Best ChatGPT alternatives
Other chat assistants and AI search tools, ranked against each other on free access, price, restrictions and data freshness.
How we rank · Updated as prices are re-checked · 5 ranked
-
- Cheapest paid plan
- $4.99/mo (≈£3.76)
- Free plan
- Free plan
- Confirmed
- 5 Oct 2026
Score breakdown
- Free accessHas an ongoing free plan25/25
- Entry priceCheapest paid plan $4.99/mo (≈£3.76)23.1/25
- RestrictionsNone stated on the pricing page20/20
- Data freshnessConfirmed 2 days ago15/15
-
- Cheapest paid plan
- $5/mo (≈£3.77)
- Free plan
- Free plan
- Confirmed
- 7 Oct 2026
Score breakdown
- Free accessHas an ongoing free plan25/25
- Entry priceCheapest paid plan $5/mo (≈£3.77)23.1/25
- RestrictionsNone stated on the pricing page20/20
- Data freshnessConfirmed today15/15
-
- Cheapest paid plan
- $9.99/mo (≈£7.52)
- Free plan
- Free plan
- Confirmed
- 7 Oct 2026
Score breakdown
- Free accessHas an ongoing free plan25/25
- Entry priceCheapest paid plan $9.99/mo (≈£7.52)21.2/25
- RestrictionsNone stated on the pricing page20/20
- Data freshnessConfirmed today15/15
-
- Cheapest paid plan
- $14.99/mo (≈£11.29)
- Free plan
- Free plan
- Confirmed
- 5 Oct 2026
Score breakdown
- Free accessHas an ongoing free plan25/25
- Entry priceCheapest paid plan $14.99/mo (≈£11.29)19.4/25
- RestrictionsNone stated on the pricing page20/20
- Data freshnessConfirmed 2 days ago15/15
-
- Cheapest paid plan
- $7.92/mo (≈£5.97)
- Free plan
- Free plan
- Confirmed
- 5 Oct 2026
Score breakdown
- Free accessHas an ongoing free plan25/25
- Entry priceCheapest paid plan $7.92/mo (≈£5.97)22/25
- RestrictionsNot checked yet, so no points0/20
- Data freshnessConfirmed 2 days ago15/15
Not ranked yet
These fit the list, but we won’t rank a tool on data we haven’t confirmed.
- Claude · Prices not yet confirmed by a live check
- Grok · Prices not yet confirmed by a live check
- Liner · Prices not yet confirmed by a live check
- Perplexity · Prices not yet confirmed by a live check
How we rank
Every score is worked out from data on this site: prices and restrictions read from each official pricing page, and visitor ratings. The score is the points a tool earns as a percentage of the points available.
| What counts | Points | How it’s scored |
|---|---|---|
| Free access | 25 | A free plan you can keep using scores full marks; a free trial scores 30%; nothing free scores 0. |
| Entry price | 25 | The cheapest paid plan per month: £0 scores full marks, falling evenly to nothing at £50 or more. US-dollar prices are converted at the day’s reference rate; other currencies aren’t converted or scored. |
| Restrictions | 20 | Restrictions the official pricing page states in its own words (credit caps, watermarks, no commercial use and so on). Each one costs a fifth of these points. Not checked yet means no points. |
| Data freshness | 15 | Full marks if we confirmed the price in the last 7 days, 60% within 30 days, 25% if older. |
| Visitor value rating | 15 | Visitors’ value-for-money ratings, counted only once 10 or more people have rated a tool. Until then it’s left out and the score is out of the remaining points. |
Never counted: affiliate links or commission, how often a tool is clicked, popularity, or anything a company pays for. Tools whose prices we haven’t confirmed aren’t ranked at all.
Exchange rate: $1 = £0.7532 (European Central Bank reference rate, 6 Oct 2026).