Best AI chatbot app: the features to compare
Four assistants, each with phone apps. The rows that separate them are where voice works, whether you can share a camera or screen, and what you can upload.
Facts checked 1 Oct 202630 of 32 cells sourced, 2 marked not verified
The short version
- Where they run: ChatGPT lists web, iOS and Android, plus a desktop app on macOS and Windows. Claude lists web, iOS, Android and a desktop app. Gemini has Android and iOS apps and a web app. Grok lists web, iOS and Android.
- Voice: Claude lists voice mode in beta on every plan across mobile, desktop and web. OpenAI lists voice in chat on web, iOS and Android. Gemini Live needs the mobile app and is not in the web app.
- Camera and screen: Google says Gemini Live supports video streaming and screen sharing. OpenAI says Live does not, and that both remain available to eligible subscribers on iOS and Android when using Advanced.
- Uploads: OpenAI lists 512MB per file, Anthropic 500MB per file in a chat, Google 100 MB per file and up to 10 files per prompt. xAI lists document uploads; its product page gives no size figure.
- Free access: all four list a free way in. ChatGPT can be tried before creating an account in supported countries, and Google says some features of the Gemini web app work without signing in.
Plans and prices
US dollars unless a cell says otherwise. Vendors show different prices in different countries and add tax in some.
| What | ChatGPTOpenAI | ClaudeAnthropic | GeminiGoogle | GrokxAI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes. Unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna; limited uploads, images, voice and deep researchSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Yes. Chat on web, desktop and mobile; web search, file creation, code execution, memorySource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Yes, with a Google Account. Access to 3.6 Flash and varying access to 3.1 Pro; 15 GB storageSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Yes. xAI says Grok is free to try on the web and in the apps; free limits are not statedSource: xAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Main paid plan | Plus, $20/month, billed monthlySource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Pro, $20/month billed monthly, or $17/month on annual billing ($200 up front)Source: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Google AI Pro, $19.99/month. 4x the Free usage limits, 5 TB storageSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 | SuperGrok, marked most popular. Lists 5x longer conversations, the best model with higher limits, and image and video creationPrice not verified: the plans page showed none to a signed-out visitor.Source: xAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
Features by plan
| What | ChatGPTOpenAI | ClaudeAnthropic | GeminiGoogle | GrokxAI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image generation | Limited on Free; more on Go; unlimited and faster on ProSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Not verified Not listed on Anthropic's pricing page. We did not check further, so we make no claim either way. | Image generation and editing on the Free plan; video generation on paid plansSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Image and video creation: a trial on Lite; SuperGrok lists HD 720p, 30-second videoSource: xAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
Voice, files and access
| What | ChatGPTOpenAI | ClaudeAnthropic | GeminiGoogle | GrokxAI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice: where it works and limits | Free: limited access to GPT-Live-1 mini. Go: 3 hours of GPT-Live-1 mini. Plus: 3 hours of GPT-Live-1, measured over a rolling 24 hours. Live does not support video or screen sharingSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Beta on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise, on iOS, Android, desktop and web. Voice counts toward your plan's regular usage limits. Fable is not available in voiceSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Gemini Live needs the Gemini mobile app and a signed-in Google Account; it is not available in the Gemini web app. It supports video streaming and screen sharingSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Voice conversations are listed for Grok on web, iOS and Android; no limits are stated on the product pageSource: xAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| File uploads | 512MB per file; text and document files capped at 2M tokens; images 20MB each. Free users: 3 file uploads a daySource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | 500MB per file in a chat, 30MB per file in a project. PDFs up to 100 pages are read with images and charts; from 101 to 1,000 pages, text onlySource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Up to 10 files per prompt; 100 MB per file. Paid Google AI plans raise upload limitsSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Document uploads and PDF analysis are listed; no size limit is stated on the product pageSource: xAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Video | In voice, Live does not support video or screen sharing; video and screen sharing remain available to eligible subscribers in the iOS and Android apps when using AdvancedVideo upload and video generation were not read.Source: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Not verified Video is not listed on the Anthropic pages we read. | Upload: each video up to 2 GB; 5 minutes in total, or 1 hour with Google AI Pro or UltraVideo generation is listed on paid plans (see Image generation).Source: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Text-to-video up to 15 seconds at 720p is listedThe plans page lists 30-second HD 720p video on SuperGrok.Source: xAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Can you use it without an account? | Yes at chatgpt.com in supported countries (not yet in Europe, except the UK). Logged out you get one conversation at a time and chats are not savedSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Anthropic's help page describes logging in with a Google account or an emailed link; it does not describe a logged-out modeSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Some features of the Gemini web app work without signing in. More features, and saving activity, need a Google AccountSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 | xAI says Grok is free to try and that you sign in with an X or email accountSource: xAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Where it runs | Web, iOS and Android for voice in chat; a desktop app on macOS and WindowsSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Web (claude.ai), iOS, Android and Claude DesktopSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | The Gemini app on Android (including as the phone's assistant) and on iOSThe web app at gemini.google.com is described on Google's sign-in help page.Source: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Web, iOS and AndroidSource: xAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
Best for, and not ideal for
Each point follows from a row in the fact file; this page shows part of it, and the full comparisons show the rest. We have not run quality or speed tests, so nothing here says which one writes or codes better.
