Choosing AI Tools — Find the Right One for You

Choosing an AI tool gets a lot easier when you start from what you want to do. If you're not sure, begin with ChatGPT, which handles a wide range of tasks. For long-form writing or analysis, Claude is a strong candidate, and if you use Google's services a lot, Gemini makes sense. This article sorts the major AI tools into four categories and covers each one's personality, what you can do for free, and how to choose by purpose, giving you a map so you don't get lost.

The AI Tools Landscape — Four Categories to Know

Don't worry. Most major AI tools fall into four broad categories. You don't need to memorize them all. Just figure out which category matches what you want to do, and choosing a tool becomes much easier. Keep in mind that one service can span several categories. For example, ChatGPT handles conversation, images, and search.

Most tools people use day to day fit into the four categories above. If you feel there are too many options, just pick one tool from the category that matches your goal. That's enough to get started. For an overview of free AI tools, see our Guide to Using Free AI Tools.

ChatGPT vs. Claude vs. Gemini — The Personalities of the Big Three Chatbots

Among chat AIs, ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini have the most users. You might think they're all the same, but each one has its own personality. Think of them as three capable coworkers, each with different strengths.

Note: The prices and features in this section and this chapter were checked on each company's official pages on October 14, 2026. Prices are reference amounts for monthly payments in US dollars. The amount you actually pay will differ depending on your currency (for example, Japanese yen), taxes, annual billing, or whether you buy through an app store. When signing up, the amount on the purchase screen takes priority.

ChatGPT — The All-Rounder

OpenAI developed ChatGPT, which sparked the generative AI boom. Since its launch in November 2022, it has been one of the most widely used chat AIs, and there are plenty of guides and answers about it online.

ChatGPT is a good fit for:

• Using AI for the first time: there's a lot of information available, and it will answer almost any question
• Wanting image generation too: you can ask for "an image like this" within the conversation (Gemini works the same way)
• Using AI for a wide range of tasks: search, file uploads, image creation, and more, all in one app

Pricing includes a free plan along with Go ($8/month), Plus ($20/month), and Pro ($100, $200, or $500/month, in three tiers). Even the free plan includes search, file attachments, and image creation (with usage limits), so trying ChatGPT first is the standard approach. You can find the detailed terms of the free plan in OpenAI's official explanation.

Claude — Master of Reasoning and Writing

Claude is an AI assistant developed by Anthropic. Its design philosophy is to be "helpful, harmless, and honest," and it excels at reading and writing long documents and at careful, step-by-step analysis.

Claude is a good fit for:

• Writing and analyzing long documents: if you need to write a substantial piece such as a report, paper, or proposal, Claude is reliable
• Logical analysis: it can organize complex problems and compare options, giving well-reasoned answers
• Programming: Claude Code is available for developers, starting with the Pro plan
• Analyzing documents you attach: upload a PDF or text file and have Claude analyze its contents

Pricing includes a free plan, Pro ($20/month if billed monthly), and Max (from $100/month). The free plan has usage limits, but you can still use web search and create files, which is enough to experience Claude's writing ability. If you want AI to write a long document for you or to think something through carefully, try Claude.

Gemini — Works Well with Google Services

Gemini is developed by Google, and its biggest strength is its integration with Google services. Being able to use it with Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Sheets is a major advantage that the other two don't offer.

Gemini is a good fit for:

• Looking up recent information: it's connected to Google Search, so it's easy to find new information
• Using Google services often: you can use AI inside Gmail and Docs
• Wanting to know what's in a video: it can summarize the content of YouTube videos

Pricing includes a free plan along with Google AI Pro ($19.99/month in the US) and other options. AI Plus and AI Ultra pricing varies by country, so check the purchase screen. A Google account is all you need to get started. Available features depend on your country, age, and account type.

So Which One Should You Choose?

Honestly, "try them all and use the one you like best" is the best answer. All three offer free trials, so there's no reason not to. That said, here's a quick summary for anyone who wants a starting point.

You don't have to limit yourself to one. Using several tools for different purposes is also a good approach. For example, you could write with Claude and search with Gemini. When you're unsure, paste the same request into two tools and compare the answers. For a more detailed comparison of the three models, see ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini: Which to Choose.

