Tuesday, October 27, 2026 · Edition updated 6:00 AM ETTUE, OCT 27 editionNext edition in Next in --:--:--
Intelligence Verdict
AI tools · Research and write

Everyday assistants

General chat assistants for everyday questions. What each tool costs, where it runs, what it shipped last, and what its terms say about your data.

  • 10tools compared
  • 8 of 10have a free plan
  • $4.99a month, the cheapest paid plan
10 tools

Compare them.

Makers' own descriptions, plans and terms, read Oct 20, 2026, so company-reported. Open "Rights" or "Your data" on a card for the maker's own words.

ChatGPT

OpenAI

“Try ChatGPT Plus and unlock advanced intelligence that goes beyond answering questions to get things done for you.”

Free planPaid from $8 a month

Free: "Unlimited text chats with GPT-6"; "Limited messages with uploads", "Limited image creation", "Limited deep research", "Limited memory and context".

  • Web
  • Phone app
  • Computer app

LatestCreate and collaborate on slides in ChatGPTOct 16, 2026

Your data
What it does with your data
“When you use our services for individuals (Free, Plus, Pro), we may use your content to train our models.”

OpenAI Help Center: How your data is used to improve model performance, Oct 20, 2026

Website · Prices · Description · company-reported · Full details

Claude

Anthropic

“Search the web, create files, and run code”

Free planPaid from $20 a month

Usage limits apply; no Research, Claude Code or Opus models on Free; Projects "Up to 5".

  • Web
  • Phone app
  • Computer app

LatestIntroducing Claude Haiku 5.5Oct 7, 2026

Your data
What it does with your data
“We may use your chats or coding sessions to improve our models, if:”

Anthropic Privacy Center: How do you use personal data in model training?, Mar 16, 2026

Website · Prices · Description · company-reported · Full details

Gemini

Google

“more access to our most capable models, like 3.1 Pro, and powerful features, like Deep Research.”

Free planPaid from $4.99 a month

Free: "Access to our Flash-Lite model."; limits not stated in numbers. Footnote: "Your limit refreshes every 5 hours until you reach your weekly limit."

  • Web
  • Phone app
  • Computer app

LatestIntroducing Gemini 4 Argon: our frontier model for complex tasksOct 13, 2026

Your data
What it does with your data
“Google uses your activity to provide, develop, and improve its services (including training generative AI models)”

Gemini Apps Privacy Hub, Oct 19, 2026

Website · Prices · Description · company-reported · Full details

“Copilot is the AI for work, helping you create, research, analyze, and get things done in the Microsoft 365 apps you use every day.1”

Free planPaid from $9.99 a month

"Limited usage with a free Microsoft account"; Microsoft 365 plans give "higher usage than free" or "extensive usage".

  • Web
  • Phone app
  • Computer app

LatestUpdated Microsoft Copilot app for web, desktop, and mobile availableAug 18, 2026

Your data
What it does with your data
“If you are logged into Copilot with a Microsoft Account or other third-party authentication, you can control whether your conversation activity is used for training Microsoft's generative AI models.”

Microsoft Support: Privacy FAQ for Microsoft Copilot, Oct 20, 2026

Website · Prices · Description · company-reported · Full details

“Muse is a secure, private personal AI agent that proactively helps people meet their goals and suggests ideas.”

Free planPaid prices not shown in US dollars

"It's free for most of what people need, with subscription plans for people who want to do more." Limits not stated.

  • Web
  • Phone app

LatestIntroducing Muse: The World’s First Personal AI Agent Built for EveryoneSep 8, 2026

Your data
What it does with your data
“You decide whether we can use your interactions with Muse to develop and improve our AI models.”

Meta Help Center: How Muse handles your privacy, safety and security, Oct 20, 2026

Website · Prices · Description · company-reported · Full details

Grok

SpaceXSI (name shown on x.ai)

“SpaceXSI builds Grok, an AI chatbot with voice chat, image and video generation, real-time search, and advanced reasoning.”

Free planPaid from $8 a month

Free: "Limited Chat requests" and "Limited agent requests".

  • Web
  • Phone app

LatestIntroducing Grok Voice 3.0Oct 14, 2026

Your data
What it does with your data
“You control whether your data is used for training Grok.”

xAI Consumer FAQs, May 12, 2025

Website · Prices · Description · company-reported · Full details

DeepSeek

DeepSeek · China

“Now live on our website, app, and API.”

Price not shown

Not verified: DeepSeek pages read did not state whether the chat app is free or list consumer prices.

  • Web

LatestDeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017: Wish-Driven Programming Made RealOct 17, 2026

Your data
What it does with your data
“To improve and develop the Services and to train and improve our technology, such as our machine learning models and algorithms.”

DeepSeek Privacy Policy, Feb 10, 2026

Website · Prices · Description · company-reported · Full details

Vibe (formerly Le Chat)

Mistral AI · France

“Le Chat is now Vibe, Mistral's unified agent for professional productivity and coding tasks.”

Free planPaid from $14.99 a month

Free: "Your personal AI agent for everyday tasks."; messages and web searches limited (no caps given); Pro gets up to 6x free messages.

  • Web
  • Phone app

LatestLe Chat is now VibeAug 12, 2026

Your data
What it does with your data
“users are not opted out by default and can opt out at any time in their settings.”

Mistral Help Center: Can I opt out of my input or output data being used for training?, Sep 3, 2026

Website · Prices · Description · company-reported · Full details

Doubao

ByteDance · China

News-reported

“While Doubao's basic version will remain free to meet users' simple needs”

Free planPaid prices not shown in US dollars

AFP (2026-06-25): "Free users will be able to use basic search functions, but face limits in video and image generation."

LatestByteDance rolls out paid subscriptions for China's largest AI chatbot (AFP)Jun 25, 2026

Website · Prices · Description · news-reported · Full details

Kimi

Moonshot AI · China

“Kimi AI with K3 | Built for Agentic Coding & Knowledge Work”

Paid prices not shown in US dollars

Kimi's membership pages describe only paid tiers; terms say "You may access the Services without creating an account, but certain features may require you to create an account." A free tier and its limits were not confirmed.

  • Web
Your data
What it does with your data
“the platform may use users' input data, instructions, and generated responses for model training”

Kimi Help Center: Data Usage and Sharing, Oct 20, 2026

Website · Prices · Description · company-reported · Full details