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Chatbots · Buying Guides
The Best AI Chatbot
ChatGPT is the best AI chatbot for most people: its free app does more than any rival's, and Plus adds a lot for $20 a month. Claude is the runner-up for writers and coders, and Gemini is the best free and budget pick.
ChatGPT offers the broadest mix of tools of any chatbot, from image creation and voice to deep research and coding, with a free tier that includes unlimited everyday text chats.
Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5.5 ranked first on LMArena for both creative writing and web development, and every Claude plan advertises a context window of up to 1 million tokens.
The best free AI chatbot, and the best value for Google users
Gemini’s free tier includes image generation and Deep Research, Google AI Plus costs $4.99 a month, and AI Pro bundles Google’s top-ranked model with 5 TB of storage.
If you already pay for Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium, Copilot is built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote at no extra charge.
The Research Score rates each product on its own merits. Our picks also weigh price and who the product is for, so a pick can rank above a higher-scoring product. How we score
AI chatbots have become general-purpose assistants: they answer questions, draft emails, summarize documents, search the web, create images and talk back to you by voice. The good news is that the best ones are free to start, and the main paid plans cost about $20 a month at the time of research.
For most people, ChatGPT is the one to use. Its free app offers unlimited everyday text chats plus limited image creation, voice, file uploads and deep research, and its paid plans scale up from there. Claude is our runner-up and the better choice for long-form writing and code. Gemini is our free and budget pick, with a generous free tier and a $4.99 plan. Perplexity is best when you need sources, and Microsoft Copilot is the easy choice if you already pay for Microsoft 365.
We based these picks on official pricing, help and privacy pages and on independent public leaderboards. We did not test these apps hands-on.
We considered nine AI chatbots: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, Grok, Meta AI, Mistral’s Le Chat and DeepSeek. For each, we read the official pricing pages, help-center articles and privacy policies, all checked on the date of publication. To judge answer quality without relying on our own impressions, we used LMArena, a public leaderboard built from blind, head-to-head votes, looking at its overall text, creative-writing and web-development rankings. We scored every pick with our published Research Score. We did not run hands-on tests for this guide.
Who this is for
This guide is for anyone choosing a general-purpose AI assistant: to answer questions, draft and edit text, summarize documents, brainstorm, search the web or create images. If you mainly need an AI for coding, meetings or image generation, our topic guides go deeper on those. If you’re deciding between the big three paid plans, see ChatGPT vs. Claude vs. Gemini.
How we picked
We looked for chatbots that:
Have a useful free tier, so you can try them without paying.
Offer a fair paid plan, ideally around $20 a month or less, with clear limits.
Rank well on independent leaderboards, such as LMArena.
Cover everyday tasks: web search, file uploads, voice, and ideally image generation.
Work where you do: web, iOS and Android apps, plus integrations with office tools.
Respect your data: a clear way to stop your chats from being used for training.
Top pick · The best AI chatbot for most people
C
ChatGPT
8.2/10
ChatGPT offers the broadest mix of tools of any chatbot, from image creation and voice to deep research and coding, with a free tier that includes unlimited everyday text chats.
ChatGPT is our top pick because it does the widest range of things well, and you can do a lot of them without paying. OpenAI’s help center says Free users have “unlimited everyday text chats,” subject to abuse-prevention safeguards, and can search the web, upload files and images, analyze data and create images. OpenAI’s pricing page adds limited voice chats, limited deep research and limited memory to the Free plan. Tools like uploads and image generation have their own, separate limits.
If you use it daily, ChatGPT Plus is the upgrade most people need. It costs $20 a month, billed monthly only. OpenAI’s pricing page lists advanced reasoning models, expanded deep research, projects, scheduled tasks and custom GPTs, expanded Codex use and early access to new features. There’s also a cheaper Go plan with higher limits than Free (OpenAI notes it may include ads), but we couldn’t confirm its US price on official pages. For heavy users, Pro comes in $100, $200 and $500 monthly tiers, according to OpenAI’s help center.
ChatGPT also reaches into the tools you already use: OpenAI’s comparison table lists extensions for Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Google Sheets (limited on Free) and a plugin directory.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Your chats can train OpenAI’s models unless you say otherwise. On personal Free, Plus and Pro accounts, “Improve the model for everyone” is on by default; you can switch it off under Settings > Data controls, and Temporary chats are never used for training.
ChatGPT’s standard context window is also smaller than its rivals’. OpenAI lists 27,000 tokens (about 12 pages of input) for the Instant model on Free and 54,000 (about 40 pages) on Go and Plus. On independent rankings, OpenAI’s best model was close to but below the top Google and Anthropic models on LMArena’s text leaderboard at the time of research.
Who it’s for
Anyone who wants one AI app for questions, writing, images, voice and research.
Who should skip it
You want your chats excluded from training without changing a setting, or you mainly need long-document writing or coding.
