The best AI chatbots: ChatGPT and 13 alternatives for different use cases

With an ever-expanding number of options on the market, deciding on the best AI chatbot can be a tricky task. However, your decision should primarily come down to one thing: what you want your chatbot to accomplish. No matter your business objective,  there's likely a chatbot out there that can help you achieve it. 

Chatbots are being used for all sorts of impressive tasks – from helping content writers and coders to assisting customer support teams with their workload. In fact, according to Intercom’s 2023 report, The State of AI in Customer Service, 69% of support leaders believe they are already seeing value from automation efforts such as chatbot tools.¹

In this article, you’ll learn about some of the best artificial intelligence chatbots for a range of different needs and tasks, including ChatGPT alternatives for content creation, AI bots for web searching, and a few others. 

Needless to say, the AI chatbot landscape changes quickly. By the time you're reading this, there may be even more options available to you. But for now, these are some of the most compelling and useful chatbots on our radar.

What is an AI chatbot?

An AI chatbot is an artificial intelligence program that can converse with human users through the use of machine learning and natural language processing technologies. AI chatbots are trained on huge quantities of data, which allows them to understand the intent and context behind what users say.

How does an AI chatbot work?

An AI chatbot operates on an input-output model. When a user interacts with the chatbot, they provide an input command or question. The system then takes this input and processes it using artificial intelligence algorithms. 

These algorithms analyze the context of the conversation, considering the words, phrases, and patterns in the user’s input. The AI chatbot then generates an appropriate and relevant response using its understanding of the conversation’s context to provide the user with an answer. 

What to look for in an AI chatbot

When it comes to choosing the right AI chatbot for your needs, always keep in mind what you want to accomplish with the tool. While the best AI chatbot will vary based on your specific requirements, we have some insights to share about what it should offer.

Accuracy and responsiveness

Accuracy is a key factor to consider when choosing the best AI chatbot app. Some chatbots have a tendency to behave strangely and provide inaccurate information, a phenomenon referred to as AI hallucination. 

To ensure you’re making a worthwhile investment, it's crucial to select a platform that excels in generating coherent language, consistently delivers accurate information, and moves a conversation forward naturally.

⚡ Pro tip: When using an AI chatbot for customer service, make sure it pulls answers directly from your official support content to ensure accuracy and trustworthiness.

Chat experience

One of the greatest virtues of chatbots is that most of them are developed to be as easy to use as possible. At their core, chatbots are all about providing a smooth, conversational experience right in a messaging window, without any advanced setup or technical know-how required.

The best bots focus on removing barriers so people can participate in a dialogue that feels as natural as speaking with another person. With a chatbot, you should be able to learn, get the help you need, or be entertained within seconds. 

Multilingual capabilities

If you want to have truly engaging conversations with a chatbot, language should never be a barrier. The best AI chatbots make the effort to communicate with users in their preferred tongue.

Ideally, a good chatbot supports accurate translations between different languages on the fly. This allows a natural back-and-forth, even if the discussion moves through different languages in real time. 

The best AI chatbots

Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the best AI chatbots.

• Customer service chatbot: Intercom’s Fin.

• Multi-purpose chatbot. ChatGPT.

• Summarizing and brainstorming chatbot: Google Bard.

• Web search chatbot: Bing AI, Perplexity.

• Creative writing chatbot: Claude.

• Open source chatbot: HuggingChat.

• Multiple chatbots: Poe AI.

• Educational chatbot: Socratic.

• Employee feedback chatbot: inFeedo.

• Sales and marketing chatbot: Jasper Chat.

• Human resources chatbot: Paradox AI.

• Personal chatbot: Personal AI.

• Everyday conversations chatbot: Pi.

1. Fin

Best AI chatbot for customer service

When it comes to the best AI chatbot for customer service, Intercom’s Fin is the clear choice. Our chatbot is designed to help your business resolve up to 50% of customer queries with unparalleled accuracy and trustworthiness.

Powered by large language models (LLMs) from OpenAI and Intercom's proprietary technology, Fin reads existing support content like knowledge bases to provide customers with safer, more accurate answers than any other AI chatbot on the market.

Intercom’s customer support software offers many other features, too, including an AI-enhanced help desk, workflow builders, help center articles, and a messenger.

Pricing:

• Fin is offered at a cost of $0.99 per resolution. In this context, a resolution is defined as the point at which a customer either confirms the provided answer is satisfactory or exits the conversation without seeking additional assistance.

