The Best ChatGPT Alternative: Reviewed and Compared

Written by Lidia Vijga

Ever had that moment when you discover a new gadget or app, and it feels like you’ve struck gold? That was me with ChatGPT. Late-night coffee in hand, I’m diving into the world of AI, exploring different use cases of ChatGPT for my startup. The stories it spun, the code it generated – it was pure magic. For a while, it was my go-to for everything content-related.

But, as with all things, the honeymoon phase ended. I remember trying to get updates on a recent tech conference, and ChatGPT just couldn’t deliver. It was like asking your grandpa about the latest TikTok trends. And oh, the frustration when I’d eagerly log in, only to be met with the dreaded “at capacity” message.

Now, don’t get me wrong. For $20 a month, ChatGPT is a bargain. But I’m a curious soul. I started hunting for the best ChatGPT alternatives. And guess what? I found some gems that packed with features. Imagine my delight when I found tools that could whip up brand-specific content or even create AI art.

So, if you’re on the fence about ChatGPT or just looking for something different, trust me, there’s a buffet of alternatives to ChatGPT out there.

Google Bard as a ChatGPT Alternative

Google unveiled its latest artificial intelligence project – an experimental conversational chatbot called Bard. This launch represents Google’s entry into the red-hot AI chatbot space race.

As someone who has been following AI closely for years, I’m intrigued by the possibilities of Bard, but also cautious about the challenges conversational AI still faces, despite Google’s ambitions in this area.

Bard’s Origins at Google

Bard is powered by LaMDA, Google’s internal large language model that was originally created for dialogue applications. LaMDA has been trained on billions of online conversations to enable more natural-sounding interactions.

According to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Bard seeks to combine the breadth of world knowledge with the power, intelligence, and creativity of Google’s AI. Essentially it aims to draw on information from the web to provide helpful, high-quality responses to user queries.

My personal view is that it represents an evolution from Google’s traditional search to more dynamic, personalized, and context-aware responses. However, the technology is still in its very early stages.

How Bard works and its advantages

Functionally, Bard works as an AI chatbot that users can have text-based conversations with. You can ask Bard open-ended questions and it will provide tailored responses based on its training and the most relevant information available in Google search results.

Furthermore, Bard will include footnotes that contain links to its sources. I was pleased to notice that Bard has cited the BYVI publication as one of the sources.

A standout capability of Google Bard AI is its tight integration with other Google services. Rather than only interacting within the chat interface, users can conveniently export the chatbot’s generated content straight into Google Docs or even into Gmail. This seamless connectivity with popular Google tools boosts the chatbot’s utility and enhances users’ productivity.

Main capabilities of Bard AI Chatbot

Key Challenges and Limitations

As an early prototype, Bard has several key limitations to overcome before it can be widely relied on. Since Bard is powered by one of the largest natural language processing models, it runs the risk of hallucinating content, providing inaccurate information, or misunderstanding context. Google acknowledged this challenge and has integrated search results to allow users to fact-check Bard’s responses. More training and validation will be required to improve reliability.

There are also concerns about how Bard handles sensitive topics around ethics, biases, and misinformation. Google will need safeguards to ensure Bard meets its principles of being helpful, harmless, and honest.

Additionally, the market for conversational AI is very competitive, with other tech giants also launching AI chatbots. While Bard shows promise, it remains to be seen if it can differentiate itself enough to gain traction.

Bard vs ChatGPT-4

Both AI chatbots aim to have natural conversations but take different approaches based on their training. Bard has an edge by leveraging both conversational AI and Google’s vast search data. This provides Bard with more up-to-date, factual information versus ChatGPT’s more conversational training.

In terms of capabilities, ChatGPT appears stronger for narrative creative writing like stories and poems. However, Bard aims to excel at search-related abilities and helpful, human-like conversations informed by facts.

