Beyond CHATGPT: An overview of free & paid ChatGPT alternatives

Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT is the talk of the AI town. With impressive human-like responses and the ability to communicate in multiple languages, it is considered one of the most advanced AI chat models.

However, you may struggle with ChatGPT due to server access, errors, and misleading responses, which is why multiple ChatGPT alternatives are gaining popularity.

Here are some of the best free and paid ChatGPT alternatives for you with their unique capabilities and features. But first, let us see what ChatGPT is:

What is ChatGPT?

When it comes to conversational AI, ChatGPT has set a new benchmark. The platform is developed by OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research laboratory, as a means for people to interact with an intelligent conversational model. 

The platform produces human-like responses to user queries- general questions, advice, mathematical equations, or even code!

ChatGPT has been readily accessible for free, boosting popularity among all age groups, professions, and domains. Recently, OpenAI launched a premium version of ChatGPT Plus (GPT-4) for a monthly subscription fee of $20.

How you can sign up to use ChatGPT

Here is how you can create a new account and sign up for ChatGPT: 

1. Go to ChatGPT’s official website.
2. Sign up if you haven’t already.
3. You must enter an email address and password or sign up using Microsoft or Google account.
4. Now log in using the same method you used for signing up.
5. Now you can access, explore, and use ChatGPT to get an answer to your queries. 

Why do you need a ChatGPT alternative?

ChatGPT is still on the rise with its state-of-the-art technology; however, it does have its limitations. Here are a few reasons why you might have to look for an alternative for ChatGPT, be it free or paid:

• ChatGPT trained on a large text-based dataset till 2021, so it does not have information regarding events after that.
• The platform often suffers from heavy traffic, and because of this, users might have to wait to gain access.
• ChatGPT does not accept or answer queries using voice recording as it does not have a speech recognition component.
• The AI-powered tool is banned in countries like Russia, China, North Korea, etc.
• ChatGPT’s premium platform has a subscription fee of  $20/month and can be expensive for users to subscribe to.
• ChatGPT cannot deal with graphics or other visual content.

Free and Paid ChatGPT Alternative

Here are some of the most popular ChatGPT alternatives for you to use for your domain-specific requirements: 

ChatGPT alternatives for writing 

Rytr – AI-powered copywriter

Rytr is an AI-powered copywriter actively helping writers generate well-written and structured copies in little time. 

Like ChatGPT, Rytr is trained on a large text-based dataset to efficiently create blog posts, articles, outlines, etc., helping content writers produce pieces more quickly. 

Here are some features of Rytr:

• Rytr has 30+ templates and uses cases for writing
• Provides support for 30+ languages
• You can write content in more than 20 tones
• Create blogs, captions, emails, outlines, and creative copies quickly
• Rytr also has an in-built plagiarism checker, unlike ChatGPT
• It also provides features for team management

Cons: 

Rytr offers only 10,000 characters for its free plan. To upgrade, you must pay a monthly subscription fee of around $29/month which can be a tad expensive.

Chatsonic

Chatsonic by Writesonic generates responses using the latest GPT-4 model and natural language processing while closely addressing many of ChatGPT’s limitations.

Unlike ChatGPT, Chatsonic can access the internet, generate image responses, and speech recognition. It can help you create up-to-date copies, blogs, emails, and more!

Here are some features of Chatsonic:

• Unlike ChatGPT, Chatsonic can access the internet
• It can remember and continue conversations
• Uses the latest GPT-4 model like ChatGPT premium
• Offers 16 personas (i.e. comedian, travel guide, writer, therapist, etc.) for custom chats
• It can comprehend speech and respond as well
• You can even export replies using Word or Pdf documents
• Chatsonic also offers image generation feature for a given prompt

Cons: 

Chatsonic has certain word limits that might frustrate users. For instance, the free trial has a word limit of 2500 only, which is almost the length of a single blog. The paid option also has a limit of 15,000 words for a $19/month plan. You may also struggle with Chatsonic’s inbuilt image generator.

ChatGPT alternative for coding

GitHub Copilot X

If you are a programmer and find yourself in a programmer’s block, Copilot X is everything you need and more! The tool also uses the most advanced GPT-4 model and is trained on millions of lines of code.

Copilot X can effectively explain, fix errors, suggest, complete, and generate unit tests for blocks of code so that you can easily beat your coding slump.

