I Tried 10 AI Tools. Only 3 Survived.
Introduction
As a Product Manager, I've spent the last six months experimenting with AI tools like a madman. Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Cursor, v0, Bolt, Lovable, Midjourney, ElevenLabs. I've tried them all.
To cut to the chase, I only use three of them daily.
It’s not that the other seven are bad. They just didn't fit my workflow. When choosing an AI tool, the most important thing isn't 'features,' but 'how naturally it integrates into my work.'
The 3 Survivors
1. Claude — My Product Planning Partner
Speaking as a former designer, Claude is the closest thing to a 'colleague who thinks with you.' If ChatGPT is an encyclopedia, Claude is a senior PM.
How I use Claude:
- When I throw a rough draft of a spec at it, it points out missing perspectives.
- We brainstorm user scenarios together.
- When I'm structuring a long document and ask, 'Is this order correct?' it logically rearranges it for me.
As a PM, this is the tool I use most every day. That's not an exaggeration.
2. Cursor — The Non-Coding PM's Secret Weapon
I'm not a developer. But thanks to Cursor, I can now build prototypes myself.
Instead of asking the dev team, 'Is a feature like this possible?' I'm the PM who builds it and shows them. That's how Cursor has changed the way I work.
A word of caution: Cursor is just a tool. You should never push AI-generated code directly to production. Use it only for prototyping and validation.
3. Perplexity — The Ultimate Research Tool
Google Search is too slow now. Ads, SEO abuse, duplicate content. It can take 10 minutes just to find the information you want.
Perplexity answers your question along with its sources. For a PM doing market research, competitor analysis, or tracking tech trends, there's nothing better.
The 7 That Didn't Make the Cut — Why?
| Tool | Reason for Dropping |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Claude provided deeper analysis. |
| Gemini | The Korean language quality wasn't there yet. |
| v0 | It was faster to build directly with Cursor. |
| Bolt | Fast generation, but limited customization. |
| Lovable | Pretty, but not practical enough for professional work. |
| Midjourney | Overkill for just blog thumbnails. |
| ElevenLabs | The Korean TTS quality isn't production-level yet. |
Key Takeaways
Here's the key to choosing AI tools:
- Go deep, not wide. — Using 10 tools superficially is no different from using just one.
- It must integrate into your workflow. — The moment you have to open a separate app, you'll stop using it.
- Judge by the output. — The standard isn't "This tool is the best!" but "I made this with this tool."
AI tools aren't just about productivity. They are about changing the very way you work. Being a true AI native isn't about installing 10 tools and using none of them; it's about picking 3 and using them every single day.
As a PM with a background in design — this is my honest conclusion after six months of experimenting with AI.