While ChatGPT has been widely accessible, Bard is not available in all countries yet, and Google plans a slow rollout to refine Bard before making it publicly accessible to everyone.

Bard is still in early limited testing so its full capabilities remain uncertain. ChatGPT has been publicly available for longer. Both have merits but are optimized differently – Bard for search, and ChatGPT for human-like dialog.

Microsoft Bing Chat as a ChatGPT Alternative

At first, I was skeptical about Bing Chat being yet another AI chatbot. However, my interest was piqued when I found out that it is powered by GPT-4, the language model used in the paid ChatGPT Plus plan. Upon further investigation, everything fell into place as I discovered that Microsoft, the company behind the Bing browser, was an early investor in OpenAI – the AI research company responsible for ChatGPT.

Setting it up was a breeze. No waitlist, no hoops to jump through. Just download a Microsoft Edge browser and you will see the Bing Chat icon appear in the right top corner. And for those of you without a Microsoft account, they’ve got you covered with a limited free version. Nice touch, Microsoft!

Bing Chat offers 3 conversation and writing styles: More Creative, More Balanced and More Precise. For longer conversations with ability to ask more questions, you will need to sign in with your Microsoft account.

How Bing Chat works and its advantages

With Bing Chat at the side of your screen, you can explore the web without losing your chat conversations. The chat experience? Pretty darn impressive. I threw all sorts of questions at it, from current local events to random trivia. And guess what? It responded with detailed answers along with the footnotes linking back to sources. A fantastic simple touch that gives you confidence in the answers you are getting. It felt like having a conversation with someone who had the entire internet in their brain.

And then there’s also a Visual Search in the sidebar chat, which allows you to upload a picture and prompt Bing Chatbot with any related questions. This feature also leverages OpenAI’s GPT-4 model and it enables Bing to understand the context of an image, interpret it, and answer questions about it.

Main capabilities of Microsoft Bing Chat

Bing Chat Updates and Limitations

Bing Chat had a limit on the total number of turns per day, which also included a limitation on the number of turns you can have in separate chat conversations. But Microsoft has made some positive changes recently. The maximum number of turns in a single conversation has been increased from 20 to 30 turns. Additionally, the total number of turns allowed per day has gone up to 300 turns. These increases apply retroactively too. So if you had reached the previous turn limit in any existing conversations in your chat history, you can now go back and continue those chats where you left off. With these expanded turn limits, Bing Chat is enabling richer and more satisfying conversations allowing users to have more natural and extended dialogs.

Microsoft has unveiled an exciting new Bing Image Creator feature powered by an advanced DALL-E model from OpenAI. This image generator is currently only accessible to Microsoft account holders.

The Bing Image Creator works like other AI art generators that create images from text descriptions. Users can simply type a textual description of the picture they want to generate, and Bing Chat will create a unique AI image matching that description. By leveraging DALL-E technology, the Bing Image Creator empowers users to bring their creative visions to life through AI-generated art. Although limited in availability now, the Image Creator offers a glimpse into the future possibilities of AI image generation being seamlessly integrated into search.

Bing Chat vs ChatGPT-4

When it comes to conversational ability, Bing Chat has an edge over ChatGPT-4. Bing Chat is more contextual, following the flow of a discussion naturally. It can recall context from previous exchanges for coherence. Meanwhile, ChatGPT-4 sometimes loses track of conversational context and gives generic or repetitive responses.

For general knowledge, ChatGPT’s scope is vast but it can generate plausible-sounding misinformation. Bing Chat instead leverages search engine knowledge for more accurate, up-to-date info on news, sports, weather etc.

ChatGPT-4 shines brighter for creative writing like stories and code, able to maintain tone/voice for longer form content. Bing Chat has decent creative skills but is optimized for concise informational delivery.

In terms of safety, Bing Chat has robust filters to avoid concerning advice and biased viewpoints, calling out unethical requests. ChatGPT-4 has some safety measures but can still provide troubling content without warning.

