Picking tools, in plain language
Start with a chat AI
ChatGPT
Who it's forAlmost everyone
What it doesChat, writing, search, images, files, research, coding
DifficultyVery easy
How to useWeb / mobile app / desktop app
If you have no idea where to start, start here.
Claude
Who it's forPeople who write a lot and read long documents
What it doesWriting, long-document analysis, code, small tools
DifficultyEasy
How to useWeb / mobile app / desktop app
For writing and long documents, many people's first pick.
Gemini
Who it's forPeople living in Google's ecosystem (Gmail, Docs, Calendar)
What it doesChat, search, images, working inside Google apps
DifficultyEasy
How to useWeb / mobile app, built into many Google products
If your work lives in Google, it feels built-in.
Grok
Who it's forPeople who want real-time takes from the web
What it doesChat, real-time info, what's happening on X
DifficultyEasy
How to useInside X / web / app
Fastest at breaking topics and live information.
DeepSeek
Who it's forPeople who want strong Chinese and low prices
What it doesChinese chat, writing, reasoning, coding
DifficultyEasy
How to useWeb / mobile app
Best value in Chinese; programmers love it too.
Kimi
Who it's forPeople handling long Chinese documents and search
What it doesChinese search, very long documents, summaries
DifficultyEasy
How to useWeb / mobile app
Feed it hundreds of Chinese pages at once — it holds up.
豆包 Doubao
Who it's forFirst-time AI users in China
What it doesChat, writing, images, voice — lowest barrier to entry
DifficultyEasiest
How to useMobile app / web
The one you install for your parents.
Qwen 通义
Who it's forOpen-source fans and people running models locally
What it doesOpen models, local deployment, coding
DifficultyTechnical
How to useWeb; open models via Hugging Face / ModelScope
Want AI on your own machine? Start with its open models.
Next step: AI that operates your computer
Codex
Who it's forPeople who want AI editing projects and running commands
What it doesWrite code, change projects, run commands, handle files
Difficulty★★★
How to useCommand line / inside ChatGPT
OpenAI's hands-on work entrance.
Claude Code
Who it's forPeople who want AI actually operating the computer
What it doesProjects, code, files and complex tasks
Difficulty★★★
How to useCommand line / desktop app / web
From "AI tells you how" to "AI just does it."
Antigravity
Who it's forPeople who want a full AI work environment
What it doesAI plans tasks, edits files, runs programs
Difficulty★★★
How to useDesktop app
Google's take on an AI workbench.
Grok Build / CLI
Who it's forGrok users who want it working on their machine
What it doesRun tasks directly on your computer
Difficulty★★★
How to useCommand line
Grok's command-line twin.
Cursor
Who it's forPeople who code but dislike the terminal
What it doesA code editor with AI built in
Difficulty★★
How to useDesktop app
The gentlest step from chat AI to working AI.
OpenClaw 小龙虾
Who it's forPeople who want an always-on personal AI assistant
What it doesSelf-hosted assistant on WhatsApp/Telegram: notes, research, tasks
Difficulty★★★ (self-hosted)
How to useOpen source on GitHub (180k+ stars), runs on your machine or server
The open-source poster child of personal AI assistants.
Hermes Agent
Who it's forTechnical users into open models and self-improving agents
What it doesNous Research open agent driven by open models; learns from its runs
Difficulty★★★★ (for tinkerers)
How to useOpen source on GitHub, pairs with open models
A flagship of the open-agent path; beginners can just watch for now.