What Can You Do on Free Plans?

People often ask, "Don't free plans run into limits right away?" There are differences from paid plans, but today's free plans go further than you might expect. If you want a detailed comparison of the free tiers from the three services, see ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini Free Plans Compared.

What You Can Do on Free Plans

Feature	ChatGPT Free	Claude Free	Gemini Free
Text conversation	◯ (usage limits apply)	◯ (usage limits apply)	◯ (usage limits apply)
Image generation	◯ (limited)	✕	◯ (limited)
File attachments	◯	◯	◯
Web search	◯	◯	◯

Usage caps vary by service, feature, and how busy the service is. They aren't a fixed number like "X times per day." When you hit the limit, the screen shows when you can start again. For everyday tasks, such as drafting emails, polishing text, or doing light research, the free plan is more than enough.

Five Examples of What the Free Plan Can Do

Being told something is "free" doesn't always make it easy to picture what you can actually do with it. Here are some examples of tasks you can handle on a free plan alone.

1. Drafting business emails: type something like "Write an apology email to a client about a project delay. The cause was a system failure, and recovery is expected by next Friday," and you'll get a polite draft right away
2. Summarizing meeting minutes: paste your bullet-point notes and ask, "Organize this into meeting minutes. Make the decisions and to-dos clear"
3. Translating and replying to English emails: paste an English email and request, "Translate this into Japanese, then draft a reply with the following content"
4. Outlining a presentation: give the topic and ask, "Plan the slide structure for a 10-minute presentation, including the key points for each slide"
5. Excel formula help: ask a quick technical question, such as "Give me a formula that automatically returns the day of the week from the dates in column A"

You can try these tasks on the free plan of any of these services. Handing the tedious parts of your daily work to AI can save a lot of time. However, check the dates and amounts against your original notes before you send anything, because AI can change them. Before you enter a client's name or confidential material, also make sure you know what information is appropriate to enter.

When to Consider a Paid Plan

A paid plan makes sense in situations like these:

• You often see "limit reached" messages: once you start using AI heavily for work, the free allowance may not be enough
• You want the most capable model: with Claude, that means Opus or Fable; with ChatGPT, the higher GPT tier (Astra); with Gemini, Pro. Model version numbers change quickly, so check the current model list to see which one is newest. The gap is most noticeable on difficult tasks, but even the top models need you to check their answers
• You want to generate images seriously: if the free usage limits aren't enough
• You want to process long documents at once: paid plans give you a longer context window (how much the AI can read at one time)
• You want to use it with a team: business plans include team management and security features

Before you switch, check what was missing (usage limits, models, or features) and whether that plan actually solves it. That way you avoid spending money you don't need to.

Price Comparison — What's the Monthly Cost?

Service	Free	Lowest Individual Plan	Standard Individual Plan	Higher Plans
ChatGPT	◯	Go $8/month	Plus $20/month	Pro $100, $200, or $500/month
Claude	◯	―	Pro $20/month	Max from $100/month
Gemini	◯	AI Plus (varies by country)	AI Pro $19.99/month (US)	AI Ultra (varies by country)

Note: These are reference monthly prices in US dollars, checked on each company's official pages on October 14, 2026. In Japanese yen, the amount varies with exchange rates, taxes, and payment method.

The key point is to switch to a paid plan only once you feel it's worth it. There's no need to rush. Try the free plan for a week or two first, and decide once you've figured out how you use it. ChatGPT's Go plan ($8/month) is a good option for people who find the free plan limiting but think $20 is too expensive.

Try an Image Generation AI

You learned about the types of AI in Chapter 1. Image generation AI is one of the fastest-evolving fields of the past few years. Type "a small café with a red roof on a rainy day," and an image of that scene is generated. Once you try it, you'll find the experience surprisingly fun.

For Beginners, Conversational Image Generation Is Recommended

If you're trying image generation AI for the first time, the image generation features in ChatGPT or Gemini are the most recommended. The reason is simple: you can create images while chatting.

