Alternatives9 min
ChatGPT alternative: 10 better and cheaper options in 2026
ChatGPT is no longer the default best choice. These ten alternatives are measurably better on at least one point, and sometimes half the price.
ChatGPT alternative: the 8 best options in 2026
ChatGPT isn't bad — it's just rarely the best choice for every task, and you pay for it separately. This page puts every serious alternative side by side: what they cost in euros including VAT, how well they write Dutch, and where your data ends up. Updated on 10 August 2026.
Why
Why people leave ChatGPT
- 01
You pay for one model
ChatGPT Plus only gives you OpenAI's models. Adding Claude or Gemini means a second and third subscription.
- 02
Dutch isn't its strongest suit
GPT-5.6 writes correct Dutch, but with an American tone. Claude Sonnet 5 consistently delivers more natural Dutch text.
- 03
Your invoice is in dollars
OpenAI charges $20, which with VAT lands around €21 and moves with the exchange rate. Google and Mistral do bill in euros.
- 04
Your data goes to the US
For consumer accounts, processing is American. If you want EU processing, Mistral or a business Microsoft plan makes more sense.
Prices
Every alternative by price
The standard plan per provider, converted to what a Dutch consumer is actually charged.
| Provider | Plan | List price | Per month in € | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoedkopeAIAll models below | Plus | €12.95 incl. VAT | €12.95 | €155 |
| Le ChatMistral AI | Pro | $14.99 excl. VAT | €15.76 | €189 |
| Microsoft CopilotMicrosoft | Microsoft 365 Premium | $19.99 excl. VAT | €21.01 | €252 |
| PoeQuora | Premium | $19.99 excl. VAT | €21.01 | €252 |
| ChatGPTOpenAI | Plus | $20 excl. VAT | €21.02 | €252 |
| ClaudeAnthropic | Pro | $20 excl. VAT | €21.02 | €252 |
| PerplexityPerplexity AI | Pro | $20 excl. VAT | €21.02 | €252 |
| GeminiGoogle | Google AI Pro | €21.99 incl. VAT | €21.99 | €264 |
| GrokxAI | SuperGrok | $30 excl. VAT | €31.53 | €378 |
| DeepSeekDeepSeek | — | — | — | — |
Per provider
The alternatives one by one
Per provider: the free tier, how good the Dutch is, and where your data is processed.
Claude
Anthropic · United States
€21.02 /mo
$20 list price
The writer and programmer of the bunch. Long documents, natural language and Claude Code included with Pro.
- Free
- Claude Sonnet 5 as the default model, with a daily message limit.
- Dutch
- 5/5
- Data
- United States and EU regions via cloud partners
Gemini
Google · United States
€21.99 /mo
Already in your Google account. Strong on documents, research and anything involving Gmail, Drive and Docs.
- Free
- Gemini 3.5 Flash with generous limits and 15 GB of Google storage.
- Dutch
- 4/5
- Data
- Worldwide, with EU data centres for Workspace customers
Le Chat
Mistral AI · European Union
€15.76 /mo
$14.99 list price
The European answer. Fast, cheap and with processing inside the EU.
- Free
- Generous free use with web search and image generation.
- Dutch
- 4/5
- Data
- European Union (France and Sweden)
Perplexity
Perplexity AI · United States
€21.02 /mo
$20 list price
Search engine with AI answers that always puts sources under the answer.
- Free
- A limited number of Pro searches per day, then the fast base model.
- Dutch
- 4/5
- Data
- United States
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft · United States
€21.01 /mo
$19.99 list price
AI in Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams. Interesting if you already use Microsoft 365.
- Free
- Free web chat on copilot.microsoft.com with the OpenAI models.
- Dutch
- 3/5
- Data
- EU Data Boundary for business customers
Grok
xAI · United States
€31.53 /mo
$30 list price
Fast, direct and with live access to what's happening on X. Strong on code.
- Free
- A limited number of messages every few hours.
- Dutch
- 3/5
- Data
- United States
DeepSeek
DeepSeek · China
Free
Strong reasoning model that's free to use. Watch where your data ends up.
- Free
- Fully free to use, including the reasoning models.
- Dutch
- 3/5
- Data
- China
Poe
Quora · United States
€21.01 /mo
$19.99 list price
American aggregator app with dozens of models behind one subscription, billed in compute points.
- Free
- About 300 compute points a day, enough for 15 to 30 short messages.
- Dutch
- 3/5
- Data
- United States
Our take
The honest conclusion
No alternative beats ChatGPT on every front. Claude writes better Dutch and codes better. Gemini is cheaper and stronger on documents. Perplexity is better at lookup. Mistral is the safe European pick. Grok knows what's happening today.
That's exactly the problem with "what's the best ChatGPT alternative?". The answer depends on the task of the moment, and nobody wants five subscriptions to figure that out. That's why we build GoedkopeAI: every model behind one Dutch subscription of €12.95 a month, with a free tier to try it.
Further reading
Deep into the alternatives
Alternatives8 min
ChatGPT alternative for Dutch: which AI speaks our language?
Every major model can write Dutch. But there is a difference between grammatically correct and Dutch that doesn't sound translated, and that difference costs you editing time.
Alternatives8 min
European ChatGPT alternative: privacy and GDPR-compliant work
As soon as customer data is in your prompt, the question is no longer which model is smartest, but where your text is processed. That suddenly makes the list of options short.
Alternatives8 min
Free ChatGPT alternative without logging in: 7 options
Quickly ask something without creating an account. Seven services let you do that, but without logging in you almost always give up history, uploads and limits.
Alternatives9 min
Why one AI subscription beats ChatGPT alone
ChatGPT Plus is a good subscription. The problem starts with the second model: three subscriptions cost €64.03 per month, while almost nobody fully uses all three.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best free ChatGPT alternative?
Claude by Anthropic, with Sonnet 5 as the default model on the free tier. It writes the best Dutch of all free options. Want sources with your answer? Pick Perplexity. Want European processing? Pick Le Chat by Mistral.
Is there a European ChatGPT alternative?
Yes: Le Chat by French Mistral AI. It processes your data inside the EU, falls under GDPR, and costs $14.99 a month for Pro — the cheapest paid plan among the major providers.
Which ChatGPT alternative speaks the best Dutch?
Claude Sonnet 5 and Claude Opus 5 deliver the most natural Dutch in our tests: correct idioms, no anglicisms, and a tone you can steer. Gemini and GPT-5.6 are grammatically fine but flatter stylistically.
Can I use ChatGPT without an account?
ChatGPT now almost always asks you to sign in. If you want AI without logging in, DuckDuckGo AI Chat and Le Chat by Mistral are the practical options — you can start there without an account.
What's the cheapest alternative to ChatGPT Plus?
On its own, Google AI Plus (€7.99 a month) is the cheapest serious plan, followed by ChatGPT Go ($8). If you want access to every model instead of one, GoedkopeAI Plus at €12.95 a month is cheaper than two separate subscriptions.
Finally
Stop paying for four AI subscriptions.
One Dutch subscription for every flagship model. Start free, upgrade when you hit the limits, and cancel monthly.