8 alternativesChatGPT: Free to start
The best ChatGPT alternatives
For most people the best alternative to ChatGPT is Claude, and the best free one is LM Studio.
Compare at a glance
ChatGPT is highlighted, so you can see what you give up and what you gain.
| App | Price | How you pay | Mac | iPhone | iPad | App Store | Developer | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.8 | ||||||
| Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.7 | ||||||
| Free | Free | Too few ratings | ||||||
| Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.4 | ||||||
| Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.7 | ||||||
| Free | Free | 4.7 | ||||||
| Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.8 | ||||||
| Free, open source | Free | Too few ratings | ||||||
| Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | Too few ratings |
Swipe the table sideways to see more
The alternatives, in order
-
Pick this if you write or code for a living and want an AI that reasons through problems with you.
A thoughtful AI partner for writing, research and code, with a free plan that already searches the web and reads your files.
-
Pick it if you have an Apple silicon Mac with more than 8 GB of RAM and want AI that stays offline.
A free way to run open AI models like Qwen and DeepSeek on your own Mac, fully offline and private.
-
Pick it if you want to generate and edit AI images on your own device, with control over models and settings.
A free offline AI image generator for iPhone, iPad and Mac with inpainting, ControlNet and LoRA training.
-
Pick it if your email, files and calendar already sit in Gmail, Google Drive and Google Calendar.
The AI assistant to pick if your email, files and calendar already live with Google, with a free Mac app on top.
-
Pick it if you want an AI chat you can use offline, with no account and nothing leaving your device.
A free AI chat app that runs open models on your iPhone, iPad or Mac with no account and no data collected.
-
Pick this if you want answers with a link to every source, and you ask from an iPhone or iPad.
AI answers that show their homework, with a link to every source, free for everyday questions.
-
Pick it if you want private AI on your Mac or need a local model for apps and coding tools.
The open-source engine for running AI models on your own Mac, with optional cloud models when you need speed.
-
Pick it if you want AI that already knows what you worked on today without you explaining it.
An AI assistant for your Mac that remembers what you worked on, so you can ask about it without explaining.
ChatGPT head to head
ChatGPT vs ClaudePick this if you write or code for a living and want an AI that reasons through problems with you.
ChatGPT vs GeminiPick it if your email, files and calendar already sit in Gmail, Google Drive and Google Calendar.
ChatGPT vs PerplexityPick this if you want answers with a link to every source, and you ask from an iPhone or iPad.
When ChatGPT is still the right pick
You want 1 AI assistant on your phone and Mac that you can type to, talk to or show a photo.
ChatGPT prices and verdictFree to start