Everyday AI assistants
These are the general-purpose chatbots that answer questions, draft messages and explain things. ChatGPT took 55.5% of gen-AI web traffic in August 2026 by Similarweb's count and Gemini 25.6%, while Tom's Guide picked Claude as its best chatbot of the year. Two of the most visited, DeepSeek and Grok, fail Kenning's privacy check.
Updated monthly.
Kenning's picks
Ranked by Kenning score out of 25. Tools scoring 12 or less are marked not recommended.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT is the default chatbot for good reason. It is easy to start, the free plan handles everyday writing, planning and questions, and it sits at #4 in the UK App Store free chart. Since June 2026 the free and £6.99 Go plans in the UK carry ads, and chats train OpenAI's models unless the setting is switched off.
Best for Anyone trying one AI app for everyday writing, planning and questions
Google Gemini
Gemini is the strongest free alternative to ChatGPT, and it reads Gmail, Docs and Drive when asked. Google said it passed 1 billion monthly users in August 2026, and paid plans start at £4.49 a month. On 10 October 2026 free users were moved to the lighter 3.5 Flash-Lite model, and chats feed Google's training unless Keep Activity is turned off.
Best for People who already live in Gmail, Google Docs and Android
Claude
Tom's Guide named Claude its best chatbot of 2026, mainly because it pushes back instead of agreeing with everything. The free plan gives roughly 15 to 40 messages every five hours by Engadget's estimate, and Claude still cannot make pictures, which sends some people back to ChatGPT. Pro costs $20 a month, the same as its main rivals.
Best for Writing, editing and thinking through a problem with a second opinion
DeepSeek
DeepSeek costs nothing and TechRadar found no query limits, and in Tom's Guide's nine-prompt test it beat GPT-5 on planning and step-by-step answers. Its own privacy policy says data is stored in the People's Republic of China and used to train its models, and Italy's 2025 ban was still in force in January 2026. On iPhone in the UK the official app now appears as DSeek, with 136 ratings.
Best for Free maths and planning help on questions that contain nothing personal
Meta AI
Meta AI's UK App Store download is free and it already sits inside WhatsApp, so many people have it without choosing it, and in user reviews the most upvoted replies ask how to remove it. TechRadar found the April 2026 Muse Spark update made it a proper chatbot on a par with ChatGPT, though that launch was US-first. Surfshark counted 33 of 35 App Store data types collected, more than any other chatbot it checked.
Best for WhatsApp users who want quick answers or images without installing another app
Grok
Grok scores well in head-to-head tests, winning Tom's Guide's December 2025 face-off with ChatGPT and topping one maths ranking reported by TechRadar in May 2026. In January 2026 Ofcom, the ICO, the European Commission and Ireland's data regulator all opened investigations after Grok was used to make sexualised images of real people, including children, and none had concluded by October. Common Sense Media rates it unacceptable for under-18s and its UK App Store paid tier SuperGrok lists at £30.
Best for Adults who already use X and want answers that draw on posts there
Le Chat (Vibe by Mistral)
Mistral renamed Le Chat to Vibe on 28 May 2026 and pushed it towards work tasks, though the app still answers everyday questions and Pro costs $14.99 a month. TechRadar called it the cheapest premium assistant from a major provider, but its own user reviews forum is full of users reporting made-up figures and moving back to ChatGPT or Claude. The free tier runs out quickly and Mistral does not publish the limits.
Best for People who want a European chatbot for emails, translation and simple questions
Microsoft Copilot
Copilot is free with a Microsoft account and comes bundled with Microsoft 365 Personal at £8.49 a month, so many people already have it. In August 2026 Microsoft merged the personal Copilot app into the Microsoft 365 app, dropped group chats, podcasts and Deep Research, and users in user reviews report losing saved projects. The UK competition regulator opened a case in July 2026 over how Microsoft moved subscribers onto the pricier Copilot plans.
Best for Windows and Microsoft 365 users who want a free assistant already on their PC
More tools
BoltAI
Native Mac app for chatting with many AI models, including local ones, from one window
Brave Leo
Chat assistant built into the Brave browser that summarises pages and PDFs without needing an account.
ChatGPT for Clinicians
A free version of ChatGPT for verified US doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and pharmacists
ChatGPT for Teens
The version of ChatGPT that users aged 13 to 17 are placed into, with study tools and extra safety limits
ChatGPT Images
The image creation and editing space inside ChatGPT, now running OpenAI's Images 2.5 model
ChatGPT Study Mode
A ChatGPT mode that guides learners with questions and steps instead of handing over the answer
ChatGPT Work
An agent mode in ChatGPT that works through long, multi-step tasks and delivers finished docs, slides and sheets
ChatGPT Workspace Agents
Shared ChatGPT agents, built on Codex, that teams set up to run repeat work tasks in ChatGPT or Slack.
ChatOn
A subscription chatbot app that runs on other companies' AI models, sold by AIBY.
ChatPlayground AI
A subscription site that sends one prompt to several chatbots at once and shows answers side by side
Claude Agent Skills
Folders of instructions, scripts and files that Claude loads when a task calls for specialist know-how.
Claude Cowork
Claude's agent mode that works through tasks in local files and apps and returns finished documents for review
Claude Design
An Anthropic Labs tool for making designs, prototypes, slides and one-pagers by talking to Claude
Claude for PowerPoint
A PowerPoint add-in that builds and edits slides with Claude while keeping a company's template
Claude for Teachers
Free premium Claude access with lesson-planning skills for verified US school teachers
Claude in Chrome
A Chrome extension that lets Claude read pages, click, type and fill in forms in the browser
Claude Science
A Claude desktop app for scientists that runs analyses, searches research databases and records each step
Copilot Cowork
Microsoft 365 Copilot agent that carries out long, multi-step tasks across Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Critique
Microsoft Copilot research mode where one AI model drafts a report and a second checks it
Dola (formerly Cici)
ByteDance's overseas chatbot, the sister app of China's Doubao, renamed from Cici in late 2025.
Gemini Canvas
Workspace inside the Gemini app for drafting documents, slides, apps and code with Gemini
Gemini for Mac
Google's native Gemini desktop app for Mac, opened with a keyboard shortcut over any window
Gemini in Google Sheets
Gemini built into Google Sheets to make tables, charts and formulas from prompts
Gemini Student Hub
Section of the Gemini app that gathers study tools such as flashcards, quizzes and study notebooks
Grok Bot
Always-on Grok agents with their own cloud computer that do work across apps
Grok for Excel
Grok add-in for Microsoft Excel that writes formulas and builds charts in a side panel
HeyClicky
A small on-screen helper for the Mac that answers by voice, guides people through apps and runs tasks.
Incognito Chat with Meta AI
Private Meta AI chat mode on WhatsApp where messages are not saved and Meta says it cannot read them
Kimi
A free chatbot from Moonshot AI that answers questions, reads images and makes slides, documents and research reports.
Lumo by Proton
Proton's privacy-first chatbot that keeps no server-side chat logs and does not train on chats.
MaxAI
A Chrome and Edge extension that summarises, translates and rewrites text on any web page.
Opera AI
Free AI chat assistant built into the Opera browsers, able to look things up on the live web.
Pi
Inflection's chatty, supportive assistant built for conversation rather than tasks.
Poe
Quora's app that puts many companies' chatbots and image models in one place.
Qwen
Alibaba's chatbot app, free to use and available outside China.
Siri AI
Apple's rebuilt Siri, which holds conversations, answers from the web and acts in apps on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Venice
A privacy-pitched chatbot running open models with fewer content restrictions.