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Best ChatGPT Alternatives in 2026

6 alternatives to ChatGPT, the chatbots & agents tool priced from $20/mo and scored 8.7/10 by our editor.3 of them are cheaper on the entry plan, 5 have a free plan. Every price below was checked on the vendor's pricing page and dated.

Use the table to compare ChatGPT attribute by attribute, then read the head-to-head notes for each alternative.

Quick answer

Perplexity is the strongest ChatGPT alternative overall, scored 8.6/10. Pick Notion AI for productivity specialist, or Gemini for chatbots & agents specialist.

  1. PerplexityStart here
  2. Notion AIProductivity specialist
  3. GeminiChatbots & agents specialist
  • 6alternatives compared
  • 3of 6cheaper than ChatGPT
  • 5of 6with a free plan
  • $19/momedian entry price
  • Aug 26last pricing check
Why switch

Why look for a ChatGPT alternative

The limits our editor noted on the ChatGPT listing. Each alternative below addresses at least one of them.

Read the ChatGPT review
  • Usage caps on the free and Plus tiers can be frustrating
  • Consumer chats are used for training unless you opt out
  • Pro plan is expensive for most individuals

ChatGPT vs the alternatives at a glance

Score, entry price, free plan, API, platforms and privacy terms side by side. Green marks the best value on each row.

AttributeChatGPTReferencePerplexityNotion AIGeminiClaudeMicrosoft 365 Copilot
Editor score 8.7/10 8.6/10 7.7/10 8.6/10 8.3/10 7.3/10
Category Chatbots & agents Search Productivity Chatbots & agents Chatbots & agents Productivity
Entry price $20/mo $20/mo $24/mo $4.99/mo $20/mo $18/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Free trial No No No No No 30 days
API Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Platforms Web app, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android Web app, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Chrome extension Web app, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android Web app, iOS, Android, Chrome extension Web app, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, CLI, VS Code Web app, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Trains on your data Yes (opt-out) Yes (opt-out) No Yes (opt-out) Yes (opt-out) No
Compliance SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA SOC 2, GDPR SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001 SOC 2, GDPR, ISO 27001, CCPA SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, CCPA
Best for Anyone who wants one assistant for writing, research, analysis and light coding Researchers, students and analysts who need verifiable answers quickly Teams that run their docs and wikis in Notion and want AI on that content Anyone already working in Gmail, Docs and Drive who wants one assistant across them Writers, analysts and developers who need careful, instruction-following output Companies already standardized on Microsoft 365 that want AI inside Office
Head to head

Each ChatGPT alternative, compared

  1. 1

    Perplexity

    Research    8.6

    Answer engine that searches the web and cites every source

    Price
    $20/mo
    Free plan
    Yes
    API
    Yes
    Pricing checked Aug 25

    Perplexity vs ChatGPT

    Choose Perplexity if you are researchers, students and analysts who need verifiable answers quickly.

    • Same entry price, $20/mo
    • Scores lower: 8.6 vs 8.7
    • Also on Chrome extension
    • Search specialist rather than a direct clone

    Not ideal for: Long creative writing or coding sessions

    Full Perplexity listing
  2. 2

    Notion AI

    Productivity    7.7

    AI writing, meeting notes and search built into your Notion workspace

    Price
    $24/mo
    Free plan
    Yes
    API
    Yes
    Pricing checked Aug 25

    Notion AI vs ChatGPT

    Choose Notion AI if you are teams that run their docs and wikis in Notion and want AI on that content.

    • Pricier entry plan: $24/mo vs $20/mo
    • Scores lower: 7.7 vs 8.7
    • Does not train on your data
    • Productivity specialist rather than a direct clone

    Not ideal for: Anyone not already working in Notion

    Full Notion AI listing
  3. 3

    Gemini

    Chatbots & agents    8.6

    Google's assistant across the Gemini app, Gmail, Docs and Android

    Price
    $4.99/mo
    Free plan
    Yes
    API
    Yes
    Pricing checked Aug 26

    Gemini vs ChatGPT

    Choose Gemini if you are anyone already working in Gmail, Docs and Drive who wants one assistant across them.

    • Cheaper entry plan: $4.99/mo vs $20/mo
    • Scores lower: 8.6 vs 8.7
    • Also on Chrome extension
    • Not available on Windows, macOS

    Not ideal for: Teams that need their data kept out of Google's ecosystem

    Full Gemini listing
  4. 4

    Claude

    Chatbots & agents    8.3

    Anthropic's assistant for writing, analysis and agentic coding

    Price
    $20/mo
    Free plan
    Yes
    API
    Yes
    Pricing checked Aug 26

    Claude vs ChatGPT

    Choose Claude if you are writers, analysts and developers who need careful, instruction-following output.

    • Same entry price, $20/mo
    • Scores lower: 8.3 vs 8.7
    • Also on CLI, VS Code

    Not ideal for: Image generation, voice conversations and live web monitoring

    Full Claude listing
  5. 5

    Microsoft 365 Copilot

    Productivity    7.3

    AI inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams

    Price
    $18/mo
    Free plan
    No
    API
    Yes
    Pricing checked Aug 26

    Microsoft 365 Copilot vs ChatGPT

    Choose Microsoft 365 Copilot if you are companies already standardized on Microsoft 365 that want AI inside Office.

    • Cheaper entry plan: $18/mo vs $20/mo
    • No free plan, unlike ChatGPT
    • Scores lower: 7.3 vs 8.7
    • Does not train on your data
    • Productivity specialist rather than a direct clone

    Not ideal for: Individuals and teams without a Microsoft 365 subscription

    Full Microsoft 365 Copilot listing
  6. 6

    NotebookLM

    Research    8.3

    Research notebook that answers only from the sources you upload

    Price
    $4.99/mo
    Free plan
    Yes
    API
    No
    Pricing checked Aug 26

    NotebookLM vs ChatGPT

    Choose NotebookLM if you are researchers and students working through a defined set of documents.

    • Cheaper entry plan: $4.99/mo vs $20/mo
    • Scores lower: 8.3 vs 8.7
    • No public API
    • Not available on Windows, macOS
    • Does not train on your data

    Not ideal for: General questions that need the open web rather than your own sources

    Full NotebookLM listing
Questions

ChatGPT alternatives FAQ

Short answers on free, cheaper and privacy-friendly alternatives, generated from the listings' data.

What is the best alternative to ChatGPT?

Perplexity ranks first among ChatGPT alternatives on Webanas with an editor score of 8.6/10. It is best for researchers, students and analysts who need verifiable answers quickly.

Is there a free alternative to ChatGPT?

Yes. Perplexity has a free plan (unlimited quick searches, a few Pro searches per day, limited file uploads), and so do Notion AI, Gemini, Claude, NotebookLM.

What is the cheapest ChatGPT alternative?

Gemini, with paid plans from $4.99/mo against $20/mo for ChatGPT. Prices are checked on each listing's pricing page and dated.

Which ChatGPT alternative does not train on my data?

Notion AI states that it does not train on user data. ChatGPT may, unless you opt out; team and business plans usually exclude your data.

For makers

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