Bing Chat currently has limited access, while ChatGPT-4 is widely available to try out. Both have impressive yet differing AI strengths and weaknesses. But Bing Chat’s natural conversational ability and focus on accuracy stand out as differentiators.

Claude as a ChatGPT Alternative

Behind every great invention, there’s an even greater story. Anthropic was born out of a desire to make AI safe and beneficial. Founded by the Amodei siblings, who once were part of OpenAI, they wanted to carve their own path, focusing on AI that’s both powerful and responsible.

Claude 2 is a great ChatGPT alternative with its user-friendly interface. It’s on the way to becoming an AI chatbot that is approachable and available to all, as it’s currently completely free to use. However, Claude 2 is not yet available in all countries, so global accessibility remains a work in progress. With its intuitive design and lack of fees, Claude 2 has strong potential to challenge ChatGPT and democratize access to AI chatbots, pending full worldwide rollout.

Anthropic’s goal with Claude wasn’t just to create another AI. They wanted something that felt genuine, honest, and, above all, helpful. It’s like they took all the good qualities we want in a best friend and packed it into Claude.

Claude 2 – A Harmless AI Assistant

Just when you thought Claude couldn’t get any better, Anthropic introduced Claude 2. It’s like the original, but on steroids. This version can even tackle entire books, making it a bookworm’s dream AI. It’s a blend of vast amounts of data, predictions, and continuous tweaking. Anthropic even introduced some innovative techniques to make Claude 2 better. One standout method is “Constitutional AI,” where the AI has a set of guiding principles, almost like its own moral compass.

“Safety is at the center of Anthropic’s A.I. research.”

Daniela Amodei, co-founder at Anthropic

Main capabilities of Claude

Claude 2 vs ChatGPT-4

As two of the most advanced AI systems today, comparisons between Anthropic’s Claude 2 and ChatGPT-4 are unavoidable. While GPT-4 may have a slight edge in certain domains, Claude 2 truly shines when it comes to thoughtful, coherent writing and dialogue. Its responses are notably more detailed, clear, and logically consistent across extended conversations.

Whereas GPT-4 sometimes loses context or provides generic responses, Claude 2 draws on its Constitutional AI architecture to have meaningful back-and-forth chats. It provides substantive content that stays on topic.

Overall, both are incredibly capable AI assistants with some differences. But Claude’s fluid writing and skill for contextual conversation make it stand out as particularly impressive among its peers. While the AI space evolves rapidly, Claude 2 demonstrates the positive potential of AI chatbots focused on safety and understanding.

YouChat as a ChatGPT Alternative

You.com, the genius behind YouChat, isn’t just another tech startup. Founded by ex-Salesforce pros, they’ve taken search to a whole new level. They’ve combined the power of Large Language Models with their own custom features, creating a search experience that’s both intuitive and powerful.

You.com is a new kind of search engine that prioritizes privacy, customization, and summarized information and it stands out as the first search engine AI chatbot that is fully integrated into the actual search experience.

How YouChat works and its advantages

YouChat is uniquely designed as an AI assistant embedded directly into the search results page to enable seamless conversations to refine searches. Users can chat with YouChat right alongside the search results without leaving the interface. This tight integration allows YouChat to leverage You.com’s search capabilities and provide highly relevant information through natural dialog. Having the chatbot conversation happen within the search flow differentiates YouChat’s innovative approach to enhancing search via conversational AI.

Unlike other search engines, You.com does not store users’ sensitive information or distribute data to third parties. The only data collected is to improve search results.

By signing in, users can customize what types of websites and sources appear in their search results. AI and user preferences refine results over time for each individual.

Search results are summarized and presented as simple “Apps” rather than just lists of links. This allows users to quickly glance key information or dive deeper as needed.

The interface also enables both vertical and horizontal scrolling to access more comprehensive results with fewer clicks. The focus is on giving users more control, better insights, and easier access to relevant information.

