Best free AI chatbot: what ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini give you for $0
Which free plan is best depends on which rows you need. This page puts the three free plans side by side and leaves the verdict to your use.
Facts checked 1 Oct 202639 of 45 cells sourced, 6 marked not verified
The short version
- All three have a free plan. OpenAI lists unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna; Anthropic lists Sonnet and Haiku; Google lists 3.6 Flash with varying access to 3.1 Pro.
- Research and images on Free: OpenAI lists limited deep research and limited image creation. Google lists Deep Research and image generation. Anthropic lists web search, file creation and memory, but not Research.
- Coding agents on Free: Codex is listed as limited on ChatGPT Free. Claude Code is not on Claude Free.
- Uploads: OpenAI lists 3 file uploads a day for Free users. Anthropic’s upload page lists 500MB per file in a chat, and Google’s lists up to 10 files per prompt, with higher limits on paid plans.
- Accounts: ChatGPT can be tried at chatgpt.com before creating an account in supported countries. Google says some Gemini web features work without signing in. Anthropic’s help page describes logging in and does not describe a logged-out mode.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Limits and models
| What | ChatGPTOpenAI | ClaudeAnthropic | GeminiGoogle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Context window in the app | Instant models: 27K (Free), 54K (Go and Plus), 128K (Pro). Reasoning models: 256K (Go and Plus), 400K (Pro)Source: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Up to 1M on every plan, varies by modelSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Not verified The plans page gives file-upload size (up to 1,500 pages) but no token figure for the app. |
| How usage limits are described | Free: limited messages with uploads. Go: more messages with tools and more uploads. Plus: expanded messages and uploads. Pro: three usage tiers. Exact message counts are not published on the pricing pageSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Pro has 'more usage' than Free; Max is 5x or 20x Pro; Team premium seats are 5x standard. No message counts on the pricing pageSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Compute-based limits that refresh every 5 hours up to a weekly limit; paid tiers are 2x, 4x and up to 20x. AI credits can extend themSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Models you get | Free: GPT-5.6 Luna. Plus: advanced reasoning models with GPT-6. Pro: Pro reasoning powered by GPT-6 AstraSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Free: Sonnet and Haiku. Pro and up: adds Opus. Fable: usage credits on Pro, up to 50% of weekly limits on MaxSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Free: 3.6 Flash, varying access to 3.1 Pro. Paid plans raise access to 3.1 Pro; Ultra adds first access to Deep ThinkSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
Features by plan
| What | ChatGPTOpenAI | ClaudeAnthropic | GeminiGoogle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep research | Limited on Free; expanded on Plus; maximum on ProSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Research: not on Free; included from ProSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Deep Research is listed on the Free planSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Coding agent | Codex: limited on Free, expanded on Plus, longer sessions on ProSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Claude Code: not on Free; included from ProSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Jules (beta) with higher limits from AI Pro; entry rate limits for the Google Antigravity agent from AI ProSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| 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 |
| Memory | Limited memory and context on Free; longer on Go; expanded on PlusSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Memory across conversations on every planSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Not verified Google lists 'Personal Intelligence' and memory import as features; plan-level detail was not on the page we read. |
| Projects and custom assistants | Projects, scheduled tasks and custom GPTs from PlusSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Projects: up to 5 on Free, included on paid plansSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Gems and Canvas on the Free planSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Training on your chats | Opt-out available on Free, Go, Plus and ProSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Opt-out on Free, Pro and Max; Team is not trained on by defaultSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Not verified The plans page links to 'how Google handles data' but states no setting; not checked further. |
| Ads | Ads may appear on the Free tier in certain countriesThe pricing page says the Go plan “may include ads”.Source: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Not verified Nothing about ads is stated on the pricing page. | Not verified Nothing about ads in the Gemini app is stated on the plans page. |
Voice, files and access
| What | ChatGPTOpenAI | ClaudeAnthropic | GeminiGoogle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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 $18 above that.
Not ideal for
- Long API responses. Maximum output is 65,536 tokens; OpenAI and Anthropic list 128K.
- People who want a plain token number for the app: Google describes app limits as compute-based, refreshing every 5 hours.
Questions people ask
- Which free AI chatbot has the fewest limits?
- The pricing pages we read give no message counts for ChatGPT or Claude, and Google describes compute-based limits that refresh every 5 hours up to a weekly limit. OpenAI lists unlimited text chats on Free, with limited uploads, images, voice and deep research. We have not measured any of them.
- Do free plans train on my chats?
- OpenAI and Anthropic both list an opt-out on their free plans. For Gemini, the plans page we read links to how Google handles data but states no setting, so that cell is marked not verified.
- Do free plans show ads?
- OpenAI’s Free Tier FAQ says ads may appear on the Free tier in certain countries. Nothing about ads is stated on the Claude pricing page or the Google plans page we read, so those cells are marked not verified.
Sources
Every figure on this page was read from these vendor pages on 1 Oct 2026. A cell marked “Not verified” means we could not confirm it from a vendor page that day, so we left it blank.
- OpenAI: ChatGPT pricing page, checked 1 Oct 2026. Read in a browser from an Australian connection; plan prices on this page were shown in A$.
- 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.
- OpenAI: ChatGPT Free Tier FAQ (Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- 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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