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Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs

ChatGPT vs Kimi

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

Kimi

3.8

From $19/mo or $15/mo

Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

Best overallBest valueEasiest to use

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

Kimi3.8

Pick it if: People who want an agent to produce finished slides, documents, spreadsheets and websites, and developers after a cheaper coding model.

Overview

AttributeChatGPTKimi
In one lineOpenAI's all-rounder: chat, images, voice, web search and agents in one app.Moonshot AI's assistant with a strong agent for slides, documents, sheets and websites.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$8/mo$19/mo or $15/mo
Free plan Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code No No

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeChatGPTKimi
Overall rating4.3Winner3.8
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers the job it's built for, and how well the pieces fit together.
5.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.0
3.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
3.0

Feature comparison

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

AttributeChatGPTKimi
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes
Browser extension Yes No
API access Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes–
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes No
Connects to other apps Yes No
Open source or self-hosted No Yes
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes
Understands images Yes Yes
Makes images Yes–
Makes video No No
Writes code Yes Yes
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style Yes No
Works in many languages Yes Yes
Capabilities score15/ 1710/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeChatGPTKimi
Plans

Free

Free

Trying it out and everyday questions.

Adagio

Free

Trying the chat and a taste of the agent.

Go

$8/mo

Casual users who hit the free limits.

PlusOur pick

$19/mo or $15/mo billed yearly

Anyone who wants to use the agent most weeks.

PlusOur pick

$20/mo

Anyone using it most days for work.

Pro

$39/mo or $31/mo billed yearly

Regular users who run out of credits on Plus.

Pro

From $100/mo

Heavy users and people living in Codex.

Max

$99/mo or $79/mo billed yearly

Heavy users running several jobs at once.

Business

See website

Teams from 2 people up.

Ultra

$199/mo or $159/mo billed yearly

Power users running agents all day.

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.Try the free plan to see the agent's output. If you like it, Plus at $19 is the sensible plan, and the yearly price drops it to $15. Only move up if you keep running out of credits, which long Swarm jobs do quickly.

Key features

AttributeChatGPTKimi
Standout features
  • Image generation and editing
  • Voice mode
  • Deep research
  • ChatGPT Work
  • Plugins and connectors
  • Codex and Sites
  • Agent
  • Slides, Docs and Sheets
  • Agent Swarm
  • Deep Research
  • Kimi Code
  • Open model

Pros and cons

AttributeChatGPTKimi
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
  • Agent produces finished slides, documents, sheets and websites
  • Kimi K3 is a leading open model, strong at coding and long tasks
  • Swarm handles big research jobs in parallel
  • Cheaper than Claude or ChatGPT for comparable agent work
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
  • Shared credits drain quickly on long agent and Swarm jobs, and unused credits don't roll over
  • K3 is slow, and users report network errors and long-running tasks
  • Main privacy policy stores data in China, and the hosted service blocks China-critical topics
  • Free plan is thin and allowances aren't published in plain numbers
  • Since late August 2026 even ordinary chats draw on the credit pool, and some users report duplicate charges on renewal

Who each one is for

AttributeChatGPTKimi
Best for
  • Everyday questions and brainstorming
  • Making and editing images in the chat
  • Voice conversations on your phone
  • Quick research with web search
  • Turning a brief into a slide deck
  • Research reports and document drafts
  • Analysing a spreadsheet
  • Building a simple website
  • Coding on a budget
You'll find it used by
  • Marketers
  • Small business owners
  • Students
  • Developers
  • Consultants
  • Marketers
  • Students
  • Developers
  • Analysts

Questions people ask

Which is better, ChatGPT or Kimi?

ChatGPT scores highest overall in our ratings (ChatGPT 4.3/5 and Kimi 3.8/5). ChatGPT is best for everyday questions and brainstorming and making and editing images in the chat. Kimi is best for turning a brief into a slide deck and research reports and document drafts.

Which is cheaper, ChatGPT or Kimi?

ChatGPT: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo. Kimi: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19/mo or $15/mo.

Which is easier to use, ChatGPT or Kimi?

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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