Compare ChatGPT alternatives for different writing needs
If you are looking for the best alternative to ChatGPT, compare options for non-technical buyers and small-business owners in the US, UK and Canada. Each row shows the free plan, price and writing features named by the vendor.
The fact matrix
Read across each row to compare free access, paid prices and the writing features named for each tool. Under each cell is the vendor page we read and the date. The order of the rows is not a ranking.
| Tool | Free plan | Price | Writing features named |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPTOpenAI · baseline | Yes, there is a Free plan at no charge chatgpt.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Plus, US$20/month billed monthly (OpenAI help centre). The cheaper Go plan exists, but its US-dollar price is not verified: the help centre gives no figure, and the pricing page we could load showed the Australian price (A$13/month) and says Go may include ads help.openai.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Writing blocks: editable areas for draft text such as emails, messages, social posts and documents (availability varies by plan). Plus lists projects, scheduled tasks and custom GPTs. help.openai.com checked 2 Oct 2026 |
| ClaudeAnthropic | Yes, US$0 claude.com checked 1 Oct 2026 | Pro, US$20/month billed monthly, or US$17/month on the annual plan (US$200 up front) claude.com checked 1 Oct 2026 | Artifacts are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans. Free also lists creating files; Pro adds Claude Design, Slides, Docs and Projects. support.claude.com checked 2 Oct 2026 |
| GeminiGoogle | Yes, US$0/month with a Google Account gemini.google checked 2 Oct 2026 | Google AI Plus, US$4.99/month (2x the free usage limits, 400 GB storage); Google AI Pro is US$19.99/month (4x the free usage limits, 5 TB storage) gemini.google checked 2 Oct 2026 | Canvas (listed on the Free plan) for generating drafts, adjusting tone and editing sections. Google AI Pro adds Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Vids and more. gemini.google checked 2 Oct 2026 |
| Microsoft CopilotMicrosoft | Yes. Microsoft describes Microsoft Copilot (free) as available free of cost, for general questions and answers and web-based tasks, on the web, desktop and mobile apps and in Edge. support.microsoft.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Microsoft 365 Personal, US$9.99/month, includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook with Copilot and 1 TB storage; Premium is US$19.99/month microsoft.com checked 1 Oct 2026 | Copilot Pages for planning, writing and outlining, with rich text editing; you can ask Copilot to simplify, rewrite, expand or improve grammar or tone. Sign-in is required for Pages. support.microsoft.com checked 2 Oct 2026 |
| Mistral (Vibe)Mistral AI | Yes, free tier on web and mobile mistral.ai checked 1 Oct 2026 | Pro, US$14.99/month excluding taxes mistral.ai checked 1 Oct 2026 | Canvas to create documents, presentations, code and mockups; project folders to group chats. The pricing page text does not show which plans include them. mistral.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 |
| GrammarlyGrammarly | Yes, US$0/month grammarly.com checked 1 Oct 2026 | Pro, US$12 per member per month on annual billing (US$144 for 12 months); the monthly plan is US$30. Enterprise by quote grammarly.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Spelling and grammar on Free; full-sentence rewrites, tone adjustment, plagiarism and AI-text detection on Pro grammarly.com checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| JasperJasper AI | No free plan listed; 7-day free trial of the Pro plan. jasper.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 | Pro: US$69/month per seat billed monthly, or US$59/month billed yearly ($ shown, currency not labelled). Business: custom pricing. jasper.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 | Canvas platform for on-brand content, agents for core marketing workflows, Brand Voice and Knowledge customization; API access and no-code agent builder on Business. jasper.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 |
| WordtuneAI21 Labs | Yes. Basic plan at $0.00: 10 rewrites and AI suggestions per day, 3 AI summarizations per month, unlimited spelling and grammar checks. wordtune.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Advanced: US$4.89/month billed annually, with US$6.99 shown beside it ($ shown, currency not labelled). Unlimited: US$6.99/month billed annually. wordtune.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Rewrites and AI suggestions, AI summaries, spelling and grammar checks, AI recommendations, vocabulary enhancements; 3-day free trial on paid plans. wordtune.com checked 2 Oct 2026 |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
About the prices. Vendor pages were read on 1 and 2 October 2026 from a connection in Australia. Where a vendor shows local prices, we took the US-dollar figure from its United States page or its help centre and link to that page. Where we could not read a US-dollar price, the cell says so and names the currency we saw. Prices in other countries can differ.
Who each one suits, and who it does not
These lines are drawn only from the facts we could read on vendor pages. We have not run our own tests, so nothing here ranks the tools on the quality of their output.
