Which app should I use?

There are four main ones and they're all free to start. You don't have to pick just one — accounts are free, and most people end up using two.

Here's what each is best at.

If you want…	Use	Because
Answers that show you where they came from, with links you can click	Perplexity	It shows its sources by default, so you can check the answer yourself.
Help with careful writing, editing, or working through a long document	Claude	It holds a steady tone across long pieces and handles reading material well.
One app that does a bit of everything, including talking out loud and working with photos	ChatGPT	The most familiar, and the widest range of things it can do without paying.
Help inside Gmail, Google Docs, and other Google things you already use	Gemini	It's built into the Google account you already have.

A few things to know before you sign up

All four are free to use, and all four limit how much you can do in a day before asking you to wait or pay. The limits reset, usually within a few hours. If one tells you you've run out, that's normal — come back later, or try a different one.

You'll need to make an account with an email address. That's true for all of them.

ChatGPT shows ads to people on its free plan. They're marked "sponsored" and they sit apart from the answer, and OpenAI says advertisers can't change what ChatGPT tells you. Still worth knowing: if you see a product suggestion in a box that says sponsored, someone paid to put it there. It's an ad, the same as one in a magazine. The other three don't do this right now.

If you have a Windows computer, you may already have one of these. Microsoft puts an app called Copilot on most new Windows machines, and it does much of what the others do, including making pictures. If it's already there, it's the easiest one to try first.

Checked on: August 26, 2026. These apps change often, and what's free today may not be next month. Each name above links to that company's own page, which will always be more current than we are.