NERDY PICKS · CHATBOTS & AI ASSISTANTS
Best Chatbots & AI Assistants tools
Ask questions, brainstorm and get everyday help from a general AI assistant.
Prices checked Oct 26, 2026
Which chatbots & ai assistants tool should I start with?
If you want free, start with ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini. Ask questions, brainstorm and get everyday help from a general AI assistant. Below you'll find 26 tools with what each one does, the free plan and the cheapest solo plan in US dollars, checked Oct 26, 2026.
| Tool | What it does | Free plan | Paid from | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | General AI assistant for writing, questions, files, images and more. | Yes | Go: US$8/month | Nov 1, 2026 |
| Claude | AI assistant known for careful writing, long documents and coding help. | Yes | Pro: US$20/month, or US$17/month on a yearly plan (US$200/year) | Nov 1, 2026 |
| Google Gemini | Google's AI assistant, built into Gmail, Docs and other Google apps. | Yes | Google AI Plus: US$4.99/month | Nov 1, 2026 |
| Perplexity | AI search engine that answers questions with cited sources. | Yes | Pro: US$20/month, or US$17/month on a yearly plan (US$200/year) | Oct 31, 2026 |
| Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft's AI assistant, free on its own and built into Microsoft 365 apps. | Yes | Microsoft 365 Personal: US$9.99/month, or US$8.33/month on a yearly plan (US$99.99/year) | Oct 30, 2026 |
| Mistral Le Chat | Mistral's AI assistant for chat, search, documents, images and coding. | Yes | Pro: US$14.99/month, or US$11.99/month on a yearly plan | Oct 30, 2026 |
| Grok | xAI's AI assistant with live web and X search, plus image and video creation. | Yes | Plus (The X Subscription): US$8/month, or US$6.67/month on a yearly plan (US$80/year) | Oct 28, 2026 |
| Poe | One app to chat with many AI models from different companies, plus custom bots. | Yes | 10K points/day tier: US$4.99/month, or US$4.17/month on a yearly plan (US$49.99/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Character.AI | Chat and role-play with AI characters made by you or other users. | Yes | c.ai+: US$9.99/month, or US$7.92/month on a yearly plan (US$94.99/year) | Oct 28, 2026 |
| Kimi | AI assistant from Moonshot AI that handles long documents, research and coding. | Yes | Plus: US$19/month, or US$15/month on a yearly plan (US$180/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| DeepSeek | Chat assistant from DeepSeek with deep-thinking and web search modes. | Yes | Free | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Duck.ai | DuckDuckGo's private, anonymized chat with several popular AI models. | Yes | DuckDuckGo Subscription Plus: US$9.99/month, or US$8.33/month on a yearly plan (US$99.99/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Pi | A friendly personal AI for talking things through and everyday advice. | Yes | Free | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Venice | Privacy-focused AI chat and image app that does not store your conversations. | Yes | Pro: US$18/month, or US$15/month on a yearly plan (US$180/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Monica | Browser extension and app that brings an AI assistant to any website for writing, summaries and translation. | Yes | Pro: US$9.99/month, or US$8.30/month on a yearly plan (US$99/year) | Oct 30, 2026 |
| Hugging Face | Hub for open AI models and demo apps, with a free chat app and a low-cost Pro account. | Yes | PRO: US$9/month | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Jan | Free app that runs AI chat models privately on your own computer. | Yes | Free | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Msty | Desktop app to chat with local and online AI models side by side. | Yes | Aurum: US$12.42/month | Oct 26, 2026 |
| HyperWrite | AI writing assistant that drafts, rewrites and researches with you as you type. | Unclear | Premium: US$19.99/month, or US$16/month on a yearly plan (US$192/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Chatbase | Builds an AI chatbot trained on your own website and documents. | No | Hobby: US$40/month, or US$32/month on a yearly plan (US$384/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Lindy | AI assistant that handles email, scheduling and other routine work for you. | Yes | Paid plan: US$29.99/month | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Liner | AI search and research assistant that answers with citations and gives access to many AI models. | Yes | Pro: US$17.99/month, or US$14.99/month on a yearly plan | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Tavus | AI humans you can video-chat with, plus an API for developers to build lifelike video agents. | Yes | Plus (PALs): US$20/month | Oct 26, 2026 |
| DeepAI | Simple AI image generator and chat in one place. | Yes | Pro: US$9.99/month, or US$7.50/month on a yearly plan (US$89.99/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| TextCortex | AI assistant for writing and research that works with your own documents. | Unclear | Premium: US$29.99/month, or US$23.99/month on a yearly plan | Oct 26, 2026 |
| SendPulse | Email campaigns plus chatbots and a CRM in one marketing tool. | Yes | Standard: US$12/month, or US$9.60/month on a yearly plan | Oct 26, 2026 |
All 26 tools
ChatGPT
General AI assistant for writing, questions, files, images and more.
Free plan: Yes: Free tier with limited access to the latest models and tools, including the built-in browser and limited ChatGPT Work access on the desktop app; cloud browser (agent browsing) excludes Free and Go.
