3 tools that do the same job as Claude, compared on checked pricing and features. Claude's cheapest paid plan is $17 a month for one person, and two of the alternatives cost less. Two of the two have a free plan.
Prices checked against each vendor's own pricing page; Claude's on October 3, 2026.
Cheapest paid plan that covers the team, per month before tax, at the yearly rate where one is published. Each tool's prices were checked against its own pricing page, most recently on October 3, 2026.
1. ChatGPT
Best for varied work that doesn't live inside one vendor's office apps
ChatGPT is OpenAI's AI assistant for people whose work spans writing, research, files, images and code. Its Work mode takes a task with a defined result and returns a document, spreadsheet, presentation or PDF to review.
One person
$8/mo
Go · Claude: $17/mo
Team of 10
$200/mo
Business · Claude: $200/mo
Free plan
Free
Choose ChatGPT if…
You want it cheaper for one person: $8/mo on Go, against $17/mo for Claude.
Gemini is Google's AI assistant for people whose email, calendar and files are already in Google's apps. It works with Gmail, Calendar and Drive inside a chat, and paid Google AI plans bundle it with Google One storage.
One person
$4.99/mo
Google AI Plus · Claude: $17/mo
Team of 10
—
Free plan
Free
Choose Gemini if…
You want it cheaper for one person: $4.99/mo on Google AI Plus, against $17/mo for Claude.
Perplexity is an AI answer engine for people who need to check where facts come from. It searches the web in real time and cites its sources in every answer, and its Research mode writes longer sourced reports.
One person
Not re-checked
Team of 10
Not re-checked
Free plan
Free
Choose Perplexity if…
You need what Claude lacks: image generation.
Stay with Claude if…
You rely on what Perplexity lacks: long context window.
