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Which AI should I use?

Pick what you need AI for and how much you want to spend. You’ll get two or three choices that fit, with what they cost and a link to the full comparison. Every price comes from the company’s own page.

Checked October 18, 2026

The picks

Chat and writing: free

ChatGPT or Claude, freeBoth chat and write on a free account. Try the same task in each and keep the one you prefer.Google Gemini, freeIts free plan also makes images and runs Deep Research.

Chat and writing: about $20 a month

Claude Pro, $20 a monthAdds Claude Opus 5.5, the model Anthropic suggests for most work, and Claude Code.ChatGPT Plus, $20 a monthAdds OpenAI’s top models, including GPT-6 Astra.Google AI Pro, $19.99 a monthAdds Gemini 4 Argon, 5 TB of storage and Gemini in Gmail and Docs.

Chat and writing: pay per use (api)

Claude Haiku 5.5 or GPT-6 Luna$0.10 per million input tokens and $0.50 output: the lowest-priced current models from Anthropic and OpenAI.Claude Opus 5.5$4 in and $20 out per million tokens, and Anthropic’s starting point for most work.

Coding: free

Claude or ChatGPT, freeGood for small scripts and questions. Claude’s free plan writes and runs code.DeepSeek, freeIts app has no paid plan at all, and its model’s weights are open.

Coding: about $20 a month

Claude Pro with Claude Code, $20 a monthAnthropic’s coding agent comes with every paid Claude plan.CursorThe AI code editor, sold as part of The X Subscription, with plans from free to $200 a month.

Coding: pay per use (api)

Claude Opus 5.5$4 in, $20 out. Anthropic says it matches GPT-6 Astra on a coding benchmark at about 40% of the cost.GPT-6.1 Sol$2 in, $10 out. OpenAI released it for complex coding at a lower cost than GPT-6 Astra.

Images: free

Bing Image CreatorThe most free pictures: 15 fast creations a day, then slower ones, up to 200 prompts a day.Gemini or ChatGPTFree photo editing: upload a picture and describe the change.

Images: about $20 a month

Google AI Plus, $4.99 a monthUnlocks Nano Banana 2.1, Google’s newest image model, and Nano Banana Pro redos.Adobe Firefly Pro, $19.99 a monthUnlimited generations on select models, such as Nano Banana 2, for the first year, plus Photoshop on web and mobile.Google AI Pro, $19.99 a monthThe same image models with four times the free plan’s usage.Midjourney or Leonardo, $30 a monthUnlimited images at a slower pace: Midjourney Standard in Relax mode, or Leonardo Premium on selected models. Their cheapest paid plans are $10 and $12.

Images: pay per use (api)

GPT Image 2 or FLUX 3 Image KleinFrom $0.006 and $0.009 a picture.Nano Banana 2.1$0.034 a picture at 1K, with a calculator for monthly costs.

Research and documents: free

Google Gemini, freeDeep Research on the free plan, which reads up to 32,000 tokens of uploads at a time.Gemini Notebook, freeAnswers built from the documents you add.

Research and documents: about $20 a month

Google AI Pro, $19.99 a monthReads up to 1 million tokens at a time, against 32,000 on the free plan.Claude Pro, $20 a monthAdds Research and Claude Opus 5.5.

Research and documents: pay per use (api)

Gemini 4 Argon$2 in, $10 out per million tokens until December 1, 2026, when the price doubles.Any model, with cachingDocuments read again and again cost far less from the prompt cache. Try the long-documents example in the calculator.

Studying: free

Google Gemini, freeQuizzes, flashcards and audio overviews from your own notes.Gemini Notebook, freeAnswers from the course materials you upload.ChatGPT study mode, freeOn every ChatGPT plan, including Free.

Studying: about $20 a month

Google AI Pro, free for a yearFor eligible U.S. college students who sign up by December 31, 2026; then $19.99 a month.Khanmigo, $4 a monthKhan Academy’s AI tutor for learners and families; free for teachers.Quizlet Plus Unlimited, $44.99 a yearPractice tests, textbook solutions and unlimited Learn rounds, with a 7-day trial on the yearly plan.

Studying: pay per use (api)

Use the apps insteadFor studying, the free apps add quizzes and flashcards that a raw API doesn’t. Start with the free picks.

Design: free

Claude DesignOn Claude’s free plan: decks, one-pagers and mockups from a prompt, in your brand.Figma Starter150 AI credits a day, up to 500 a month.Canva FreeMore than 1.6 million templates and up to 20 AI uses, for social posts and marketing graphics.

Design: about $20 a month

Figma ProfessionalFrom $16 a month for a full seat, with 3,000 AI credits.Canva Pro, $144 a yearAI tools that resize, translate and remove backgrounds, with 10 times the free plan’s AI.Adobe Firefly Pro, $19.99 a monthGenerative Fill, 4,000 credits a month and Photoshop on web and mobile.Claude Pro, $20 a monthAt least five times the free plan’s usage per session, for Claude Design and everything else.

Design: pay per use (api)

Image models through an APIFrom $0.006 a picture.

A business team: free

Free trialsGoogle Workspace has a 14-day free trial, and Microsoft 365 with Copilot can be tried for free too.

A business team: about $20 a month

Google Workspace Business Standard, $14 a userGemini in Gmail, Docs, Meet and more, with a one-year commitment.Claude Team or ChatGPT Business, $20 a seatBilled yearly ($25 monthly). Claude Code or Codex included, and no training on your data by default.Microsoft 365 Copilot Business, $21 a user$18 on offer until December 31, 2026, for existing Microsoft 365 customers.

A business team: pay per use (api)

A support chat through the APIAbout $10.80 a month for 30,000 questions on Claude Haiku 5.5 or GPT-6 Luna.

How we pick

Each pick restates a fact from our comparison pages, which link the company’s own pricing or product page. We don’t test models ourselves, take payment for placement or use affiliate links. When companies change their plans, the picks change with them.

Questions

Which AI is best?

It depends on the job. ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all chat and write well; Claude Pro includes a coding agent; Gemini’s free plan has the most study tools; and for pictures, Bing Image Creator gives the most free images.

What is the best free AI?

Start with the free plans of ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini and keep the one that suits you. For images, Bing Image Creator gives the most free pictures; for studying, Gemini has quizzes and flashcards on its free plan.

Is it worth paying $20 a month for AI?

If you hit the free limits often or need the stronger models, yes: Claude Pro, ChatGPT Plus and Google AI Pro all cost about $20. If you only use it now and then, the free plans are usually enough.

Best AI modelsIndependent rankings with prices Best AI chatbotsFree and paid, by the model each plan uses Best AI for writingBy the kind of writing you do Best AI for codingCoding tests and cost per task Best AI image generatorsFree picks and API prices Best AI video generatorsFree clips to prices per second Best AI agentsIn ChatGPT and Claude, and no-code builders Best AI for studyingFree tools and student deals Best AI for designersFigma, Claude Design, Stitch Best AI for businessTeam plans and prices