Free or paid
Most AI tools have a free plan with limits, and paid plans with more. Some charge per token. Like a bus where you pay per ride or buy a monthly pass. Learn when free is enough, and when paying makes sense.
First, what do you think?
Is the paid version of a chatbot always smarter than the free one? Have a guess.
How do you pay for AI?
The whole story in three sentences. Most AI tools have a free plan with limits. Paid plans give more use and more features. And some services charge per token: you pay for exactly what you use.
Think of a bus. You can take a free ride now and then, on a quiet route. You can buy a monthly pass, and ride as often as you like. Or you pay per ride.
- Free, with limits. Many chat assistants have a free plan. There's a limit on how much you can use it, sometimes per day.
- A subscription. Pay per month for more use and extra features. Some tools have several levels.
- Per token. Developers who build with AI often pay per token. One maker lists its prices per million tokens in and out.
And some exceptions. One image tool has no free trial at all. One voice tool's free plan may not be used commercially.
Here are all eight tools of this course, in alphabetical order. Each card says what's free, and what you pay for.
ChatGPT
- Made by
- OpenAI
- Can make or do
- text, code
- Free
- Yes, with limits
- Paid
- Subscriptions in several levels (Go, Plus, Pro)
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Chatting
- writing and explaining
- Help with code in the paid plans
- Watch out
- Under 18 only with permission from a parent or guardian
- Your chats are used for training unless you turn off 'Improve the model for everyone'
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
Claude
- Made by
- Anthropic
- Can make or do
- text, search, code
- Free
- Yes, with limits
- Paid
- Subscriptions in several levels (Pro, Max)
- Minimum age
- 18 years
- Good for
- Chatting
- writing and explaining
- Searching the web
- Making files such as documents and slides
- Watch out
- Only from 18
- Your chats are used for training if you allow it (setting: Model Improvement)
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
Copilot
- Made by
- Microsoft
- Can make or do
- text, images, audio, tasks
- Free
- Yes, with limits
- Paid
- Part of Microsoft 365 subscriptions
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Chatting and making images
- Help in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook (with Microsoft 365)
- Watch out
- Sometimes older than 13, depending on your country
- Microsoft itself says Copilot can make mistakes: check it
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
ElevenLabs
- Made by
- ElevenLabs
- Can make or do
- audio
- Free
- Yes, with a monthly limit, not for commercial use
- Paid
- Subscriptions in several levels
- Minimum age
- 18 years
- Good for
- Turning text into speech
- Turning speech into text
- Designing voices and sound effects
- Watch out
- Only from 18
- A copied voice can be misused: only use your own voice, or a voice you have permission for
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
Gemini
- Made by
- Can make or do
- text, images, search
- Free
- Yes, with a Google account
- Paid
- Google AI subscriptions in several levels
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Chatting and making images
- Deep Research
- a report from many websites
- Watch out
- Some chats are read by people at Google: don't type anything confidential
- With Keep Activity on, your chats can be used for training
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
Midjourney
- Made by
- Midjourney
- Can make or do
- images
- Free
- No free trial on the website
- Paid
- Subscriptions in four levels
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Making images from a description
- Making variations of an image
- Watch out
- Below the age of consent in your country, a parent agrees for you
- You pay before you can try it
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
Perplexity
- Made by
- Perplexity
- Can make or do
- search, text
- Free
- Yes, with a daily limit
- Paid
- Subscriptions in several levels (Pro, Max)
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Answers with a source for each claim
- Searching the web
- Watch out
- Under the age of majority, a parent or guardian must accept the terms
- A source next to a claim doesn't prove the claim: click it and check
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
Vibe (Le Chat)
- Made by
- Mistral AI
- Can make or do
- text, images, search, code
- Free
- Yes, with limits
- Paid
- Subscriptions in several levels (Pro, Team)
- Minimum age
- 13 years
- Good for
- Chatting and searching the web
- Simple images
- Help with code
- Watch out
- A minor needs permission from a parent or guardian
- On the free plan your chats are used for training unless you turn it off
Checked on 28-10-2026. Tools change often; the maker's site is always right.
What the predictor does
Whether free or paid, it's a predictor. That's the rule.
Paying often buys more: more messages, longer chats, extra features. Google writes that its paid plans give more use and better models. But a paid predictor still predicts. It can still make mistakes.
Paying can also change other things. On some free plans, your chats are used for training unless you turn it off. Check the card for each plan you use.
