Compare free ChatGPT alternatives and their paid tiers
Find a free alternative to ChatGPT for personal or small-business use. Each row shows the free plan, its limits, and the first paid plan and price listed by the vendor.
The fact matrix
Read each row from free access to the first paid option, then check limits that may affect your use. Under each cell is the vendor page we read and the date. The order of the rows is not a ranking.
| Assistant | Free plan | Free-plan limits | First paid plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPTOpenAI · baseline | Yes, there is a Free plan at no charge chatgpt.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Unlimited text chats (subject to abuse guardrails); limited uploads, image creation, voice, deep research and memory chatgpt.com checked 1 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 |
| ClaudeAnthropic | Yes, US$0 claude.com checked 1 Oct 2026 | Usage limits apply; the pricing page gives no message count. Free includes web search, file creation, code execution, memory and Artifacts 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 |
| GeminiGoogle | Yes, US$0/month with a Google Account gemini.google checked 2 Oct 2026 | Access to the Flash model and varying access to the Pro model; image generation, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas and Gems; 15 GB storage gemini.google checked 1 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 |
| 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 | No numeric caps are stated on the pages read. Microsoft says signing in gives chat history, more image creation, longer conversations and longer use of voice. 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 |
| Mistral (Vibe)Mistral AI | Yes, free tier on web and mobile mistral.ai checked 1 Oct 2026 | Limited messages and web searches, limited coding sessions; image generation included mistral.ai checked 1 Oct 2026 | Pro, US$14.99/month excluding taxes mistral.ai checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| GrokxAI | Not verified The product page offers 'Try for free'; terms not stated x.ai tried 2 Oct 2026 | Not verified Not stated on the pages we could read grok.com tried 2 Oct 2026 | SuperGrok Lite US$10/month; SuperGrok US$30/month; SuperGrok Heavy US$300/month. Read from the price elements on grok.com/plans with the annual toggle off. grok.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
GrokSource: x.ai
- Best for
- Questions about what is happening right now: the product page leads with live web and X search.Based on: listed features
- Not ideal for
- A low-cost paid step: the listed plans run from US$10 to US$300 a month.Based on: first paid plan
How to choose from this table
Start with the free features you need. Claude includes file creation, code execution, memory and Artifacts on its free plan. Gemini lists image generation, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas and Gems, while Microsoft Copilot offers web-based tasks across its apps.
Set a budget for the next paid step. Google AI Plus is listed at US$4.99/month, and SuperGrok Lite is listed at US$10/month. ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro are both listed at US$20/month, while Mistral Vibe Pro is listed at US$14.99/month excluding taxes.
Check the limits before choosing a plan. ChatGPT lists unlimited text chats subject to abuse guardrails, but limits uploads and other features. Claude says usage limits apply without publishing a message count, and Mistral Vibe limits messages, web searches and coding sessions.
Match the plan to how you work. Microsoft 365 Personal includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and 1 TB storage for US$9.99/month. Gemini paid plans add storage, while ChatGPT's cheaper Go plan has no verified US-dollar price and the vendor says it may include ads.
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 listed alternative to ChatGPT includes coding on the free plan?
Claude includes code execution on its free plan. Mistral Vibe also includes limited coding sessions, alongside limited messages and web searches.
Which free plan lists unlimited text chats?
ChatGPT lists unlimited text chats subject to abuse guardrails. Uploads, image creation, voice, deep research and memory are limited.
What is the cheapest verified first paid plan?
Google AI Plus is listed at US$4.99/month. Microsoft 365 Personal is US$9.99/month, SuperGrok Lite is US$10/month, and Mistral Vibe Pro is US$14.99/month excluding taxes.
Does Grok have a verified free plan?
The Grok product page offers “Try for free,” but the pages read did not state the terms. They also did not state free-plan limits, so those details could not be verified.