Is ChatGPT really the best? We tested 15 AI chatbots across writing, coding, research, and creative tasks. Here are the results.
ChatGPT dominates the AI market, but it's not the only option. Whether you want something free, specialized, or just different — there are compelling alternatives.
We tested each tool extensively and ranked them honestly. Spoiler: ChatGPT Pro still wins overall, but some alternatives take the crown in specific areas.
The Quick Rankings
| Rank | AI Chatbot | Best For | Price | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1 | ChatGPT Pro (GPT-5) | Everything | 50 MAD/mo (Emaghrib) | 95/100 |
| 🥈 2 | Claude 3.5 Opus | Writing & Analysis | $20/month | 88/100 |
| 🥉 3 | Gemini Advanced | Google Ecosystem | $19.99/month | 84/100 |
| 4 | Perplexity Pro | Research | $20/month | 82/100 |
| 5 | Microsoft Copilot Pro | Office 365 | $20/month | 80/100 |
| 6 | GitHub Copilot | Coding | Free (students) | 78/100 |
| 7 | Mistral Le Chat | Privacy/EU | Free | 75/100 |
| 8 | DeepSeek V3 | Coding (free) | Free | 74/100 |
| 9 | Meta AI (LLaMa 3) | Social Media | Free | 72/100 |
| 10 | Pi (Inflection) | Conversation | Free | 70/100 |
| 11 | Grok (xAI) | Twitter/X Data | $8/month (X Premium) | 68/100 |
| 12 | Poe | Multi-Model Access | $20/month | 67/100 |
| 13 | You.com | Search-First AI | Free | 65/100 |
| 14 | Character.ai | Roleplay/Fun | Free | 60/100 |
| 15 | Hugging Chat | Open Source | Free | 58/100 |
Detailed Reviews
🥇 #1: ChatGPT Pro (GPT-5) — The All-Rounder
Why it's #1: No other AI matches GPT-5's combination of reasoning, creativity, coding, multilingual ability, and feature completeness.
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Most powerful model (GPT-5) | Official price is expensive ($200/mo) |
| DALL-E 3 image generation | Can occasionally hallucinate |
| Web browsing | Privacy concerns |
| 1M+ Custom GPTs | |
| Excellent Arabic/French | |
| Persistent memory | |
| Code execution |
Price: $200/month official → 50 MAD/month via Emaghrib (97% off)
Verdict: The best overall AI, especially at Emaghrib's price.
👉 Get ChatGPT Pro — 50 MAD/month
🥈 #2: Claude 3.5 Opus — The Writer's AI
Best for: Long-form writing, document analysis, nuanced communication
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Excellent writing quality | No image generation |
| 200K token context window | No web browsing |
| Handles long documents well | Limited free tier |
| More "careful" responses | Slower than GPT-5 |
| Strong ethical guidelines | No plugins/GPT Store |
When to choose Claude over ChatGPT:
- You primarily need writing assistance
- You analyze very long documents (100+ pages)
- You want more cautious, nuanced responses
Price: Free (limited) / $20/month (Pro)
🥉 #3: Gemini Advanced — The Google Native
Best for: Users deep in the Google ecosystem
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Google Workspace integration | Quality inconsistency |
| Gmail, Docs, Sheets AI | Less creative than GPT-5 |
| 2TB Google storage included | Image generation is basic |
| YouTube video analysis | Plugin ecosystem is weaker |
| Real-time Google Search |
When to choose Gemini over ChatGPT:
- You live in Google Workspace
- You need Google Drive storage
- You watch lengthy YouTube videos
Price: $19.99/month
#4: Perplexity Pro — The Researcher
Best for: Academic research, fact-checking, sourced answers
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Always cites sources | Not a full AI assistant |
| Real-time web search | Limited creative writing |
| Clean, focused interface | No image generation |
| Academic paper integration |
Price: Free (5 Pro searches/day) / $20/month
#5: Microsoft Copilot Pro — The Office Worker
Best for: Microsoft 365 users
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Integrated in Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Requires M365 subscription |
| Enterprise security | Less powerful than GPT-5 |
| Teams integration | Limited outside Office |
Price: $20/month + M365 subscription
#6-10: Mid-Tier Alternatives
GitHub Copilot — Best free option for student developers. Autocompletes code in your IDE. Free with student verification.
Mistral Le Chat — French AI company with strong privacy. Good for EU users concerned about data sovereignty. Free to use.
DeepSeek V3 — Chinese open-source model. Surprisingly good at coding and math. Free to use but privacy concerns exist.
Meta AI (LLaMa 3) — Available through WhatsApp and Instagram. Convenient for social media users. Free.
Pi (Inflection) — The friendliest AI. Best for casual conversation and emotional support. Not great for professional tasks.
#11-15: Niche Options
Grok (xAI) — Elon Musk's AI. Unique access to real-time Twitter/X data. Requires X Premium Plus ($16/month).
Poe — Access multiple AI models (GPT-4, Claude, Gemini) through one subscription. Good for model comparison.
You.com — Search engine with AI integration. Good for quick research queries.
Character.ai — Specialized in roleplay and character simulation. Entertainment-focused.
Hugging Chat — Open-source alternative. Good for privacy-focused users. Limited features.
Feature Comparison Matrix
| Feature | ChatGPT Pro | Claude | Gemini | Perplexity | Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Images | ✅ DALL-E 3 | ❌ | ✅ Basic | ❌ | ✅ Basic |
| Web | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Code | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Writing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Arabic | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| French | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Plugins | ✅ 1M+ | ❌ | ✅ Few | ❌ | ✅ Office |
| Memory | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Files | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Our Recommendation
The Smart Stack
Instead of choosing one, many professionals use two:
- ChatGPT Pro (main daily driver) — 50 MAD/month via Emaghrib
- Perplexity Free (quick research with sources)
- GitHub Copilot (in-IDE coding)
Total cost: 50 MAD/month — Powered by the best AI available.
The Bottom Line
After testing all 15 alternatives, ChatGPT Pro (GPT-5) remains the clear winner for overall capability. The only reason to choose an alternative is if you need something very specific (like Perplexity for sourced research or Claude for ultra-long documents).
And with Emaghrib's pricing, ChatGPT Pro is cheaper than most alternatives.
👉 Get ChatGPT Pro — 50 MAD/month
Published: February 20, 2026 | Author: Emaghrib Team
