10 alternatives
ChatGPT alternatives
Love the idea of ChatGPT but not quite sold? You’re in good company. We rounded up the 10 alternatives our editors and readers keep coming back to in 2026.
For context, ChatGPT costs Free · Plus $20/mo and suits anyone who wants one versatile AI assistant for work and life.
The short version: 10 of these let you start for free, and 8 cost less.
- 1
ClaudeFreemium
No reviews yetA calm, careful AI assistant that shines on long documents, nuanced writing and code.
- ✓ works on 4 platforms
ChatGPT vs ClaudeFree · Pro $20/mo - 2
GeminiFreemium
No reviews yetGoogle's AI assistant, at its most useful when it can see your Gmail, Docs and Drive.
- ✓ cheaper (from $19.99)
ChatGPT vs GeminiFree · Advanced $19.99/mo - 3
PerplexityFreemium
No reviews yetAsk a question, get a clear answer with links to where the information came from.
- ✓ works on 3 platforms
Free · Pro $20/mo - 4
Hugging FaceFree
No reviews yetThe place to find, try and share open AI models, datasets and live demos.
- ✓ totally free
- ✓ works on 5 platforms
ChatGPT vs Hugging FaceFree · Pro $9/mo - 5
Le ChatFreemium
No reviews yetMistral's speedy chat assistant from Europe, with web search and a canvas for drafting.
- ✓ cheaper (from $14.99)
- ✓ works on 3 platforms
ChatGPT vs Le ChatFree · Pro $14.99/mo - 6
GrammarlyFreemium
No reviews yetA writing helper that quietly fixes your mistakes and nudges your tone wherever you type.
- ✓ cheaper (from $12)
Free · Pro $12/mo - 7
Notion AIFreemium
No reviews yetAn AI helper built into your Notion pages that writes, finds answers and tidies up your notes.
- ✓ cheaper (from $10)
Free · Plus $10/mo - 8
DeepLFreemium
No reviews yetTranslations that read like a person wrote them, not like they came out of a machine.
- ✓ cheaper (from $8.74)
Free · Pro $8.74/mo - 9
QuillBotFreemium
No reviews yetA handy all-in-one spot to reword, shorten and tidy up text without bouncing between apps.
- ✓ cheaper (from $9.95)
Free · Premium $9.95/mo - 10
NotebookLMFree
No reviews yetGoogle's free research notebook that answers questions only from the sources you give it.
- ✓ totally free
Free
ChatGPT alternatives: FAQ
What’s a good alternative to ChatGPT?+
Start with Claude — it’s the closest match. Gemini and Perplexity are great too, depending on your budget.
Is there a free tool like ChatGPT?+
Yes! Grammarly, Claude and Notion AI won’t cost you anything to get started.
What’s cheaper than ChatGPT?+
If $20 feels steep, look at Hugging Face (free), NotebookLM (free) and DeepL ($8.74).