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AI assistants that are cheaper billed yearly

Updated 23 Oct 2026 · Prices from vendor pages only · How we rank →

The short answer

Each of these AI assistants shows both a yearly and a monthly price, so you can see what committing for a year saves. ChatGPT comes first: the broadest general assistant: a usable free plan, apps on every major platform and a ladder of paid plans for heavier use. The cheapest verified paid plan here is ChatGPT Go ($8/month). 3 of the 4 have a free plan we could confirm. Every price below is from the vendor’s own page, checked 16–23 Oct 2026.

Ranked shortlist

  1. ChatGPT: The broadest general assistant: a usable free plan, apps on every major platform and a ladder of paid plans for heavier use. Plan: Business: $20/user/month billed annually (2+ users); $25/user/month billed monthly
    No training on business data by default
  2. Claude: Strong writing quality with a clear free tier and transparent paid plans for individuals and teams. Plan: Pro: $17/month annual or $20 monthly
    More usage
  3. Microsoft Copilot: Built into Microsoft's apps and available free for consumers, with business plans bundled with Microsoft 365. Plan: Microsoft 365 Copilot Business: $18/user/month paid yearly (shown as reduced from $21)
  4. Lumo (Proton): A free plan with no card, chats never used for training, and Plus under $10 a month billed yearly. Plan: Lumo Plus: $12.99/month billed monthly; $9.99/month billed yearly ($119.88 every 12 months)
    More Max model usage, unlimited Projects

Order follows ToolRank’s editorial ranking in AI Assistants, filtered to tools that fit this page. Anything we couldn’t confirm on a vendor page says “Not yet verified”.

Side by side

RankToolRelevant planStarting priceFree planBest forMain limitationLast checked
#1ChatGPTBusiness: $20/user/month billed annually (2+ users); $25/user/month billed monthly
No training on business data by default		$8/month (Go)Free plan: unlimited* everyday text chats, limited messages with uploads (vendor footnotes apply)Everyday drafting, Q&A and file analysis across web and mobileThe free plan gets only the lighter model and limited uploads; top models need Plus or Pro.19 Oct 2026
#2ClaudePro: $17/month annual or $20 monthly
More usage		$17/month (Pro, billed annually; $20 monthly)Free: chat on web, desktop and mobile, with usage limitsLong-form writing, analysis and research with documentsUsage is capped by weekly/session limits; heavier users need Max (from $100/month).16 Oct 2026
#3Microsoft CopilotMicrosoft 365 Copilot Business: $18/user/month paid yearly (shown as reduced from $21)$18/user/month (Copilot Business, paid yearly)Not yet verifiedPeople and teams living in Word, Excel, Outlook and TeamsBusiness Copilot pricing is per user and tied to Microsoft 365 annual subscriptions.16 Oct 2026
#4Lumo (Proton)Lumo Plus: $12.99/month billed monthly; $9.99/month billed yearly ($119.88 every 12 months)
More Max model usage, unlimited Projects		$9.99/month (Plus, billed yearly)Free plan: limited messages, Max model use and image generations, no credit cardPeople who want a ChatGPT-style assistant with strong privacyFree plan limits messages and Max model use; Business plan price not shown23 Oct 2026

Prices as listed by each vendor on the last-checked date, USD, before tax. Plans and limits change, so follow the sources below.

Who should pick which

Pick ChatGPT for everyday drafting, Q&A and file analysis across web and mobile (Business: $20/user/month billed annually (2+ users); $25/user/month billed monthly); think twice if you need guaranteed access to the strongest models without paying. Pick Claude for long-form writing, analysis and research with documents (Pro: $17/month annual or $20 monthly); think twice if you need unlimited heavy usage on a low budget. Pick Microsoft Copilot for people and teams living in Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams (Microsoft 365 Copilot Business: $18/user/month paid yearly (shown as reduced from $21)); think twice if you don't use Microsoft 365. Pick Lumo (Proton) for people who want a ChatGPT-style assistant with strong privacy (Lumo Plus: $12.99/month billed monthly; $9.99/month billed yearly ($119.88 every 12 months)). Watch out: free plan limits messages and Max model use; Business plan price not shown.

FAQ

Which of these is cheapest?

ChatGPT Go ($8/month) is the lowest paid price we verified on this list (https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing, checked 19 Oct 2026). Check the vendor page for tax, billing period and usage limits.

Which of these have a free plan?

ChatGPT: Free plan: unlimited* everyday text chats, limited messages with uploads (vendor footnotes apply); Claude: Free: chat on web, desktop and mobile, with usage limits; Lumo (Proton): Free plan: limited messages, Max model use and image generations, no credit card.

How were these tools chosen?

They are the tools in ToolRank's rankings with both annual and monthly prices on the vendor page, confirmed on the vendor's own website on 16–23 Oct 2026. Tools we could not verify are left out rather than guessed, and anything unconfirmed is marked Not yet verified.

Sources

Related comparisons

Profiles: ChatGPT · Claude · Microsoft Copilot · Lumo (Proton)

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