Per token is a different deal. Remember the tokens lesson: everything counts in tokens. Long prompts and long answers cost more.
Free, monthly or per token: you're paying for the bus, not for a smarter driver. Start free, and pay when you keep hitting the limit.
Try it yourself
Three people decide whether to pay. What fits?
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
How do you decide?
Four steps. Use them before you take out any subscription.
Start with the free plan
Try your own tasks on a free plan first. Is there no free plan? Look for a tool that has one, to see if it's enough.
Notice where you hit the limit
Do you keep running out of messages? Do you need a feature that's only in the paid plan? Write it down.
Check what paying changes
More use? Extra features? Different rules for training or commercial use? Read the card and the maker's own page.
Check the cost every month
A subscription keeps running. Every few months, ask yourself: do I still use it enough?
In practice
Three people stand at the bus stop.
Case 1The homework helper
Iris (16) uses a chatbot a few times a week for homework explanations. A friend says she should pay for the better version.
Ask their parents for a subscription.
She rarely hits the free limit. Paying gives more of what she doesn't use up.
Stay on the free plan. Pay only if she keeps running out.
She keeps the money, and loses nothing.
Case 2The freelancer
Koen (34) writes texts for clients. He hits the free limit every day, and needs longer chats.
Make a new account every day.
It costs time, and his work gets scattered across accounts. And his client texts may be used for training on a free plan.
Compare the paid plans on the cards. Check the training rules. Choose one that fits his work.
He works without interruptions, under clear rules.
Case 3The app idea
Lieke (27) wants to build a small app that answers customer questions with AI.
Use her personal subscription for it.
A personal chat subscription isn't meant for building apps. Developers usually pay per token.
Look at the maker's prices per token. Estimate how many tokens a typical question costs.
She knows what each customer question will cost her.
When not to
- Don't pay before you've tried for freeYou may not need more.Try your tasks on a free plan first.
- Don't assume paid means correctA paid predictor still makes mistakes.Keep checking the answers.
- Don't forget a subscriptionIt keeps running.Check every few months if you still use it.
By situation
Free plans are usually enough for explanations and practice. Ask your school if it offers a tool. Don't pay for something your school already provides.
Your employer may have a paid plan with clear rules about data. Use that, instead of paying for your own.
Start free. Note when you hit the limit. Pay only for what you'll really use, and check the cost every few months.
Myths and mistakes
| Claim | True? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Paid is always smarter | Not always | It often gives more use and features. It still makes mistakes. |
| Free means private | No | Some free plans use your chats for training unless you turn it off. |
| Every tool has a free plan | No | One image tool has no free trial. |
| Free results may always be sold | No | One voice tool's free plan isn't for commercial use. |
Related topics
Read first
- Tokenswhy per-token prices depend on length.
Next
- Choosing a toolthe compass that brings it all together.
Related
- Chat assistantswhat to check besides the price.
Sources
- documentationAnthropic. Plans & Pricing.Claude has a free plan with web search and file creation, and paid plans (Pro, Max) with more use and more features.
- documentationGoogle. Google AI plans.Gemini is free with a Google account, including making images and Deep Research. Paid Google AI plans give more use and better models.
- documentationMicrosoft. Microsoft Copilot for individuals.Copilot has a free version. Microsoft 365 subscriptions add Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, and more image making.
- documentationPerplexity. Perplexity Pricing.Perplexity has a free plan with limited daily use. Every answer has inline citations that show where each claim comes from.
- documentationMidjourney. Comparing Midjourney Plans.Midjourney has four paid plans and no free trial on its website. (Checked through a search engine.)
- documentationElevenLabs. ElevenLabs Pricing.The free plan includes text to speech, speech to text, sound effects and voice design, with a monthly limit. (Checked through a search engine.)
- documentationMistral AI. Can I opt out of my input or output data being used for training?.On the free plan, your chats are used for training unless you turn it off in the privacy settings. (Checked through a search engine.)
- documentationAnthropic. Models overview.Each model has a training data cutoff: the date its training text stops. It also lists a reliable knowledge cutoff, and context windows in tokens.
Test
You get 7 questions about the whole page. Get 5 right, and you've mastered the topic.
About the tools in this course. Every tool is described in the same way, in alphabetical order, without a recommendation. Names, prices and features change often: the maker's own site is always right. This site was built with the help of Claude, one of the tools described here.