This ChatGPT alternative is spot on with the latest developments, and when I asked YouChat about the top startups to watch for, it came back with the result that was generated from the most relevant and latest articles.

Additionally, You.com offers YouImagine -an AI image generator powered by Stable Diffusion. And its integration with Lexica Stable Diffusion search engine, allows users to browse existing AI art creations.

Below is my first attempt at creating an AI artwork with YouImagine using a faster but medium-quality AI model:

Here is the same prompt with slower by high-quality AI model:

Main capabilities of YouChat

YouChat vs ChatGPT-4

I’ve used ChatGPT a lot in the past, and while it’s impressive, YouChat feels different. So, while you can have those ChatGPT-like conversations, YouChat also pulls in real-time data, citing sources for accuracy, since it’s integrated right into the You.com search engine. It almost feels like having a research assistant who is supplying you with relevant and up-to-date information.

YouChat is trained on diverse data including research, Wikipedia, conversations, and search logs to optimize for search via conversational AI platform. In contrast, ChatGPT learns through analyzing massive dialog datasets to excel at open-ended human-like chats.
Integrated directly into You.com search, YouChat uses conversation to refine queries, summarize results, and enhance search context. ChatGPT operates standalone for wide-ranging dialog on topics, with creative writing strengths but potential inaccuracies.

In a digital age where information is at our fingertips, tools like YouChat redefine how we access that data. It’s not just about searching; it’s about conversing. As someone who prioritizes both accuracy and efficiency, I find YouChat to be an excellent tool for obtaining quick and concise answers.

Hugging Face Chat as a ChatGPT Alternative

Crafted by the wizards at Hugging Face (yeah, they’re kind of a big deal in the AI world), this AI chatbot is like the cool cousin of ChatGPT. Hugging Face Chat runs on the Open Assistant’s latest LLaMA-based model, which is one of the best open-source AI chat models available today. This ChatGPT alternative is designed for natural dialog on everyday topics through models trained on massive conversational datasets.

Hugging Face Chat exemplifies Hugging Face’s goal of making conversational AI more accessible while prioritizing ethical standards. Going forward, Hugging Face plans to enhance its AI chatbot with more knowledge and personalization.

By leveraging the leading NLP research and the best open-source AI language model to build an accessible and thoughtful conversational agent, Hugging Face Chat demonstrates the potential to keep advancing conversational AI that is both capable and responsible.

Overall, Hugging Face Chat highlights the company’s expertise in creating an intelligent, safety-focused AI chatbot for open-domain conversation.

How Hugging Face Chat works and its advantages

Hugging Face Chat (HFC) stands out for its ability to provide thoughtful, nuanced conversations versus just short generic responses. Its models are trained on diverse external data sources including academic papers, web content, and dialog corpora. This enables HFC to offer more knowledgeable, substantive responses drawing from a vast breadth of information.

Additionally, HFC prioritizes ethical AI through built-in toxicity classifiers that filter out inappropriate or harmful content. Conversations continuously improve over time thanks to user feedback used to refine its models. Users can also customize HFC’s tone and personality for a tailored experience. Overall, these advantages highlight how HFC focuses on open-ended dialog quality, safety, and personalization. Rather than just responding with repetitive text, HFC leverages its research-backed foundation and human-centric design to facilitate informative discussions that avoid the pitfalls of bias.

I tested out Hugging Face Chat’s ability to summarize online content – one of its standout features. Providing HFC a link to one of my articles, I prompted it to create a summary and highlight 5 main takeaways. Hugging Face Chat was able to process the text from the web page and generate a concise overview with the key points.

Main capabilities of Hugging Face Chat

Hugging Face Chat vs ChatGPT-4

While both Hugging Face Chat (HFC) and ChatGPT showcase outstanding conversational AI capabilities, they have different strengths owing to contrasting training data and architectures. ChatGPT exceeds at creative writing given its unsupervised mastery of online dialog. Hugging Face Chat focuses more on thoughtful discussion and summarization based on its diverse training encompassing conversations, research, and web pages.

