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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Free chatbot tiers are sturdy, so check earlier than paying.
- Decide one AI based mostly in your wants or ecosystem. Ignore the hype.
- Keep away from annual plans as a result of AI instruments change too quick.
A buddy of mine not too long ago despatched me an e-mail. She requested, “I am just now dipping my toe in the AI world. I asked ChatGPT a bunch of questions, then found other chatbots I also like. I kind of love this AI thing. Seems like they all give a free taste and then want money. Fair enough, but I can’t pay all of them. Can you help me decide?”
Sure. Sure, I can. As with nearly all buying choices, it is dependent upon what you want, what you do, and the way you do it.
Additionally: AI brokers are quick, unfastened and uncontrolled, MIT examine finds
Many severe AI customers have discovered that they are really subscribing to numerous completely different AI companies. For this text, let’s assume you are searching for The One and go from there.
(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET’s father or mother firm, filed an April 2025 lawsuit in opposition to OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in coaching and working its AI methods.)
Basic function chatbots
AI and machine studying are very broad topics, encompassing a complete lot, starting from chatbots, to creating sport characters good, to machine imaginative and prescient, and much more in between.
On this article, we’ll concentrate on the OG AI chatbot idea, a conversational generative AI device that creates textual content and pictures in response to text-based prompts.
Additionally: The perfect AI picture mills of 2026: There’s just one clear winner now
That eliminates image-only instruments like Midjourney and Leonardo. Each are nice, however you will get fairly good picture technology in among the higher chatbots.
I am additionally going to get rid of all of the chatbots that did not rating within the prime 5 of my chatbot analysis assessments. These embody Claude, Meta, DeepSeek, and others. Claude is phenomenal for agentic code technology, however it does not have a picture generator. The others simply did not carry out all that nicely on user-level assessments.
That leaves us with 5 chatbots to select from:
All have surprisingly succesful free plans. ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok have $8-per-month fundamental plans that present a bit extra interplay functionality however use lesser-capability AI engines. All however Grok supply $20-per-month normal plans. These are the candy spot for worth and efficiency. Grok’s equal, referred to as SuperGrok, is $30 per thirty days as an alternative of $20.
It’s best to select all of them (free variations) if…
Really, there is no if about it. As a result of the free variations are fairly succesful, I like to recommend you spend a while with every chatbot and mess around with it. There isn’t any doubt the $20-per-month variations are extra highly effective (and generally smarter), however you possibly can actually get a strong understanding of the strengths and weaknesses earlier than ponying up any money.
Additionally: 5 customized ChatGPT directions I take advantage of to get higher AI outcomes – quicker
Select free if:
- You are on a good finances
- You do not thoughts hitting limits, or your utilization is pretty minimal
- You wish to examine all of them out to get a really feel for them
My suggestion, although, is that you just take into account signing up for one of many extra intensive plans. There are undoubtedly completely different advantages to utilizing every of the assorted AIs. The upgraded plans do supply quite a bit in comparison with the free tiers.
One different suggestion: do not join a yearly plan. As a substitute, join the month-by-month plans. AIs change rather a lot over a yr. You may wish to bounce ship. For those who’re tied to a full yr, you lose plenty of flexibility.
It’s best to select ChatGPT Plus if…
1. You need probably the most versatile all-around device
ChatGPT Plus has been extremely succesful for all types of tasks, together with writing, coding, evaluation, and even picture technology. ChatGPT’s Codex agentic coding device is obtainable as a part of the Plus plan. For those who’re doing plenty of coding, you will run out of tokens. I ran out after I was growing new merchandise. However I have been utilizing the $20-per-month plan for complicated upkeep coding. It has been absolutely succesful for that, together with all the same old chatbot wants.
Additionally: Is ChatGPT Plus nonetheless price your $20? I in contrast it to the Free, Go, and Professional plans – here is my recommendation
2. You need superior reasoning and long-context work
ChatGPT Plus gives higher-end considering fashions that may deal with some very huge tasks. It might do structured evaluation, doc transformation, detailed deep dives, and much more. The upper-end fashions deal with deep work and sustained downside fixing.
3. You worth a mature ecosystem
With wonderful picture technology and photograph recontextualization, customized GPTs, a number of third-party integrations, API help, and large adoption throughout shopper and enterprise use, ChatGPT is unquestionably the device that scales, even on the $20-per-month stage.
Additionally: The right way to use ChatGPT: A newbie’s information to the most well-liked AI chatbot
I subscribe to a bunch of AI instruments as a result of it is my job. When my spouse requested me to advocate one which she might use, ChatGPT was my hands-down alternative. If I might solely use one, this could be it.
It’s best to select Copilot Professional if…
1. You might be all about Microsoft
In case your each day work includes Phrase, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Groups, and Edge, Copilot’s deep integration into these instruments will are available clutch. Whereas different instruments have some consciousness of Microsoft’s highly effective Workplace ecosystem, Copilot groks it natively.
