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Free tool

Which AI should I pay for?

One pick for how you actually work, with the reasons, the monthly cost and the sources.

Sample

A freelance writer who already pays for ChatGPT, has $20 a month, works in chat and in their docs, and needs answers with sources:

My pick for you

Perplexity Pro (billed yearly)

$17/month

  • Answers with source citations: Every answer includes inline citations
  • Multi-step research reports: Deep research

Also worth a look: Grok (free) (Free).

No single model is best at everything. This pick is based on what each plan includes, its price and where you work, not on benchmark rankings. Prices checked 2026-10-04.

Get your own pick

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Which AI should I pay for? ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini, for how you work | Rise Productive