AI tools comparison
This page covers the AI tools mentioned in the book. It's a web page, not print — it gets updated as things change. Prices are UK pricing as of early 2026. Always check each provider's website for current rates before subscribing.
The main tools
ChatGPT
Made by OpenAI
The most widely used AI tool. General-purpose, strong at conversation and coding. A solid default if you want one tool that handles most everyday AI work well.
Free · Plus $20/month (~£16/month)
Claude
Made by Anthropic
Strong at long documents, nuanced reasoning, and sustained projects. Particularly good when you need to work through something complex over multiple exchanges.
Free · Pro $20/month (~£16/month)
Gemini
Made by Google
Deeply integrated with Google Workspace — Gmail, Docs, Sheets. If you already live in Google's ecosystem, this is the most seamless option.
Free · AI Pro £18.99/month
Perplexity
Made by Perplexity AI
Research-first — searches sources, then writes a cited answer. The best tool when you need to find and verify information rather than generate text.
Free · Pro $20/month (~£16/month)
Microsoft Copilot
Made by Microsoft
Built into Windows and Office. Basic features free; deeper integration through Microsoft 365 subscriptions. You may already have access through work.
Free · M365 Personal £8.49/month · Copilot Pro ~£19/month
Mistral (Le Chat)
Made by Mistral AI (France)
The most credible European-built AI tool. If keeping your data within European jurisdiction matters — for legal, privacy, or sovereignty reasons — this is the one to look at. The capability gap with the larger US tools has narrowed but not closed, so most users will be better served by ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini for day-to-day work.
Free · Pro €14.99/month
Grok
Made by xAI
Available on grok.com and via X. Limited free access.
Free (limited) · SuperGrok $30/month (~£24/month)
Free or paid?
Every major tool offers a free tier. The honest answer about whether to pay: it depends on how much you use it.
Free tiers give you access to a capable model with daily message limits. For casual use — a few conversations a week, shorter exchanges — free is genuinely good enough. The gap between free and paid has narrowed significantly.
Paying starts to matter when you hit the limits regularly, when you're working with longer documents, or when you need the more capable model for complex reasoning. If you're doing the sustained project work described in Chapters 8 and 9, a paid subscription will make a noticeable difference. If you're mostly using AI for the kinds of tasks in Chapters 1 through 5, free may be all you need for months.
My suggestion: start with a free account. Use it until you feel the limits. Then pay for one tool — whichever one you find yourself reaching for most. You don't need to pay for all of them.
How to choose
If you've tried AI but never settled into a useful rhythm with it, pick one tool and use it consistently for a week. ChatGPT is the most widely used. Claude is strong if you prefer longer, more thoughtful exchanges. Perplexity is best when you need to research and verify. The differences between tools matter less than actually building a habit — which is the argument of Chapter 7.
For the book's exercises, any of these tools will work. The prompts are written to be tool-agnostic.
Last updated: May 2026. Pricing and features change frequently.