Should You Pay For An AI Chatbot Or Not?

With so many AI chatbots out there, it can get incredibly confusing to pick the right one. Many of these AI chatbots offer both free and paid versions, depending on your usage and requirements, you may or may not always have to pay to get the most out of these services.

This begs the question, which of these AI chatbots are worth paying subscription fees for? Here’s everything you need to know about the most popular AI chatbots out there, what they’re best suited for, and how much they cost.

General Purpose AI Chatbots

OpenAI’s ChatGPT: Launched in November 2022, OpenAI's ChatGPT accelerated development in the large language model field. Companies like Google and Meta soon followed suit with their own chatbot projects.

ChatGPT offers a wide range of functionalities, from creative writing and brainstorming to coding, learning, and entertainment.

It's also a valuable business tool, providing customer support, drafting documents, and more. While OpenAI's subscription doesn't include cloud storage yet, it offers a unique advantage: the GPT store. This allows users to create and share customized versions of ChatGPT for various purposes.

Price: In February last year, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Plus at $20 per month. For users who prefer first dibs on new features like the GPT store, paying for this subscription could be worth the money.

Google Gemini: Google's AI chatbot, Gemini, launched in December 2023. It uses natural language processing to mimic human conversation, targeting professionals for complex problem-solving.

The Advanced plan seems more attractive. It includes access to Gemini itself, 2 TB of cloud storage through Google One, and potential Gmail and Docs integration (though some accessed this with the basic model).

Price: Google offers two tiers: the basic model, which is free, and Gemini Advanced, which costs $19.99 per month.

Research Purpose AI Chatbots

Perplexity AI: Perplexity AI, a startup co-founded by an ex-AI researcher, aims to dethrone Google with its search engine disguised as a conversational chatbot.

Unlike chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini, Perplexity focuses on summarizing search results and providing citations for better research. This real-time information gathering sets it apart - until recently, ChatGPT relied on outdated info (pre-2021).

Price: Perplexity's free version offers this functionality, while a $20/month Pro subscription unlocks access to different AI models for further customization. With its focus on verifiable, up-to-date information, Perplexity offers a compelling alternative for research-heavy tasks.

Open Source

Meta AI: If you want an open source and yet powerful AI chatbot, then Meta AI powered by Llama 3 from Meta Platforms is a great option.

It’s free and has already been integrated into several apps like feeds, chat, and search in apps like Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.

If you don’t want to use an app, you can access Meta AI on the web as well. If you’re feeling fancy, you can also use Meta AI on the company’s AR device, the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

Price: Free.

For The Creative-Minded

Dall-E: Dall-E is another AI model that can be useful if you want to quickly generate images based on text prompts.

Dall-E can not only create realistic scenes and objects, but it can also render them from different perspectives, apply various artistic styles, and even incorporate specific details you mention in your description.

The latest version, Dall-E 3, can generate even more realistic and detailed images, along with a wider range of artistic styles. It can also handle complex descriptions and generate images that follow specific creative instructions.

Price: Dall-E 3 requires a ChatGPT Plus subscription, which costs $20 per month. This subscription also gives you access to GPT-4 as well as GPT-4o.

Midjourney: Akin to Dall-E, Midjourney is an AI image generation program that thrives on your imagination. Developed by Midjourney, Inc., this San Francisco-based lab unlocks artistic potential through text-to-image prompts.

Midjourney lets you delve into artistic styles, from classic paintings to futuristic dreamscapes. It even incorporates the specific details you weave into your descriptions.

Price: Midjourney Basic plan starts at $8 per month or $96 per year. It goes all the way up to $120 per month.

Adobe Firefly: Joining the realm of AI image generation alongside Dall-E and Midjourney, Adobe Firefly offers a creative spark within the Adobe ecosystem. It's a multifaceted tool with a web application and a broader presence.

Firefly's AI models power features within popular Adobe programs like Photoshop and Lightroom, while also existing as a standalone tool.

Price: The Adobe Firefly is available for free, with the first tier of paid version costing $4.99 per month.

Expert Corner

When asked about which chatbot he would recommend for us to pay the subscription fee, social media commentator Matt Navarra told Benzinga, that he has been using Google Gemini. Navarra admitted that he chose Gemini, not because it's a superior chatbot, but because he already has a subscription to Google One. 

He added that users should choose the chatbot they want to pay for depending on their budgets and the purpose. “It’s hard to say depending on individual circumstances, which one is the most useful.”

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