ChatGPT
This record was last reviewed on 2026-10-10.
Buyer's guide
AI assistants and chatbots
General-purpose assistants have become the default way many people reach a language model. This guide covers notable chat assistants and chatbots: the leading standalone services, assistants embedded in devices and social platforms, regional and multilingual offerings, and companion-style chat. Products are grouped by focus.
How to choose
Who this is for. Anyone comparing general-purpose chat assistants for everyday writing, coding help, and questions, who wants to see how standalone services, platform-embedded assistants, and regional options differ before committing to one.
Who this is not for. Teams that need a domain-specific agent for support, legal, or IDE-native coding rather than a general chatbot, and anyone who needs a self-hosted model with full control over weights and hosting.
- Start from where you will use it: web, mobile, desktop, or built into a device you already own.
- Check language coverage and regional availability if you work outside English, since several services target one home market.
- Separate consumer chat from workplace plans that add admin controls, data-processing terms, and higher limits.
- Treat model names as moving parts; each product record lists the family cited at last review, not a permanent spec.
- Decide how much you value companion-style interaction versus task completion, because the two rarely overlap.
Leading general-purpose assistants
Standalone web and app assistants from the largest model vendors, covering writing, coding help, and open questions; unlike the platform assistants next, you reach them through their own site or app.
| Select for comparison | Name | Company | Category | Business model | Launched | Updated | My shortlist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Drafting and editing text |
OpenAI | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2022-11 | 2026-10-10 | ||
| Claude Drafting and editing text |
Anthropic | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-03 | 2026-10-10 | ||
| Gemini Drafting and editing text |
Google DeepMind | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-12 | 2026-10-12 | ||
| Grok Drafting and editing text |
xAI | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-11 | 2026-10-09 | ||
| Microsoft Copilot Drafting and editing text |
Microsoft | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-02 | 2026-10-10 |
On-device and platform assistants
These assistants ship inside an operating system or social platform, so they arrive with the device or feed rather than as a separate destination; unlike the regional services below, they are not built around a single home market.
| Select for comparison | Name | Company | Category | Business model | Launched | Updated | My shortlist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Intelligence Drafting and editing text |
Apple | AI Assistants | Free | 2024-10 | 2026-10-09 | ||
| Meta AI Drafting and editing text |
Meta | AI Assistants | Free | 2023-09 | 2026-07-30 |
Regional and multilingual assistants
Services with a strong regional language focus or a home market outside the US, which the global assistants above may serve only as a second language; unlike the companion apps below, they are general-purpose work and everyday tools.
| Select for comparison | Name | Company | Category | Business model | Launched | Updated | My shortlist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doubao Drafting and editing text |
ByteDance | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-08 | 2026-09-10 | ||
| Kimi Drafting and editing text |
Moonshot AI | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-10 | 2026-09-04 | ||
| Wenxin Assistant Drafting and editing text |
Baidu | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-03 | 2026-09-10 | ||
| Vibe Drafting and editing text |
Mistral AI | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2024-02 | 2026-10-09 | ||
| ChatGLM Drafting and editing text |
Z.ai (Zhipu AI) | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-03 | 2026-09-10 | ||
| Tencent Hunyuan Drafting and editing text |
Tencent | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-09 | 2026-09-10 |
Companion and social chat
Chat products built for companionship, persona play, and long conversational sessions rather than workplace tasks; unlike the regional assistants above, they are usually not aimed at documents, code, or business workflows.
| Select for comparison | Name | Company | Category | Business model | Launched | Updated | My shortlist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Character.AI Drafting and editing text |
Character Technologies | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2022-09 | 2026-09-10 | ||
| Pi Drafting and editing text |
Inflection AI | AI Assistants | Free | 2023-05 | 2026-09-10 | ||
| Talkie Drafting and editing text |
MiniMax | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023 | 2026-10-10 |
Frequently asked questions
Does this guide pick a winner?
No. It groups notable indexed products by job-to-be-done and links to sourced records. It does not score or rank.
How are products grouped?
Groups follow workflow or deployment, not popularity. A product appears in one section of this guide.
Where do the facts come from?
From each product record in the index, which cites official and independent sources and a last-reviewed date.
What should I watch out for?
Capabilities, model families, prices, and regional availability change without notice, and an assistant can state wrong things confidently. Check the product record and the vendor's own page before relying on a feature.
Related comparisons
Sources and record dates
Record dates describe index updates, not independent product tests. Check linked documentation for current features and pricing.
Claude
This record was last reviewed on 2026-10-10.
Gemini
This record was last reviewed on 2026-10-12.
Grok
This record was last reviewed on 2026-10-09.
Microsoft Copilot
This record was last reviewed on 2026-10-10.
Apple Intelligence
This record was last reviewed on 2026-10-09.
Meta AI
This record was last reviewed on 2026-07-30.
Doubao
This record was last reviewed on 2026-09-10.
Kimi
This record was last reviewed on 2026-09-04.
Wenxin Assistant
This record was last reviewed on 2026-09-10.
Vibe
This record was last reviewed on 2026-10-09.
ChatGLM
This record was last reviewed on 2026-09-10.
Tencent Hunyuan
This record was last reviewed on 2026-09-10.
Character.AI
This record was last reviewed on 2026-09-10.
Pi
This record was last reviewed on 2026-09-10.
Talkie
This record was last reviewed on 2026-10-10.