Generally, Google Gemini is considered the best free chatbot. Gemini provides access to its latest models, including the 3 Pro and Veo 3.1, along with deep research and voice chat features, all for free. You also get 15GB of cloud storage via Google Drive. Many other services put their most advanced models behind paywalls, while luxuries like cloud storage are a rarity, even with paid plans.

‘AI chatbot’ is somewhat of an umbrella term. An AI chatbot can describe ChatGPT just as it can a customer service bot you talk to before reaching a human. Most recently, however, the term ‘chatbot’ typically refers to services that operate on large language models (LLMs). LLMs enable you to do everything from quickly and efficiently searching the web to having chats with what feels like an actual person.

AI chatbots go far beyond simple question-and-answer text chats. In 2025, AI chatbots can complete tasks for you, such as adding ingredients to a virtual grocery cart, and serve as a personal assistant that helps organize your life. They can also build apps from scratch, create research reports dozens of pages long, and generate lifelike images and videos. If you prefer, you can interact with most chatbots with your voice, rather than over text.

Some chatbots integrate with apps you already use to provide unique functionality, such as Copilot in Microsoft 365 and Gemini in Google Workspace. As an example, Gemini can answer questions based on your Gmail history.

A new crop of AI web browsers goes all in on AI chatbot features and AI agents, meaning you can take advantage of AI capabilities on every web page you visit.