To get Fin's per resolution pricing, you will also need an active Intercom plan — unlocking access to Intercom's complete, AI-powered customer service platform.

Read more about integrating a chatbot with your knowledge base to provide accurate responses to your customers' questions.

2. ChatGPT

Best multi-purpose AI chatbot

ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is a versatile AI chatbot that gained immense popularity in late 2022 and early 2023, captivating global attention within days for its ease of use and human-like responses. 

Users simply type out a prompt and receive a relevant, coherent output. ChatGPT performs various tasks like answering questions, offering recommendations, summarizing text, coding, and even translating languages. 

OpenAI offers two models for its platform: OpenAI GPT-3 and GPT-4. Both are user-friendly and deliver great results. OpenAI GPT-4 stands out for its extensive training on a vast dataset, which enhances its flexibility and accuracy when responding to prompts. 

Pricing:

• ChatGPT: Free.

• ChatGPT Plus: $20 / month.

3. Google Bard

Best AI chatbot for summarizing and brainstorming

Following in OpenAI's footsteps, Google recently launched its own conversational AI – Bard. One of Bard's standout skills is its ability to handle text, from summarizing to creating drafts and brainstorming ideas. You can use it to write and edit emails, resumes, and cover letters, to name just a few of its applications.

Being developed by Google, Bard is also integrated with its own search engine. You can use the "Google it" button for instant facts on any topic. Bard also has an integration with Google products such as Docs and Gmail.

While Bard harnesses the power of Google's vast internet resources, some concerns have been raised about it providing false and misleading information, so keep that in mind.

Pricing:

• Free.

4. Microsoft Bing AI

Best AI chatbot for searching the web.

OpenAI's GPT-4, Bing AI is the way to go when you need to search for something online. Microsoft created it to serve as the next evolutionary step in browsing and finding information on the internet. 

Whether it’s simple facts or highly complex questions, you can ask Bing anything. Plus, it lets you chat back and forth to clarify or expand your search. 

Because the chatbot is connected to Bing’s search engine, the latest information is always just a request away, allowing you to stay up-to-date without extra searching. With a single tap, you can explore the context around key facts and details.

Bing AI also features Image Creator, an application that generates AI images based on your text inputs.

Pricing:

• Free.

5. Perplexity

Runner-up for searching the web

Coming in just behind Bing AI, Perplexity is the second-best AI chatbot option for searching the web. It’s been crafted to compile what it finds on the internet into easy-to-understand responses. The platform provides a summary for whatever you searched for, along with links to related sources that allow you to dig deeper.

Speed and ease of use were top priorities in building Perplexity. Just go to the website or app and enter your question or topic in the search bar. One click later, you'll have a result with additional context if you need it. Personalization features, meanwhile, allow you to save conversations for later or share interesting finds with others.

Pricing:

• Perplexity: Free.

• Perplexity Pro: $20 / month

6. Claude

Best AI chatbot for creative, long-form writing

With its exceptional capabilities, Claude is perfect for creating detailed content, especially long-form writing. Developed by Anthropic, the AI chatbot comes in two models:

• Claude 2 is more powerful and excels in sophisticated dialogue, creative content generation, detailed instructions, complex reasoning, thoughtful dialogue, and coding.

• Claude Instant is for those seeking a faster and more cost-effective option. This more affordable model is still highly capable of handling tasks such as casual dialogue, text analysis, summarization, and document comprehension.

Pricing: 

• Claude: Free

• Claude Pro: $20/month

7. HuggingChat

Best AI chatbot for developers. 

In the world of the best AI chatbots, HuggingChat gives ChatGPT a run for its money. While both provide engaging conversational interactions, HuggingChat differentiates itself under the hood.

As an open-source project, HuggingChat allows developers access to its inner workings. This "open door" empowers the community to tweak, enhance, and customize the platform however they see fit.

For those looking for a more hands-on experience that allows them to build their own chatbot solution, HuggingChat serves as the perfect foundation. Its modifiable codebase means you can tailor the capabilities and even rebrand it as your own.

Pricing:

• HF Hub: Free.

• Pro Account: $9 / month.

• Enterprise Hub: $ 20 / month.

8. Poe AI

Best AI chatbot app aggregator.

Poe AI itself is not an artificial intelligence bot, but it works as an aggregator for several of the best AI chatbot apps. You can engage with multiple large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Google's PaLM directly from its app.

But Poe doesn't stop there. The platform also features task-specific chatbots specializing in almost anything you can think of. Writing, coaching, brainstorming, image-creation – no matter your needs, there's probably a chatbot for it on Poe.

