Free AI chatbots: what each free plan actually gives you (Oct 2026)

10 of the 10 AI chatbots we track have a permanent free plan. Here is exactly what each one gives you for $0, quoted from the vendor.

Chat assistants10 tools checked

Free AI chatbots

ToolUpgradeFreeStatusWhat you get for $0 & source
Free plans
01Gemini
 Cheapest upgrade
Google AI Plus · $4.99/mo		$0Free tier
Allowance stated
Free $0 with a Google Account: 'standard limits' (compute-based; refresh every 5 hours until a weekly limit); 32k-token context window; limited Nano Banana Pro; 15 GB storage.
Source: support.google.com · checked 2026-10-16
02Manus
 Cheapest upgrade
Pro · $20/mo		$0Free tier
Allowance stated
Free users get daily refresh credits, capped at 1,500 credits/month, usable only for Manus 2.0 lite. Free credits never expire.
Source: help.manus.im · checked 2026-10-16
03Claude
 Cheapest upgrade
Pro · $20/mo		$0Free tier
Free $0: chat on web/desktop/mobile, web search, file creation & code execution, memory, connectors, Artifacts, up to 5 Projects. Sonnet and Haiku models (no Opus); no Claude Code. Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour session window; message counts not published.
Source: claude.com · checked 2026-10-16
04ChatGPT
 Cheapest upgrade
Go · $8/mo		$0Free tier
Free $0: 'Unlimited text chats with GPT-6' subject to abuse guardrails; limited uploads, image creation, voice, deep research, memory, Codex access. Help center says Free users have GPT-5.6 Luna; tools have separate limits. Ads may appear in some countries.
Source: chatgpt.com · checked 2026-10-16
05Perplexity
 Cheapest upgrade
Pro · $17/mo billed yearly		$0Free tier
Free (Standard): 'practically unlimited basic searches'; Pro Searches 3/day; Research queries 1/month; no advanced models or image generation; limited file uploads.
Source: perplexity.ai · checked 2026-10-16
06Grok
 Cheapest upgrade
Plus · $8/mo		$0Free tier
'Free to try on the web and in the apps'; free tier has limited Chat, Imagine and Build usage. Limits not published.
Source: x.ai · checked 2026-10-16
07Microsoft Copilot
 Cheapest upgrade
Microsoft 365 Personal · $9.99/mo		$0Free tier
Microsoft Copilot app is free; paid Microsoft 365 plans give 'higher usage than free' (Personal/Family) or 'extensive usage' (Premium). Free usage limits not published on this page.
Source: microsoft.com · checked 2026-10-16
08Le Chat
 Cheapest upgrade
Pro · $14.99/mo		$0Free tier
Free: limited messages and web searches; limited coding sessions. Exact counts not published.
Source: mistral.ai · checked 2026-10-16
09Poe
 Cheapest upgrade
Price not published		$0Free tier
Non-paying users receive points daily that reset every 24 hours and do not roll over. Daily point amount not stated in the FAQ.
Source: help.poe.com · checked 2026-10-16
10Character.AI
 Cheapest upgrade
Price not published		$0Free tier
Character.AI states 'It's free to use!' Free limits not published.
Source: support.character.ai · checked 2026-10-16

How this list is ranked

Free plans that put a number on the allowance (credits, minutes, images, messages) rank first, because you can plan around a number; free plans with unpublished allowances follow. Within each group, order follows our main price table. Trials and paid-only tools are listed after the ranking so you know they were checked.

We never rank on reviews, affiliate deals or sponsorship. Facts are vendor-stated; "not published" means the vendor doesn't say.

Recent changes in this list

  1. plan restructure
    SuperGrok folded into The X Subscription (Plus $8, Premium $30, Super $100, Ultra $200)

    xAI announced one subscription for Grok, Cursor and X Premium; Premium bundles the benefits of SuperGrok, Cursor Pro and X Premium+ ('previously $90/month combined'). Existing SuperGrok plans continue.

  2. benefit added
    Claude Max now includes monthly API credits ($100 on Max 5x, $200 on Max 20x)

    Anthropic's platform release notes: 'Claude Max and Team plans now include monthly API credits.' Credits don't cover interactive Claude Code and don't roll over.

  3. new tierlimit cut
    ChatGPT Pro 500 ($500/mo) launched; Pro 200 reopened with a lower usage allowance

    Pro 500 adds Ultrafast GPT-6 Astra / GPT-6.1 Sol. New, non-grandfathered Pro 200 subscriptions get a lower allowance; grandfathered users keep the old allowance through Oct 29, 2026.

  4. price cutnew tier
    Google AI Ultra cut from $249.99 to $199.99; new $99.99 Ultra (5x Pro) tier

    Announced at Google I/O 2026. The top Ultra tier keeps 20x AI Pro limits at the lower price.

  5. new tier
    ChatGPT adds a $100/month Pro tier (5x Plus Codex usage)

    New Pro tier between Plus ($20) and Pro ($200); temporary 10x Codex promo through May 31, 2026. Plus Codex usage rebalanced across the week.

Questions people ask

What is the cheapest AI chatbot?

Gemini: Google AI Plus costs $4.99/mo. Next cheapest: ChatGPT ($8/mo), Grok ($8/mo), Microsoft Copilot ($8.33/mo billed yearly). Prices checked 2026-10-16.

Which AI chatbots have a free plan?

Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok, Microsoft Copilot, Le Chat, Poe, Character.AI, Manus.

Which free AI chatbot tells you exactly what you get?

Gemini: Free $0 with a Google Account: 'standard limits' (compute-based; refresh every 5 hours until a weekly limit); 32k-token context window; limited Nano Banana Pro; 15 GB storage.; Manus: Free users get daily refresh credits, capped at 1,500 credits/month, usable only for Manus 2.0 lite. Free credits never expire.

How current is this ranking?

It is rebuilt from our data every time prices are checked; the last check was 2026-10-16. Every price links to the vendor page it came from.

Head-to-head comparisons

Other rankings

Free to cite. All data is CC BY 4.0: quote, embed or republish it with a link to AI Plan Tracker. Raw data: tools.json · changes.json. Spotted an error? Every fact links to its source and the date we checked it.