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Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs

Google Gemini vs LMArena 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.

Best overall

Google Gemini

4.2

From US$4.99/mo

LMArena

3.8

Free to start

Le Chat

4.1

From $14.99/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Best overall

Pick it if: People whose work already runs on Gmail, Google Workspace or an Android phone.

Best value

Pick it if: Anyone choosing between AI tools, and people who want to know which model is leading right now.

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

Google Gemini scores highest overall, but LMArena gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.

Overview

AttributeGoogle GeminiLMArenaLe Chat
In one lineGoogle's assistant, built into Gmail, Docs, Drive and Android phones.Free site where you compare AI models side by side and see which ones people rate best.Mistral's fast European assistant, with a usable free plan and a cheaper Pro plan.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreeFreemium
Starting priceUS$4.99/moFree$14.99/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code No No No

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeGoogle GeminiLMArenaLe Chat
Overall rating4.2Winner3.84.1
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
3.5
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
4.0
3.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
3.5
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.0
5.0
4.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
3.0
5.0

Feature comparison

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

AttributeGoogle GeminiLMArenaLe Chat
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes No Yes
Desktop app Yes No Yes
Browser extension Yes No 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 Yes Yes Yes
Makes video Yes Yes 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 score16/ 177/ 1715/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeGoogle GeminiLMArenaLe Chat
Plans

Free

Free

Light use and seeing how it feels.

FreeOur pick

Free

Everyone.

Free

Free

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

Google AI Plus

US$4.99/mo

Casual users who want Gemini in Gmail and more storage.

ProOur pick

$14.99/mo

Anyone who wants a capable daily assistant for less.

Google AI ProOur pick

US$19.99/mo

Anyone who works in Google Workspace every day.

Team

$24.99/user/mo

Small teams that want shared billing and higher limits.

Google AI Ultra

From US$99.99/mo

Heavy creative and agent users.

Enterprise

Custom

Organisations with compliance and custom needs.

Which plan to pickSkip the free plan for anything serious now that it's Flash-Lite only. AI Pro (US$19.99, or A$32.99 in Australia) is the one to buy: it's the cheapest way to get Gemini 4 Argon plus Gemini in Docs and Gmail, and the 5 TB of storage offsets a Google One bill. Ultra is for people generating video all day.There's nothing to buy. Use it free, and pay for whichever assistant comes out best for your work.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

AttributeGoogle GeminiLMArenaLe Chat
Standout features
  • Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Drive
  • Deep Research
  • Image and video making
  • Gemini Live and desktop apps
  • Tasks and connected apps
  • Gemini in Chrome
  • Battle mode
  • Side by side
  • Direct chat
  • Leaderboards
  • Agent mode
  • Early access
  • Fast answers
  • Work mode
  • Code mode
  • Documents and images
  • Memory
  • EU hosting and open models

Pros and cons

AttributeGoogle GeminiLMArenaLe Chat
Pros
  • Reads and acts on your Gmail, Docs and Drive directly
  • AI Pro bundles the top model, Workspace features and 5 TB of storage for one price
  • Deep Research is included even on the free plan
  • Fast, and the mobile and Android experience is polished
  • Video and image generation included on paid plans
  • Desktop apps for Windows and Mac as well as the web
  • Free access to the leading models, often before release
  • Blind voting makes it easy to judge models on output alone
  • Leaderboards cover text, code, images, video and agents
  • Real people's preferences are harder to game than lab benchmarks
  • 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
Cons
  • Free plan is now Flash-Lite only, so it's weaker than the free tiers of ChatGPT or Claude
  • Plan names and model access keep changing, which is confusing
  • Writing quality sits behind Claude and the answers can be padded
  • Workspace features need a personal Google account or a Workspace admin to turn them on
  • Usage resets every 5 hours up to a weekly cap, and Google doesn't publish the numbers
  • Rankings favour answers that look good, and labs have been caught testing private versions to climb the board
  • Conversations are collected and partly shared with model makers, so keep private work out
  • Frequent "something went wrong" errors, captchas, logouts and models removed without notice
  • Direct chat is being narrowed, with newer models only available in random battles
  • The company now sells evaluations to the labs it ranks, which raises questions about neutrality
  • 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

Who each one is for

AttributeGoogle GeminiLMArenaLe Chat
Best for
  • Searching and summarising your Gmail
  • Drafting in Google Docs
  • Image and video generation on paid plans
  • Hands-free help on Android
  • Choosing between AI models with your own prompts
  • Checking which model leads after a launch
  • Trying top models for free
  • Comparing image and video models
  • Fast everyday questions
  • Privacy-conscious organisations
  • A cheaper paid plan
  • Reading and summarising documents
You'll find it used by
  • Google Workspace teams
  • Marketers
  • Small business owners
  • Android users
  • AI enthusiasts
  • Developers
  • Product teams
  • Journalists
  • Privacy-conscious teams
  • European businesses
  • Solo founders
  • Developers

Questions people ask

Which is better, Google Gemini, LMArena or Le Chat?

Google Gemini scores highest overall in our ratings (Google Gemini 4.2/5, LMArena 3.8/5 and Le Chat 4.1/5). Google Gemini is best for searching and summarising your Gmail and drafting in Google Docs. LMArena is best for choosing between AI models with your own prompts and checking which model leads after a launch. Le Chat is best for fast everyday questions and privacy-conscious organisations.

Which is cheaper, Google Gemini, LMArena or Le Chat?

Google Gemini: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at US$4.99/mo. LMArena: It's free to use. 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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