Pros
Free app includes unlimited everyday text chats, plus limited image creation, voice, uploads and deep research
Plus ($20/month) adds reasoning models, projects, scheduled tasks and custom GPTs
Add-ins for Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Google Sheets
Apps for web, iOS and Android
Cons
Chats used for training by default on personal plans; opt-out required
Smaller standard context window on Free and Plus than Claude or Gemini Pro
Ads may appear on Free in some countries
Research Score
8.2/10
Features (30%)9
Value for money (25%)8
Privacy & security (20%)7
Compatibility (15%)9
Docs & support (10%)8
Free; Plus $20/month billed monthly; Pro $100, $200 or $500/month (at the time of research)
Affiliate link · price at the time of research, may have changed
Runner-up · The best AI chatbot for writing and coding
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Claude
7.5/10
Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5.5 ranked first on LMArena for both creative writing and web development, and every Claude plan advertises a context window of up to 1 million tokens.
Claude is the chatbot to pick if words or code are central to your work. On LMArena’s blind-vote leaderboards, Claude Opus 5.5 ranked first for creative writing and first on the WebDev (web development) board at the time of research. Those rankings measure the underlying models and shift often, but Claude’s lead showed up in both categories.
Claude’s Free plan is solid: Anthropic’s pricing page lists chat on web, desktop and mobile, web search, memory across conversations, connectors to other apps, voice mode, Artifacts, and file creation with code execution, using the Sonnet and Haiku models. Pro costs $20 a month, or $17 a month if you pay $200 for a year up front, and adds Opus, Research, Projects, Claude Code, and Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365. Max starts at $100 a month for five or 20 times Pro’s usage.
Long documents are another strength. Claude lists a context window of “up to 1M” tokens on every plan, depending on the model.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Claude’s pricing page doesn’t list image generation, so it’s not the app for making pictures. Its limits are also less predictable than ChatGPT’s: Anthropic says usage resets on a rolling five-hour window, paid plans add weekly limits, and the number of messages depends on length, model and features. Pro gives “at least 5x” the usage of Free.
Who it’s for
Writers, analysts and developers who work with long documents or code.
Who should skip it
You want image generation, or you'll stay on the free plan, which doesn't include the top Opus model.
Pros
Top model leads LMArena's creative-writing and WebDev rankings
Up to 1M-token context window on all plans, depending on the model
Free plan includes web search, voice mode, memory and connectors
Pro is $17/month billed annually
Cons
No image generation listed on its pricing page
Opus, Research and Claude Code require a paid plan
Usage limits reset every five hours, with no fixed message count
Research Score
7.5/10
Features (30%)8
Value for money (25%)7
Privacy & security (20%)7
Compatibility (15%)8
Docs & support (10%)8
Free; Pro $20/month billed monthly or $17/month billed annually; Max from $100/month (at the time of research)
Affiliate link · price at the time of research, may have changed
Budget pick · The best free AI chatbot, and the best value for Google users
G
Gemini
7.9/10
Gemini’s free tier includes image generation and Deep Research, Google AI Plus costs $4.99 a month, and AI Pro bundles Google’s top-ranked model with 5 TB of storage.
Gemini is our budget pick because it gives you the most for free and the cheapest useful upgrade. Google’s plan page lists the Flash-Lite model, image generation and editing, Deep Research and 15 GB of storage on the free tier. Google AI Plus, at $4.99 a month in the US, adds the Flash model, twice the free usage, video generation in the Gemini app, 400 GB of storage, and Gemini in Gmail and Vids.
If you step up to Google AI Pro ($19.99 a month), Gemini becomes a strong all-rounder in its own right. Google lists access to Gemini 4 Argon, Deep Research, a 1-million-token context window, Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Vids, and 5 TB of storage. Gemini 4 Argon (High) held the top spot on LMArena’s overall text leaderboard at the time of research.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Google’s privacy hub says that when Keep Activity is on, your chats are used to improve Google’s services, including training AI models, and some are reviewed by people, including service providers. Reviewed chats are kept for up to three years. You can turn Keep Activity off, though Google still keeps chats for 72 hours. And the free tier uses Flash-Lite, not the model that tops the rankings.
Who it’s for
People on a budget, and anyone who uses Gmail, Google Docs and Google Drive.
Who should skip it
You're uncomfortable with human review of some chats, or you don't use Google's apps.
Pros
Free tier includes image generation and editing, plus Deep Research
Google AI Plus costs $4.99/month
Gemini 4 Argon ranked first on LMArena's overall text leaderboard
AI Pro ($19.99/month) includes 5 TB of storage and Gemini in Gmail and Docs
Cons
Free tier runs on the smaller Flash-Lite model
Some chats are read by human reviewers when Keep Activity is on
Gemini in Docs requires AI Pro
Research Score
7.9/10
Features (30%)8
Value for money (25%)9
Privacy & security (20%)6
Compatibility (15%)9
Docs & support (10%)7
Free; Google AI Plus $4.99/month; Google AI Pro $19.99/month; AI Ultra from $99.99/month (at the time of research)
Affiliate link · price at the time of research, may have changed
Also great · For research with citations
P
Perplexity
Perplexity is built around web search and cites its sources, and its Pro plan lets you choose between models from several AI companies.
Perplexity works more like a search engine that writes answers: it searches the web and shows its sources, so you can check claims instead of taking the chatbot’s word for it. According to its help center, Pro adds ten times as many citations per answer, higher upload limits, extended access to Perplexity Research, image generation and limited video generation, and extended Pro Search usage.
