AI chatbot subscriptions compared

All four have a free plan that is good enough to start, and their $20-a-month tiers are close in price. Pick based on what you do most: writing, Google apps, or research with sources.

Some prices here haven't been re-checked yet. Confirm on the official site before buying.

At a glance

Free plan availability and price range for each tool
Tool	Cheapest paid	Top plan
Claude	$20/moPro	$200/moUltra
ChatGPT	$20/moPlus	$200/moPro
Gemini	$19.99/moGoogle AI Pro	$249.99/moGoogle AI Ultra
Perplexity	$20/moPro	$200/moMax

Claude

Careful writing help and long-document reading.

Free

Price not yet verified

Chat on web, desktop, and mobile
Search the web, create files, and run code
Memory across conversations
Connect your apps and tools

Limited usage every 5 hours and every week.

Worth it for: Perfect for trying Claude and for occasional writing or questions.

Pro

$20/mo

$17/mo if billed yearly

Price not yet verified

More usage than Free
Includes Claude Code
Projects to organize files and instructions
More Claude models
Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365

Usage still has limits that reset every 5 hours and every week. $200 billed up front for a year.

Worth it for: Worth it if you use AI daily for writing or studying and keep hitting the free limits.

Max

$100/mo

Price not yet verified

5x Pro usage
Priority access at busy times
Early access to new features
$100 a month in API credits

Billed monthly only.

Worth it for: Worth it only if Claude is a core work tool you rely on for hours every day.

Ultra

$200/mo

Price not yet verified

10x Pro usage every week
No 5-hour limit for verified accounts
$200 a month in API credits

Billed monthly only.

Worth it for: For people who run long tasks all day and still hit Max's limits.

Team Standard seat

$25/mo

$20/mo if billed yearly

per seat · 2 seats minimum

Price not yet verified

All Claude features, plus more usage than Pro
Central billing and administration
Single sign-on (SSO)
No model training on your content by default

For teams of 2 to 150. Seat types can be mixed.

Worth it for: Worth it for small teams that want shared billing and admin controls.

Team Premium seat

$125/mo

$100/mo if billed yearly

per seat · 2 seats minimum

Price not yet verified

5x more usage than standard seats
Everything in the Team plan
Up to $500 a month in pooled API credits

For teams of 2 to 150. Seat types can be mixed.

Worth it for: For team members who use Claude heavily, such as developers.

Enterprise

$20/mo, billed yearly

per seat · 20 seats minimum

Price not yet verified

All Team plan features
Role-based access and spend limits
SCIM and audit logs

Seat price plus usage at API rates, so the real cost grows with use. Billed yearly, 20 seats minimum.

Worth it for: For large organisations that need admin controls at scale.

ChatGPT

Drafts, explains and brainstorms with you.

Free

Price not yet verified

Chat on web, desktop, and mobile
Web search
Upload files and photos
Voice conversations

Limited access to the most capable model and to image creation.

Worth it for: Great for everyday questions, quick drafts, and getting started with AI.

Plus

$20/mo

Price not yet verified

More usage than Free
Access to more advanced models
More image creation
Deep research reports
Custom GPTs and projects

Advanced features still have usage caps.

Worth it for: Worth it if you use ChatGPT most days and keep running into the free limits.

Pro

$200/mo

Price not yet verified

Near-unlimited use of top models
Access to the most powerful reasoning mode
Highest limits for research and video
Early access to new features

Worth it for: Only worth it for professionals who rely on ChatGPT for demanding work all day.

Gemini

Google's assistant, built into Gmail and Docs.

Free

Price not yet verified

Chat with Gemini on web and mobile
Answers using Google Search
Help in Gmail and Docs basics
Image creation

Limited access to the most capable models.

Worth it for: A great free option if you already live in Google apps.

Google AI Pro

$19.99/mo

Price not yet verified

More access to Google's advanced models
Gemini inside Gmail, Docs, and Sheets
2 TB of Google storage
Higher NotebookLM limits
Video creation tools

Worth it for: Worth it if you want more AI and need extra Google storage anyway.

Google AI Ultra

$249.99/mo

Price not yet verified

Highest limits on Google's top models
Most advanced video generation
Early access to experimental features
Large storage included

Worth it for: Only worth it for creators and professionals who push Google's AI to the max.

Perplexity

Ask anything, get an answer with its sources.

Free

Price not yet verified

Unlimited basic searches
Answers with sources
Follow-up questions
Mobile and desktop apps

A small number of advanced searches per day.

Worth it for: Enough for most people's everyday research.

Pro

$20/mo

Price not yet verified

Many more advanced searches
Choose between top AI models
Upload and analyze files
Deeper research reports

Worth it for: Worth it if research is part of your job or studies and you search every day.

Max

$200/mo

Price not yet verified

Highest usage limits
Access to the most advanced models
Early access to new features
Priority support

Worth it for: Only worth it for power users who run heavy research all day.

Prices change often and can differ by country. Always check the official site before you pay.