Here are some features of Copilot X:

• You can have context-aware conversations with GitHub’s Copilot X.
• Copilot X can help you efficiently write code and generate unit tests.
• The tool can generate code in different programming languages, i.e.PHP, Javascript, etc.
• It is compatible with multiple code editors VS code, Jet Brains, Visual Studio, etc.
• Copilot X supports pull requests.
• The platform also offers GitHub Copilot Voice for natural language prompts.

Cons: 

GitHub’s Copilot X can be a little expensive for individuals due to a subscription fee of $19/month. You should also note that the platform may not always produce perfect code.

Amazon Code Whisperer

Like GitHub’s Copilot, Amazon has also developed a chatGPT alternative that allows programmers to code effectively and overcome programming blocks just as quickly. 

Amazon’s Codewhisperer uses machine learning and natural language processing to review, generate, debug, and analyse code.

Here are some features of Amazon Codewhisperer:

• Amazon’s Codewhisperer supports programming languages like C#, Python, Java, etc.
• It generates its recommendations in an IDE.
• You can use the tool even without Amazon Web Services
• The service is free to use for now as it is in the preview phase
• Amazon Code Whisperer offers a user-friendly  design and interface
• It also offers various customisation and integration options
• The tool is scalable and can handle large codes

.

Cons:

Regarding intelligent coding platforms, Amazon Code provides support for fewer languages, as compared to other platforms like Copilot X. 

ChatGPT alternative for chats

Character AI

Character AI is an enjoyable ChatGPT alternative focusing on its character-based themes. You can pick any character you want to converse with, like Einstein or Kanye. It is fun and easy to use with its unique character lineup and simple user interface.

Here are some features of Character AI:

• The service is free to use
• Offers 19 character themes
• A relatively fun AI conversational model
• Users can create their own AI avatars with its built-in the image generator
• It allows users to converse with both real-life people and even animated characters
• Character AI offers text-to-speech features

Cons:

Character AI may be slower than other intelligent conversational models. 

Google BardAI

Bard is Google’s version of the AI-powered model that has been trained on the lightweight model LaMBDA, unlike ChatGPT.  Google has defined Bard to be an experimental conversational AI service. 

When we consider the battle of Google vs Bard, it is essential to note that Bard’s knowledge is not limited to any specific year like ChatGPT. Hence it can prove to be an effective alternative. 

Here are some features of Google Bard AI:

• Bard collects information from the web and user input to provide accurate answers to queries
• Offers an easy-to-use and accessible interface
• Offers integration features
• Bard can handle input in text, speech, and even image format.
• Google’s Bard is also highly adaptable and versatile for seamless conversations. 
• Provides support for multiple languages

Cons: 

You may find Bard’s responses to be biased and misleading at times. The platform also has limited availability as it is only available to use in only a few countries. 

Learn more: How to use google bard AI

Learn more: ChatGPT VS Google Bard AI

ChatGPT alternative for research 

Microsoft Bing

Microsoft introduced its alternative for the conversational tool, called Bing AI, based on OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4. Bing offers users fast, efficient, and accurate AI-powered responses.

Bing shall also be free to use so users can get accurate answers to their queries without issues. It can thus effectively be used for research purposes to quickly gather information regarding any topic. 

• Here are some features of Microsoft Bing:
• Bing is free to use
• It accepts queries upto a 1000 words
• It is a fast and accurate alternative to ChatGPT
• Offers various conversational styles

Cons:

Microsoft’s Bing can be slower as compared to other AI chat models.

Use PureVPN to communicate securely with ChatBots

Security should always be your priority if you plan to use any AI conversational tool, ChatGPT or any of its alternatives. Conversations on such platforms have a high risk of interception, and this could lead to the violation of your privacy.

You can protect your system and online activity from any cyber attacks using a reliable VPN. PureVPN can help you encrypt your data and direct your network traffic through protected tunnels to remain safe from cyber-attacks and data breaches.

• You can encrypt your network traffic.
• PureVPN also helps you protect your online captivity using IP masking
• PureVPN uses 256-bit encryption to protect your data
• Connect to any location securely using PureVPN’s 6500+ servers

Concluding thoughts

Well, you now know some of the best alternatives for ChatGPT so that you can get responses to all your queries at all times and in all places. There are multiple other efficient alternatives as well that can also provide domain-specific knowledge, just like the ones stated in this blog. Make sure you remain safe while chatting away with these models using PureVPN. 

Frequently asked questions