Paid from: Go: US$8/month
Discounts: No annual plan for individuals; nonprofits up to 75% off Business/Enterprise; ChatGPT for Teachers free for US K-12 educators through June 2027.
Cheaper or similar: Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot · cheaper ChatGPT alternatives
Checked Nov 1, 2026
Claude
AI assistant known for careful writing, long documents and coding help.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan with limits that reset every 5 hours plus a weekly cap; up to 5 Projects; no Opus models or Claude Code.
Paid from: Pro: US$20/month, or US$17/month on a yearly plan (US$200/year)
Discounts: Annual billing saves about 15%.
Cheaper or similar: Google Gemini, ChatGPT · cheaper Claude alternatives
Checked Nov 1, 2026
Google Gemini
Google's AI assistant, built into Gmail, Docs and other Google apps.
Free plan: Yes: Free Gemini app with basic model access.
Paid from: Google AI Plus: US$4.99/month
Discounts: Family sharing included. Google AI Pro billed yearly is US$199.99/year (about US$16.67/month) on Google One's official US plans page; the yearly price of Google AI Plus (US$4.99/month, 400 GB) is still not published. US college students: 12 months of Google AI Pro free (redeem by Dec 31, 2026; student verification and a payment method required; renews at US$19.99/month).
Cheaper or similar: Microsoft Copilot, DeepSeek
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Nov 1, 2026
Perplexity
AI search engine that answers questions with cited sources.
Free plan: Yes: Free tier with basic searches, 3 Pro Searches a day, 1 Research query a month and no Comet Assistant agent queries.
Paid from: Pro: US$20/month, or US$17/month on a yearly plan (US$200/year)
Discounts: Limited time: 4,000 bonus Computer credits with Pro (shown as +US$40) and 35,000 with Max, one-time, expiring about 30 days after they're granted; no end date stated. Education Pro $10/month for verified students and educators. Comet Plus launched at US$5/month (Aug 2025) and was included in Pro and Max; current availability unconfirmed.
Cheaper or similar: Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot
Checked Oct 31, 2026
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft's AI assistant, free on its own and built into Microsoft 365 apps.
Free plan: Yes: Free Copilot app and web chat.
Paid from: Microsoft 365 Personal: US$9.99/month, or US$8.33/month on a yearly plan (US$99.99/year)
Discounts: Save up to 17% yearly; 1-month free trial; Workplace Discount Program; student offers. Business: Copilot add-on promo US$18 (was US$21) per user/month paid yearly, Jul 1-Dec 31, 2026, first year.
Cheaper or similar: Google Gemini
Checked Oct 30, 2026
Mistral Le Chat
Mistral's AI assistant for chat, search, documents, images and coding.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan with limited access to the latest models, chat, search and coding tools.
Paid from: Pro: US$14.99/month, or US$11.99/month on a yearly plan
Discounts: Verified students: Pro for $5.99/month (normally $14.99).
Cheaper or similar: DeepSeek, Duck.ai
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 30, 2026
Grok
xAI's AI assistant with live web and X search, plus image and video creation.
Free plan: Yes: Free tier at $0 under The X Subscription.
Paid from: Plus (The X Subscription): US$8/month, or US$6.67/month on a yearly plan (US$80/year)
Discounts: Intro offers on grok.com: 25% off for 6 months on Plus, 50% off the first month on higher tiers.
Cheaper or similar: ChatGPT, Google Gemini
Checked Oct 28, 2026
Poe
One app to chat with many AI models from different companies, plus custom bots.
Free plan: Yes: Free: a daily allowance of compute points that resets every 24 hours (help center).
Paid from: 10K points/day tier: US$4.99/month, or US$4.17/month on a yearly plan (US$49.99/year)
Discounts: Save 17% with yearly billing; add-on points $30 per 1M.
Cheaper or similar: Duck.ai, Microsoft Copilot
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Character.AI
Chat and role-play with AI characters made by you or other users.
Free plan: Yes: Free, unlimited messaging for all users (may wait in a queue at busy times).
Paid from: c.ai+: US$9.99/month, or US$7.92/month on a yearly plan (US$94.99/year)
Discounts: Yearly saves 21% vs 12 monthly payments ($94.99 vs $119.88).
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 28, 2026
Kimi
AI assistant from Moonshot AI that handles long documents, research and coding.
Free plan: Yes: Free 'Adagio' plan at $0.
Paid from: Plus: US$19/month, or US$15/month on a yearly plan (US$180/year)
Discounts: Annual billing saves up to $480 (on top tier).
Cheaper or similar: DeepSeek, Mistral Le Chat
Checked Oct 26, 2026
DeepSeek
Chat assistant from DeepSeek with deep-thinking and web search modes.
Free plan: Yes: Web and app chat are offered, but no plans or prices are listed for them.
Price: Free
Cheaper or similar: Kimi, Mistral Le Chat
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Duck.ai
DuckDuckGo's private, anonymized chat with several popular AI models.
Free plan: Yes: Free access to several models with daily limits; chats are anonymized.
