Buyer's guide
AI assistants and chatbots
A guide to notable AI assistants and chatbots, spanning leading general-purpose assistants, on-device and platform assistants, regional and multilingual services, and companion-style chat, grouped by focus.
Leading general-purpose assistants
| Name | Company | Category | Business model | Launched | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | OpenAI | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2022-11 | 2026-09-04 |
| Claude | Anthropic | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-03 | 2026-09-04 |
| Gemini | Google DeepMind | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-12 | 2026-09-04 |
| Grok | xAI | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-11 | 2026-09-04 |
| Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-02 | 2026-07-30 |
On-device and platform assistants
| Name | Company | Category | Business model | Launched | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Intelligence | Apple | AI Assistants | Free | 2024-10 | 2026-09-04 |
| Meta AI | Meta | AI Assistants | Free | 2023-09 | 2026-07-30 |
Regional and multilingual assistants
| Name | Company | Category | Business model | Launched | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doubao | ByteDance | AI Assistants | Free | 2023-08 | 2026-07-30 |
| Kimi | Moonshot AI | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-10 | 2026-09-04 |
| ERNIE Bot | Baidu | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-03 | 2026-07-29 |
| Le Chat | Mistral AI | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2024-02 | 2026-07-16 |
Companion and social chat
| Name | Company | Category | Business model | Launched | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Character.AI | Character Technologies | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2022-09 | 2026-07-30 |
| Pi | Inflection AI | AI Assistants | Free | 2023-05 | 2026-07-29 |
| Talkie | MiniMax | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023 | 2026-07-30 |
Frequently asked questions
What are the best AI assistants and chatbots?
This guide highlights ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Microsoft Copilot, Apple Intelligence.
How many tools does this guide cover?
It lists 14 tools across 4 categories.