For example, the flow might look like this:

1. "Make a watercolor-style illustration of a café in Paris." → An image is generated
2. "Make the colors a bit warmer." → A revised image appears
3. "Add a cat on the terrace seating." → It gets revised again

Gradually refining an image through conversation like this is much more intuitive than using specialized tools. However, you may find that changing only the colors also alters the composition, or that unrequested text appears. After each revision, check whether the parts you wanted to keep are still intact.

For Quality, Choose Midjourney

Midjourney is known for its artistic quality. Its distinctive worldview and polished results make it popular with professional designers and illustrators. You can start with the Basic plan at $10/month and use it through a web app. The "style reference" feature lets you reference the style of existing images to produce a consistent set of images.

However, the way you work with it differs from revising through conversation in ChatGPT. Writing prompts (instructions) takes some practice, and English is the standard language for instructions. Also, "Stealth Mode," which keeps your generated images private, is available only on the Pro and Mega plans. If you're making images for work, check which plan you're on first.

For Flexibility, Choose Stable Diffusion

Stable Diffusion is an image generation model you can install and run on your own computer. If you run it locally, you can generate images without worrying about service usage limits. Using a technique called LoRA, you can also train it on your own style. However, you'll need a reasonably powerful GPU (graphics card) and some technical knowledge, and you'll also pay for the GPU and electricity. Licensing terms (conditions for commercial use) differ by model, so if you're using it for work, check the official license terms.

GUI tools such as ComfyUI and Forge UI have become more robust recently, making Stable Diffusion easier to use than before. It suits people who want to generate large volumes of images or who want detailed customization. For recommendations by use case, see our Best Image Generation AI Tools 2026, which compares them in more detail.

Things to Watch Out for with Image Generation AI

Image generation AI is advancing rapidly, but there are some things to keep in mind.

• Copyright: how copyright applies to generated images differs by country and service. If you plan to use images commercially, check each service's terms of use
• Risks of fake images: generating images that resemble real people raises ethical concerns. Each service sets restrictions
• Training data issues: there is criticism that models are trained on the work of existing artists without permission

We cover these issues in detail in Chapter 5: AI Risks and Ethics.

The World of Coding AI

If you think "programming has nothing to do with me," wait a moment. Advances in coding AI matter to every businessperson, not just programmers.

That's because coding AI is ushering in an era in which people with no programming experience can build apps. For simple business automation, you can now build things yourself while consulting AI.

GitHub Copilot — Your Partner Inside the Editor

GitHub Copilot, offered by GitHub and Microsoft, is a widely used coding AI. It runs inside code editors such as VS Code and suggests the next code while you're writing.

For example, when you type a function name, it can suggest the entire body, or when you write a comment, it can generate matching code. Recently it has also added agent features that handle a batch of work for you, as well as a CLI. Pricing includes a free plan with limits and the individual Pro plan ($10/month), among others. For higher tiers and extra usage, see the official plan comparison.

Cursor — An AI-First Editor

Cursor is a code editor designed around working with AI. It's built on VS Code, but conversation with AI sits at the center of the editor. Just tell it in plain language, such as "Find the bug in this file" or "Add this feature," and it will suggest and apply code changes across multiple files at once.

There's a free plan, and the paid tiers differ greatly in the models and usage they include. Before you choose, check on the official pricing page whether the models you want are included in the monthly fee or billed separately. For details on how to use it, see What Is Cursor?.

Codex — OpenAI's Coding Agent

Codex is a coding agent offered by OpenAI. When you give it a task, it writes code autonomously, runs tests, and once the work is finished, even creates a pull request (a proposed code change). You can choose to run it on your own PC (as an app, CLI, or in an IDE) or in the cloud.

It's included in the usage allowance of ChatGPT plans, so if you already subscribe to ChatGPT, you can try it at no extra cost. (Additional credits or API fees beyond your allowance are charged separately.) It's especially useful when you want work to progress in the background or want to hand off routine coding.

Claude Code — An AI Engineer That Works Interactively

Claude Code is a developer tool from Anthropic. You can use it from the terminal (command line), as well as from an IDE, a desktop app, or a browser. It autonomously handles reading and writing files, Git operations, and running tests. It runs on Claude models, and you can switch between Opus or Fable for demanding work and Haiku for quick tasks. To check which version is currently the newest, see the current model list.