Paid from: DuckDuckGo Subscription Plus: US$9.99/month, or US$8.33/month on a yearly plan (US$99.99/year)
Discounts: Subscription bundles a VPN, personal-info removal (US) and identity theft restoration.
Cheaper or similar: Poe, Microsoft Copilot
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Pi
A friendly personal AI for talking things through and everyday advice.
Free plan: Yes: Free to use; sign-up saves chat history past 60 days.
Price: Free
Cheaper or similar: Character.AI
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Venice
Privacy-focused AI chat and image app that does not store your conversations.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan at $0.
Paid from: Pro: US$18/month, or US$15/month on a yearly plan (US$180/year)
Discounts: Yearly billing saves up to 16.7%.
Cheaper or similar: Duck.ai, Poe
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Monica
Browser extension and app that brings an AI assistant to any website for writing, summaries and translation.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan at US$0 with basic models and limited trials of extra tools.
Paid from: Pro: US$9.99/month, or US$8.30/month on a yearly plan (US$99/year)
Discounts: Flash sale: Max 58% off yearly (US$199/year, was US$299).
Cheaper or similar: Microsoft Copilot, Poe
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 30, 2026
Hugging Face
Hub for open AI models and demo apps, with a free chat app and a low-cost Pro account.
Free plan: Yes: Free account.
Paid from: PRO: US$9/month
Cheaper or similar: ChatGPT, Jan
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Jan
Free app that runs AI chat models privately on your own computer.
Free plan: Yes: Free and open source.
Price: Free
Cheaper or similar: Msty, ChatGPT
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Msty
Desktop app to chat with local and online AI models side by side.
Free plan: Yes: Studio Free ($0).
Paid from: Aurum: US$12.42/month
Cheaper or similar: Jan, ChatGPT
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
HyperWrite
AI writing assistant that drafts, rewrites and researches with you as you type.
Free plan: Unclear: Not stated on the pricing page.
Paid from: Premium: US$19.99/month, or US$16/month on a yearly plan (US$192/year)
Discounts: Save 20% with annual billing.
Cheaper or similar: Rytr, Wordtune
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Chatbase
Builds an AI chatbot trained on your own website and documents.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Hobby: US$40/month, or US$32/month on a yearly plan (US$384/year)
Discounts: Save $96 per year on annual billing.
Cheaper or similar: Botpress, Tidio
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Lindy
AI assistant that handles email, scheduling and other routine work for you.
Free plan: Yes: Free with $50 of credits.
Paid from: Paid plan: US$29.99/month
Cheaper or similar: Zapier, Gumloop
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Liner
AI search and research assistant that answers with citations and gives access to many AI models.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan with limited credits, 1 file upload/day, answers with ads.
Paid from: Pro: US$17.99/month, or US$14.99/month on a yearly plan
Discounts: Save up to 17% with annual billing.
Cheaper or similar: Perplexity, Elicit
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Tavus
AI humans you can video-chat with, plus an API for developers to build lifelike video agents.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan: unlimited messaging, 15 minutes of calls.
Paid from: Plus (PALs): US$20/month
Cheaper or similar: HeyGen, D-ID
Checked Oct 26, 2026
DeepAI
Simple AI image generator and chat in one place.
Free plan: Yes: Free ($0).
Paid from: Pro: US$9.99/month, or US$7.50/month on a yearly plan (US$89.99/year)
Discounts: Save 25% with a yearly plan.
Cheaper or similar: NightCafe, getimg.ai
Checked Oct 26, 2026
TextCortex
AI assistant for writing and research that works with your own documents.
Free plan: Unclear: Not stated in what we read.
Paid from: Premium: US$29.99/month, or US$23.99/month on a yearly plan
Discounts: Yearly: get 2 months free.
Cheaper or similar: Jasper, Writesonic
Checked Oct 26, 2026
SendPulse
Email campaigns plus chatbots and a CRM in one marketing tool.
Free plan: Yes: Free: 15,000 emails per month.
Paid from: Standard: US$12/month, or US$9.60/month on a yearly plan
Discounts: Yearly billing is 20% lower; 6-month billing 10% lower.
Cheaper or similar: Brevo, MailerLite
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Other jobs
FAQ
What's the best free chatbots & ai assistants tool?
23 of the 26 chatbots & ai assistants tools here have a free plan, including ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, Perplexity. Start with the one whose job description matches yours, and check the free-plan limits in each card before you commit.
What's the cheapest paid chatbots & ai assistants tool?
Of the prices we could confirm, Poe is cheapest: its 10K points/day tier plan is US$4.99/month, or US$4.17/month on a yearly plan (US$49.99/year). Next is Google Gemini: its Google AI Plus plan is US$4.99/month. Prices are in US dollars before tax, checked Nov 1, 2026.
How do you check these prices?
We read each tool's official pricing page (or the maker's own help pages) in US dollars before tax, and note the date. If a price isn't shown clearly, we leave it blank rather than guess.
Want to spend less? Tick the tools you pay for in the Nerdy Savings calculator.