Most AI chatbots are free, but users will need to pay in order to get the most out of them.
Dipen Pradhan
August 08, 2026 / 11:19 IST
- AI chatbots offer free & paid plans with varied features.
- ChatGPT, Gemini have plans starting from Rs 399/month.
- Claude, Grok, Perplexity have higher starting costs.
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The AI chatbot is also known as an AI assistant, Generative AI, or a large language model (LLM) application, depending on its intended use. Popular names include ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Grok, and others. These tools help users accomplish a wide range of tasks through conversation.
Most AI chatbots are free, but users will need to pay in order to get the most out of them.
Here’s a comparison of pricing plans of the most popular AI chatbots.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT is one of the most popular chatbots because it primarily answers user queries through conversation and is among the most affordable in the industry. While its free plan offers limited features for starters, the paid plan is unique for advanced work, productivity, research, and coding.
In addition, all plans include an easy-to-use dashboard with unlimited uploads, image creation, voice chats, and longer memory. ChatGPT’s lowest-tier plan, Go, starts at Rs 399 per month and includes three free months. During this period, users can evaluate its features and even decide to cancel their subscription.
Even the lowest-priced plan gets you value for money, including the following features:
There are two additional premium plans for individuals, priced at Rs 1,999 and Rs 10,699 per month. The midrange plan, Plus, offers expanded Codex usage, which helps users to run more coding tasks within a given period. In contrast, the highest-tier plan gives you more tools required for research and coding tasks.
Claude is one of the next biggest names in AI chatbots, known for its coding and reasoning capabilities. Although its starting plan is more expensive than ChatGPT’s, it offers users the ability to generate code and visualize data for free, which is helpful for creating various infographics, charts, and graphs. You can quickly write, edit, and create content. Claude gives users an intuitive dashboard. It also allows users to connect Slack and Google Workspace services.
Claude’s lowest plan starts from INR Rs 2,399 per month, inclusive of tax. If you sign up for a 12-month Pro plan, you’ll save 17 percent on the total price, at Rs 2,000 per month (paid upfront). The Pro plan includes integration with Claude Cowork, a desktop feature that lets Claude act as an autonomous agent on your computer. Upgrading to higher-tier plans gives you more advanced features, higher output, and priority access during high-traffic times.
Perplexity only has two pricing tiers for individual plans, and all its free plan features are included. The difference is in how it distributes bonus credits once you sign up for its subscription. According to Perplexity, bonus credits power its computer-use feature, enabling it to perform multi-step tasks on a user’s behalf. The credits are consumed based on the complexity of each task.
The Pro plan from Perplexity costs Rs 23,315 for a one-year term or Rs 1,980 per month. Their Max plan costs Rs 23,309 per month, including GST.
If you need help, Perplexity offers support through FAQs, blogs, and an in-built AI chatbot.
Google’s Gemini offers four paid tiers: AI Plus, AI Pro, and AI Ultra, alongside a free plan. It primarily differentiates its plans through usage limits, cloud storage, AI credits, and access to advanced models and experimental features. If you only need an AI assistant for everyday tasks, the free version is sufficient. However, users who regularly generate images and videos, conduct deep research, or rely on Gemini across Google Workspace apps may find the paid tiers more worthwhile.
For Rs 399 per month, Google AI Plus doubles the usage limits of the free plan and expands access to premium features, including video generation. Stepping up to Google AI Pro costs Rs 1,950 per month and increases usage limits to four times those of the free plan, including expanded access to Gemini 3 Pro, Deep Search, agentic capabilities, Google Antigravity, and enhanced Notebook limits. At the top of the lineup, Google AI Ultra starts at Rs 6,500 per month and offers priority access to experimental features such as Deep Think and Gemini Spark, Project Genie, and up to 20 TB of cloud storage.
Grok offers three paid tiers, namely SuperGrok, SuperGrok Plus, and SuperGrok Heavy, which primarily differ in usage limits, model capabilities, content creation features, and access to advanced AI tools.
The entry-level SuperGrok plan costs Rs 2,900 per month and includes everything available in the Lite plan. Subscribers receive five times longer chat conversations, higher limits on Grok’s best model in Expert mode, AI image generation, HD 720p video creation up to 30 seconds long, longer voice conversations, faster responses, and enhanced coding tools. It is designed for users who frequently rely on Grok for writing, coding, research, and multimedia content creation.
The SuperGrok Plus plan costs $100 (Rs 9,518) per month and significantly increases usage limits across Chat, Imagine, Voice, and Build. The highest-tier plan, SuperGrok Heavy, costs $300 (Rs 28,552) per month and is designed for professionals tackling the most demanding AI workloads. While it is by far the most expensive option, it is intended for users who need maximum AI performance and priority access.
The biggest difference between ChatBot’s subscription plans is the number of AI agents, AI resolutions, and productivity tools included. While the lowest plan, Essential, covers basic AI-powered customer support, the Growth plan significantly increases usage limits and unlocks additional automation features, whereas the Enterprise plan offers custom limits and pricing for larger organizations.
The Essential plan starts at $19 (Rs 1,809) per month when billed annually. It includes one AI Agent, 10 AI resolutions per month, support for custom skills, multilingual conversations, personalized replies, and basic AI productivity tools such as five monthly reply suggestions and text edits per user.
The Growth plan costs $99 (Rs 9,423) per month and raises the offering to 10 AI Agents and 200 AI resolutions per month. It also expands AI productivity with 50 reply suggestions, 100 AI text edits, chat and ticket summaries, chat topic detection, tag suggestions, and other workflow automation features.
Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Dipen Pradhan is the Editorial Consultant for Moneycontrol. He has over 10 years of experience in the field of journalism and covers personal finance topics. He has previously worked at Forbes Advisor India, Outlook Money, Entrepreneur, Inc42, and The Statesman. When he is not writing he loves to travel to explore rural hotspots.
first published: Aug 8, 2026 12:48 am
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