An AI app chooser
Find the AI app that fits your tasks, device and budget
The best AI app for you depends on what you need it to do and where you use it. Begin with your main task, device and budget, then compare each app's actual features and limits. Access to the same underlying model does not mean two apps provide the same experience.
This is a chooser, not a ranking
ZeroTwo publishes this page and makes one of the apps it discusses, so read it as a way to decide rather than a verdict. We have not benchmarked other apps for it, and we do not quote their prices. For a ranked list across categories, use compare AI apps by category; for phone-first readers, see AI apps for iPhone.
Choose by task
What to look for in an app for each kind of work, what ZeroTwo offers for it, and when something else is the better fit.
Writing and editing
- Look for
- A place to revise a draft in context rather than a chat box that scrolls away, and a way to try a second model on the same text.
- In ZeroTwo
- Canvas, an infinite workspace for organizing ideas and revisions, and many models to compare on the same passage.
- When another app fits better
- If you only ever use one provider's models and like its voice, that provider's own app is simpler.
Research with sources
- Look for
- Sources you can click and check, and a mode for longer multi-step research.
- In ZeroTwo
- Web search on every plan (Serper on Free, Exa on paid) and deep research (limited on Free, 150 a month on Plus, included on Pro and above).
- When another app fits better
- Whichever app you use, open the citations yourself.
Images
- Look for
- Whether it edits as well as generates, and how many generations your plan allows.
- In ZeroTwo
- Image generation (limited on Free) and video generation from Plus.
- When another app fits better
- A dedicated image tool may give finer control than a general app.
Documents and data
- Look for
- Which file types it reads, how many files you can attach at once, and whether it reads a whole file or a slice.
- In ZeroTwo
- One file upload per message on Free and multiple per task on paid plans.
- When another app fits better
- Large or sensitive files may be better kept in a tool your organization already approved.
Coding
- Look for
- Whether it works on your files in place or only hands back snippets to paste, and whether an agent can run a task end to end.
- In ZeroTwo
- ZeroCode on Plus and above, plus a Work agent for other tasks.
- When another app fits better
- An editor-integrated tool is a different product and may suit daily programming better.
Everyday chat and planning
- Look for
- Speed, a history you can search, and memory that carries your preferences between sessions without keeping things you did not mean to keep.
- In ZeroTwo
- Memory (limited on Free, unlocked from Plus) and projects for keeping related chats together.
- When another app fits better
- If you rarely switch tasks, any single well-made app will do; the choice matters more as your tasks diversify.
Not sure which task matters most?
Choose the one you do every week and test only that. An app that is good at your most frequent task is worth more than one that is average at six.
Check it runs where you work
ZeroTwo's availability, as listed on its download page and store listings. For any other app, check that app's own listing instead of assuming it matches.
| Platform | How you get it | Note | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web | Open the web app in a browser. | Nothing to install; sign in from any modern browser. | Open the web app |
| iPhone and iOS | App Store listing. | Check the listing for the iOS versions it supports. | App Store listing |
| Android | Google Play listing. | Check the listing for the Android versions it supports. | Google Play listing |
| macOS | Desktop app, .dmg for Apple Silicon. | Signed and notarized. | Download page |
| Windows | Desktop installer for x64. | Runs on ARM devices through emulation. There is no separate ARM build. | Download page |
| Linux | AppImage (x64) or Debian/Ubuntu .deb (x64). | Both are x86_64 builds. | Download page |
Minimum OS versions and screen-reader support are not listed here. If you rely on assistive technology, test the app you are considering with it before you subscribe. Details and files are on the ZeroTwo download page.
Compare the app experience, not just model names
Two apps can offer the same model and still feel different to use. Here is what differs and a ten-minute way to check each one.
Files and input
Why it differs: File types, size limits and how many files fit in one message differ from app to app, even on the same model.
Check: Attach the messiest real file you work with and ask a question only the file can answer.
Tools around the model
Why it differs: Search, image generation, code execution and agents are features of the app, not the model.
Check: Ask for something that needs a tool, then see whether it uses one or guesses.
Context and continuity
Why it differs: Memory, projects and history decide whether you re-explain yourself every session.
Check: Close it, come back tomorrow, and see what it still knows and whether you can find the old chat.
Limits
Why it differs: Message caps, credits and queueing change how the app feels in week three, not on day one.
Check: Read the plan limits first, then run your heaviest normal day against them.
Data handling
Why it differs: Retention, deletion and what is used for training are policy questions, not model questions.
Check: Read the privacy policy, find how to delete a conversation, and do it once.
Exports and switching
Why it differs: Being able to take your work with you is what keeps a subscription a choice.
Check: Export one conversation and open it somewhere else.
Single-provider app or multi-model workspace?
Neither is better in general. The trade is convenience and comparison on one side and a provider's own native features on the other.
- OpenAI
- Anthropic
- xAI
Choose a provider's own app when
- You already prefer one provider's models and rarely use anything else.