2. You need AI embedded in Home windows
If you’d like AI options deeply embedded in your Home windows machine, Copilot is for you. Copilot launches and controls system settings, summarizes and explains on-screen content material, and integrates with the file system. Plus, Microsoft is consistently including new capabilities, so who is aware of how a lot it is going to be capable of do in your OS over time?
3. You need immediate enterprise integration
If your organization is already all in on Microsoft’s governance stack, Copilot already works with Azure and Entra ID. You need not add one other AI silo or one way or the other attempt to combine enterprise AI into your infrastructure. For all-Microsoft outlets, Copilot is already there, prepared for you.
It’s best to select Gemini if…
1. Gmail is your own home base
Whereas Gemini is the AI layer throughout your entire Google ecosystem, it is being constructed to combine in attention-grabbing methods inside e-mail itself. Already, Gmail contains Gemini summaries and the flexibility to question your mail retailer.
Additionally: I attempted Gmail’s new Gemini AI options, and now I wish to unsubscribe
I wasn’t fully keen about Gmail’s present Gemini options, however after I had a chat with Gmail’s prime government, I used to be undoubtedly pumped about Google’s imaginative and prescient for Gmail’s future.
2. Google Workspace is your jam
Gemini has tight integration into Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive. It is also getting an increasing number of tightly built-in into Chrome. We’re even beginning to see Chrome do automation duties based mostly on the Gemini AI.
Additionally: I let Chrome’s AI agent store, analysis, and e-mail for me – here is the way it went
Gemini can be tightly built-in into Android and Google cellular companies. For all of those Google-centric makes use of, Gemini’s $20-per-month AI premium plan is a win.
3. You need unimaginable picture technology
After which, there’s Nano Banana. After we evaluated picture mills, Gemini’s Nano Banana Professional blew away all of the others, particularly with picture recontextualization. You possibly can feed an AI an current picture and ask for it to be modified into one thing fully completely different.
Additionally: The perfect AI picture mills of 2026: There’s just one clear winner now
There are different standout picture mills like Midjourney and even Photoshop’s generative fill. However none beats Nano Banana Professional for modifying an current picture, though ChatGPT’s Picture device in GPT-5.2 does come shut.
It’s best to select Grok if…
1. You need real-time entry to X/Twitter conversations
I will admit, I used to be shocked that Grok did in addition to it did in my assessments. For general-purpose work, I would undoubtedly select Gemini or ChatGPT over Grok, however if you would like deep integration into the extremely dynamic river of tweets, then Grok’s your device.
Additionally: The perfect AI chatbots of 2026: Professional examined and reviewed
2. You like extra persona in your AI
Grok is form of the counterculture AI. It is presupposed to be extra open and fewer company sounding. Some of us love that. Others, not a lot.
3. You need fewer guardrails
Grok is not as managed as Gemini or ChatGPT. That is most likely the direct affect of its present high-profile proprietor. However if you wish to dance on the wild aspect, you will stand a greater likelihood should you select Grok as your dance accomplice. It has rather a lot fewer guardrails. Bear in mind, although, that Grok’s fundamental tier is $30 per thirty days, in comparison with all of the others at $20 per thirty days.
It’s best to select Perplexity if…
1. Your prime precedence is analysis with citations
Perplexity has by no means actually impressed me, however ZDNET’s Steven Vaughan-Nichols is a giant fan. Steven likes how dependable it’s for analysis and the way it cites sources with some precision. He additionally likes how Perplexity codecs the outcomes it provides again.
Additionally: 5 the explanation why I nonetheless favor Perplexity over each different AI chatbot
2. You need a search-first AI expertise
Perplexity’s expertise revolves round search. It is optimized for question refinement, follow-up questions, and knowledge discovery.
In contrast to most different chatbots, Perplexity does not look to its information base first. As a substitute, it searches the online. In some methods, it looks as if an AI Google might need needed to construct with Gemini for Google Search.
3. You need LLM agnostic outcomes
One further advantage of Perplexity is you could select between completely different LLMs, together with these from OpenAI, Google, and xAI. All you’ll want to do is choose the dropdown and decide your mannequin.
So, if you wish to recast your query throughout AIs to see which will get you nearer to the reply you are searching for, Perplexity may help.
What’s your favourite?
What about you? Which AI chatbot are you really paying for proper now, and why? Are you all in on a single device, or juggling a number of subscriptions relying on the duty? Do you lean towards tight ecosystem integration like Microsoft or Google, favor ChatGPT’s versatility, depend on Perplexity for analysis, or use Grok for its connection to X? And should you’re sticking with the free tiers, are they ok to your wants? Tell us within the feedback under.
You possibly can observe my day-to-day undertaking updates on social media. You should definitely subscribe to my weekly replace publication, and observe me on Twitter/X at @DavidGewirtz, on Fb at Fb.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, on Bluesky at @DavidGewirtz.com, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.
