Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs
Claude vs Google AI Studio 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: Founders, marketers and developers who want to test Google's models or build a quick app without paying.
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 | Google AI Studio | LMArena |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Anthropic's chat assistant, at its best on careful writing and long documents. | Google's free workspace for testing Gemini models and building apps from a description. | 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 | $19.99/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Claude | Google AI Studio | LMArena |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.6Winner | 3.9 | 3.8 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Claude | Google AI Studio | LMArena |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | No |
| Browser extension | Yes | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | No |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | No | No |
| 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 | No | 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 | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 14/ 17 | 11/ 17 | 7/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Claude | Google AI Studio | LMArena |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying it out and light daily use. | FreeOur pick Free Testing models and building small prototypes. | FreeOur pick Free Everyone. |
ProOur pick $20/mo, or $17/mo billed yearly Anyone who uses it most days. | Google AI Pro $19.99/mo Regular users who also want the Gemini app upgrade. | ||
Max From $100/mo Heavy users and people living in Claude Code. | Google AI Ultra From $99.99/mo Heavy builders who want the highest limits. | ||
Team From $20/seat/mo billed yearly Businesses with 2 to 150 people. | Paid API Pay as you go, $10 prepay to start Apps in production and anyone with sensitive data. | ||
| 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. | 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. | There's nothing to buy. Use it free, and pay for whichever assistant comes out best for your work. |
Key features
| Attribute | Claude | Google AI Studio | LMArena |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standout features |
|
|
|
Pros and cons
| Attribute | Claude | Google AI Studio | LMArena |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pros |
|
|
|
| Cons |
|
|
|
Who each one is for
| Attribute | Claude | Google AI Studio | LMArena |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for |
|
|
|
| You'll find it used by |
|
|
|
Questions people ask
Which is better, Claude, Google AI Studio or LMArena?
Claude scores highest overall in our ratings (Claude 4.6/5, Google AI Studio 3.9/5 and LMArena 3.8/5). Claude is best for long-form writing and editing and reading and summarising long documents. 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. LMArena is best for choosing between AI models with your own prompts and checking which model leads after a launch.
Which is cheaper, Claude, Google AI Studio or LMArena?
Claude: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Google AI Studio: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo. LMArena: It's free to use.
Which is easier to use, Claude, Google AI Studio or LMArena?
Claude rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone who writes, researches or makes decisions for a living, plus anyone curious about Claude Code.
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.
