ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Perplexity vs Copilot: which plan is worth paying for?
The big AI assistants all chat, write and answer questions, and most of them have a free plan. The differences show up in the paid tiers: what you get for the money, how much you can use them, and which other tools they plug into.
This guide puts every plan side by side using the prices on each vendor’s own pricing page, then gives a simple way to decide what to pay for.
The quick answer
- ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, Perplexity have a free plan; Microsoft Copilot does not.
- ChatGPT: paid plans start at $8/month (Go).
- Claude: paid plans start at $20/month (Pro).
- Google Gemini: paid plans start at $4.99/month (Google AI Plus).
- Perplexity: paid plans start at $20/month (Pro).
- Microsoft Copilot: paid plans start at $9.99/month (Microsoft 365 Personal).
Every plan side by side
| Tool | Plan | Price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Free | Free | Limited image creation and deep research |
| Go | $8/month | Expanded messages and uploads; may include ads | |
| Plus | $20/month | Advanced reasoning models, projects, custom GPTs | |
| Pro | $100/month | Pro 100 tier; Pro 200 ($200/month) and Pro 500 ($500/month) tiers add more usage and API credits | |
| Claude | Free | Free | Chat, search, Artifacts with usage limits |
| Pro | $20/month | Claude Code, Projects, more usage than Free ($17/mo billed annually) | |
| Enterprise | $20/month, billed yearly | — | |
| Max | $100/month | 5x Pro usage, priority access | |
| Ultra | $200/month | 10x Pro weekly usage | |
| Google Gemini | Free | Free | Flash-Lite model, 15 GB storage |
| Google AI Plus | $4.99/month | 2x Free usage, video generation, 400 GB storage | |
| Google AI Pro | $19.99/month | Pro model, 1,000 Flow credits, 5 TB storage | |
| Google AI Ultra | $99.99/month | Starting price; 5x Pro limits, 20 TB storage | |
| Perplexity | Standard (Free) | Free | 3 Pro Searches/day, 1 Research query/month |
| Pro | $20/month | Advanced models, image generation ($200/year option) | |
| Max | $200/month | Highest individual limits ($2,000/year option) | |
| Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99/month | 1 person, 1 TB, Copilot in Office apps |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $12.99/month | Up to 6 people (AI for owner only) | |
| Microsoft 365 Premium | $19.99/month | Extensive Copilot usage, 2 TB | |
| Microsoft 365 Pro | $99.99/month | Highest Copilot usage, 5 TB |
Prices from each vendor’s official pricing page. Yearly plans are shown as the monthly equivalent. Confirm on the official site before you buy.
What each assistant is good for
ChatGPT
OpenAI's AI assistant for chat, writing, image creation, deep research and everyday tasks.
- Drafting and editing text
- Brainstorming
- Research with citations
- Creating images
Claude
Anthropic's AI assistant for writing, analysis, coding (Claude Code) and agentic work.
- Long form writing and editing
- Document analysis
- Coding with Claude Code
Google Gemini
Google's Gemini assistant with image, video and music generation, Deep Research and Google app integration.
- Research with Deep Research
- Working across Gmail, Docs and Drive
- Generating images and short videos
Perplexity
AI answer engine that searches the web and cites its sources.
- Researching topics with cited sources
- Competitive and market research
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft's AI assistant, available as a standalone app and inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
- Drafting documents in Word
- Analyzing spreadsheets in Excel
- Summarizing email in Outlook
Things to know before you pay
- ChatGPT: Free plan has limited image creation and deep research
- ChatGPT: Go may include ads (per OpenAI's plan page)
- Claude: Free plan has usage limits that reset every 5 hours and weekly
- Claude: Max and Ultra are monthly billing only
- Google Gemini: Free plan uses the Flash-Lite model
- Google Gemini: Ultra pricing starts at $99.99/month
- Perplexity: Free plan: 3 Pro Searches/day and 1 Research query/month
- Microsoft Copilot: Office-app Copilot features require a Microsoft 365 subscription
- Microsoft Copilot: Family plan AI features are for the subscription owner only
How to choose
- Start on the free plans and use them for real work for a week. The one you keep reaching for is usually the one worth paying for.
- If you already pay for Microsoft 365, check which Copilot features your plan includes before buying another assistant.
- If most of your questions need current information with sources, try a research-focused assistant before a general one.
- Pay for one main assistant, not three. Overlapping subscriptions are the most common way AI spending creeps up.
- Yearly billing lowers the monthly price on some plans. FloPilot shows yearly plans as the monthly equivalent so you can compare like with like.
Tools in this guide
- ChatGPTAI Assistants OpenAI's AI assistant for chat, writing, image creation, deep research and everyday tasks. Free plan · from $8/month
- ClaudeAI Assistants Anthropic's AI assistant for writing, analysis, coding (Claude Code) and agentic work. Free plan · from $20/month
- Google GeminiAI Assistants Google's Gemini assistant with image, video and music generation, Deep Research and Google app integration. Free plan · from $4.99/month
- PerplexityResearch AI answer engine that searches the web and cites its sources. Free plan · from $20/month
- Microsoft CopilotAI Assistants Microsoft's AI assistant, available as a standalone app and inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. from $9.99/month