Buyer's guide
AI assistants and chatbots
A guide to notable AI assistants and chatbots, spanning leading general-purpose 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 | 2026-07-16 |
| Claude | Anthropic | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-03 | 2026-07-16 |
| Gemini | Google DeepMind | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-12 | 2026-07-27 |
| Grok | xAI | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-11 | 2026-07-24 |
| Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-02 | 2026-07-27 |
Regional and multilingual assistants
| Name | Company | Category | Business model | Launched | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doubao | ByteDance | AI Assistants | Free | 2023-08 | 2026-07-27 |
| Kimi | Moonshot AI | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-10 | 2026-07-27 |
| ERNIE Bot | Baidu | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023-03 | 2026-07-27 |
| 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 | 2026-07-16 |
| Pi | Inflection AI | AI Assistants | Free | 2023-05 | 2026-07-27 |
| Meta AI | Meta | AI Assistants | Free | 2023-09 | 2026-07-24 |
| Talkie | MiniMax | AI Assistants | Freemium | 2023 | 2026-07-27 |
Frequently asked questions
What are the best AI assistants and chatbots?
This guide highlights ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Microsoft Copilot, Doubao.
How many tools does this guide cover?
It lists 13 tools across 3 categories.