“Free” means very different things across AI chatbots. Claude, Gemini and Perplexity all have free plans, but only Gemini’s free tier includes image creation and editing, and none publishes fixed message counts.
From the vendors’ own pages: Claude’s Free plan costs $0 and includes web search, file creation and the Sonnet and Haiku models, but not Claude Code. Gemini’s free tier needs a Google Account. Perplexity’s Standard plan gives “practically unlimited basic searches” and three Pro searches a day, but no image generation. OpenAI’s, DeepSeek’s and xAI’s official free-plan pages blocked our research tools, so we do not state their details. Facts were checked on 19 October 2026. We did not test answer quality.
The short answer
- Claude Free: $0; rolling five-hour usage window; Sonnet and Haiku.
- Gemini free: Google Account; image creation and editing included; limits reset every five hours until a weekly cap.
- Perplexity Standard (Free): basic searches, 3 Pro searches a day, 1 research query a month.
- ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Grok: check their own sites; their official pages were not readable for this guide.
What does each free plan include?
| Chatbot | Verified free-plan facts | Not included or unclear |
|---|---|---|
| Claude | “Free for everyone”; chat on web, desktop and mobile; web search; file creation and code execution; memory; Sonnet and Haiku; “rolling five-hour window” usage | No Opus, no Research, no Claude Code, no Claude in Chrome |
| Gemini | Sign in at gemini.google.com with a Google Account (age 13+ for personal accounts, 18+ for work accounts); image creation and editing (Nano Banana); Deep Research, Canvas and Gems are listed on Google’s plans page for Free | Higher limits and Veo video need paid Google AI plans |
| Perplexity | “Standard (Free)”: practically unlimited basic searches, 3 Pro searches a day, 1 research query a month, limited file uploads | “No access to advanced AI models, image generation, or premium support” |
| Microsoft Copilot | Its page implies free image creation with limits | The page lists no free-tier features |
| ChatGPT | – | Official free-plan page blocked; press says ads may appear on Free and Go in certain countries |
Match the free plan to your task. Need images? Start with Gemini. Need coding help from Claude Code or the Opus model? Claude Free will not do it. Need fast sourced searches? Perplexity fits.
Where are the limits published?
None of these vendors publishes fixed message counts for free users. Claude describes a rolling five-hour window. Gemini says limits “reset every 5 hours until a weekly cap.” Perplexity publishes daily and monthly counts for its Pro and research features. Our Claude usage limits guide explains how to check yours.
Does free mean private?
- Google’s page says content on the free tier of Google AI Studio may be used to improve its products.
- Check each app’s setting for using your chats to train models before you share anything sensitive.
- Lookalike sites that advertise “free ChatGPT, no sign-up” may not belong to OpenAI.
How should I choose?
- Pick two chatbots and give both the same five real tasks.
- Track whether you hit limits in a normal week.
- Move to a paid plan only for a limit or feature you actually hit; see plans compared.
Questions and answers
Which AI chatbots are free?
Claude, Gemini and Perplexity all have free plans, as do Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT. Their features and limits differ, so use the table above.
Is Gemini free?
Yes, with a Google Account. It includes image creation and editing, and Google’s plans page also lists Deep Research, Canvas and Gems for Free.
Is Claude Code free?
No. Claude’s Free plan does not include Claude Code, Opus, Research or Claude in Chrome.
Do free plans have limits?
Yes: five-hour windows, weekly caps or daily search counts, depending on the tool.
Which free plan allows image generation?
Gemini’s free tier includes image creation and editing. Perplexity’s Standard plan does not include image generation.
Sources
Facts last checked on 19 October 2026. Free plans change often.
