ChatGPT
The most-used AI assistant — broadest features, biggest ecosystem.
Claude review
The quality pick — leads coding benchmarks and long-document work.
Anthropic Free tier API
At a glance
| Developer | Anthropic |
|---|---|
| Current model | Claude Fable 5 (June 2026) |
| Free tier | Yes — daily message caps; long-form output quality notably strong on free tier |
| Paid from | $20/mo (~£16, $17/mo billed annually) |
| Plan ladder | Free · Pro $20 · Max $100 (5×) · Max $200 (20×); Team ~$25–30/user |
| Context window | Up to 1M tokens (standard pricing since March 2026) |
| Multimodal | Text, images, file analysis; agentic coding via Claude Code |
| Public API | ✔ Yes |
| Open weights | ✕ No |
| Data & privacy | Does not train on user data by default (opt-in); strong enterprise compliance posture |
| Official site | https://claude.ai |
Pros & cons
What's good
- Leads published coding benchmarks; bundles a terminal coding agent
- Exceptional with long documents — contracts, reports, codebases
- Privacy-friendly default: conversations not used for training unless you opt in
What to watch
- No native image generation
- Usage caps on Pro can pinch heavy users; Max tiers are monthly-only
Ad slot: 2020202020
Who is Claude for?
Claude tends to suit people who want coding & development, long documents & analysis, writing & content, privacy-conscious, business & teams. There's a free tier, so the cheapest way to decide is simply to try it.
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Alternatives to consider
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Le Chat (Mistral)
The European choice — capable, fast, and EU-hosted.