AI assistants · 9
AI assistants: free plans, subscriptions and API prices
The $20 assistant subscription is no longer the only choice. DeepSeek and Qwen are free to chat with and sell their models by the token, Kimi has four paid tiers, and ChatGPT and Claude now range from a few dollars to several hundred a month.
Below you can see what each plan costs on monthly and yearly billing, which ones have a free plan, how usage limits work, and how to sign up and pay from wherever you are.
In short
On monthly billing, Gemini has the lowest entry price at $4.99/month. The others start at: ChatGPT at $8, Z.ai (GLM) at $18, Kimi at $19, Claude at $20, Perplexity at $20 per month. ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Doubao, Gemini, Kimi, Perplexity, Qwen and Z.ai (GLM) all have a free plan. Each tool page lists exactly what the free plan includes.
Plans side by side
Price tracker →| Tool | Made by | Free tier | Paid from | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Global | OpenAI | Yes | $8/mo | Verified Oct 29, 2026 |
| Claude Global | Anthropic | Yes | $20/mo | Verified Oct 29, 2026 |
| DeepSeek From China | DeepSeek | Yes | Usage-based | Verified Oct 29, 2026 |
| Doubao From China | ByteDance | Yes | Usage-based | Being verified |
| Gemini Global | Yes | $4.99/mo | Verified Oct 29, 2026 | |
| Kimi From China | Moonshot AI | Yes | $19/mo | Being verified |
| Perplexity Global | Perplexity | Yes | $20/mo | Verified Oct 29, 2026 |
| Qwen From China | Alibaba | Yes | Usage-based | Verified Oct 29, 2026 |
| Z.ai (GLM) From China | Zhipu AI (Z.ai) | Yes | $18/mo | Verified Oct 29, 2026 |
Full pricing
ChatGPT
OpenAI
OpenAI's general assistant with search, files, data analysis, images and voice in one app.
Claude
Anthropic
Anthropic's assistant for long documents, careful writing, analysis and agentic coding with Claude Code.
DeepSeek
DeepSeek
Hangzhou-based lab with open-weight models, a free chat app and a low-cost pay-as-you-go API.
Doubao
ByteDance
ByteDance's AI assistant for mainland China, with free chat and video generation, paid membership tiers for heavier use, and Doubao models sold through the Volcano Engine API.
Gemini
Google's assistant across the web, Android and Gmail, Docs and Sheets. Paid Google AI plans add more Gemini use, Google's top models and cloud storage.
Kimi
Moonshot AI
Moonshot AI's assistant, known for long-context reading, agentic tasks and open-weight K-series models.
Perplexity
Perplexity
An AI answer engine that searches the web and cites its sources in every answer. Paid plans add top models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, Deep Research and Computer.
Qwen
Alibaba
Alibaba's model family: a free international chat app, many open-weight models and a commercial API on Alibaba Cloud.
Z.ai (GLM)
Zhipu AI (Z.ai)
Zhipu AI's international brand: a free GLM chat app, open-weight GLM models, a pay-as-you-go API and a GLM Coding Plan subscription for coding tools.
No tools match. Try a maker name such as Alibaba or OpenAI.
Head-to-head
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest AI assistant subscription?
On monthly billing, Gemini has the lowest entry price at $4.99/month. The others start at: ChatGPT at $8, Z.ai (GLM) at $18, Kimi at $19, Claude at $20, Perplexity at $20 per month.
Which AI assistants have a free plan?
ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Doubao, Gemini, Kimi, Perplexity, Qwen and Z.ai (GLM) all have a free plan. Each tool page lists exactly what the free plan includes.
Which AI assistants sell API access by usage with no subscription?
DeepSeek, Doubao, Qwen and Z.ai (GLM) bill their APIs per token, with no subscription required. Each tool page lists the current per-token prices.