want AI to generate reports and present accurate data? Are you planning to integrate AI chatbot software for a better customer experience? 

By tapping into your problems, which have high stakes, you will identify the primary goals of having artificial intelligence software and how it can navigate the process further in the organization. 

Platform Integration Compatibility 

Another aspect to consider while selecting AI tools is the platform integration capability. For instance, if the business works mostly in the cloud, then having AI software that deploys and maximizes performance is important. Likewise, check the hardware and operating systems to understand which software is feasible for the best compatibility. 

At GoodFirms, our guide is to select the right AI tools that will assist you in filtering out the best ones based on the ratings, popularity, features, and pricing models. By leveraging our platform, you can view the different software with one click, which saves time and the intensive process of scrolling through the website. Our team ensures to provide assurance, which gives you peace of mind that you are purchasing reliable software with adequate pricing and industry standards. 

Consistent Upgradation 

Once after the installation of artificial intelligence software, it will start processing and analyzing the data. As the data accumulates, the software might slow down or come to a halt because of limited capacity. Therefore, it is highly recommended to opt for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Software that provides constant updates of the latest modules. As technology consistently advances, new features and new NLP models will come into existence, or perhaps an updated version will be available. To ensure that your tasks are aligned with automation, check out the AI tools offering consistent updates. 

Scalability For Business Growth 

Another important element to consider before selecting AI software is scalability. A scalable AI tool will analyze large chunks of data without hampering speed or performance per se. It will efficiently process the data without overwhelming the system with data. If the AI software is not scalable enough, it may lag behind, produce errors, and give poor results. 

Let us consider an example of the world-famous retailer, Walmart. To run a successful business, one of the most critical aspects that Walmart considers is having a reliable inventory management system in place. Traditional inventory management can be prone to manual errors and represent unavailability of stocks, which can disappoint customers. That’s why the retail company incorporates scalable AI-integrated inventory software that leverages machine learning algorithms to make better decisions like product pricing, stock levels, sales data, and more. Likewise, the usage of AI in supply chain, quality management, production, and customer services can also bring valuable outputs and scalability to Walmart by providing faster turnarounds, accurate predictions, and automating the procurement process. 

Hence it becomes imperative to conduct performance tests on huge data sets and gauge the AI tool’s performance. Additionally, you should also ensure that the software’s architecture is scalable enough to handle data without falling behind. 

Consider Pricing 

If you have just embarked on the entrepreneurial journey or have been serving for a long time - budget really plays out a crucial role. At times, it might not be the best option to opt for high-end AI software and receive zero return on the investment. Other times, it can totally be worth it. Many times, companies will offer the software with low initial costs. But later, the hidden fees could cost you more than the AI solution.  The trick is to evaluate your budget and requirements and then match the AI tools that will align with the requirements. You can also consult with the software providers and understand how their software can address the specific needs of your business. Get the quotes, evaluate and go for the one that suits your business objectives.

Customer Support 

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Software can be tricky, especially if you or the employees are not familiar with its navigation or how to use the system. Before picking the software, tap into their support services. A robust support system will ensure that the customer receives the best service and offers necessary help when things go wrong, especially in critical scenarios. 

Before committing to any AI software, ask the vendor about their support services. Ask whether, if presented a query, how long will the team respond? How many hours/day can the company receive the response? Ask the vendor the right set of questions. You can also check upon the reviews available at GoodFirms to get insights about the track record of the software. Find a reliable AI vendor who will be there to assist you with the nitty-gritty linked with the software. 

Pricing and Feature Comparison of Top AI Software Picked By GoodFirms 

Picking a good Artificial Intelligence (AI) Software involves primarily two factors: one is pricing, and another is what set of features the software offers, followed by the device compatibility. Here’s a table of pricing and feature comparison of top Artificial Intelligence (AI) Software. 

Azure Machine Learning Studio 

Azure Machine Learning Studio is a drag-and-drop software platform specially designed for data scientists and developers who collaborate with predictive analytics, AI, and advanced machine learning. The platform offers several built-in packages along with customer development tools, which makes it feasible to deploy AI-powered services on the web. Some of the features of Azure Machine Learning Studio are Data Labeling, Data Sets, Data Preparations, Datasets, drag-and-drop designing, open-source library frameworks, Visual Studio Code, GitHub, etc. 

The machine learning studio also offers additional features like:

Support for Multiple Programming Languages - Azure Machine Learning Studio supports multiple programming languages like Python, R, and Java. This makes it a swift and efficient learning process for individuals who want to code with numerous programming languages.

Azure Data Factory - The Azure Data Factory integration makes it easy to import and export the data from the multiple sources where it is stored. 

Device Compatibility - Cloud, Web, Mac, Windows

Free/Trial - A free option is available. 

Starting Price Package - The standard plan for ML studio space is $9.99 per month or $1 per studio experimentation hour. 

GoodFirms' Ratings:- 5 Star 

Notable Client - One of the notable clients of Azure Machine Learning Studio who is opting for digital transformation is Schneider Electric. By implementing the usage of ML studio, the company developed Realift Rod Pump Control, a predictive IoT analytics solution. Through this software, the company can identify which remote machine requires specific attention, repair, and maintenance. Additionally, the learning capabilities of the machine learning studio also enable the operators to locate the issues near the pumps and rectify the situation. This overall saves time, brings in effectiveness, creates a safe environment for the workers, and saves the additional occurrences of the costs.

