AI assistants compared
General chat assistants for writing, analysis, research and everyday questions.
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Everyday writing and brainstorming | Yes | Go $8/month, Plus $20/month, Pro from $100/month; Business $25/user/month billed monthly ($20 billed annually) |
| Claude | Long reports and document review | Yes | Pro $20/month ($17/month billed annually), Max from $100/month; Team from $20/seat/month billed annually |
| Gemini | Google Workspace users | Yes | Google AI Plus $4.99/month, Google AI Pro $19.99/month, Google AI Ultra from $99.99/month (US prices) |
| Microsoft Copilot | Word, Excel and PowerPoint users | Yes | Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/month, Family $12.99/month, Premium $19.99/month (US prices) |
ChatGPT
OpenAI's general-purpose assistant for writing, analysis, coding help, image generation and web research.
Our take: The safest default if you only pay for one assistant: broad features and the largest ecosystem of integrations.
Claude
Anthropic's assistant, known for long documents, careful writing and coding. Paid plans include Claude Code for software work.
Our take: A strong pick for knowledge workers who handle long documents and for developers who want an agent in the terminal.
Gemini
Google's assistant, built into Gmail, Docs and Android, with image and video generation on paid plans.
Our take: Best value if you already live in Google's apps, since storage and AI come in one subscription.
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft's assistant, available free on its own and built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook with Microsoft 365 plans.
Our take: Worth it mainly if Office is where you work all day; the in-app help is the main draw.
Prices checked on 23 October 2026 against each maker's website. No company pays to be listed.