Its Pro page lists models from several companies, including OpenAI’s GPT-6.1 Sol, Google’s Gemini 3.8 Flash, Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 5.5 and xAI’s Grok 4.7, and lets you choose between them.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Perplexity’s help center says it uses search data to improve its AI unless you turn off the AI Data Usage toggle in Settings. And because we couldn’t verify US prices for Pro and Max on its official pages at the time of research, check current pricing before you subscribe.
Who it’s for
Students, journalists and anyone who needs to check where an answer came from.
Who should skip it
You want a general assistant for writing, images and voice rather than a research tool.
Pros
Answers come with citations; Pro adds ten times as many per answer
Pro lets you choose between models from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, xAI and others
AI Data Usage toggle to opt out of training
Cons
We couldn't confirm US pricing for Pro and Max on official pages
Less suited to long-form writing or coding than Claude or ChatGPT
Research Score
Not scored – not enough reliable information yet.
Free plan; Pro and Max paid plans available, see current pricing
Affiliate link · price at the time of research, may have changed
Also great · For Microsoft 365 users
MC
Microsoft Copilot
If you already pay for Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium, Copilot is built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote at no extra charge.
Copilot is the obvious choice if you already pay for Microsoft 365. Microsoft’s plan comparison lists Copilot in the Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote desktop apps for Microsoft 365 Personal ($9.99 a month or $99.99 a year at the time of research), along with “advanced Copilot chat with higher usage than free,” AI image creation and 1 TB of storage. Microsoft 365 Premium ($19.99 a month or $199.99 a year) adds “extensive usage” and agentic features such as advanced research and analytics.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Microsoft 365 Family ($12.99 a month or $129.99 a year) covers up to six people, but Microsoft says the AI features are for the subscription owner only. Microsoft’s Copilot privacy FAQ says signed-in users can opt out of model training, but notes that some conversations are reviewed by humans and that there’s no opt-out of that review.
Who it’s for
People who live in Word, Excel and Outlook and already have a Microsoft 365 subscription.
Who should skip it
You don't use Microsoft's apps; a standalone chatbot will give you more for the money.
Pros
Copilot in the Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote desktop apps
Microsoft 365 Personal includes 1 TB of storage
Free version available
Cons
On Family plans, the AI features are for the subscription owner only
Microsoft's privacy FAQ says there's no opt-out of human review of some conversations
Research Score
Not scored – not enough reliable information yet.
Free version; Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/month or $99.99/year; Premium $19.99/month or $199.99/year (at the time of research)
Affiliate link · price at the time of research, may have changed
Other good options
Grok is free on the web, iOS and Android. xAI’s site says it searches the web and X in real time, can run multiple agents in parallel on hard questions, and generates images and video of up to 15 seconds through its Imagine feature. A paid SuperGrok tier raises limits and adds multi-agent reasoning; we couldn’t confirm its price on xAI’s site. Consider it if real-time news from X matters to you.
Mistral Le Chat is a lower-cost alternative to the $20 plans: Mistral’s pricing page lists Pro at $14.99 a month (or $5.99 for verified students) and Team at $24.99 per user per month at the time of research. The free plan includes limited messages and web searches, basic image generation and more than 100 connectors. Its top model ranked well below the leaders on LMArena’s text leaderboard, though.
The competition
DeepSeek: Its models are capable; DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash ranked in the upper part of LMArena’s text leaderboard at the time of research. But DeepSeek’s privacy policy says it collects, processes and stores personal data in the People’s Republic of China and uses user input to train its models, and opting out of training requires emailing the company. We don’t recommend it for anything sensitive.
Meta AI: We couldn’t find clear plan, limit or privacy details on Meta AI’s own site at the time of research, so we left it out.
What to look forward to
All of these companies update their models and plans frequently. OpenAI’s help center, for example, describes a recent change to Pro 200 usage allowances, with grandfathered allowances ending October 29, 2026. We’ll update this guide as prices and rankings change.
FAQ
What is the best free AI chatbot?
ChatGPT’s free plan offers unlimited everyday text chats, and Gemini’s free tier includes image generation and Deep Research. Both are strong; Gemini’s paid upgrades are cheaper, starting at $4.99 a month at the time of research.
Is ChatGPT still the best AI chatbot?
For most people, yes, because it offers the widest range of tools. But on LMArena’s rankings at the time of research, Google’s Gemini 4 Argon led the overall text leaderboard and Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5.5 led creative writing and web development.
Which AI chatbot app is best for iPhone and Android?
ChatGPT, Claude and Grok all list iOS and Android apps on their official pages. Pick based on features rather than platform: ChatGPT for all-round use, Claude for writing and coding.
Is DeepSeek safe to use?
DeepSeek’s privacy policy says it collects, processes and stores personal data in the People’s Republic of China and uses user input to train its models. Opting out of training requires an email request. Avoid entering sensitive information.
Which AI chatbot is best for research?
Perplexity is built for research with citations. ChatGPT, Claude (on Pro) and Gemini also offer deep research features that compile longer, sourced reports.
