▶ Researched comparisons
Published pricing, official docs, and the weight of user reports.
▶ Every source cited
We link the vendor pages we used. Check our work.
▶ No paid placement
Nobody pays to appear here, to rank higher, or to win.
◉ the bottom line
◉ verdict
Best for · Owning your review pipeline and the model behind it
Price · The software is free; you pay for model tokens and your own infrastructure
◉ verdict
Best for · Covering writing, coding, images and research
Price · From $0; a single $5 plan covers most who outgrow the free tiers
◉ verdict
Best for · Choosing a free AI on craft, once correctness is a given
Price · All seven on free tiers
◉ verdict
Best for · Anyone still assuming free AI writes worse code
Price · All seven tested on their free tiers
◉ verdict
Best for · Choosing by whether you are producing or consuming audio
Price · From free to about $19/mo
◉ verdict
Best for · Choosing by whether you need nuance, reach, or control
Price · From free to about $20/mo
Most AI review bots are hosted and proprietary. A growing few are open-source, self-hostable, and let you bring your own model. Here is when that is worth it, what it really takes, and the tools that do it.
After testing assistants, coding tools and search engines the same way, the same patterns keep surfacing. Here are the five that show up every time, and what they mean for choosing a tool.
You do not need four subscriptions. Here is how to cover writing, coding, images and research with AI for as little as possible, using current, verified pricing.
When every model gets the right answer, correctness stops being the test. So I read all fourteen solutions as a working developer and asked whose code I would actually want on my team.
I invented two coding specs no model had ever seen, wired up a hidden test suite, and ran seven free AI chatbots through it. I expected a leaderboard. I got a clean sweep.
AI voices have crossed from robotic to unnervingly human. We compare the leading tools on realism, control, and which one fits voiceovers, narration, or just reading things aloud.
Three very different translators, from the specialist to the one on every phone to the assistant that can explain its choices. We compare them on accuracy, nuance, and when to use which.
NotebookLM answers only from the sources you give it. I fed it three of my own articles and spent an afternoon trying to make it wander, to show how it really works and where it fits.
AI reviewers now comment on pull requests before your teammates do. We compare the leading tools on the quality of their feedback, the noise they add, and where they fit.
◉ head to head
AI voices have crossed from robotic to unnervingly human. We compare the leading tools on realism, control, and which one fits voiceovers, narration, or just reading things aloud.
Three very different translators, from the specialist to the one on every phone to the assistant that can explain its choices. We compare them on accuracy, nuance, and when to use which.
Three very different ways to make images from text. We compare them on quality, control, cost, and who each one actually suits.
I asked Perplexity, ChatGPT and Google’s AI search the same four questions, including one about a study that does not exist, then checked every citation. Here is who cites, who is current, and who makes things up.
I gave ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude the same four tasks on their free tiers: an awkward email, a logic puzzle, a buggy function and a long essay to pick apart. All three were right. Here is what actually separated them, and which I reach for when.
Two very different tools for organising your thinking. We compare Notion AI and Obsidian on structure, ownership, AI, and who each one really suits.
◉ the test card · transmission
One transmission a week from the front of the AI age. Researched comparisons, honest verdicts, no hype.
Subscribe →◉ the index
Every AI tool we cover, grouped by what it is for, with a link straight to the vendor's own pricing page and to every article that compares it.
Browse the tool index →◉ the toolkit
Three interactive tools built on our verified pricing data. No sign-up, no cost.
Price index
What every popular AI tool really costs, and what you get for nothing, verified against the vendor pages.
Compare prices →Recommender
Tell us the job. We point you to the tools built for it, and the all-rounders that also do it well.
Find your tool →Auditor
Tick what you pay for and see your real monthly bill, plus where a free tier or an overlap could save you money.
Add up your bill →◉ by subject