AI assistants, measured
Nine assistants compared by what they charge, whether they train on your chats, and what their terms say about refunds. No scores, no hands-on claims.
How this list is ordered
Ranked by refund terms, then privacy defaults (especially whether your chats train models), then price transparency. Most assistants publish no refund terms we could find, so privacy decides most of the order. None of these links are affiliate links.
| # | Name | Cheapest paid plan | Trains on your chats by default? | Refunds | Data location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mistral (Vibe, formerly Le Chat) | Pro $14.99/mo (Students $5.99) | Free: yes (opt-out). Pro, Team, Enterprise: no | not stated | EU company (France) |
| 2 | Claude | Pro $20/mo, or $17/mo billed annually | Consumer plans: yes, unless you opt out | Generally not offered | US company |
| 3 | ChatGPT | Go $8/mo (may show ads) | Personal plans: yes, unless you opt out | not stated | US company |
| 4 | Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/mo | Signed-in consumers can turn training off | not stated | US company |
| 5 | Perplexity | Pro $20/mo or $200/yr (Education Pro $10) | Free/Pro/Max: yes (“AI Data Retention” on), opt-out | not stated | US company |
| 6 | Grok | Plus $8/mo (X Subscription) | Yes, unless you opt out; Private Chat excluded | not stated | US company |
| 7 | Gemini | Google AI Plus $4.99/mo (400 GB) | Yes while Gemini Apps Activity is on; human-reviewed chats kept up to 3 years | No refunds for partial billing periods | US company |
| 8 | DeepSeek | No consumer subscription; API billed per token | Yes, unless you opt out | not stated | Stored in the People’s Republic of China |
| 9 | Meta AI | Reported from $2.99/mo (Meta One, per Reuters); not confirmed on Meta’s pages | Yes; no opt-out in the US. Chats also personalize ads | not stated | US company |
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Mistral Measured
Free; Pro $14.99/mo
Mistral ranks first because it is the only assistant here whose paid plans are excluded from training by default, and its prices are published and low. If you use the free tier, turn the training setting off.
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Claude (Anthropic) Measured
Free; Pro $20/mo ($17/mo annual)
Claude’s prices are clear and there is an annual discount, but consumer chats feed training unless you switch it off, and refunds are generally not offered. Opt out of training on day one.
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OpenAI (ChatGPT) Measured
Free; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo
ChatGPT has the widest price ladder and a cheap $8 entry plan, but personal-plan chats are used for training unless you opt out, and the Go plan may carry ads. Turn off “Improve the model for everyone” or use Temporary Chat for anything sensitive.
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Microsoft Copilot Measured
Free; Microsoft 365 from $9.99/mo
If you already pay for Microsoft 365, Copilot adds AI for no extra cost; if not, the bundle is a roundabout way to buy an assistant. Turn off both training switches.
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Perplexity Measured
Free; Pro $20/mo or $200/yr
Perplexity’s prices are clear and the annual plan is a real discount, but individual accounts feed its models by default. Switch off AI Data Retention.
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Grok (xAI) Measured
Free; Plus $8/mo
Grok’s entry price is low and Private Chat gives a training-free mode, but consumer chats train by default and the recent move to a bundled X Subscription makes it harder to know exactly what you are buying. Read the plan page at checkout.
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Google Gemini Measured
Free; AI Plus $4.99/mo
Gemini is good value if you also want Google storage, but its privacy terms are weaker than most here: reviewed chats can outlive your own deletion by up to three years. Don’t put anything sensitive in it.
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DeepSeek Measured
Free (web and app)
DeepSeek costs nothing, but your chats are stored in China and used for training unless you opt out. Fine for public-knowledge questions; avoid personal or work data.
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Meta AI Measured
Free; paid plans reported from $2.99
Meta AI ranks last because it is the only assistant here that uses your chats for ad targeting with no way to opt out in the US. Treat everything you type as ad data.