“Models evolve over time. And we use automated machine learning to speed that process, from four months for our first-generation models to a day for our newest models.” - Loryne Bissuel-Beauvais: Data Scientist at Schneider Electric.

H2O Driverless AI 

H2O Driverless AI is a platform that allows users to train and build machine learning models without any high-end skills. The tech-enabled software offers automation-backed practices to industries like manufacturing, insurance, marketing, retail, telecommunications, and many more. For example, the retail industry can utilize H2O Driverless AI in the supply chain, customer retention, and product recommendation and improve overall operations that will significantly smoothen down the flow of tasks from top-tier employees to bottom-tier employees. 

Driverless AI utilizes various techniques, such as data visualization, model development and validation, model documentation, machine learning interpretability, and more. It harnesses NLP features with speech recognition, sentiment analysis, document classification, and content tagging. 

Some of the additional features of H2O Driverless AI comprise of:

Explainable AI - H2O Driverless AI incorporates Explainable AI, which could further lead to accurate predictions. It can also give an overview of how machine learning models make future predictions. Through Explainable AI, the programmers are able to debug the models and ensure that the predictions are up to the notch and fair based on the data. 

Time Series Forecasting: H2O Driverless AI can predict upcoming events. This is especially useful for businesses that need to make decisions or plan for future demand.

Image Processing: The AI tool can extract the content and necessary insights from the images. This can come in handy for businesses that require regular image classification or even the identification of objects in the images. 

Device Compatibility - Cloud, Mac, Windows, Linux

Free/Trial - N/A 

Starting Price Package - For pricing information, contact the H2O Driverless AI team. 

GoodFirms' Ratings: - 4.5 Star

Notable Client - PayPal is a world leader in the community of payment systems. One of the biggest challenges that requires investment is fraud detection. The company has substantially invested in tech models and systems to track fraudsters. But, by staying one step ahead, fraudsters take advantage to scam the people. The data science of PayPal teamed up with H2O Driverless AI and used machine learning and statistical techniques to detect fraudulent patterns. PayPal decided to stay, analyze, and track not only sellers' or buyers' activities but any behavior that seems to not align with the guidelines and signals a red alert of the interconnected network. Through the implementation of H2O Driverless AI, there was a significant spike in accuracy by almost 6% in the singular test which is higher than in the 10 years of their trials and errors.

Here’s what the Senior Data Scientist, Venkatesh Ramanathan at PayPal has to say about H2O Driverless AI - “H2O Driverless AI gives amazing performance in terms of feature performance and also model performance.”

IBM Watson 

IBM Watson is expanding its portfolio by offering AI solutions and products to businesses. The platform harnesses the potential of artificial intelligence and assists the enterprise in predicting future outcomes, automating complex tasks, and providing one-in-all solutions to employees so that they can focus on strategic aspects of the business. IBM Watson offers a comprehensive range of products and solutions like Watson. governance, Watson Assistant, Watson Studio, IBM Watson Discovery, IBM Watson Natural Language Classifier, and more. Businesses that want to create functional and productive workflow can leverage IBM Watson in building smart and automated business applications. 

Here are some of the additional features that can elevate the experience in using the IBM Watson: 

Translation: IBM Watson offers translation from one language to the other. This is super helpful for businesses that function in different countries and regions. It can also understand and analyze the different language modalities to provide apt translations. 

Chatbot Development: IBM Watson can be integrated to develop chatbots that interact with customers and solve issues. It can also offer personalized recommendations and interpret human language to address concerns. 

Speech-to-Text: Another feature of IBM Watson is the ability to convert speech into text. This is a brilliant way to use it for interviews, meetings, and lectures. The software also analyzes key phrases and even predicts the next preceding statements, insights, and sentiments. 

Cloud-Based: IBM Watson AI is a cloud-based platform, so it is super convenient for businesses of all shapes and sizes to access it from anywhere. 

Device Compatibility - Cloud, Web, Linux, Windows, Mac

Free/Trial - Free Lite Plan Available for IBM Watson Studio 

Starting Price Package - For professional usage, the pricing package is $1.02 USD/Capacity Unit-Hour. ( The starting price package differs from one product and solution to the other.) 

GoodFirms' Ratings: - 4.2 Star 

Notable Client - Humana is one of the largest insurance providers in the United States. The insurance company offers medicare supplements and health and dental insurance to millions of people. One of the core goals that Humana is consistently working towards is to provide a smooth customer experience and provide assistance immediately. A major challenge that needs to be addressed is that Humana's interactive voice response (IVR) system was transferring the calls to the human agents, which led to a huge cost to the company. Eventually to meet the growing concern of the customers and keep up their score of customer satisfaction, the Humana Provider Service Innovation (PSI) team decided to collaborate with IBM. After consistent communication and development, the team came up with the Provider Services Conversational Voice Agent with Watson. The voice assistant, along with Humana’s Agent, provides an amicable solution to the customers without any requirement of speaking with the live agent. The platform uses AI to understand the intent behind the customer call. Through speech customization, seven language models and two acoustic models. It deciphers the customer query with an accurate level of accuracy and offers specific answers. 