Claude Code is especially good at working interactively, asking for confirmation partway through a task. In fact, this site (AI Arte) itself was developed using Claude Code. It's available from Claude Pro ($20/month). If you want to learn coding AI in depth, our sister course "AI Coding in Practice" covers everything from getting started to advanced use.

If you want Codex or Claude Code to "only investigate and not change any files," don't rely solely on your instructions. Also check the permission settings in the tool itself. For details, see How to Use Codex and Claude Code in Read-Only Mode.

You Can Use AI for Programming Even Without Experience

Coding AI is a tool aimed at specialists, but chat AIs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) also offer powerful coding support. Even without programming knowledge, you can use them in these ways.

• Creating Excel macros: ask, "Write a macro that totals monthly sales data by department," and it will produce code you can copy and try
• Creating web pages: ask, "Make the HTML and CSS for a simple self-introduction page," and you'll have a basic page template
• Formatting data: for example, "Write a Python script that extracts only the Tokyo data from this CSV"
• Automation scripts: automating routine work, such as "a script that backs up the files in a folder at a set time every day"

Before you use code someone else wrote for you, run it on a copied file or practice data and confirm the results are correct. In other words, coding AI isn't just for programmers. It's a tool that's valuable to anyone who wants to make their work easier through simple automation. If you learn the prompting skills covered in Chapter 3, you'll be able to use these tools even more effectively.

If you want to dive deep into programming, check out the discussion of AI agents in Chapter 6. Coding AI is one of the fastest-evolving fields right now.

Recommended Tools by Goal — Choose with a Quick Reference Chart

If you've read this far and feel there's too much information, here's a quick reference chart you can use to look up tools by goal. Find the tool that fits what you want to do.

Recommended Way to Start

Honestly, the safest first step is to try ChatGPT. As an all-rounder, it covers most needs in one service, including chat, image generation, search, and coding help.

From there, if you want to improve your writing further, try Claude. If you want Google integration, try Gemini. If you want to research with sources, try Perplexity. Gradually adding tools this way is the least stressful approach. When you try a second tool, paste the same request into both and compare the answers. The differences become easy to see.

Don't Forget AI Search Engines

Finally, here's a category that's easy to overlook. AI search engines, such as Perplexity, significantly change how you research.

With traditional Google Search, you had to open each result link and gather the information yourself. AI search engines analyze information across multiple sites and generate an answer with sources. Ask something like "Tell me the latest information about XX," and they'll research everything from academic papers to news articles and give you an answer.

However, even when sources are cited, the linked page doesn't always contain exactly what the answer says. For important information, open the link and check the content and the date. Perplexity is useful even on its free plan, so give it a try. It can change the way you research.

Summary — Trying Something Beats Choosing the Perfect Tool

This chapter introduced AI tools in four categories. Here's a recap:

• Chat AI (ChatGPT / Claude / Gemini): all-purpose. Start here
• Image generation AI (ChatGPT / Gemini / Midjourney / Stable Diffusion): for creating visual content
• Coding AI (Copilot / Cursor / Codex / Claude Code): for more efficient development
• AI search engines (Perplexity / Gemini): better quality and speed in research

The key is not to wait until you've found the ideal tool before starting. Any of these tools can be set up in a few minutes, and if one doesn't suit you, you can simply switch. Rather than aiming for the perfect choice, try one tool first. That's the fastest route to making AI useful.

In the next chapter, you'll learn about "prompting skills," which have a major effect on the quality of AI output. No matter which tool you choose, the results can vary greatly depending on how you use it. That's the core of "how to use it," and we'll dig into it there.

References

We checked prices and features on the official pages of each company on October 14, 2026 (October 19 for GitHub Copilot).

• OpenAI: ChatGPT Free Plan
• OpenAI: ChatGPT and Codex Pricing and Usage Allowances
• OpenAI: Codex Cloud
• Anthropic: Claude Pricing and Features
• Anthropic: Claude Code Overview
• Google: AI Plans for the US
• Google: Gemini Features and Limits
• Midjourney: Plan Comparison
• Stability AI: License
• GitHub: Copilot Plans
• Cursor: Pricing and Supported Models
• Official websites: ChatGPT / Claude / Gemini / Perplexity