Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs
ChatGPT vs Google AI Studio vs Poe
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone who wants one general-purpose assistant that handles most everyday jobs.
Pick it if: Founders, marketers and developers who want to test Google's models or build a quick app without paying.
Pick it if: People who want to try lots of models without paying for several subscriptions.
Overview
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google AI Studio | Poe |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | OpenAI's all-rounder: chat, images, voice, web search and agents in one app. | Google's free workspace for testing Gemini models and building apps from a description. | Quora's app for using hundreds of AI models and bots under one subscription. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $8/mo | $19.99/mo | $4.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google AI Studio | Poe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3Winner | 3.9 | 3.6 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 2.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google AI Studio | Poe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Browser extension | Yes | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | No | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | No |
| 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 | Yes | Yes |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | No |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | No | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 15/ 17 | 11/ 17 | 12/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google AI Studio | Poe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying it out and everyday questions. | FreeOur pick Free Testing models and building small prototypes. | Free Free A quick look at the app. |
Go $8/mo Casual users who hit the free limits. | Google AI Pro $19.99/mo Regular users who also want the Gemini app upgrade. | Starter $4.99/mo Light daily use of cheaper models. | |
PlusOur pick $20/mo Anyone using it most days for work. | Google AI Ultra From $99.99/mo Heavy builders who want the highest limits. | PremiumOur pick $19.99/mo, or $199.99/yr Regular users switching between top models. | |
Pro From $100/mo Heavy users and people living in Codex. | Paid API Pay as you go, $10 prepay to start Apps in production and anyone with sensitive data. | Higher tiers $49.99 to $249.99/mo Heavy users of expensive models and video. | |
Business See website Teams from 2 people up. | |||
| Which plan to pick | The 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. | Start free. If you're putting anything sensitive in or building something people will use, switch to a paid API key so your prompts aren't used for training. Google AI Pro only makes sense if you'd use the Gemini app upgrade too. | Premium at $19.99 is the plan to start on. Watch your points use for a fortnight; if you spend most of them on one model, switch to that company's own subscription instead. |
Key features
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google AI Studio | Poe |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | ChatGPT | Google AI Studio | Poe |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, ChatGPT, Google AI Studio or Poe?
ChatGPT scores highest overall in our ratings (ChatGPT 4.3/5, Google AI Studio 3.9/5 and Poe 3.6/5). ChatGPT is best for everyday questions and brainstorming and making and editing images in the chat. Google AI Studio is best for prototyping an app or internal tool by describing it and testing new Gemini models before they reach the app. Poe is best for trying many models in one place and comparing answers from different models.
Which is cheaper, ChatGPT, Google AI Studio or Poe?
ChatGPT: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo. Google AI Studio: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo. Poe: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $4.99/mo.
Which is easier to use, ChatGPT, Google AI Studio or Poe?
ChatGPT rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone who wants one general-purpose assistant that handles most everyday jobs.
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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