Best AI Chatbot Tools in 2027
The best AI chatbot tools in 2027 are ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini for most people, with Perplexity for research, Copilot for Microsoft users, Meta AI for messaging apps, Poe for trying many models on one bill, Character.AI for roleplay, and Intercom Fin for business support. An AI chatbot is software that holds a conversation in plain language, answers questions, drafts text and, in the business tools, takes actions such as booking or resolving a support query. Nine tools are compared below on price, free tier and best use, so you can pick one in minutes instead of trialling all of them.
Chatbots look similar on the surface, but they differ in three ways that matter: what they remember, what they can look up, and what they cost when you use them every day.
Best AI chatbot tools in 2027 at a glance
| Chatbot | Best for | Free plan | Paid plan from |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Everyday chat and work | Yes | $20 per month (Plus) |
| Claude | Long, careful conversations | Yes | $20 per month (Pro) |
| Gemini | Google users and research | Yes | $4.99 per month (AI Plus) |
| Microsoft Copilot | Windows and Office users | Yes | $20 per month (Copilot Pro) |
| Perplexity | Cited answers | Yes | $20 per month (Pro) |
| Meta AI | Chat inside WhatsApp and Instagram | Yes | $7.99 per month (Meta One Core) |
| Poe | Many models, one bill | Yes, small daily allowance | $4.99 per month |
| Character.AI | Roleplay and characters | Yes | $4.99 per month (Lite) |
| Intercom Fin | Business customer support | No, 14-day trial | $29 per seat per month (Essential, annual) plus $0.99 per outcome |
Prices are US list prices before tax, checked in November 2026. Free plans vary widely in what they allow, so read the limit column before choosing on price alone.
1. ChatGPT
ChatGPT is the default chatbot for most people because it does the most jobs well: drafting, explaining, planning, coding help and everyday questions. The free plan costs $0 with daily usage caps that OpenAI does not publish as a number. Plus costs $20 a month and is the right tier for daily use. Pro comes in three tiers at $100, $200 and $500 a month for heavy users, and Business costs $20 per seat a month on annual billing, or $25 billed monthly, with a two-seat minimum.
2. Claude
Claude is the best chatbot for long, careful conversations, such as working through a document, planning a project or drafting something sensitive. The free plan costs $0 with a baseline allowance that resets every five hours. Pro costs $20 a month, or $17 a month billed annually, and gives at least five times the free plan's usage. Max costs $100 a month and Ultra costs $200 a month. Related: Claude Duet.
3. Gemini
Gemini is Google's chatbot, and it is the best choice for people who already live in Gmail, Docs and Drive, because it can work with your files and calendar in one place. The free plan costs $0 with a Google account, using the Flash-Lite model with standard limits and 15 GB of storage. Google AI Plus costs $4.99 a month and doubles the allowance, Pro costs $19.99 a month and adds the top models with a one-million-token context window, and Ultra costs $99.99 or $199.99 a month. Gemini is also the chatbot behind Google's student offer of a free year of AI Pro for eligible US college students, which must be claimed by 31 December 2026.
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4. Microsoft Copilot
5. Perplexity
Perplexity is the chatbot to use when the answer has to be right and checkable, because every answer comes with cited sources. It is a research chatbot, not a general companion, and that focus is its strength. The free plan costs $0 with 3 Pro Searches a day and 1 Research query a month. Pro costs $20 a month, or $17 a month billed annually, and adds extended research, a model picker and file analysis.
6. Meta AI
Meta AI is the chatbot already inside WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Messenger, plus a standalone app and website at meta.ai. It is free for everyday use with a Meta account, and that convenience is the whole case for it: no new app to learn, no new account to create. Meta says it is testing usage limits on heavier features and does not publish the numbers, so heavy users may hit a limit without warning. Meta One Core costs $7.99 a month and Premium costs $19.99 a month for more AI usage, image and video generation, bundled with app features.
7. Poe
Poe is Quora's chatbot app, and its idea is simple: one subscription that lets you talk to models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and others, plus thousands of community-made bots, without paying each provider separately. The free plan costs $0 with a small daily allowance of compute points, and Poe does not publish the size of that allowance. Paid plans are sold by points, not by name: $4.99 a month buys 10,000 points a day, $19.99 a month buys 660,000 points a month, and higher tiers run to $249.99 a month. Annual billing saves about 17 percent.
8. Character.AI
Character.AI is a different kind of chatbot: instead of one assistant, it offers millions of community-made characters to talk to, from historical figures to fictional roles, plus tools to build your own. The free plan costs $0 with unlimited standard messaging, but it carries in-chat ads, slower replies at peak hours and daily limits on some features. Lite starts at $4.99 a month with a daily allowance of premium chat styles and fewer ads. The full c.ai+ plan costs $9.99 a month or $94.99 a year and removes ads and daily metering. Related: New York AI companion chatbot law.
9. Intercom Fin
Intercom Fin is the chatbot for businesses that answer the same customer questions all day. It is an AI support agent, which is software that resolves customer queries on its own using a company's help pages, documents and past conversations. Intercom says Fin resolves 76 percent of conversations on average across its customers, which is the vendor's own figure, not an independent test. Pricing has two parts: seats and outcomes.
ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini: which one first?
For most people, the choice is between these three. Pick ChatGPT if you want the widest range of features and the biggest ecosystem of custom tools. Pick Claude if your work is long documents, careful writing and sustained conversations. Related: AI tools for real estate agents.
Key Takeaways
- ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all cost $20 a month at their main paid tier, except Gemini Plus at $4.99, so choose on fit, not price.
- Perplexity is the chatbot for answers you need to check, because it cites its sources.
- Meta AI is free and already inside WhatsApp and Instagram, but its usage limits are not published.
- Poe is the cheapest way to try many models on one bill, starting at $4.99 a month.
- Character.AI is in a Chapter 11 sale process, so pay monthly until the sale is settled.
- Intercom Fin is the only business chatbot here, and it bills $0.99 per resolved outcome on top of seat prices.
Conclusion
The best AI chatbot tools in 2027 split into two groups: general assistants led by ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, and specialists such as Perplexity for research, Poe for model-hopping, Character.AI for roleplay and Intercom Fin for support. Start free with one general chatbot, add Perplexity if your answers need sources, and only pay when you hit a limit every day or need a business feature such as Fin.
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