In 30 seconds: pick ChatGPT to start, Claude to write, Gemini if you live in Google, DeepSeek for code. All free. All good enough for daily use.
In this guide, you’ll see the exact limit of each, the hidden weakness, and the right choice in under a minute.
Before deciding, scroll to the comparison table below — if you already use one of these five, you might be on the wrong one. See also our deep-dive on ChatGPT vs Gemini.
Direct comparison
| AI | Best for | Free limit | Signup required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT (free) | General use, getting started | ~40 msgs/3h with GPT-5 | Yes |
| Google Gemini | Gmail/Docs integration | Generous, few restrictions | Yes |
| Claude (free) | Long text, PDF analysis | ~30 msgs/5h with Sonnet | Yes |
| Copilot | Windows/Edge, search | Generous | No (via Edge) |
| DeepSeek | Code, math | Practically unlimited | Yes |
ChatGPT: easiest to start
ChatGPT remains the benchmark.
The free version uses GPT-5 mini by default and unlocks full GPT-5 for a few hours per day. It does everything well — text, code, summarization, translation.
Weakness: free image generation is heavily limited.
Gemini: best if you live in Google
Gemini has an underrated advantage: native integration with Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Drive, and YouTube.
Here’s the trick: ask “summarize Monday’s emails” and it reads your inbox. It also has the most generous free limits of the five.
Weakness: in creative writing, still trails Claude and ChatGPT.
Claude: king of writing and PDFs
Claude from Anthropic is preferred by writers and lawyers.
It analyzes huge PDFs (entire books), writes with nuance the others miss, and is the most honest when it doesn’t know — it says so instead of inventing.
Weakness: no native image generation; shortest free limit.
Copilot: pre-installed on Windows
If you use Windows 11, Copilot is already there — dedicated keyboard button.
It’s basically GPT-5 with Bing web access. Bonus: no signup needed via Edge.
DeepSeek: coder’s favorite
DeepSeek is Chinese, free, and absurdly good at code and math.
In public benchmarks, it ties paid models. For students and programmers, it’s the best free option.
Caveat: being Chinese-owned, evaluate your data policy.
Which one to pick?
- General use, beginner: ChatGPT
- Already use Google daily: Gemini
- Heavy writing, lots of PDFs: Claude
- Windows/Edge user: Copilot
- Programming and math: DeepSeek
Still undecided? See our detailed ChatGPT vs Gemini comparison and the list of ChatGPT alternatives. If you’re a beginner, start with the basics: what is AI and how it works.
One-line summary
ChatGPT to start, Claude to write, Gemini for Google, DeepSeek for code — all free, all good.