Salesforce Einstein 

With AI Democratization, many companies have produced a dedicated built-in AI platform. Salesforce is a renowned CRM system that recently launched Einstein GPT - the world’s first Generative AI for CRM. Depending upon the unique business requirements and customer insights/data, Salesforce Einstein will produce future predictions for marketing, sales, workflow, commerce, and other personalized services. Through Einstein, the sales representatives can collect information about the quality of the leads, boost productivity, and scale the customer experience to convert it into a potential client. The representatives can also integrate NLP into the applications to gauge the sentiments of the clients and adhere respectively. 

Some of the additional features of Salesforce Einstein are:

Lead Scoring - One of the most popular features of Salesforce Einstein is lead scoring. Through this feature, businesses can weigh down which leads will get converted into customers. This aids the sales team in focusing their efforts on the promising opportunities. . 

Einstein Analytics -Salesforce Einstein includes a powerful analytics tool that helps businesses visualize and explore their data. With Einstein Analytics, businesses can create custom dashboards, reports, and charts that provide real-time insights into their operations.

Device Compatibility - Cloud, Web, Mac, Windows 

Free/Trial - N/A 

Starting Price Package - For Service Cloud Einstein $ 50 USD/user/month. For Einstein Analytics and other solutions, check out the pricing here. 

GoodFirms' Ratings:- 4.0

Notable Client - ”Beauty is about individuality. Therefore, we have to cater every solution and every product to an individual’s needs - the color of their skin, the shape of their brow, or their hair color.“ - said Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L’Oréal Paris.

The global beauty market is constantly changing. Today customers want products that connect with their individuality, are creative, and create a deeper relationship with the brand. L’Oréal Paris is a world-renowned brand that thrives on technology and offers the best products to customers. By incorporating the latest technology, it guides the users in picking the best products that meet their unique beauty. The brand uses Salesforce Customer 360 and Einstein analytics for consumer insights and assistance on a global scale. Through Einstein, customers can view AI-based product recommendations primarily based on the customer’s purchases and browsing history. For instance, if a user browses for acne-prone products and adds them to the cart, then it will suggest similar products based on the particular concern. It helps in understanding the shopping patterns of the customers. Additionally, the Einstein chatbots also personalize the emailers for the agents, which gives them more time to connect with the customers. 

TensorFlow 

TensorFlow is an open-source platform developed by Google Researchers that aids businesses, enterprises, and researchers to build, deploy, scale, and manage machine learning applications. The platform utilizes multiple tools, code libraries, and other community resources. Additionally, TensorFlow also has a huge JavaScript library which allows organizations to decipher the code and produce IoT devices through the TensorFlow Lite Module. The platform also offers to generate the models using Python, Swift, and JavaScript Programming languages and then launch them on the web, cloud, or on-premise. 

Some of the unique TensorFlow AI features are: 

Data Flow Graphs: TensorFlow implements data flow graphs to represent machine learning models. These graphs help the user understand the visual representation of training and integration of machine learning models. 

Automatic Differentiation: Through automatic differentiation, gradients of machine learning are calculated. Gradients simply refer to the measures of how the output converts depending upon the input. The gradient is used to train the machine learning models for the utmost optimization. 

Device Compatibility - Cloud Hosted, iPhone/iPad, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux

Free/Trial - Free Open-Source Platform 

Starting Price Package - Free & Open Source 

GoodFirms' Ratings: - 4.0

Notable Client - As more users started tuning into Spotify for listening, the company started incorporating different technologies and ML algorithms for better accessibility. Spotify uses TensorFlow to offer personalized music recommendations. It also enables the users to new music discovery based on their previous listening patterns. The developers understood that in order to bridge the gap between the data, backend, and ML they need a robust ML platform for harnessing its power. 

Here are some of the ways Spotify is leveraging TensorFlow. 

• Discover Weekly: Spotify provides an auto-generated playlist every week. Here, TensorFlow will trace back the history to provide suggestions. 
• Release Radar: Through Release Radar, Spotify presents new songs launched by the artists they have been listening to. 
• Audio Analysis: TensorFlow uses audio analysis for songs. This further helps in recommending songs to users based on genre or mood. 

Summing Up:

“We see enormous potential in this space to affect virtually everything we do... It will affect every product and every service that we have.”- Tim Cook, Apple

The rise of artificial intelligence in the business landscape is exciting and transformative. It is brimming with vision and tech advancements that will change the business landscape in an expeditious manner. From automation to virtual assistants - AI will save costs and time and boost the productivity of operations. It will innovate a new level of high-end optimization for the accomplishment of better results. If you are an individual or a business entity, then leveraging AI software for business growth is a quintessential requirement in the 21st century. The above blog sums up some of the top artificial intelligence (AI ) software handpicked by GoodFirms, along with the definitive features that will confront the difficulties and make your operations smoother. To know more about other best Artificial Intelligence tools, check out our software directory.