Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs
Claude vs Duck.ai vs Le Chat
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: Teams that care where their data lives, and anyone after a capable assistant for less money.
Overview
| Attribute | Claude | Duck.ai | Le Chat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | Mistral's fast European assistant, with a usable free plan and a cheaper Pro plan. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr | $14.99/mo |
| 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 | Le Chat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.6Winner | 4.0 | 4.1 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| 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 | 4.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Claude | Duck.ai | Le Chat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | Yes | Yes | No |
| 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 | Yes |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | No | Yes | Yes |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| 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 score | 14/ 17 | 9/ 17 | 15/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Claude | Duck.ai | Le Chat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying it out and light daily use. | FreeOur pick Free Quick private questions with no sign-up. | Free Free Everyday questions and a look at the Work and Code modes. |
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. | ProOur pick $14.99/mo Anyone who wants a capable daily assistant for less. | |
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 $24.99/user/mo Small teams that want shared billing and higher limits. | |
Team From $20/seat/mo billed yearly Businesses with 2 to 150 people. | Enterprise Custom Organisations with compliance and custom needs. | ||
| 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. | The free plan is enough to see if the speed and tone suit you. Pro is good value at $14.99 and a sensible second assistant next to Claude. Students can get Pro for $5.99 a month for up to 12 months. |
Key features
| Attribute | Claude | Duck.ai | Le Chat |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Claude | Duck.ai | Le Chat |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Claude | Duck.ai | Le Chat |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Claude, Duck.ai or Le Chat?
Claude scores highest overall in our ratings (Claude 4.6/5, Duck.ai 4.0/5 and Le Chat 4.1/5). 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. Le Chat is best for fast everyday questions and privacy-conscious organisations.
Which is cheaper, Claude, Duck.ai or Le Chat?
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. Le Chat: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $14.99/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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