The 10 Most Popular AI Assistants, Explained for Beginners

Prices and features checked October 14, 2026. We re-check every month, because these plans change fast.

New to AI? You don't need all ten of these. (We also cover five personal agents that act for you; see the Personal agents section.) Most people do great with one free general assistant, plus one specialist tool for the job they do most. Here's a quick, honest rundown of each one.

The quick summaries

ChatGPT (OpenAI). The "do a bit of everything" assistant. It writes, explains, makes images, reads files, and talks out loud, all on its free plan with limits. It also has a free Study mode for learning step by step. Paid plans start at $8 a month (Go, which may show ads), with Plus at $20 for stronger reasoning models and Office add-ons. Read the ChatGPT guide

Claude (Anthropic). A favorite for careful writing, editing, and long documents. The free plan includes web search, file creation, Artifacts (little tools it builds in the chat), and up to 5 Projects. Pro ($20 a month, or $17 billed yearly) adds Research, Claude Code, and more usage. Read the Claude guide

Gemini (Google). Google's assistant, built for people who live in Gmail, Docs, and Android. The free plan includes image creation and editing, Deep Research, and voice chat, but now uses Google's lighter Flash-Lite model. Google AI Plus is just $4.99 a month. AI Pro ($19.99) adds Gemini in Docs and Sheets, 5 TB storage, and YouTube Premium Lite, and US college students can get a year free. Read the Gemini guide

Grok (xAI / SpaceXAI). The assistant for what's happening right now, with live web and X searches. It can create images and talk by voice on its free plan. As of October 12, 2026, Grok is sold through "The X Subscription": Plus at $8, Premium at $30 (which adds video and X Premium+ perks), and higher tiers. The old SuperGrok plans are closed to new buyers. Read the Grok guide

Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft). The AI built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. There's a limited free version on the web, in apps, and in Edge. To use it inside Office apps, you need Microsoft 365, starting at $9.99 a month (Personal). Premium ($19.99) adds Researcher and Analyst. Read the Copilot guide

Perplexity. An AI search engine that gives answers with clickable sources. The free plan includes practically unlimited basic searches, 3 Pro Searches a day, and 1 Research report a month. Pro is $20 a month, and verified students pay $10 for Education Pro. Read the Perplexity guide

NotebookLM, now Gemini Notebook (Google). A free study and research tool that works from the sources you upload. It turns your notes into Audio Overviews, flashcards, reports, and more. Free accounts get 100 notebooks with 50 sources each. Higher limits come with Google AI plans. Read the NotebookLM guide

DeepSeek. A completely free chatbot from a Chinese AI lab, strong at math, reasoning, and code. There's no official paid chat plan, only a pay-per-use API for developers. Be careful: its privacy policy says your data is stored in China and may be used for training. Read the DeepSeek guide

Meta AI (Meta). The free assistant already inside WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Facebook, and Meta's AI glasses. It chats, makes and edits images, reads photos and files, and suggests local spots. Optional Meta One plans ($7.99 and $19.99) add more image and video usage, but Meta says they're still in limited testing in some places. Read the Meta AI guide

Midjourney. The AI image maker for people who care most about how the picture looks. It also turns images into short videos. There's no free plan; Basic starts at $10 a month ($8 billed yearly). Read the Midjourney guide

Comparison table

US prices, checked October 14, 2026.

Personal agents: AI that acts for you

Added October 14, 2026. These are agents, not chatbots: they take actions in apps and websites, often on a schedule. Read our personal AI agents hub first, including the 7 safety rules.

Grok Bot (xAI). Named AI "Bots" with their own cloud computer. They log into websites, use connected apps, and run saved routines on a schedule, stopping for your approval on sensitive steps. Not sold alone: it comes with The X Subscription Premium ($30/month) and up; the $8 Plus plan doesn't include it. Read the Grok Bot track

Muse (Meta). Meta's personal agent in its own app, at muse.ai, and in WhatsApp. It handles email, calendar, bookings, and purchases with single-use card numbers. Free with limits; Power is $20 and Maximum $100 a month. Reported to be US and Canada only. Set permissions to "Always ask" first. Read the Muse track

Dots (OpenAI). Always-on agents inside ChatGPT, with their own cloud computer and 4,000+ app plugins, plus Slack and Teams. Included with ChatGPT Pro ($100+/month, not in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland) or a Business Premium seat ($125/month). Read the Dots track

Gemini Spark (Google). Google's 24/7 agent inside the Gemini app, now shown as a "Task" button next to "Chat." It works across Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and more, runs on schedules or when matching emails arrive, and can browse and book. Included with Google AI Pro ($19.99/month) or Ultra; not in the EEA, UK, Switzerland, or Nigeria. Read the Gemini Spark track

Hermes Agent (Nous Research). Free, open-source agent you run yourself, on your computer, a server, or Nous Portal hosting. It remembers you, builds its own skills, runs scheduled jobs, and chats through Telegram, Discord, and more. You pay for the AI model (free/local options exist; Nous Portal from $20). Read the Hermes track

Flagship comparison: Grok Bot vs Muse vs Dots vs Gemini Spark vs Hermes: same 5 business tasks

How to choose in 30 seconds

• Just starting out? Pick one free general assistant: ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.
• Live in Google apps? Gemini. Live in Microsoft Office? Copilot.
• Need sources? Perplexity. Studying your own notes? NotebookLM.
• Following the news on X? Grok.
• Want beautiful images? Midjourney (paid), or free images in ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, or Meta AI.
• Want totally free, no upsell? DeepSeek or Meta AI, but mind your privacy.
• Want an AI that does tasks for you? See Personal agents above: Muse to start free, Grok Bot for business routines, Dots if you have ChatGPT Pro, Gemini Spark if you live in Google apps, Hermes to self-host.

Should you pay? Here's our simple rule. Use the free plan for two weeks. If you hit the limit twice in one week on a task that matters, try one month of the cheapest paid plan. You can cancel anytime.