Pricing:

• Poe: Free.

• Poe Pro: $20 / month.

9. Socratic

Best AI chatbot for students

Powered by Google AI, Socratic is an educational AI chatbot designed specifically for students. With input from teachers, this unique chatbot delivers visual explanations for key concepts in subjects like Science, Math, Literature, Social Studies, and more.

When students need assistance but their teachers, tutors, or parents aren’t available, Socratic is there to lend a hand, ensuring that students can overcome stumbling blocks and continue making progress in their education.

Available on both the App Store and Google App Store, Socratic will locate the best available online resources, offering expert-created study guides, helpful videos, and step-by-step explanations about concepts across a wide range of academic subjects.

Pricing:

• Free.

10. inFeedo

Best AI chatbot for collecting employee feedback 

For businesses seeking staff feedback, inFeedo is an AI chatbot that helps companies gain valuable insights from their remote employees. As a virtual assistant, it regularly checks in with employees to understand how they're doing, both in their work and personal lives.

InFeedo engages in real dialogue with employees to assess satisfaction levels and identify anyone who may be losing motivation or thinking of leaving. It then generates detailed reports for HR, highlighting areas for improvement and potential retention risks.

Pricing: 

• Contact for pricing.

11. Jasper Chat

Best AI chatbot for content marketing 

Jasper software is an AI copilot designed for marketing teams to have a central system for all content creation. Its own AI chatbot, Jasper Chat, quickly generates useful, applicable, and unique content. Jasper helps you with marketing campaigns, blog writing, copywriting, SEO, and social media tasks. 

For example, you can start a conversation with Jasper’s chatbot by asking a question or stating a command such as “Write a blog post about…,” “Summarize the following transcript,” or “Write a Facebook ad for the holidays.” Then, continue the dialogue to refine your request. 

When you’re finished, you can transform the chat into a document and have a complete piece of work. 

Pricing: 

• Creator: $39 / month.

• Teams: $99 / month. 

12. Paradox AI

Best AI chatbot for recruiters and managers

Paradox AI provides conversational recruiting software that automates routine tasks, allowing talent acquisition teams to work more strategically.

For candidates, the platform delivers a seamless application experience through natural language chat. Paradox handles initial screening, interview scheduling, and onboarding coordination at scale.

Recruiters benefit from the automated chatbot for administrative processes like resume screening, multi-format interview management, and calendar integration. These efficiencies save hours for the recruiters, and teams can reinvest this time in developing relationships with priority talent through more meaningful engagement.

Pricing: 

• Contact for pricing.

13. Personal AI

Best personal AI chatbot

Personal AI is like having your own digital clone. Simply put, it’s one of the best artificial intelligence chatbots that learns from your own data, facts, and opinions so it can chat just like you.

Think of it like your personal assistant, one that knows you inside and out. Need a quick answer? Want a second opinion? Personal AI is there with all your own facts, opinions, and style – a chatbot that can both mimic your thoughts and ideas while also offering valuable support for your day-to-day decision-making. 

Pricing:

• Personal use: free.

• Starter: $15 / month.

• Premium: $ 40 / month.

14. Pi

Best AI chatbot for everyday conversations

Pi is an AI chatbot built to offer support through friendly conversation. Its main goal is to listen without judgment and help users feel heard by offering perspective and emotional support.

Today's chatbots usually focus on answering questions or increasing productivity. But Pi takes a different approach by focusing on companionship through natural dialogue.

You can find Pi on its own website or chat with it through WhatsApp, iMessage, Instagram, and Facebook.

Pricing: 

• Free

⚡ Make sure you choose the best AI chatbot for your support needs: Download The AI Chatbot Buyer’s Checklist.

What is the best AI chatbot?

As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, the answer to this question depends on your specific needs and goals. For example, for the best free AI chatbot for everyday tasks, ChatGPT is hard to beat. For web browsing, Bing AI is arguably the best free option available. 

And for customer service, we believe Intercom is the best AI chatbot. If you're looking for an AI solution that can truly transform experiences for both customers and employees, we strongly encourage you to meet Fin.

Ask for a demo or start your free trial today, and find out how the best artificial intelligence chatbot for customer service can help your own support teams and customers.

Sources

1. Intercom, State of AI in Customer Service Report 2023. We commissioned an independent market research firm to survey a random sample of 1,013 global support leaders and practitioners. The margin of error for this study is +/- 3.7% at the 95% confidence level.