Claude vs ChatGPT vs Google Gemini vs Microsoft Copilot

Pick up to 4 tools and see their free plans, entry prices, platforms and limits in one table. Every fact comes from each vendor's own pages, checked 16 October 2026.

Written head to head: ChatGPT vs Claude · ChatGPT vs Google Gemini · Claude vs Google Gemini · Microsoft Copilot vs ChatGPT, with when to choose each side.

Compared on	Claude Free plan · from $17/mo Visit Remove	ChatGPT Free plan · from $8/mo Visit Remove	Google Gemini Free plan · from $4.99/mo Visit Remove	Microsoft Copilot Free plan · from $9.99/mo Visit Remove
What it is	Anthropic's AI assistant for writing, analysis, research and coding	OpenAI's AI chat assistant for writing, research, images, voice and coding	Google's AI assistant app, with paid Google AI plans for higher limits	Microsoft's free consumer AI assistant, with more use in Microsoft 365 plans
Free plan	Chat on web, desktop and mobile with web search, file creation, code execution, memory, app connections and artifacts; less usage than Pro; no Claude Code or projects	Unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna (subject to abuse guardrails); limited uploads, image generation, voice chats, deep research, memory and Codex access	Flash-Lite model, image generation and editing, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas, Gems, Gemini Notebook and limited Google Flow; 15 GB storage; usage limits that refresh every 5 hours up to a weekly limit	Limited free version subject to available capacity and usage limits; signing in with a personal Microsoft account adds chat history, image creation, longer conversations and voice
Cheapest paid plan	$17/mo billed annually (Pro)Claude pricing	$8/mo (Go)ChatGPT pricing	$4.99/mo (Google AI Plus)Google Gemini pricing	$9.99/mo (Microsoft 365 Personal)Microsoft Copilot pricing
What it covers	Annual billing is $200 paid up front. Includes Claude Code.	Go may include ads. Plus is $20/month. OpenAI's FAQ says Go and Plus are sold as monthly plans; annual plans are for Business and Enterprise.	2x Free usage limits, video generation, Gemini in Google apps, 400 GB storage.	Or $99.99/year. Copilot chat with higher usage than free, plus Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps; AI features are for the subscription owner only.
Free trial	None stated	None stated	None stated	1-month free trial of Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Chrome extension, API	Web, iOS, Android, macOS	Web, Android, iOS, API	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Integrations (vendor's figure)	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated
Open source	No	No	No	No
Good for	Drafting and editing long documents and emails Summarising and analysing uploaded files Researching a topic with web search	Drafting and editing emails, reports and posts Researching a topic with web search and deep research Analysing a spreadsheet or document you upload	Researching a topic with Deep Research Drafting emails and documents inside Gmail and Docs Creating images for posts and presentations	Asking quick questions and getting answers from the web Summarising a long web page in Edge Drafting documents in Word with a Microsoft 365 subscription
Watch out for	Claude Code, projects and task scheduling are not in the Free plan Usage limits apply on Free and Pro; Max raises them 5x or 20x Enterprise adds usage billed at API rates on top of the seat price	Free and Go have limited uploads, image generation, voice, deep research and Codex access The Go plan may include ads Business plans start at 2 users; Enterprise and Edu pricing requires contacting sales	Gemini in Gmail, Docs and other Google apps needs a paid plan, is for ages 18+ and is in select languages Video generation is not in the Free plan The Free plan uses the Flash-Lite model, with usage limits that refresh every 5 hours up to a weekly cap	Free use depends on available capacity and usage limits In Microsoft 365 Family, Copilot features are for the subscription owner only and cannot be shared Copilot Pro is no longer sold; Microsoft points buyers to Microsoft 365 Premium
Made by	Anthropic	OpenAI	Google	Microsoft

Entry prices are the cheapest paid plan, as each vendor publishes it; “What it covers” says what that price is per (a user, a channel, a brand, a number of contacts). The sources are listed on each tool's page.

Every tool in AI assistants and chatbots is on its category page, with the written head-to-heads on Compare.