Free or paid AI: how to find your way

You want to try an AI without any bad surprises on your bank statement. Many people wonder whether ChatGPT or another AI is free. The answer depends on the plan you choose, and this guide shows you how to read it.

Start with the free plan

Every AI presented on this site offers a free plan. This plan has usage limits, and these limits vary from one AI to another.

You can already try a lot without subscribing to anything. To discover tools you can use without a subscription, see free AI tools in French.

Understand what paid plans add

In general, a paid plan gives you more usage and advanced features. This idea applies to all AIs, but the details change depending on the publisher.

For example, the ChatGPT Plus plan, according to its official page, includes more advanced reasoning, expanded access to certain features and higher limits. For Claude, the official page states that the Pro, Max and Ultra plans offer more usage than the free plan.

Each publisher describes its plans on its official page. This is the only reliable source for knowing what is included.

Be careful with Microsoft:

• Free Copilot is not Copilot in Word or Excel. To use Copilot in these programs, you need an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription. See Copilot in Word.
• With the Family or Premium plans, each member must have their own eligible subscription to access Copilot.

Read the pricing page with these questions

Open the publisher’s official pricing page, then ask yourself these questions:

• What is included in the plan?
• Which features are missing from the free plan?
• Is there an automatic renewal?
• Does a free trial become paid at the end?
• Where do you pay: on the publisher’s website or in an app store?

Automatic renewal means the subscription renews by itself at each billing period, unless you cancel it. Here are three examples taken from official pages:

• Microsoft: the Family subscription renews automatically, unless you cancel it in your Microsoft account.
• Mistral: payment is debited automatically at each renewal, until you cancel.
• Perplexity: the subscription renews automatically, unless you cancel before the end of the trial.

An AI can make mistakes about offers. The reliable information is on the publisher’s website.

Ask yourself whether you need to pay

Answer these questions without rushing:

• Is the free plan enough for my needs?
• Have I already reached its limits?
• Do I need a feature it does not include?

For a short quiz that suggests an AI based on your needs, see the quiz. The rules behind this quiz are public, on the dedicated page.

Cancel in the right place to avoid being charged

Simple rule: you cancel where you subscribed, that is, on the publisher’s website, on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.

Two points to remember:

• Deleting your ChatGPT account does not cancel an App Store subscription.
• Uninstalling an app does not cancel a Google Play subscription.

AI	Where to cancel (official help)
ChatGPT	Cancel your ChatGPT subscription
Claude	Cancel a Claude Pro or Max subscription
Copilot	Microsoft account: plans for individuals
Gemini	Manage your Gemini subscriptions
Mistral	Change or cancel your Vibe subscription
Perplexity	Cancel a Perplexity subscription

If you subscribed on an iPhone, Apple’s help explains how to cancel in your settings: Cancel an Apple subscription. If you subscribed on Android through Google Play, follow the Google Play help.

Ask the AI to help you prepare your questions:

Example request Turn this list of criteria into questions to ask before subscribing: [paste your list of criteria].

You can also ask it to explain a term:

Example request Explain in simple words what “automatic renewal” means.

To write better requests, see the guide on writing a good prompt.

Good habits

• Always check offers on the publisher’s official website, never only in an AI’s answer.
• Protect your data: do not paste personal or confidential documents into an AI unless you know where they are stored.
• Review the AI’s answers before using them, especially for an administrative procedure or a purchase decision.
• Keep a record of your subscription date and renewal date, so you can spot an unexpected charge.