- You want features that exist only in that provider's own app.
- Your employer has approved one vendor and nothing else.
- You want the simplest possible bill and one place to look.
Multi-model workspace, such as ZeroTwo
Choose a multi-model workspace when
- You want to run the same prompt through more than one model and compare.
- Different tasks suit different models and you would rather not hold several logins.
- You want one history and one set of files across providers.
- You are still working out which model suits which job.
Be aware that access to the same underlying model does not guarantee the same prompts, tools, context handling or answers as the provider's own app. See the models ZeroTwo offers.
What will the app actually cost you?
ZeroTwo's plans from its own pricing source, per month before tax. Other apps change their plans often, so their numbers are not reproduced here.
Free
$0/mo
- 100 free credits to start
- +20 bonus credits every day you log in
- 1 file upload per message
- Limited model selection
Plus
$14.99/mo
$11.99/mo billed annually
- 1,000 free Auto requests / month
- 1,650 monthly credits
- +20 bonus credits every day you log in
- Unlimited fast models in chat
Pro
$29.99/mo
$26.99/mo billed annually
- 2,500 free Auto requests / month
- 3,500 monthly credits
- +30 bonus credits every day you log in
- Better unlimited chat model selection
Ultra
$120/mo
$96/mo billed annually
- 12,000 free Auto requests / month
- 14,000 monthly credits
- +50 bonus credits every day you log in
- Best unlimited fast models in chat
Business, Pro 2x and other options are on the pricing page; see the plan comparison for the full feature list.
One subscription is not always cheaper
ZeroTwo Pro is $29.99 per month. A single provider's plan can cost less than that, so consolidating only saves money if you would otherwise pay for more than one subscription at once. Check each vendor's own pricing page and add up your real list.
Allowances are not unlimited work
Paid ZeroTwo plans run on monthly credits and free Auto requests, which are allowances rather than unlimited use, and Free starts with 100 credits plus 20 bonus credits every day you log in. Heavy agent or image use draws on them faster than chat does.
Billing can differ by platform
Taxes and billing cadence vary, and subscribing through a phone's app store can be priced differently from the web. Trust the price shown at checkout on the platform you subscribe from.
To test consolidation honestly, list every AI subscription you pay for with the price on its vendor's own page, add the ZeroTwo plan that matches your usage, and compare the two totals along with the features you would lose. For the wider picture, compare AI subscription costs.
Try a short task before you subscribe
A twenty-minute test with your own work tells you more than any feature table, including ours.
Pick one real task
Something you did this week, with its real input file or draft. Not a demo prompt.
Run it in each candidate
Same input, same instruction, in every app you are weighing, including the one you already pay for.
Score what matters
Could you use the result, how much effort it took, which limit you hit, and where your data goes.
Subscribe to the one you would miss
If dropping an app would not bother you, you were not using it. Keep the ones you would actually miss.
Questions before you choose
Which AI app fits the task I do most?
Start from the task, not the brand. Writing and editing favour a place to revise in context, research favours checkable sources, documents and data favour generous file handling, and coding favours working on your files in place. Run your single most frequent task through two or three apps with the same input and keep the one you would miss.
Is the app available on my device?
ZeroTwo runs on the web, on iOS through the App Store, on Android through Google Play, and as a desktop app for macOS (Apple Silicon), Windows (x64, which runs on ARM through emulation) and Linux (x64 AppImage and .deb). For any other app, check its own store listing or download page rather than assuming it matches your device.
Does model access include the provider's own app features?
Not necessarily. An app that offers the same underlying model as a provider's own app can still differ in prompts, tools, context handling and outputs. Compare the app experience on your own task rather than the model name.
What limits apply to the free and paid versions?
ZeroTwo Free is 100 free credits to start plus 20 bonus credits every day you log in, with one file upload per message and limited model selection, image generations, projects, tools and memories. Paid plans add monthly credits and free Auto requests, for example $14.99, $29.99 and $120 per month for Plus, Pro and Ultra. Limits on other apps differ by plan, so read each vendor's current page.
Will one app genuinely replace my current subscriptions?
Only if it covers every feature you actually use. List what each current subscription does for you, check the replacement does the same things within its limits, and keep a separate app where a feature is unique to it. One app also is not automatically cheaper: it depends on what you pay now.
Keep exploring
- Compare AI apps by category
The ranked roundup across chat, image, video, writing, coding and productivity apps.
- AI apps for iPhone
For readers who will mostly use an AI app on a phone.
- Compare multi-model workspaces
For readers who already know they want one place for several providers.
- Compare AI subscription costs
The next step once you have a shortlist and a budget.
- ChatGPT alternative
What changes, and what does not, if you move off a single-provider app.
- ZeroTwo plan comparison
Credits, Auto requests and agent access, plan by plan.
Run your most frequent task on the Free plan
100 free credits to start, 20 bonus credits every day you log in and no card required, enough to test one real task in ZeroTwo against the app you use now.