In recent years, artificial intelligence has fundamentally transformed the world, and chatbots have become everyday tools for millions. This technology is radically changing how we work, learn, and create, reshaping industries from education and customer service to software development and content production.
AI Chatbot Overview
The major players currently on the market include OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Anthropic’s Claude, among others. Each platform boasts unique strengths: from advanced text generation and data analysis to coding assistance and integration with external tools. The differences lie not only in functionality but also in pricing, interface, and security measures.
According to data from Aitools.xyz, as of March 2025, ChatGPT is the most used AI chatbot worldwide, with a staggering 5.6 billion monthly visits. Trailing behind are DeepSeek (647.6 million visits) from China, Elon Musk’s Grok (160 million visits), Google’s Gemini (154.3 million visits), and Anthropic’s Claude (128.9 million visits).
To help you navigate this crowded market, we’ve reviewed five of the most popular AI chatbots, each with its unique advantages and suited for different types of users. Rather than declaring a single “best” model (as the right tool is entirely dependent on your needs), we’ve categorized them based on their nature and strengths.
Friendly Reminder: The world of AI is rapidly evolving. A tool that feels limited today might surpass its competitors after the next update. So don’t hesitate to experiment.
The Most Popular ChatGPT
OpenAI’s ChatGPT burst onto the scene in November 2022, quickly becoming a global phenomenon and amassing 100 million users in just two months. Its most prominent strength is versatility: ChatGPT might not be the best choice for every single task, but it is reliably capable of handling various tasks, such as content creation, summarization, brainstorming, complex problem-solving, and coding.
Its memory function is another key advantage. It can recall details from previous chats, such as your preferences, communication style, and ongoing projects (free users must manually enable this feature, while paid users have the option for automatic memory). ChatGPT also includes features like real-time web search, research mode (deep research), image generation, and a visual workspace (Canvas). It’s accessible via web, mobile devices, and even WhatsApp.
Pricing:
- Free: Access to GPT-4o with limited messaging and 5 deep research queries per month.
- Plus ( $20/month): Full access to GPT-4o, with limited access to GPT-4.5 and o1.
- Pro ($200/month): Full access to GPT-4.5 and o1, plus 250 deep research queries.
One-Sentence Verdict: If you can only choose one chatbot, ChatGPT is the most comprehensive choice.
The Controversial DeepSeek
The Chinese chatbot DeepSeek garnered significant attention with the release of its R1 model, claiming impressive performance with a low development cost of $6 million. However, the platform’s major drawback is its data policy: user data is stored on servers in China and may be shared with government entities. In January, cybersecurity firm Wiz discovered a major breach affecting over a million sensitive records, including chat logs.
Nevertheless, DeepSeek does have some useful features, like real-time search and DeepThink (which shows how the model is reasoning). It can also handle programming, summarization, and content creation, but users report ideological biases and censorship. It lacks multimedia capabilities and has limited conversational fluency.
Pricing:
- Free: 2 requests per day.
- Pay-as-you-go: $0.05/request (minimum of 100).
- Pro ($19.99/month): Unlimited access, priority support, advanced features.
One-Sentence Verdict: If privacy and transparency aren’t your top concerns, DeepSeek can offer robust functionality at a relatively low price.
The Witty Grok
Grok 3, launched by Elon Musk’s xAI in February, is known for its playful and sarcastic tone. A key feature is its integration with X (formerly Twitter), where you can tag @Grok in posts to get real-time public replies.
Grok supports DeepSearch and DeeperSearch for real-time data analysis, features a Think mode, and includes basic image generation. However, it lacks a visual workspace (like Canvas) and doesn’t integrate with third-party apps. It’s also one of the pricier options.
Pricing:
- Free: Limited access to Grok 3, Think, and DeepSearch.
- Premium ($30/month or $300/year): Full access, memory, advanced features.
One-Sentence Verdict: For real-time research and an entertaining user experience, Grok is your best bet.
The Highly Integrated Gemini
Gemini initially launched in December 2023 without immediately standing out, but that changed with the release of Gemini 2.5 Pro. Free users get a basic experience, but subscribers gain significant advantages, including one of the industry’s most extensive context windows. This means Gemini can analyze large documents, retain more context, and effectively cross-reference information.
Gemini also excels at integrating with Google Workspace—you can draft Gmail messages, rewrite documents, analyze sheets, and summarize meetings. Other highlights include personalization through your Google search history and connections to Google Flights, Maps, YouTube, and more.
Pricing:
- Free: Access to Gemini 2.5 Flash and limited 2.5 Pro.
- Pro ($19.99/month): Access to advanced models, Google apps integration, and tools like NotebookLM and Whisk.
One-Sentence Verdict: If you’re embedded in the Google ecosystem and work on long, complex tasks, Gemini is a smart upgrade.
The Programmer’s Choice Claude
Developed by Anthropic, a company founded by former OpenAI employees, Claude is particularly popular among developers. Its Claude 4 series offers powerful code understanding and project-level context handling. The Claude Code tool allows for command-line interaction using simple English, such as editing, debugging, testing, and documenting code.
Claude also supports Google Workspace integration for paying users and is favored by content creators for its natural language capabilities, especially those working with Hebrew. Its drawbacks: it can’t generate images, and while web search was recently added, the feature still lags behind competitors. It also lacks memory between conversations.
Pricing:
- Free: Limited access to Claude Sonnet 4.
- Pro ($20/month or $200/year): Claude Opus 4, Projects, expanded thinking, and Workspace integration.
- Max ($100+/month): More usage, Claude Code access, and premium integration.
One-Sentence Verdict: If you’re writing code or creating content, especially in Hebrew, Claude is worth a look.