AI chatbots and assistants
We put 12 AI chatbots and assistants through the same test. ChatGPT came out on top with 5 out of 5. Here are all the results, what each tool costs and how we test them.
AI chatbots and assistants we tested
Best score first. Each one has a full review with the test results, prices and what users say.
ChatGPT
5/5Read our review →
Perplexity
5/5Read our review →
Microsoft Copilot
5/5Read our review →
Grok
5/5Read our review →
Claude
4.5/5Read our review →
DeepSeek
4.5/5Read our review →
Google Gemini
4/5Read our review →
Me.bot
3/5Read our review →
Poe
3/5Read our review →
Duck.ai
2.5/5Read our review →
ChatHub
2/5Read our review →
Meta Muse
2/5Read our review →Test results compared
Every tool got the same test, between October 16, 2026 to October 22, 2026.
| Tool | Score | Correct and complete answers out of 30, checked against a written answer key | Factual errors found per 1,000 words | Blind quality score (1–5) from three judges who don't know which tool wrote what | Time to a usable answer, including retries | Cost per month for one person and for a team of five |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 5/5 | Tasks correct: 28/30 | 0.0 errors/1,000 words | 5.0/5; three blind judges | – | – |
| Perplexity | 5/5 | Tasks correct: 30/30 | 0.0 errors/1,000 words | 5.0/5; three blind judges | – | – |
| Microsoft Copilot | 5/5 | Tasks correct: 28/30 | 0.0 errors/1,000 words | 5.0/5; three blind judges | – | – |
| Grok | 5/5 | Tasks correct: 28/30 | 0.6 errors/1,000 words | 4.9/5; three blind judges | – | – |
| Claude | 4.5/5 | Tasks correct: 27/30 | 0.4 errors/1,000 words | 4.5/5; three blind judges | – | – |
| DeepSeek | 4.5/5 | Tasks correct: 29/30 | 0.0 errors/1,000 words | 4.1/5; three blind judges | – | – |
| Google Gemini | 4/5 | Tasks correct: 26/30 | 1.4 errors/1,000 words | 4.0/5; three blind judges | – | – |
| Me.bot | 3/5 | Tasks correct: 20/30 | 2.5 errors/1,000 words | 2.5/5; three blind judges | – | – |
| Poe | 3/5 | Tasks correct: 22/30 | 2.5 errors/1,000 words | 2.6/5; three blind judges | – | – |
| Duck.ai | 2.5/5 | Tasks correct: 17/30 | 3.7 errors/1,000 words | 3.1/5; three blind judges | – | – |
| ChatHub | 2/5 | Tasks correct: 17/30 | 3.8 errors/1,000 words | 2.5/5; three blind judges | – | – |
| Meta Muse | 2/5 | Tasks correct: 16/30 | 3.6 errors/1,000 words | 2.6/5; three blind judges | – | – |
Want just the shortlist?
Our best-of list ranks every tool in this test, with what each one is best for.
What AI chatbots and assistants do
AI chatbots and assistants let you talk to a large language model in plain language to get answers, draft and edit text, analyse files, write code and create images. Most now add web search, voice, memory, and connections to email, documents and other apps, and some can carry out multi-step tasks.
Who uses them: Writers and marketers, Students and researchers, Developers, Office workers on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, Small teams wanting a shared assistant.
Price range: Every tool has a free tier. Paid individual plans start around $5 to $8 (Google AI Plus at $4.99 on the App Store, ChatGPT Go $8), cluster at $17 to $20 (ChatGPT Plus $20, Claude Pro $20 or $17 yearly, Google AI Pro $19.99, Perplexity Pro $17 yearly or $20 monthly, Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99 and Premium $19.99), and top tiers run $100 to $200 (ChatGPT Pro $100 and $200, Claude Max $100 and Ultra $200, Perplexity Max $167 yearly or $200 monthly, Google AI Ultra about $200 to $250, Microsoft 365 Pro $99.99). Team seats run about $20 to $30 per user per month.
What to check before you buy
Accuracy and sourcing. All five still make mistakes (Trustpilot reviewers across all five report wrong answers); look for citations, web grounding and how easy it is to check claims.
Usage limits. Limits are now windows or compute-based (Claude 5-hour and weekly, Gemini compute-based since May 2026) rather than fixed counts; check what you can do before hitting the cap.
Price and tiers. Paid entry is $8 to $20 and top tiers $100 to $200; compare what the jump buys (limits, coding usage, API credits).
Privacy and training. Consumer chats are used for training by default on ChatGPT, Gemini (with Activity on) and Copilot; Claude depends on a setting. Check opt-outs and retention.
Ecosystem fit. Gemini fits Google apps and Android, Copilot fits Microsoft 365, Claude and ChatGPT use connectors.
How we test AI chatbots and assistants
The test for this category: 30 everyday tasks: research with sources, emails, summaries of a 20-page PDF, a spreadsheet question, a coding fix. Check citations by hand.
Every tool gets the same fixed prompt set: 30 everyday tasks (summaries, emails, research questions, rewrites, long-form drafts). Prompts are copied in exactly, on the plan most buyers would pick, with no custom instructions.
Each tool is tested on a paid plan, and its review shows the plan, the price and the test dates. The overall score is the average of the five parts on the right, rounded to the nearest half star. See the full method for AI chat and writing tools.
What we measure
- Correct and complete answers out of 30, checked against a written answer key
- Factual errors found per 1,000 words
- Blind quality score (1–5) from three judges who don't know which tool wrote what
- Time to a usable answer, including retries
- Cost per month for one person and for a team of five
The five parts of the score
Frequently asked questions
Which AI chatbots are free?
All five have a free tier: ChatGPT (with ads in the US), Claude, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity, each with usage limits.
How much do AI chatbots cost?
Paid plans mostly cost $17 to $20 a month for individuals, $8 for ChatGPT Go, and $100 to $200 for top tiers.
Which AI chatbot is safest for privacy?
All have training controls: ChatGPT and Copilot via settings, Gemini by turning Activity off, Claude via Model Improvement. Business plans default to no training.
Do AI chatbots show ads?
ChatGPT is testing ads in the US on Free and Go; Perplexity dropped its ad plan in February 2026; Claude has no ad tier.
Is ChatGPT or Claude better?
Both cost $20 to start; ChatGPT has more consumer features and Go at $8; Claude is often ranked higher for writing and coding and includes Claude Code.
More in AI chat and agents
Page updated November 4, 2026.
Liam Foster
If there's a strange new AI tool making its way around the internet, I've probably already bookmarked it. My favorite part is figuring out what these platforms can actually do.
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