The AI I actually recommend in 2026 — from real use, not benchmarks
Last updated 2026-08-18Personal experience, cross-checked against public sourcesNot a commercial ranking — updated as products change
At a glance
🏆Overall: ChatGPT Plus🖼Images: ChatGPT (in China: Doubao)🎬Video: Seedance 2.0🔥Closing fast: MiniMax H3 · Grok 4.6💪Strong but hard to access: Claude
One subscription? Still ChatGPT Plus. Images: ChatGPT first, Doubao fine in China. Video: Seedance 2.0 first pick, MiniMax H3 closing fast. Claude is strong but hard to access from mainland China. Grok 4.6 deserves a fresh look. Full essay currently in Chinese.
This editor's note is currently written in Chinese.
What changed since last month?
- 2026-08-18First published.