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Prices and features checked against each vendor on September 28, 2026.
Claude is Anthropic's assistant for writing, analysis, coding and agentic work, available on the web, desktop and mobile. As of September 2026 the Free plan is $0 and runs on the Sonnet and Haiku models, Pro is $20 per month or $17 per month billed annually, and Max is $100 per month for 5x Pro usage or $200 per month for 20x. Team seats are $25 per month or $20 annually for a standard seat and $125 per month or $100 annually for a premium seat, and Enterprise is priced through sales.
The reason people cite most is the usage model. Pro and Max limits are session based and reset every five hours, and Anthropic's help center states that both plans also carry a weekly usage limit that applies across all models and resets at a fixed time assigned to your account. The number of messages you get inside a session varies with message length, attached files, conversation length and the model you choose, so there is no fixed count to plan around. When you run out, the options are to buy usage credits, wait for the reset, or step up to Max, where the next tier is $100 per month, five times the price of Pro.
The second reason is scope. Claude's consumer plans only expose Anthropic's models, do not generate video, and do not bundle cloud storage or office apps. If you want image and video generation, Google's plans include Flow credits and Gemini image tools; if you want an assistant inside Word and Excel, Microsoft sells one; if you want cited research with a choice of models from several labs, Perplexity does that in a single subscription. Cost matters too: Mistral's Pro plan is $14.99 per month and includes API credits, and Grok can be tried free.
Built from each tool's listing. Vendors can update their own listing after claiming it.
Best for: The broadest feature set, including image creation, voice, custom GPTs and scheduled tasks
ChatGPT is OpenAI's assistant and the most direct substitute. The Free plan includes unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna plus limited uploads, image generation, voice chats and deep research. Go is $8 per month with more messages, uploads and image creation and longer memory. Plus is $20 per month with advanced reasoning on GPT-6, complex image creation, enhanced deep research, projects, scheduled tasks and custom GPTs. Pro starts at $100 per month for 5x more usage, Pro reasoning on GPT-6 Astra and unlimited faster image creation. Business seats are $25 monthly or $20 annually for standard and $125 monthly or $100 annually for premium with a 2-user minimum, which is identical to Claude Team pricing.
Best for: People who want storage, video generation and Gmail and Docs integration in the same plan
Google Gemini is bundled into the Google AI subscriptions. The Free tier includes image generation and editing, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas and Gems with 15 GB of storage across Gmail, Drive and Photos. AI Plus is $4.99 per month for 2x the Free limits, 200 Google Flow video credits and 400 GB of storage. AI Pro is $19.99 per month for 4x the Free limits, 1,000 Flow credits, higher access to Gemini 3 Pro and Deep Search, 5 TB of storage and YouTube Premium Lite. AI Ultra starts at $99.99 per month with a $199.99 tier for up to 20x Pro limits and 20 TB of storage. Against Claude Pro at the same price, AI Pro trades Claude Code and the Opus model for storage, video and Workspace integration.
Best for: Cited research with the freedom to pick models from OpenAI, Anthropic and others
Perplexity answers questions with citations and lets paid users choose between top AI models rather than a single vendor's. The Free plan offers search with citations and basic models with limited daily usage. Pro is $20 per month and adds expanded computer access, 4,000 bonus credits, deep research, model selection, and document and app creation. A $200 per month Business tier adds maximum computer usage, 10,000 monthly credits, 35,000 bonus credits and priority access to new features. If your main Claude use is research rather than long-form writing or coding, Perplexity Pro at the same $20 is the natural comparison.
Best for: Lower monthly cost with API credits included for developers
Mistral's Le Chat gives you the French lab's models in a chat app. Free includes limited messages and web searches, image generation, $10 per month in API credits and over 100 connectors. Pro is $14.99 per month excluding taxes with more messages and web searches, all-day coding access, $15 per month in API credits and chat and email support. Verified students pay the same for up to 12 months and get $30 per month in API credits. Team is $24.99 per user per month with a $50 monthly minimum. Claude Pro does not include any API allowance, so developers who prototype against an API save the separate bill.
Best for: Working inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook with Researcher and Analyst agents
Microsoft Copilot is Microsoft's assistant across Windows and Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 Premium for individuals is $19.99 per month or $199.99 per year and includes Copilot in the Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote desktop apps, extensive usage of AI features, AI image creation in Copilot Chat, and agents that create source-cited research reports and perform data analysis with visualization. For businesses, Microsoft 365 Copilot Business is an $18 per user per month add-on on annual billing or $25.20 monthly, and Business Standard with Copilot is $23.50 per user per month annually. Claude offers Claude in Microsoft 365 on Pro, but Copilot is native to the apps and includes the Office licence itself.
Best for: Real-time answers and a free starting point with an API on the same models
Grok is xAI's assistant for chat, search, reasoning and image and video generation. xAI says it is free to try on the web and in the apps, with SuperGrok as the upgrade for higher limits, priority access and multi-agent reasoning, and the same models are available through xAI's API. It emphasizes answers that reflect what is happening now and threads with public share links. The SuperGrok price is not shown on the Grok product page, so check the vendor's pricing page before comparing it with Claude Pro.
If you are leaving Claude because of session and weekly limits, ChatGPT Plus at $20 is the direct swap with the widest feature set, and ChatGPT Business matches Claude Team seat for seat. Pick Google AI Pro at $19.99 if storage, video credits and Workspace integration matter more than Claude Code. Choose Perplexity Pro for cited research with model choice, Mistral Pro at $14.99 for the lowest price with API credits, and Microsoft 365 Premium only if your work lives in Office.
