Skip to content

Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs

ChatGPT vs Duck.ai vs Qwen Chat

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

Qwen Chat

4.0

From $4/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.

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

Pick it if: Anyone after a capable free assistant with image, video, slides and website tools, and developers who want open models.

Overview

AttributeChatGPTDuck.aiQwen Chat
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.Alibaba's generous free assistant for research, slides, websites, images and video.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$8/mo$9.99/mo or $99.99/yr$4/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.aiQwen Chat
Overall rating4.3Winner4.04.0
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
4.0
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
4.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
4.5
3.5

Feature comparison

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

AttributeChatGPTDuck.aiQwen Chat
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes No
Browser extension Yes Yes No
API access Yes No Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes No No
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes No No
Connects to other apps Yes No No
Open source or self-hosted No No Yes
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 No
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score15/ 179/ 1711/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeChatGPTDuck.aiQwen Chat
Plans

Free

Free

Trying it out and everyday questions.

FreeOur pick

Free

Quick private questions with no sign-up.

FreeOur pick

Free

Most people. The free limits are generous for chat and research.

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.

Go

$4/mo

Regular users who want higher chat limits.

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.

Plus

$19/mo

Creators making images and video most days.

Pro

From $100/mo

Heavy users and people living in Codex.

Pro

$99/mo

Heavy video and image users who need priority.

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.Start free; most people never need to pay. Go at $4 is cheap if you hit the chat limits. Prices are App Store prices, so check the in-app screen before you subscribe.

Key features

AttributeChatGPTDuck.aiQwen Chat
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
  • Deep Research
  • Web Dev
  • Slides
  • Image and video
  • Thinking mode
  • Open models

Pros and cons

AttributeChatGPTDuck.aiQwen Chat
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
  • One of the most generous free plans in the category
  • Broad toolkit: research, slides, websites, images and video in one place
  • Top Qwen models rank near the best US models
  • Open models you can run yourself
  • International service is run from Singapore
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
  • Avoids or slants topics sensitive to the Chinese government
  • Thinking mode on the newest models can be very slow
  • Paid plans are new and the free limits aren't published, so it's unclear how long the free plan stays this generous
  • Chats can be used, de-identified, to improve the service; you have to email to opt out of training
  • No connections to business apps

Who each one is for

AttributeChatGPTDuck.aiQwen Chat
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
  • A free assistant that does a bit of everything
  • Quick webpages and slide decks from a prompt
  • Free image and short video generation
  • Deep research reports
  • Developers who want open models
You'll find it used by
  • Marketers
  • Small business owners
  • Students
  • Developers
  • Privacy-minded professionals
  • DuckDuckGo users
  • Casual AI users
  • Students
  • Students
  • Developers
  • Budget-conscious founders
  • Content creators

Questions people ask

Which is better, ChatGPT, Duck.ai or Qwen Chat?

ChatGPT scores highest overall in our ratings (ChatGPT 4.3/5, Duck.ai 4.0/5 and Qwen Chat 4.0/5). 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. Qwen Chat is best for A free assistant that does a bit of everything and quick webpages and slide decks from a prompt.

Which is cheaper, ChatGPT, Duck.ai or Qwen Chat?

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. Qwen Chat: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $4/mo.

How we compare

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

Swap in another tool

More tools from AI Assistants & LLMs in the library.