Personal AI Agents Compared: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity Comet, Manus and China’s Doubao, Qwen, Kimi, GLM (October 2026)

By og.cc.cd · Published 2026-10-21 · Updated 2026-10-22 · 6 min read

“AI agent” now means an assistant that does the work instead of only answering: it plans a task, opens a browser or your files, runs for minutes or on a schedule, and hands back a document, a site or a finished form. Ten products sell this to individuals. This page compares what each one says it can do, what the paid tiers cost, and who it suits — using only the vendors’ own pages, checked on 21 October 2026.

Open the AGENTS.md generator →All guides

The short version

• Already pay for ChatGPT Plus? Start with ChatGPT Work: it is included, works across your files, apps and a built-in browser, and can run scheduled tasks. See our ChatGPT Work guide.
• You write code? Claude Code (Claude Pro and up) and OpenAI Codex (in ChatGPT plans) are the two agentic coding tools bundled with a consumer subscription. See our Claude Code guide.
• You want an agent that drives a browser, free to try? Perplexity’s Comet browser is a free download; its browser agent needs a paid plan. See our Comet guide.
• You want a general agent you can try without paying? Manus gives free accounts 300 refresh credits every day. See our Manus guide.
• You live in mainland China? Doubao (豆包工作), Qwen (千问 App), Kimi and Zhipu (智谱清言 / AutoGLM) are the agents built for Chinese apps and payment; their basic features are free.

International products

Prices are the US list prices shown on each official page on 2026-10-21, before tax. Local prices and availability differ by country.

Products from China

Chinese assistants keep chat free and charge for heavier agent work. Where a vendor did not publish the personal price on a page we could read, the table says so rather than guessing.

Region note: OpenAI and Anthropic publish country lists, and both exclude mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau for their API (see our API key guide). Google says its AI Plus, Pro and Ultra plans are sold in more than 140 countries and territories. Check the vendor’s list for your country before you pay; this page does not tell you how to get around a restriction.

How to choose in five minutes

1. Write down one real task you would hand off this week (“turn these three PDFs into a 10-slide deck”, “fix the failing test in my repo”).
2. Pick the product that already holds the context: your Google account (Gemini), your Office files (Copilot), your code (Claude Code / Codex), your browser (Comet), your Chinese apps (Doubao, Qwen).
3. Run the task on the free tier or trial first. Manus gives 300 daily credits, Doubao Work 30 free days for new users, Microsoft a one-month 365 trial.
4. Only then pay for one month, and cancel if the agent needed more supervision than the task saved.

What to watch out for

• Limits are “usage”, not messages. Every vendor above meters agent runs with credits or weekly limits that depend on task length and model. Long browser or coding sessions use them up fastest.
• Approvals matter. ChatGPT Work says it checks in “when judgment or approval matters”; Doubao Work lets you choose “always ask”, “ask on risky actions” or “allow all” on your local computer. Start with the strictest setting.
• API keys are a separate bill. A ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini subscription does not include API usage. If you are building your own agent, compare per-token prices in our API price comparison and estimate a monthly bill with the cost calculator.

Step-by-step guides

• ChatGPT Work: how to turn it on and run your first task
• Claude Code: install, sign in and your first coding task
• Perplexity Comet: install the AI browser and use its assistant
• Manus: free credits, Chat vs Agent mode, and plans
• Claude Duet: Anthropic’s proactive personal agent (research preview)

FAQ

Which personal AI agent is free?

Several have a free entry point: Manus (300 credits a day), the Comet browser itself, Microsoft Copilot (limited), ChatGPT Work on the desktop app (limited access for Free), and the chat features of Doubao, Qwen, Kimi and Zhipu. The heavier agent features are paid everywhere.

Is ChatGPT Work the same as the old “agent mode”?

OpenAI’s current pages describe ChatGPT Work as the way ChatGPT takes action across your apps, files and browser. We only describe what the current page says; check the ChatGPT help centre for older features.

Can I use these from mainland China?

Doubao, Qwen, Kimi and Zhipu are built for mainland users. For the international products, check each vendor’s supported-country list before paying.

Sources

Vendor features and prices were checked against these official pages on 2026-10-22. Products change; if something here no longer matches, the official page is right.

• OpenAI — ChatGPT Work
  https://chatgpt.com/work/
• OpenAI — ChatGPT Plus plan page
  https://chatgpt.com/plans/plus/
• OpenAI Help — What is ChatGPT Plus?
  https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6950777-what-is-chatgpt-plus
• OpenAI Help — About ChatGPT Pro tiers
  https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9793128-what-is-chatgpt-pro
• Anthropic — Claude pricing
  https://claude.com/pricing
• Anthropic — Claude Code overview
  https://code.claude.com/docs/en/overview
• Anthropic — Introducing Claude Duet (2026-10-21)
  https://claude.com/resources/articles/claude-duet
• Anthropic — Claude Duet product page
  https://claude.com/product/claude-duet
• Google — Gemini subscriptions
  https://gemini.google/subscriptions/
• Microsoft — Copilot plans for individuals
  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/pricing/individuals
• Perplexity — Comet
  https://www.perplexity.ai/comet
• Perplexity Help — Which plan is right for you?
  https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/11187416-which-perplexity-subscription-plan-is-right-for-you
• Perplexity Help — Perplexity Max
  https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/11680686-perplexity-max
• Manus Help — Membership pricing
  https://help.manus.im/en/articles/11711111-what-is-the-current-membership-pricing-for-manus
• 豆包 — 豆包工作
  https://www.doubao.com/work
• 豆包 — 豆包工作定价
  https://www.doubao.com/work/pricing
• 豆包 — 工作任务功能须知
  https://www.doubao.com/legal/DoubaoAgentModeNotice
• App Store — 千问 - 阿里AI助手
  https://apps.apple.com/cn/app/%E5%8D%83%E9%97%AE-%E9%98%BF%E9%87%8Cai%E5%8A%A9%E6%89%8B/id6466733523
• 阿里云 — 千问办公个人版权益
  https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/zh/qwenwork/personal-benefits
• Moonshot — Kimi membership pricing
  https://www.kimi.com/membership/pricing
• 智谱 — 官网（AutoGLM / AutoClaw）
  https://www.zhipuai.cn/
• 智谱 — AutoGLM
  https://autoglm.zhipuai.cn/

Related guides

• ChatGPT Work: How to Turn It On and Run Your First Agent Task
• Claude Code: Install, Sign In and Run Your First Coding Task
• Perplexity Comet: Install the AI Browser and Use Its Browser Agent