A key difference is HFC prioritizes safety through built-in classifiers detecting potential toxicity. ChatGPT has more limited safety measures. HFC also incorporates external knowledge to provide factual information, while ChatGPT needs to get additional ChatGPT plugins to access the internet and other data sources.

While ChatGPT shows a creative capability and HFC thoughtful discussion, HFC distinguishes itself with its safety-focused approach aiming to reduce harm – a critical priority as conversational AI systems grow more capable through ongoing research.

What to expect next from ChatGPT Alternatives and AI Language Models

ChatGPT and the ChatGPT plugins took the world by storm, proving just how remarkable conversational AI can be. But soon, ChatGPT alternatives started popping up aiming to level up what AI chatbots can do. Now we’ve got options like Bard, Bing Chat, Claude, YouChat, and Hugging Face in the mix – each with their own spin on conversational AI and chatbot tech.

A key theme across these ChatGPT alternatives is an emphasis on safety, accuracy, and nuanced dialogue. There is a concerted effort to balance broad knowledge with ethical, responsible output. Measures like external content filters, improved training processes, and built-in uncertainty detection aim to deliver informative and harmless conversational experiences.

The rise of new AI tools in different niches

Rapid innovation will continue as more tech companies and startups enter the space. Expect to see many new AI models launched with unique capabilities, specialties, and performance tradeoffs. Each will push different boundaries based on their training methodology, architecture, knowledge sources, etc.

Enhancing conversation abilities with improved AI Language Model

Accuracy, specificity, and contextual understanding will improve over time with advances in training techniques. This includes approaches like reinforcement learning for more grounded conversations, knowledge base incorporation to reduce factual errors, and multi-task training for better comprehension. Increased reasoning abilities will also lead to more logical, nuanced dialogue.

Prioritizing Responsible AI

Responsible AI practices will be further prioritized by developers to address ethical risks, increase transparency, and promote social good applications. Standards around testing for bias and harmful output will evolve. Self-monitoring abilities may also be built into models to dynamically assess their own limitations during conversations.

Knowledge injection and contextual grounding

Integration with external data sources, multimodal inputs beyond text, and real-world knowledge graphs will significantly augment these models’ understanding of facts, concepts, and common sense. This contextual grounding in real data will reduce limitations.

Expanding Applications with versatile use cases

Applications will expand far beyond purely conversational chatbots. Creative content generation, improved search engines, highly accurate translation, AI tutoring systems, computer programming assistants, and more will be possible as these models become more versatile.

Architectural advancements

Underlying architectures will continue to evolve by blending transformer networks with other techniques like reinforcement, machine learning, graph neural networks, sparse attention, and causal reasoning. This will enhance robustness, knowledge integration, reasoning, and efficiency.

Emerging legal frameworks

Legal and regulatory frameworks will develop to promote responsible use, address intellectual property concerns, prevent misuse, and manage societal impacts like labor displacement. This will be crucial as applications become more pervasive.

As ChatGPT alternatives strive to balance the knowledge with ethical responsibility, it reflects a growing maturity and concerted effort to develop AI that meaningfully augments human intelligence without detriment. And despite market uncertainties, the trajectory points optimistically towards future AI chatbots capable of not only immense knowledge but wisdom in applying it.

Lidia Vijga

Lidia Vijga is a co-founder of DeckLinks, a SaaS platform that supercharges PDFs with Video narrations, CTAs, and real-time Analytics. Lidia is an early tech adopter, and as a passionate tech enthusiast, she actively supports startups. She regularly shares her insights and experiences on LinkedIn, webinars, and speaking engagements. Lidia is committed to empowering client-facing teams with tools that augment their talent, rather than replacing it with automation. She firmly believes that companies grow faster when they showcase their human side.