ChatGPT
Good for: One app for everything, including pictures. Go at $8 is the cheapest paid plan here.
Think twice if: Ads on the US free plan; the model menu is confusing.
AI Tools
The seven AI assistants most people use.
ChatGPT, Gemini, Meta AI, Claude, DeepSeek, Grok and Microsoft Copilot, compared in plain words: what each is good at, what it costs and what it does with your chats.
Checked Oct 2, 2026
Short answer
Start with the free plan of one assistant. Pick ChatGPT for one app that does everything including pictures, Claude for writing and long documents, or Gemini if you live in Google’s apps. Whichever you choose, switch off training on your chats if you care about privacy.
Which one should you try?
Most people do fine with the free plan of one assistant. Prices have settled into three bands: free, about $20 a month, and $100 or more for heavy users. So the choice comes down to what you already use, whether you need pictures, and how much you care about your chats being used for training.
Claude
Good for: Writing, editing, long PDFs, studying and coding. Claude Code and Research come with Pro.
Think twice if: It can’t make pictures or video, and there’s no plan under $20.
Gemini
Good for: Google and Android users, students (a free year for eligible students), pictures and video. Paid plans include storage.
Think twice if: It trains on your chats unless you change a setting.
Meta AI
Good for: Quick help inside WhatsApp or Instagram at no cost.
Think twice if: Your AI chats shape the ads you see, and you can’t switch that off.
DeepSeek
Good for: A strong free “thinking” model; Chinese-language users.
Think twice if: Your data is stored in China; several governments ban it on official devices.
Grok
Good for: X users, real-time social chatter, heavy picture and video makers.
Think twice if: The worst safety record of the seven, including a deepfake scandal and bans in two countries. Not for children.
Microsoft Copilot
Good for: Households that already live in Word, Excel and Outlook.
Think twice if: Poor value if you don’t already pay for Microsoft 365.
“Good for” and “think twice” are our own judgment from the features, prices and privacy terms below, not from a single review.
What it costs
| Assistant | Plans | Newest models |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Free (ads for US adults) · Go $8 · Plus $20 · Pro $100 / $200 / $500 | GPT-6 family: Astra (top), Sol, Luna (Sep 2026)reported |
| Claude | Free · Pro $20 ($17 a month yearly) · Max from $100 | Fable 5.1, Mythos 5.1 (Sep 1), Opus 5.5 (Sep 22), Sonnet 5.5 (Sep 28) |
| Gemini | Free · AI Plus $4.99 · AI Pro $19.99 · Ultra $99.99 / $199.99reported | Gemini 3.6 Flash (free), 3.1 Pro (paid), Deep Think (Ultra) |
| Meta AI | Free inside WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook. US-only Muse agent: free · $20 · $100reported | Muse Spark (Sep 2026)reported |
| DeepSeek | Free only | V4-Pro (Aug 2026), V4.1-Flash (Sep 2026) |
| Grok | Free · Lite $10 · SuperGrok $30 · Plus $100 · Heavy $300unconfirmed | Grok 4.6 and 4.7 (Aug–Sep 2026)unconfirmed |
| Microsoft Copilot | Free app · Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99 · Family $12.99 · Premium $19.99unconfirmed | OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 is the main model in Microsoft 365 Copilotreported |
No label = confirmed on the company's own pagereported from news coverageunconfirmed could not be confirmedPrices in US dollars per month, checked Oct 2, 2026
Your chats and your privacy
Most assistants use your conversations to train future models unless you switch it off. Here is what each one does by default; our step-by-step privacy guide shows exactly where each switch is.
| Assistant | Does it learn from your chats? | Makes pictures? |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | On by default, with an opt-out. Turn off in Settings → Data controls → “Improve the model for everyone”. | Yes |
| Claude | On by default, with an opt-out (Anthropic’s pricing page). Turn off Settings → Privacy → Model Improvement; incognito chats are never used. | No (text, files and code only) |
| Gemini | On by default (“Keep Activity”). Some chats are read by people and kept up to 3 years. Turn off Keep Activity. | Yes (Nano Banana); video with Veo on paid plans |
| Meta AI | Chats are used to personalize ads with no opt-out (since Dec 2025).reported | Yes |
| DeepSeek | Stored in the People’s Republic of China. A right to opt out exists, but there’s no named setting. | Not confirmed |
| Grok | On by default; opt out in Settings → Data Controls (future chats only).unconfirmed | Yes, pictures and video |
| Microsoft Copilot | On by default, with an opt-out. Kept 18 months. Never trains on under-18s. | Not confirmed |
No label = confirmed on the company's own pagereported from news coverageunconfirmed could not be confirmedPrices in US dollars per month, checked Oct 2, 2026
App builders and coding tools: what they cost
The tools from our vibe coding guide, with the cheapest paid plan. Most are metered, so what you pay depends on how many fix-it rounds you run.
