Side-by-side comparison · AI Assistants & LLMs
Google Gemini vs LMArena vs Qwen 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: People whose work already runs on Gmail, Google Workspace or an Android phone.
Pick it if: Anyone choosing between AI tools, and people who want to know which model is leading right now.
Pick it if: Anyone after a capable free assistant with image, video, slides and website tools, and developers who want open models.
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
| Attribute | Google Gemini | LMArena | Qwen Chat |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Google'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. | Alibaba's generous free assistant for research, slides, websites, images and video. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Free | Freemium |
| Starting price | US$4.99/mo | Free | $4/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.
| Attribute | Google Gemini | LMArena | Qwen Chat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.2Winner | 3.8 | 4.0 |
| 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 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| 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 | 3.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Google Gemini | LMArena | Qwen Chat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | No |
| Browser extension | Yes | No | No |
| API access | Yes | No | Yes |
| 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 | Yes |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes video | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | No | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | No | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 16/ 17 | 7/ 17 | 11/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Google Gemini | LMArena | Qwen Chat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Light use and seeing how it feels. | FreeOur pick Free Everyone. | FreeOur pick Free Most people. The free limits are generous for chat and research. |
Google AI Plus US$4.99/mo Casual users who want Gemini in Gmail and more storage. | Go $4/mo Regular users who want higher chat limits. | ||
Google AI ProOur pick US$19.99/mo Anyone who works in Google Workspace every day. | Plus $19/mo Creators making images and video most days. | ||
Google AI Ultra From US$99.99/mo Heavy creative and agent users. | Pro $99/mo Heavy video and image users who need priority. | ||
| Which plan to pick | Skip 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. | Start free; most people never need to pay. Go at $4 is cheap if you hit the chat limits. Prices are App Store prices, so check the in-app screen before you subscribe. |
Key features
| Attribute | Google Gemini | LMArena | Qwen Chat |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Google Gemini | LMArena | Qwen Chat |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Google Gemini | LMArena | Qwen Chat |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Google Gemini, LMArena or Qwen Chat?
Google Gemini scores highest overall in our ratings (Google Gemini 4.2/5, LMArena 3.8/5 and Qwen Chat 4.0/5). 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. Qwen Chat is best for A free assistant that does a bit of everything and quick webpages and slide decks from a prompt.
Which is cheaper, Google Gemini, LMArena or Qwen Chat?
Google Gemini: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at US$4.99/mo. LMArena: It's free to use. Qwen Chat: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $4/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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