Claude alternatives
Claude is the one I'd pick for long texts and code, but it isn't the right answer to every question. These are the tools I'd open instead, depending on what you need.
The order is mine: how well each one covers what you want from Claude. Prices checked on the official site on September 30, 2026.
4 of 4 alternatives
| Rank | Tool | Best for | Free? | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The original |  Claude The original | Anthropic's AI assistant for writing, long documents and code. The free plan is generous; Pro ($20/month) adds Opus and Claude Code, and Max ($100 or $200) is for all-day users. | Free with limits | — |
| #1 |  ChatGPT OpenAI · Personal assistant | An all-rounder that also makes images | Free with limits | $8/mo |
| #2 | Perplexity AI Conversation | Answers with sources, from a web search | Free with limits | $20/mo |
| #3 | Poe Conversation | Trying several chatbots in one place | — | — |
| #4 |  Gemini Google · Personal assistant | Google's AI assistant for questions, writing, images and research. Free with a Google Account; Google AI Plus is $4.99 a month, Pro $19.99 and Ultra from $99.99. | Free with limits | $4.99/mo |
When to pick each one
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If you also want to make images in the same app, ChatGPT is the obvious rival. Try both free plans for a week and pay for the one you keep opening.
See details -
If most of what you ask is "find me the latest on…", Perplexity is built around search and puts the sources next to every answer.
See details -
If you'd rather not commit to one company's models, Poe lets you talk to several chatbots, Claude among them, from a single app.
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