ChatGPTSource: chatgpt.com
- Best for
- The baseline. Its free plan lists unlimited text chats, so the reasons to switch are the limits on everything else.Based on: free-plan limits
- Not ideal for
- People who want a cheap ad-free tier: the plan below Plus is the one the vendor says may include ads.Based on: first paid plan
ClaudeSource: claude.com
- Best for
- Getting file creation and code execution without paying: both are listed on the free plan.Based on: free-plan limits
- Not ideal for
- Anyone who needs a published free message allowance to plan around: the page only says usage limits apply.Based on: free-plan limits
GeminiSource: gemini.google
- Best for
- Households already paying Google for storage: the paid tiers bundle 400 GB to 5 TB with the assistant.Based on: first paid plan, listed features
- Not ideal for
- A small team that only wants a few chat seats at consumer prices: the business edition starts at US$21 a seat.Based on: team seat
Microsoft CopilotSource: microsoft.com
- Best for
- People who live in Word, Excel and Outlook: the assistant comes inside the Microsoft 365 subscription.Based on: first paid plan, listed features
- Not ideal for
- Buyers who only want a chat assistant: every paid tier on the page is a Microsoft 365 bundle.Based on: first paid plan
Mistral (Vibe)Source: mistral.ai
- Best for
- A standalone assistant with a paid plan under US$15 a month: Pro is listed at US$14.99.Based on: first paid plan
- Not ideal for
- Heavy free use: messages, web searches and coding sessions are all described as limited.Based on: free-plan limits
GrammarlySource: grammarly.com
- Best for
- Cleaning up emails and customer replies wherever you already type; the free plan has a stated monthly AI allowance.Based on: stated limits, listed features
- Not ideal for
- Drafting long documents from scratch on the free plan: 100 prompts a month is the cap.Based on: stated limits
JasperSource: jasper.ai
- Best for
- Solo marketers who want brand-voice controls and marketing agents and can pay US$59-69 a month for one seat.Based on: price, stated limits, listed features
- Not ideal for
- People who want a permanent free plan or more than one seat without talking to sales.Based on: free plan, stated limits
WordtuneSource: wordtune.com
- Best for
- Writers who want sentence-level rewrites with a free tier and a paid plan under US$7 a month on annual billing.Based on: free plan, price
- Not ideal for
- Heavy users on the free or Advanced plans, which cap rewrites at 10 and 30 per day.Based on: stated limits
How to choose from this table
Start with the writing task you need. Gemini lists Canvas for generating drafts, adjusting tone and editing sections. Microsoft Copilot lists Copilot Pages for planning, writing and outlining. Grammarly lists spelling and grammar on Free, with full-sentence rewrites and tone adjustment on Pro.
Set a budget before choosing a paid plan. Wordtune lists Advanced at US$4.89/month billed annually and Unlimited at US$6.99/month billed annually. Mistral (Vibe) lists Pro at US$14.99/month excluding taxes. Claude lists Pro at US$20/month billed monthly or US$17/month on the annual plan.
Check free-plan limits before relying on an assistant. Wordtune's Basic plan lists 10 rewrites and AI suggestions per day, 3 AI summarizations per month and unlimited spelling and grammar checks. Grammarly's free plan has a stated monthly AI allowance. Claude's page says usage limits apply, but it does not publish a free message allowance.
Match the plan to your documents and work. Claude lists Artifacts on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans, while Pro adds Claude Design, Slides, Docs and Projects. Microsoft 365 Personal includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook with Copilot. Jasper is listed for AI marketing copy and includes Brand Voice and Knowledge customization.
Treat not verified as a reason to check, not a mark against the product. It means the vendor page did not show us the detail on the day. Every figure, with its source and date, is also in the fact ledger.
Related: AI tools compared by task, price and usage limits, Find an alternative to ChatGPT for everyday work, Business AI plans compared by cost and limits, Free AI tools and their plan limits.
Questions people ask
Which ChatGPT alternative has a free plan for writing?
Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Mistral (Vibe), Grammarly and Wordtune each list free access. Wordtune's Basic plan is listed at $0.00 and includes 10 rewrites and AI suggestions per day.
Which paid plan has the lowest listed price?
Wordtune lists Advanced at US$4.89/month billed annually, while Gemini lists Google AI Plus at US$4.99/month. The table shows different billing terms for these plans.
Which alternatives include document or writing workspaces?
ChatGPT lists editable writing blocks, Claude lists Artifacts and Docs on Pro, Gemini lists Canvas on the Free plan, and Microsoft Copilot lists Copilot Pages. Mistral (Vibe) lists Canvas for creating documents, presentations, code and mockups, but its pricing page does not show which plans include them.
Which tool is for AI marketing copy?
Jasper is listed for AI marketing copy. Its named features include the Canvas platform, agents for core marketing workflows, Brand Voice and Knowledge customization. No free plan is listed; a 7-day free trial of Pro is listed.