| Tool | What it is | Free plan | Entry paid plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude artifacts | Inside a chat | Yes, on Claude Free | — |
| Lovable | Builds in your browser | 5 credits a day (max 30 a month) | $25 |
| Bolt | Builds in your browser | 300K tokens a day, hosting included | $25 |
| v0 (Vercel) | Builds in your browser | 7 messages a day | $30 |
| Replit | Browser + hosting | 1 published app (expires after 30 days) | $20 |
| Google AI Studio Build | Builds in your browser | Free allowance | Pay as you go |
| Cursor | AI code editor | Hobby (limited) | $20 |
| Devin Desktop | AI code editor | Small free allowance | $20 |
| GitHub Copilot | Helper in your editor | 2,000 completions a month | $10 |
| OpenAI Codex | Coding agent | Included with every ChatGPT plan | $20 (with Plus) |
| Gemini CLI | Terminal agent | 1,000 requests a day | — |
| Claude Code | Terminal / desktop agent | Not on the free plan | $20 (with Pro) |
Prices in US dollars per month, from each company’s pricing page, checked Oct 2, 2026.
Who’s ahead?
ChatGPT has by far the most users, but its share of AI website visits fell from about 76% to about 53% between June 2025 and May 2026 while Gemini and Claude grew (Similarweb). On the crowd-voted Arena leaderboard (Sep 30, 2026) a Google model is first and Anthropic holds six of the top ten places. That leaderboard rates text answers only; it says nothing about pictures, coding agents or factual accuracy.
In the news: GPT-6’s bumpy launch and the $500 ChatGPT plan · Meta’s Muse agent and Amazon · OpenAI and Anthropic’s trillion-dollar price tags
Sources: claude.com/pricing · gemini.google/subscriptions · Gemini privacy hub · OpenAI Codex pricing (ChatGPT plan list) · DeepSeek changelog · DeepSeek privacy policy · Copilot privacy FAQ · TechCrunch on Gemini users · TechCrunch on Meta Muse · Similarweb · arena.ai
Guides in this section
Does your AI assistant learn from your chats? How to turn it off
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Meta AI, Grok and DeepSeek: which use your chats for training by default, how long they keep them, and the exact switch.
ChatGPT Free vs Go vs Plus: which plan is worth paying for?
ChatGPT Free, Go ($8) and Plus ($20) compared from OpenAI’s own pricing page: models, limits, ads, deep research and Codex, and who should pick which.
How much does Claude Code cost? Pro, Max and pay-as-you-go explained
Claude Code isn’t free: it comes with Claude Pro ($20, or $17 yearly), Max (from $100) or pay-as-you-go API credits. What each gets you and which to choose.
OpenAI Codex vs Claude Code: which is cheaper, and which suits a beginner?
Is Codex cheaper than Claude Code? Plan by plan from both pricing pages: Codex starts free, Claude Code at $20. Where each runs and who should pick which.
Is Claude free? What you get without paying, and what you don’t
Yes, Claude has a free plan. What it includes (Sonnet, web search, files, voice), what needs Pro at $20 (Claude Code, Opus, Research) and how limits work.
Quick answers
Which AI is better in 2026: ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini?
None wins at everything. ChatGPT has the most users and the cheapest paid plan ($8 Go). Claude is strongest for writing, long documents and coding but can’t make pictures. Gemini gives the most away free and suits Google and Android users. On the crowd-voted Arena text leaderboard (Sep 30, 2026) a Google model is first and Anthropic holds six of the top ten places.
Which AI chatbot is completely free?
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Meta AI, DeepSeek and Grok all have free plans. DeepSeek and Meta AI have no paid consumer plan at all. Every free plan has usage limits, and most use your chats for training unless you switch it off.
Is ChatGPT free?
Yes. The free plan includes unlimited everyday text chats on GPT-5.6 Luna, plus limited uploads, pictures, voice and deep research. US adults see ads. See what Go and Plus add.
Is Claude free?
Yes, with no time limit: Sonnet and Haiku, web search, files and voice. Claude Code and Research need Pro at $20 a month. Full breakdown.
Which AI does not use my chats for training?
On personal plans, almost all of them do by default — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Grok and DeepSeek. Each except Meta AI has a switch to turn it off. Where each switch is.
Which AI is safest for children?
Check each service’s age rules first: ChatGPT needs parental consent under 18, Copilot never trains on under-18s, and Grok has the worst safety record of the seven. No assistant should be used by young children without an adult.