AI tools compared, criterion by criterion

You are wondering whether to choose ChatGPT, Gemini or another AI, and you want to know how they really differ. This comparison puts six AI tools against the same criteria. It is based on facts checked on the publishers’ official websites.

How to read this comparison

• All AI tools are described with the same columns.
• The rows follow alphabetical order. There is no ranking.
• This comparison says nothing about the quality of the answers, their style or their accuracy. You can test that yourself: see the guide Which AI to choose when you are a beginner.

A publisher is the company that offers the AI and that signs the contract with you when you accept the terms of use.

Publisher

AI	Publisher named in its terms of use
ChatGPT	OpenAI OpCo, LLC, a Delaware company, registered office in San Francisco (United States)
Claude	Anthropic, PBC (or Anthropic Ireland, Limited, depending on the version of the terms)
Copilot	Microsoft Corporation, Redmond (United States), for consumer services
Gemini	Google Ireland Limited in the European Economic Area (including France); Google LLC (Mountain View, California, United States) elsewhere
Mistral (Vibe, formerly “Le Chat”)	Mistral AI, a French company with its head office in Paris
Perplexity	Perplexity AI, Inc., San Francisco (California)

Mistral’s former “Le Chat” is now called Vibe. The address (chat.mistral.ai) and the account stay the same.

Account, free use and age

AI	Try without an account	Free version	Minimum age
ChatGPT	Yes: you can use it without an account, but conversations are not saved	Yes	13 years; between 13 and 18, a parent’s permission is needed
Claude	No: an account is required	Yes, with a usage limit	18 years
Copilot	Yes on the web: signing in is optional according to Microsoft (it gives access to conversation history)	Yes	13 years according to Microsoft, sometimes more depending on the country
Gemini	Partly: some features without signing in, others with a Google account	Yes (free plan and paid plans)	13 years, or the age allowed in your country for a personal Google account; 18 years for a work account
Mistral (Vibe, formerly “Le Chat”)	Check the official site chat.mistral.ai	Yes (“Free” plan)	13 years; between 13 and 18, a parent’s or guardian’s permission is needed
Perplexity	Yes, with limits (Pro search, file uploads and history require signing in)	Yes	13 years; between 13 and adulthood, a parent or guardian must accept the terms

For paid plans and their prices, check the official website of each publisher. To create an account, see Create an account and sign in.

As for language, French is offered by Claude and Gemini (official lists), as well as in Mistral’s interface. For the others, check the publisher’s help page.

Where to use it

AI	Web browser	PC app (Windows, Mac)	Mobile app (iPhone, Android)	In the browser
ChatGPT	Yes	Yes	Yes	Extension for Chrome and Edge
Claude	Yes	Yes	Yes	Extension for Chrome, reserved for paid plans
Copilot	Yes	Yes	Yes	Built into the Microsoft Edge browser
Gemini	Yes	Yes (for Mac: Apple Silicon chip)	Yes	“Gemini in Chrome”: France is not on the official list of supported countries on the date of verification
Mistral	Yes	No: you use it in the browser	Yes	No extension
Perplexity	Yes	Yes	Yes	No extension

An extension is a small add-on that you install in your browser to access the AI without changing page.

According to the official help, Claude’s web search comes with citations. Perplexity also displays citations linked to the web pages used.

To install, open the guide for the AI you are interested in:

• ChatGPT: web, mobile
• Gemini: web, mobile

If you already use Word, Excel or a Google account

• Copilot works with Microsoft 365 with an eligible subscription. See Copilot in Word.
• Gemini works with a Google account.
• All AI tools work by copy and paste: you copy your text, paste it into the AI, then take the answer back.

Choose with the questionnaire

The free questionnaire points you to an AI based on your needs. The rules it applies are public: see How we recommend. This site is independent and is not affiliated with any publisher.

Good habits

• Test the same task on two AI tools, then compare the answers yourself. Here are two requests to copy:

Example request Explain in five simple sentences what [a subject you know well] is. I want to check whether your explanation is correct.

Example request Write a short message to [describe the situation, for example asking to postpone an appointment]. The tone should be polite and the text should fit in four lines.

• Check important information on an official source, especially dates, figures and names.
• Protect your data: do not type a password, a bank card number or any health information. See Personal data and reliability.
• Always reread before sending or publishing a text produced by an AI.
• Check the website address before signing in: see Recognize the real website of an AI.