Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs
Claude vs Duck.ai vs LMArena
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 writes, researches or makes decisions for a living, plus anyone curious about Claude Code.
Pick it if: Anyone who wants quick AI help without an account or a record of what they asked.
Pick it if: Anyone choosing between AI tools, and people who want to know which model is leading right now.
Claude scores highest overall, but LMArena gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Claude | Duck.ai | LMArena |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Anthropic's chat assistant, at its best on careful writing and long documents. | DuckDuckGo's private AI chat: no account, no stored prompts, free to use. | Free site where you compare AI models side by side and see which ones people rate best. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Free |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Claude | Duck.ai | LMArena |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.6Winner | 4.0 | 3.8 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 5.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Claude | Duck.ai | LMArena |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Browser extension | Yes | Yes | No |
| API access | Yes | No | No |
| 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 | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | No | Yes | Yes |
| Makes video | No | No | Yes |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | No | No |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | No | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 14/ 17 | 9/ 17 | 7/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Claude | Duck.ai | LMArena |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying it out and light daily use. | FreeOur pick Free Quick private questions with no sign-up. | FreeOur pick Free Everyone. |
ProOur pick $20/mo, or $17/mo billed yearly Anyone who uses it most days. | Plus $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr Regular users who also want a VPN. | ||
Max From $100/mo Heavy users and people living in Claude Code. | Pro $19.99/mo or $199.99/yr People who want the top models privately. | ||
Team From $20/seat/mo billed yearly Businesses with 2 to 150 people. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Start on Free to see if the writing suits you. Most people who stick with it move to Pro within a month; only go to Max if you hit the Pro limits every day or you're running Claude Code for hours at a time. | 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. | There's nothing to buy. Use it free, and pay for whichever assistant comes out best for your work. |
Key features
| Attribute | Claude | Duck.ai | LMArena |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Claude | Duck.ai | LMArena |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Claude | Duck.ai | LMArena |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Claude, Duck.ai or LMArena?
Claude scores highest overall in our ratings (Claude 4.6/5, Duck.ai 4.0/5 and LMArena 3.8/5). Claude is best for long-form writing and editing and reading and summarising long documents. Duck.ai is best for quick private questions and Using AI without signing up. LMArena is best for choosing between AI models with your own prompts and checking which model leads after a launch.
Which is cheaper, Claude, Duck.ai or LMArena?
Claude: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Duck.ai: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr. LMArena: It's free to use.
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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