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Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs

Google AI Studio vs Le Chat 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.

Google AI Studio

3.9

From $19.99/mo

Best overall

Le Chat

4.1

From $14.99/mo

Poe

3.6

From $4.99/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Pick it if: Founders, marketers and developers who want to test Google's models or build a quick app without paying.

Best overallBest value

Pick it if: Teams that care where their data lives, and anyone after a capable assistant for less money.

Poe3.6

Pick it if: People who want to try lots of models without paying for several subscriptions.

Overview

AttributeGoogle AI StudioLe ChatPoe
In one lineGoogle's free workspace for testing Gemini models and building apps from a description.Mistral's fast European assistant, with a usable free plan and a cheaper Pro plan.Quora's app for using hundreds of AI models and bots under one subscription.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$19.99/mo$14.99/mo$4.99/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes No Yes

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeGoogle AI StudioLe ChatPoe
Overall rating3.94.1Winner3.6
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.0
4.0
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
3.5
4.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.5
3.5
4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.0
4.5
2.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
3.5
5.0
3.5

Feature comparison

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

AttributeGoogle AI StudioLe ChatPoe
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app No Yes Yes
Desktop app No Yes Yes
Browser extension No No No
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace No Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes No
Connects to other apps Yes Yes No
Open source or self-hosted No Yes No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes Yes
Understands images Yes Yes Yes
Makes images Yes Yes Yes
Makes video Yes No Yes
Writes code Yes Yes Yes
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes No
Learns your brand or style No Yes Yes
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score11/ 1715/ 1712/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeGoogle AI StudioLe ChatPoe
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Testing models and building small prototypes.

Free

Free

Everyday questions and a look at the Work and Code modes.

Free

Free

A quick look at the app.

Google AI Pro

$19.99/mo

Regular users who also want the Gemini app upgrade.

ProOur pick

$14.99/mo

Anyone who wants a capable daily assistant for less.

Starter

$4.99/mo

Light daily use of cheaper models.

Google AI Ultra

From $99.99/mo

Heavy builders who want the highest limits.

Team

$24.99/user/mo

Small teams that want shared billing and higher limits.

PremiumOur pick

$19.99/mo, or $199.99/yr

Regular users switching between top models.

Paid API

Pay as you go, $10 prepay to start

Apps in production and anyone with sensitive data.

Enterprise

Custom

Organisations with compliance and custom needs.

Higher tiers

$49.99 to $249.99/mo

Heavy users of expensive models and video.

Which plan to pickStart 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.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.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

AttributeGoogle AI StudioLe ChatPoe
Standout features
  • Playground
  • Build mode
  • Image, speech and video models
  • API keys
  • Long context
  • Export to Antigravity
  • Fast answers
  • Work mode
  • Code mode
  • Documents and images
  • Memory
  • EU hosting and open models
  • Hundreds of models
  • Community bots
  • Group chats
  • Poe Apps
  • One API

Pros and cons

AttributeGoogle AI StudioLe ChatPoe
Pros
  • Free access to Google's Flash models with full control over settings
  • Build mode turns a description into a working, publishable app
  • Handles very long documents, audio and video
  • The quickest way to get a Gemini API key
  • EU hosting by default and open-weight models
  • Fastest responses in the category
  • Pro is cheaper than the equivalent OpenAI or Anthropic plan
  • Work mode runs real multi-step jobs across your apps
  • Clear, less preachy answers
  • Hundreds of models and modalities under one subscription
  • New models usually appear on release day
  • Group chats with several models and people
  • One API key and points pool for every model
Cons
  • Free-tier prompts may be used to improve Google's products and reviewed by people
  • Daily limits are unpublished and users report them being cut, including for paying Pro subscribers
  • Confusing for non-developers, and it overlaps with the Gemini app and Antigravity
  • Gemini 4 Argon and Veo video need a paid plan or API billing
  • The site can be buggy and slow on long chats
  • Reasoning and long-document quality trail Claude and ChatGPT
  • Smaller ecosystem of guides, plugins and community help
  • Free plan limits aren't published in plain numbers
  • The rename to Vibe and the new modes make it harder to find your way around
  • Free points cut about 90% in March 2026, and the Premium allowance cut in July
  • Points now run out much faster after the October pricing change, and users report being charged for failed or cut-off answers
  • Knowledge Base file uploads for bots were shut down in May 2026, breaking some bots
  • Frequent "ran into a problem" errors mid-answer in October 2026, and a 1.9 Trustpilot score with complaints about support

Who each one is for

AttributeGoogle AI StudioLe ChatPoe
Best for
  • Prototyping an app or internal tool by describing it
  • Testing new Gemini models before they reach the app
  • Getting a Gemini API key
  • Long documents and video transcription
  • Fast everyday questions
  • Privacy-conscious organisations
  • A cheaper paid plan
  • Reading and summarising documents
  • Trying many models in one place
  • Comparing answers from different models
  • Image, video and voice models without separate accounts
  • Group chats with AI
You'll find it used by
  • Developers
  • Founders
  • Technical marketers
  • AI hobbyists
  • Privacy-conscious teams
  • European businesses
  • Solo founders
  • Developers
  • AI enthusiasts
  • Writers
  • Developers
  • Students

Questions people ask

Which is better, Google AI Studio, Le Chat or Poe?

Le Chat scores highest overall in our ratings (Google AI Studio 3.9/5, Le Chat 4.1/5 and Poe 3.6/5). 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. Le Chat is best for fast everyday questions and privacy-conscious organisations. Poe is best for trying many models in one place and comparing answers from different models.

Which is cheaper, Google AI Studio, Le Chat or Poe?

Google AI Studio: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo. Le Chat: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $14.99/mo. Poe: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $4.99/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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