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Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs

ChatGPT vs Duck.ai vs Google Gemini

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Best overall

ChatGPT

4.3

From $8/mo

Duck.ai

4.0

From $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr

Google Gemini

4.2

From US$4.99/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Best overall

Pick it if: Anyone who wants one general-purpose assistant that handles most everyday jobs.

Best value

Pick it if: Anyone who wants quick AI help without an account or a record of what they asked.

Pick it if: People whose work already runs on Gmail, Google Workspace or an Android phone.

ChatGPT scores highest overall, but Duck.ai gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.

Overview

AttributeChatGPTDuck.aiGoogle Gemini
In one lineOpenAI's all-rounder: chat, images, voice, web search and agents in one app.DuckDuckGo's private AI chat: no account, no stored prompts, free to use.Google's assistant, built into Gmail, Docs, Drive and Android phones.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$8/mo$9.99/mo or $99.99/yrUS$4.99/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code No No No

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeChatGPTDuck.aiGoogle Gemini
Overall rating4.3Winner4.04.2
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
4.5
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers the job it's built for, and how well the pieces fit together.
5.0
3.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
3.5
4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.0
4.5
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
4.5
4.5

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeChatGPTDuck.aiGoogle Gemini
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes Yes
Browser extension Yes Yes Yes
API access Yes No Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes No Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes No Yes
Connects to other apps Yes No Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes Yes
Understands images Yes Yes Yes
Makes images Yes Yes Yes
Makes video No No Yes
Writes code Yes Yes Yes
Runs agents or automations Yes No Yes
Learns your brand or style Yes No Yes
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score15/ 179/ 1716/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeChatGPTDuck.aiGoogle Gemini
Plans

Free

Free

Trying it out and everyday questions.

FreeOur pick

Free

Quick private questions with no sign-up.

Free

Free

Light use and seeing how it feels.

Go

$8/mo

Casual users who hit the free limits.

Plus

$9.99/mo or $99.99/yr

Regular users who also want a VPN.

Google AI Plus

US$4.99/mo

Casual users who want Gemini in Gmail and more storage.

PlusOur pick

$20/mo

Anyone using it most days for work.

Pro

$19.99/mo or $199.99/yr

People who want the top models privately.

Google AI ProOur pick

US$19.99/mo

Anyone who works in Google Workspace every day.

Pro

From $100/mo

Heavy users and people living in Codex.

Google AI Ultra

From US$99.99/mo

Heavy creative and agent users.

Business

See website

Teams from 2 people up.

Which plan to pickThe free plan is now good enough to use properly, so stay on it until the image, voice or research limits annoy you. Plus is the sensible upgrade. Only look at Pro if you run Codex or deep research all day, and read the current tier details first: Pro 200 now comes with a smaller allowance than it did before 29 September.Stay on Free unless you also want a VPN. Plus is good value if you'd pay for a VPN anyway. Pro is $19.99, the same as ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro, so only pick it if anonymity matters more to you than features.Skip the free plan for anything serious now that it's Flash-Lite only. AI Pro (US$19.99, or A$32.99 in Australia) is the one to buy: it's the cheapest way to get Gemini 4 Argon plus Gemini in Docs and Gmail, and the 5 TB of storage offsets a Google One bill. Ultra is for people generating video all day.

Key features

AttributeChatGPTDuck.aiGoogle Gemini
Standout features
  • Image generation and editing
  • Voice mode
  • Deep research
  • ChatGPT Work
  • Plugins and connectors
  • Codex and Sites
  • No account needed
  • Anonymised prompts
  • Choice of models
  • Voice chat and images
  • Local chat history
  • Built into the browser
  • Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Drive
  • Deep Research
  • Image and video making
  • Gemini Live and desktop apps
  • Tasks and connected apps
  • Gemini in Chrome

Pros and cons

AttributeChatGPTDuck.aiGoogle Gemini
Pros
  • The widest set of built-in tools of any assistant
  • Free plan includes unlimited text chat with GPT-6 Luna
  • Image generation and voice mode are the best in the category
  • Huge ecosystem of plugins, connectors and guides
  • One subscription covers the Codex coding agent too
  • No account, and prompts are anonymised and not used for training
  • Free access to models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Mistral in one place
  • Fast, clean and easy for anyone to use
  • Paid plans bundle a VPN and identity protection
  • Reads and acts on your Gmail, Docs and Drive directly
  • AI Pro bundles the top model, Workspace features and 5 TB of storage for one price
  • Deep Research is included even on the free plan
  • Fast, and the mobile and Android experience is polished
  • Video and image generation included on paid plans
  • Desktop apps for Windows and Mac as well as the web
Cons
  • Writing sounds generic unless you work hard on the prompt
  • Plans and limits change often, and Pro now runs to $500 a month
  • Free and Go plans may show ads
  • It's confident when it's wrong, so check facts before you publish
  • Custom GPTs are being retired, so anything built on them needs moving to plugins
  • Free models are the small versions, so answers trail paid ChatGPT or Claude
  • No projects, connectors or spreadsheet uploads, and PDFs are capped at 15 to 50 pages
  • Usage limits aren't published as numbers
  • Privacy rests on DuckDuckGo's contracts with the AI companies, and some users report chat sync errors between devices
  • Free plan is now Flash-Lite only, so it's weaker than the free tiers of ChatGPT or Claude
  • Plan names and model access keep changing, which is confusing
  • Writing quality sits behind Claude and the answers can be padded
  • Workspace features need a personal Google account or a Workspace admin to turn them on
  • Usage resets every 5 hours up to a weekly cap, and Google doesn't publish the numbers

Who each one is for

AttributeChatGPTDuck.aiGoogle Gemini
Best for
  • Everyday questions and brainstorming
  • Making and editing images in the chat
  • Voice conversations on your phone
  • Quick research with web search
  • Quick private questions
  • Using AI without signing up
  • A shared or work computer
  • Voice chat and simple image making
  • Searching and summarising your Gmail
  • Drafting in Google Docs
  • Image and video generation on paid plans
  • Hands-free help on Android
You'll find it used by
  • Marketers
  • Small business owners
  • Students
  • Developers
  • Privacy-minded professionals
  • DuckDuckGo users
  • Casual AI users
  • Students
  • Google Workspace teams
  • Marketers
  • Small business owners
  • Android users

Questions people ask

Which is better, ChatGPT, Duck.ai or Google Gemini?

ChatGPT scores highest overall in our ratings (ChatGPT 4.3/5, Duck.ai 4.0/5 and Google Gemini 4.2/5). ChatGPT is best for everyday questions and brainstorming and making and editing images in the chat. Duck.ai is best for quick private questions and Using AI without signing up. Google Gemini is best for searching and summarising your Gmail and drafting in Google Docs.

Which is cheaper, ChatGPT, Duck.ai or Google Gemini?

ChatGPT: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo. Duck.ai: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr. Google Gemini: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at US$4.99/mo.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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