ChatGPT
Best for
- People who want tiers to grow into: there are Go, Plus and three Pro levels between free and $500 a month.
- Heavy image use. Image creation is listed from the Free plan and becomes unlimited on Pro.
- Developers who need a very cheap model: gpt-6-luna lists $0.10 per million input tokens, the lowest price among the models we read today.
Not ideal for
- Pasting very long documents on a $20 plan. Plus is capped at a 54K context window on Instant models and 256K on reasoning models.
- Anyone who wants an ad-free low-cost plan: OpenAI says Go may include ads.
Claude
Best for
- Long documents and big codebases. The pricing page lists a context window of up to 1M on every plan, free included.
- Paying yearly. Pro drops to $17 a month on annual billing.
- Small teams that want published seat prices: $20 or $25 per standard seat.
Not ideal for
- Free users who want a research mode or a coding agent. Research and Claude Code start at Pro.
- Paying less than Pro. No paid plan is listed below Pro, which is $20 billed monthly or $17 a month on annual billing.
Gemini
Best for
- People already paying for Google storage. AI Pro bundles 5 TB and AI Plus 400 GB.
- A low paid price: AI Plus at $4.99 a month, the lowest paid price we could verify among ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.
- Free users who want research and image tools. Deep Research and image generation are on the Free plan.
- Developers watching token cost at the top end: gemini-3.1-pro-preview lists $2 input and $12 output per million tokens for prompts up to 200k tokens, and $4 and $18 above that.
Not ideal for
- Long API responses. Maximum output is 65,536 tokens; OpenAI and Anthropic list 128K.
- People who want a plain token number for the app: Google describes app limits as compute-based, refreshing every 5 hours.
Grok
Best for
- People who want live posts from X in their answers. xAI lists search across the live web and X.
- Developers watching token price: grok-4.7 lists $2 input and $6 output per million tokens.
- Making images and short videos in the chat. Image and video creation is listed as a trial on Lite, and SuperGrok lists HD 720p, 30-second video.
Not ideal for
- Anyone who wants to see a price before signing in. The plans page showed plan names and features but no prices to a signed-out visitor.
- Very large API prompts. grok-4.7 lists a 500k-token context window.
- People who need to know how chats are used for training before they start: we could not verify it from the plans page.
Questions people ask
- Which AI chatbot app can I use without signing up?
- OpenAI says ChatGPT can be used at chatgpt.com before creating an account in supported countries, one conversation at a time and without saved chats. Google says some features of the Gemini web app work without signing in. Anthropic’s help page describes logging in, and xAI says you sign in with an X or email account.
- Do all four have voice on the phone?
- Each vendor lists a spoken mode. Claude lists voice mode on iOS and Android on every plan; OpenAI lists voice in chat on iOS and Android; Gemini Live runs in the Gemini mobile app; xAI lists voice conversations for Grok.
- Which app is best?
- We have not tested the apps, so we do not rank them. Use the rows that match what you do on a phone: voice, camera, uploads, and whether you want to start without an account.
Sources
Every figure on this page was read from these vendor pages on 1 Oct 2026. A cell marked “Not verified” means we could not confirm it from a vendor page that day, so we left it blank.
- OpenAI: ChatGPT pricing page, checked 1 Oct 2026. Read in a browser from an Australian connection; plan prices on this page were shown in A$.
- Anthropic: Claude pricing page, checked 1 Oct 2026. Prices shown with a $ sign; the page says they exclude applicable tax.
- Google: Google AI plans (United States page), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- xAI: Grok product page, checked 1 Oct 2026.
- OpenAI: What is ChatGPT Plus? (Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- xAI: Grok plans page, checked 1 Oct 2026. Read signed out. The page listed plan names and features but showed no prices to a signed-out visitor.
- OpenAI: ChatGPT Voice (Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Anthropic: Use voice mode (Claude Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Google: Talk naturally with Gemini Live (Gemini Apps Help), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- OpenAI: File Uploads FAQ (Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Anthropic: Upload files to Claude (Claude Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Google: Upload and analyze files in Gemini Apps (Gemini Apps Help), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- OpenAI: The ChatGPT home page (Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Anthropic: Log in to your Claude account (Claude Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Google: What you need to sign in to Gemini Apps (Gemini Apps Help), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Anthropic: What interfaces can I use to access Claude? (Claude Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Google: Get started with the Gemini mobile app (Gemini Apps Help), checked 1 Oct 2026.
Other comparisons
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