AI advice
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Mistral: Which AI assistant is right for you?
In short
For most beginners ChatGPT is the easiest start, because text chats are unlimited in the free version. For writing and long documents we recommend Claude, while Google Gemini fits best if you use Gmail and Google Docs. Mistral Vibe is the European alternative. All four are available for free; ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro cost from $20, Google AI Pro from €21.99 a month.
You want to get started with AI and are spoilt for choice: everyone knows ChatGPT, colleagues swear by Claude, Google is building Gemini into its services, and with Mistral Vibe there's also a provider from Europe. The good news: for everyday tasks like texts, questions and ideas, all of them are good enough. The differences lie in the writing style, the connection to other services, the free tier and data protection. Here you get an honest overview and a clear recommendation for what you want to use it for.
What sets ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Mistral Vibe apart?
All four are AI assistants: you type a question or task into a chat window and get an answer in full sentences. Behind each one is its own language model with its own character. This is how they differ:
- ChatGPT from OpenAI is the best-known all-rounder. Even for free you get web search, voice mode and file upload, plus images and Deep Research with limits. Ideal if you're looking for one tool for almost everything.
- Claude from Anthropic, in our experience, writes particularly naturally and with nuance, and copes well with long source texts and style examples. Claude analyses files and creates documents or small apps as so-called artifacts.
- Google Gemini is closely connected to Gmail, Google Docs, Maps and YouTube. Gemini generates images and offers Deep Research in the free version too, with limits there.
- Mistral Vibe is the assistant from the French company Mistral AI and used to be called Le Chat. It offers web search, document upload and agent features that take on multi-step tasks.
A fifth candidate is Microsoft Copilot. It's free, built into Windows and the Edge browser, and plays to its strengths mainly in the Microsoft ecosystem. You'll find all the major assistants with prices in our overview Top 5: The most popular AI models.
What do the AI assistants cost and what do you get for free?
The table shows the free tier and the cheapest subscription. Providers adjust prices and limits regularly, so it's worth taking a quick look at the provider's website before you sign up.
| Assistant | Free version | Subscription from | Strong at |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Unlimited text, tools with limits | $20/month (Plus) | All-round, images, voice |
| Claude | Limit per 5 hours | $20/month (Pro) | Writing, long texts |
| Google Gemini | With limits | €21.99/month (AI Pro) | Google services, research |
| Mistral Vibe | With limits | Price on provider's site | EU provider, agents |
| Microsoft Copilot | Free | €22/month (Microsoft 365 Premium) | Windows, Office |
The expensive tiers such as ChatGPT Pro (up to $500), Claude Max (up to $200) or Google AI Ultra (up to €219.99) a month are meant for heavy users and professionals. You don't need them to get started. Whether a subscription is worth it at all is covered in our guide Free or subscription: When an AI subscription pays off.
Which AI assistant is best for my purpose?
There's no clear winner for everything, but there are clear recommendations depending on the task:
- Writing: Claude. Our recommendation for blog posts, job applications and anything that shouldn't sound like a machine. ChatGPT is a strong runner-up. You'll find more options among the AI tools for text and writing.
- Research: Google Gemini or ChatGPT. For thorough reports with sources you use Deep Research, which both offer for free with limits. If sources are what matter most to you, take a look at Perplexity among the research tools.
- Google ecosystem: Gemini. If you use Gmail, Google Docs and Maps, the AI is where you already work. In Gmail some basic features are even free.
- Microsoft ecosystem: Copilot. For Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, private users need Microsoft 365 Premium from €22 a month, while companies book Microsoft 365 Copilot as an add-on licence.
- Data protection and the EU: Mistral Vibe. Mistral AI is based in France. For users in the EU, this means the provider and the responsible data protection authority are in the same legal area. That doesn't replace your own caution with sensitive data, though.
- Programming: Claude or ChatGPT. For larger projects, the subscriptions also include Claude Code and Codex respectively, which take on whole tasks as coding agents.
Our recommendation if you're unsure: start with ChatGPT as an all-rounder and add a second assistant for your main focus. That's Claude for writing, Gemini for Google users or Mistral Vibe if a European provider matters to you.
What should you look out for when it comes to data protection?
Whichever assistant you choose: don't enter passwords, health data or confidential company information if you don't know exactly what happens to it. Check in the settings whether your chats may be used to train future models. Depending on the provider you can switch this off; our glossary explains the training opt-out.
Extra caution is advisable with DeepSeek. The service is free and strong at logic and code, but according to its own privacy policy it stores data in China. We advise against using it for personal or work-related content. You can read more about this in the guide Data protection with AI tools.
How do I find out which AI assistant suits me?
Reading comparisons helps, trying things out yourself helps more. This is how you'll find your favourite within a week:
- Pick two assistants that fit your everyday life, for example ChatGPT and Claude or Gemini and Mistral Vibe.
- Decide on three real tasks, such as writing an email, summarising a long text and answering a question about your hobby.
- Give both exactly the same prompt. How to write good prompts is shown in our guide Writing prompts for beginners.
- Compare style, accuracy and ease of use. Which answer would you reuse without major changes?
- Use your favourite in everyday life for a week. Only when you regularly hit limits is a subscription worth it.
Tip: Using two assistants in parallel also makes sense in the long run. If you reach the free limit with one, you carry on with the other. And with important facts, a second opinion uncovers mistakes, as our guide Checking AI answers shows.
Frequently asked questions
Which AI assistant is the best free one?
For pure text tasks ChatGPT is the most generous for free, because text chats are unlimited. Google Gemini offers a lot for free around Google services and even Deep Research with limits. Claude limits free use per five hours but, in our experience, delivers particularly natural texts. It's best to test two of them in parallel with the same tasks.
Is ChatGPT or Claude better for writing?
In our experience Claude sounds more natural when writing and sticks well to style guidelines from long examples. ChatGPT is more versatile, for example with images and voice mode, and also writes very solidly. If you write a lot, give the same task to both assistants and decide based on your own taste. Both cost $20 a month for the entry-level subscription.
Is Mistral Vibe the same as Le Chat?
Yes. Mistral AI renamed its chat assistant Le Chat to Vibe and at the same time added agent features that let it complete multi-step tasks. So if you search for Le Chat, you'll end up at Mistral Vibe. There's still a free version with limits, plus paid plans for more usage and for teams.
Do I need an AI subscription for good results?
Not to get started. The free versions are perfectly adequate for emails, summaries and ideas. A subscription is worth it if you hit limits every day, process lots of long documents or regularly need features like in-depth research and agents. The entry-level subscriptions of the major providers cost between $20 and €22 a month.