C
CGeneral-purpose AI chat assistant for writing, research, coding and everyday tasks
Free, from $8/mo
Chat & Assistants AI toolsFull list
Chatbots and personal AI assistants.
43 tools30 with a free plan17 with an API8 open source
43 tools
CC
Free, from $8/mo
C
General-purpose AI chat assistant for writing, research, coding and everyday tasks
AI ChatbotsFree plan
G
GG
Freemium
G
Google's AI assistant for chat, research, images, video and everyday tasks
AI ChatbotsFree planAPI
C
CC
Free, from $17/mo
M
MAI assistant for chat, web search, writing and images at work and home
Free, from $18/mo
M
Free, from $18/mo
M
AI assistant for chat, web search, writing and images at work and home
AI ChatbotsFree plan
D
DD
Paid
D
DD
Free
D
Private search engine, browser and Duck.ai chat for people who avoid tracking
AI SearchFree plan
E
EE
Free, from $14.99/mo
E
Notes, tasks and calendar in one app, with AI search and transcription
Notes & KnowledgeFree plan
G
GxAI's chat assistant for questions, writing and research, with free and paid tiers
Free, from $30/mo
G
Free, from $30/mo
G
xAI's chat assistant for questions, writing and research, with free and paid tiers
AI ChatbotsFree planAPI
Z
ZNo-code workflow automation and AI agents across 9,000+ apps for businesses
Free, from $19.99/mo
Z
Free, from $19.99/mo
Z
No-code workflow automation and AI agents across 9,000+ apps for businesses
Workflow AutomationFree planAPI
M
MOpen-weight AI models, chat and coding agent you can run on your own infrastructure
Free, from $14.99/mo
M
Free, from $14.99/mo
M
Open-weight AI models, chat and coding agent you can run on your own infrastructure
Local & Open ModelsFree planAPIOpen source
C
CC
Freemium
C
Chat with AI characters for fun, roleplay and conversation
Characters & CompanionsFree plan
S
SS
Freemium
S
Open image generation models you can self-host or call through an API
Image GeneratorsFree planAPI
O
OO
Free, from $16.67/mo
O
Run open AI models locally or in the cloud on macOS, Windows and Linux
Local & Open ModelsFree planAPIOpen source
I
IGuided tax filing software with AI answers and optional help from tax experts
Freemium
I
Freemium
I
Guided tax filing software with AI answers and optional help from tax experts
Finance & AccountingFree plan
R
RR
Freemium
R
AI companion app for conversation, voice calls and emotional support
Characters & CompanionsFree plan
L
LDesktop agent for documents, code and automation using local or open models
Free, from $20/mo
L
Free, from $20/mo
L
Desktop agent for documents, code and automation using local or open models
Local & Open ModelsFree planAPI
S
SS
Free, from $12/mo
I
IAI customer agent that resolves support, sales and ecommerce conversations
From $49.50/mo
I
From $49.50/mo
I
AI customer agent that resolves support, sales and ecommerce conversations
Customer SupportAPI
Z
ZZ
Free trial
M
MSearchable local snapshots of your screen history on Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs
See site
M
See site
M
Searchable local snapshots of your screen history on Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs
Personal Assistants
R
RR
Paid
R
Run, fine-tune and deploy open-source ML models through a cloud API
Developer Tools & APIsAPI
G
GG
Free, from $20/mo
G
Desktop app for running open-source language models locally and privately
Local & Open ModelsFree plan
T
TT
From $24.17/mo
T
AI customer service and live chat that answers questions and drives store sales
Customer SupportAPI
K
KK
Free trial
K
AI companion app for building custom characters to chat, call and share selfies
Characters & Companions
Chat & Assistants tools compared
From each vendor's own pages, re-checked every two months. Of 34 tools we checked, 8 of 14 that state a policy don't train AI on your content, and 9 hold SOC 2 or ISO 27001.
How to choose chat & assistants tools
Start with the job you need done. General assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini and Grok cover a broad range of writing, research and everyday tasks. Others focus on one area: Intercom Fin and Kayako on customer support, Layla and Mindtrip on travel, Wysa on mental health support, and Nomi and Kindroid on companionship.
Then compare these points:
- Pricing model: Most general assistants are freemium, with paid plans listed from $8/mo (ChatGPT) to $30/mo (Grok). Clio Duo and Paradox ask you to contact the vendor for pricing.
- Platform: Claude and Microsoft Copilot are listed for web, desktop and mobile. Gemini and Grok are listed for web and API, while Wysa is listed for iOS only.
- Local and open source: Ollama is open source and runs open models locally or in the cloud. LM Studio also works with local or open models.
- API access: Claude, Gemini, Grok and DeepSeek all list an API, which matters if you plan to build on them.
We have not tested these tools, so check current plans and features with each vendor.
Frequently asked questions
Are there free AI chatbots and assistants?
Yes. DuckDuckGo, which includes Duck.ai chat, and Layla, an AI trip planner, are both listed as free. ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini and Grok are freemium, so they have a free tier alongside paid plans. Vosk is also free and open source, but it is a speech recognition toolkit for developers rather than a chatbot.
How much do AI assistants cost?
Among the general assistants with a listed starting price, ChatGPT starts at $8/mo, Claude at $17/mo, Microsoft Copilot at $18/mo and Grok at $30/mo. Business tools vary more: Zapier starts at $19.99/mo and Intercom Fin at $49.5/mo, while Clio Duo and Paradox ask you to contact the vendor. Some listings, including Gemini and DeepSeek, have no starting price in our data.
What should I look for in an AI assistant?
First decide whether you need a general assistant or one built for a specific job, such as Intercom Fin for customer conversations or Clio Duo for law firm practice management. Then check the pricing model, whether it runs on your devices, whether it has an API, and whether you need open-source or local options such as Ollama.
What are the alternatives to ChatGPT?
Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, Grok and DeepSeek are the closest alternatives in this list, as they are all general chat assistants. If you want to avoid tracking, DuckDuckGo offers Duck.ai chat. If you want to use local or open models, look at Ollama or LM Studio.