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31 toolsPublic bookmarkCurated by Bookmarkit TeamUpdated August 2026
Best AI chat and LLM tools
This shortlist covers chat products people use every day (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity) and the providers behind them (OpenAI API, Anthropic, Groq, Together, OpenRouter, Ollama). Use it to pick a default assistant and a backup inference path, not to rank model quality from a single leaderboard.
What are AI chat and LLM tools?
AI chat tools are products that wrap a large language model in a thread: you ask, it replies, you continue. LLM tools in this list also include APIs and local runtimes that developers call from their own apps. The same model can appear twice, once as a consumer chat UI and once as an API. That split matters for procurement, data policy, and cost.
This shortlist includes YourGPT, ChatGPT, Claude, AI21 Labs, Aleph Alpha, Anthropic API, and 25 more.
Who this shortlist is for
- Researchers who need one default assistant and one citation-heavy option
- Developers choosing an API host or a local runtime such as Ollama or LM Studio
- Teams that must keep a second vendor after a price or deprecation change
How we picked
We include consumer chat apps, model APIs, aggregators, and local runners that have a catalog profile. Image and video generators stay on their own lists even when they have a chat box.
- Primary job is text chat or serving an LLM API
- Public product or API page we can attach to a profile
- Distinct enough from a support agent or image model
- Useful as a daily driver, a second vendor, or a local fallback
The shortlist
Open a profile for pricing, alternatives, and a product page.
Conversational AI for writing, coding, research, and multimodal assistance.
Freemium (Subscription)Free AIMacWindowsOnlineFreemium · Free tier available
AI assistant from Anthropic for long-context analysis, writing, and coding.
Freemium (Subscription)Free AIMacWindowsLinuxFreemium · See website
Alternative to ChatGPT and DeepSeek and HuggingChat
AI21 Labs is a AI Chat & LLMs product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
In enger Partnerschaft mit unseren Kunden konzipieren, entwickeln und betreiben wir individualisierte, sichere Sprachmodelle (SLLMs) für.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
API access to Claude models for production AI features.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
AI is a AI Chat & LLMs product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
Freemium (Subscription)AI Chat & LLMsAndroidiPhoneFreemium · See website
DeepSeek is a state-of-the-art AI assistant designed to provide intelligent, conversational support across diverse tasks.
Freemium (Pay once or Subscription)AI Chat & LLMsAndroidiPhoneAndroid TabletFreemium · See website
Alternative to ChatGPT and Ollama and Google Gemini
Fireworks AI is a AI Chat & LLMs product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
Grok is a AI Chat & LLMs product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
GroqChat is a AI Chat & LLMs product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
DeepSeek's updated 284B MoE with adjustable thinking, stronger agentic coding, and a 1M-token context window.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
Kimi is a AI Chat & LLMs product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
Upload files, use Voice without limits, and make Copilot yours with memory across conversations.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
Mistral Le Chat is a AI Chat & LLMs product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
API access to OpenAI models for chat, embeddings, vision, and tools.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
Unified API gateway to hundreds of LLMs with routing and spend controls.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
AI answer engine that cites sources for research-style web questions.
Freemium (Subscription)Free AIMacWindowsOnlineFreemium · Free tier available
AI search and pair-programming assistant tuned for developers.
Freemium (Subscription)AI Chat & LLMsVisual Studio CodeFreemium · See website
Alternative to Perplexity and Google Gemini
Pi is a AI Chat & LLMs product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
Chat with the best AI, privately or in a group chat.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
Qwen Chat provides access to Qwen large language models for writing, coding, vision, and agent-style tool use.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
Cloud platform to train, fine-tune, and serve open-source AI models.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
AI search assistant with chat modes and privacy-minded browsing options.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
Chatbox is a cross-platform AI client that connects to OpenAI, Claude, and other providers.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
Google Gemini is a AI Chat & LLMs product used by individuals and teams who want a reliable, modern workflow.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
Grok is xAI’s assistant available through X and the xAI API.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
LM Studio lets you browse, download, and chat with local models on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
Mistral AI builds efficient open-weight and proprietary LLMs with strong developer APIs.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
Ollama packages popular open models behind a clean CLI and local API.
ProprietaryAI Chat & LLMsWebFreemium · See website
How to choose a chat app or LLM host
Decide whether you are buying a UI, an API, or both. Then check data retention, rate limits, and what happens when the default model changes.
| If this is the job | Look at |
|---|---|
| Daily writing and reasoning | ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or a multi-model UI such as Poe or OpenRouter. |
| Answers with sources | Perplexity, You.com, or Phind. Still open the linked pages before you cite them. |
| You need to call a model from code | OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, Fireworks, Together, or OpenRouter. Track unit cost per 1M tokens. |
| Data must stay on your machine | Ollama, LM Studio, or HuggingChat with a model you accept. Local does not mean risk-free if plugins phone home. |
Related research
Best research tools
Papers, citations, and literature maps. Writing overlays sit next door.
Best writing and content tools
Editors, grammar tools, and long-form rooms. Research overlays sit next door.
AI chat and LLMs
Full category directory, not this editorial shortlist.
OpenAI deprecation wave, migration notes
Bookmarkit research note
DeepSeek API pricing changes
Bookmarkit research note
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an LLM chat app and an LLM API?
A chat app (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity) is a product you log into. An API (OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, Together) is a service your software calls. Some vendors sell both. Buy the app if people will type in a browser. Buy the API if you will embed the model in your own product.
Which AI chat tool is best for research with citations?
Perplexity, You.com, and Phind are built to show sources next to answers. ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini can browse, but you should still open the links. For papers, pair a chat tool with a research product such as Semantic Scholar, Elicit, or SciSpace.
Should I run models locally with Ollama?
Yes if you need offline use, cheaper batch jobs, or a policy that blocks cloud prompts. No if you need the strongest hosted models and you do not want to manage GPUs or quantization. Many teams keep Ollama as a fallback and a hosted API as the default.
Why do model defaults keep changing?
Vendors retire models and move free users to new defaults. That changes quality, cost, and which prompts still work. Keep a second vendor bookmarked and re-test after a deprecation notice, not after production breaks.
Is OpenRouter a replacement for OpenAI?
OpenRouter is a router. It can send traffic to many providers, including OpenAI. It helps you compare hosts and keep a backup path. You still need to read each provider’s data policy and rate limits. A router does not remove vendor risk.