Skip to main content Tom's Guide Tom's Guide Search Tom's Guide View Profile Newsletters Best Picks Entertainment Prime Day Deals LIVE Prime Day TV Deals Walmart Deals Prime Day Laptop Deals Switch 2 Restock Best laptops Wordle Today Best Mattress Recommended reading I test AI chatbots for a living and these are the best ChatGPT alternatives I just tried the emotionally intelligent chatbot that's trying to pull you away from ChatGPT Claude is missing this one key feature — but that might be a good thing The four best AI chatbots for your Android device What is Claude? Everything you need to know about Anthropic's AI powerhouse These five lesser-known AI tools are a must for boosting productivity This underrated chatbot is surprisingly good — 5 prompts to see for yourself Forget ChatGPT — 4 reasons why you should try this chatbot you've (probably) never heard of Alex Hughes 9 July 2025 Le Chat could be the best option for you When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Shutterstock) When it comes to chatbots, ChatGPT really does rule supreme. It’s got the fame, the skills and the backing to be most people’s obvious choice. However, it won’t always be the best choice for everyone. For a lot of people, other big names like Gemini or Claude could actually be a better option than ChatGPT. But even more surprisingly, there is a smaller chatbot that has been gaining traction recently that could be a great fit for many. Le Chat, a French chatbot created by the team Mistral AI, has built up a cult following. While there are a number of reasons for this, there are four in particular that I think help it stand out against the currently packed chatbot market. You may like I test AI chatbots for a living and these are the best ChatGPT alternatives I just tried the emotionally intelligent chatbot that's trying to pull you away from ChatGPT Claude is missing this one key feature — but that might be a good thing A winner for privacy We recently covered the fact that when the biggest chatbots were put to the test on privacy, Le Chat came out on top. That means, across a variety of privacy points, it was a better option than ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and other big competitors. It is important to note for any die-hard ChatGPT readers here that OpenAI’s tool came second. However, Le Chat’s parent company Mistral has made privacy one of its big promises. It doesn’t train on your data and it doesn’t sell any of your information off to other companies. It doesn’t even offer up your data to police forces, something that is becoming more common among AI companies. Super-fast responses One of Le Chat’s other big selling points is its speed. The chatbot offers a 10x speed option, pumping out responses at incredible rates. Sign up to get the BEST of Tom's Guide direct to your inbox. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. When I asked the chatbot for the best restaurants near me, I was given 10 options with descriptions, prices and sources of information in less than three seconds. It is not just the speed at which the bot processes the response, but also which it responds. With most chatbots, you’ll see the response slowly appearing on the screen, word by word. This pumps it all out in once. However, this 10x version is only available a limited amount of times on the free plan. To use it more often you need to upgrade to Le Chat’s Pro plan. Affordability Speaking of Pro plans, one of Le Chat’s other benefits is the price of an upgrade. The chatbot offers free versions: Free, Pro and Team. The Pro plan, complete with unlimited access, more use of the 10x mode and increased use of attachments, only costs $14.99 a month. That makes it one of the cheaper options if you’re looking to upgrade your chatbot. ChatGPT, for example, costs $20 a month to upgrade. The Free plan also gives you access to a lot of features, including image generation, a few attempts at 10x speed responses and access to the latest and most powerful version of Le Chat. Memory opt-in Memory functions in chatbots aren’t for everyone. Le Chat leaves the option up to you, letting you decide whether you want your chatbot to remember details about you and learn your preferences. This is a standout feature on both ChatGPT and Gemini, with models using past conversations and key points to offer a better experience. On the other hand, Claude removes all memory functions. This supports privacy and keeps your data separate from the model. Le Chat leaves that choice up to you, allowing you to choose the version that works best for your needs. More from Tom's Guide GPT-5 will be here any minute — here's what we're hoping to see The Plaud NotePin was a winner in our AI awards 2025 — and its hit its lowest price in Prime Day You’re not using ChatGPT right unless you ask these 4 questions Back to Laptops AMD Ryzen 7 Intel Core i3 Intel Core i5 Intel Core i7 Storage Size Screen Size Refurbished Screen Type Storage Type Showing 10 of 140 deals Apple 13" MacBook Air M4 (2025) (256GB Blue) $849Preorder Apple 15" MacBook Air M4 (2025) (15-inch 1TB) $1,599View Dell XPS 13 (2016) Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x (Gen 9) (512GB OLED) $858.11View Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i ChromeBook Plus (14-inch 128GB) Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) (14-inch 1TB) $1,579.95View Apple 13" MacBook Air M4 (2025) Apple 15" MacBook Air M4 (2025) (16GB RAM SSD) $1,035View Dell XPS 13 Plus (13.4-inch) $1,049.99View Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x (Gen 9) $979.99View Alex Hughes Social Links Navigation Alex is the AI editor at TomsGuide. Dialed into all things artificial intelligence in the world right now, he knows the best chatbots, the weirdest AI image generators, and the ins and outs of one of tech’s biggest topics. Before joining the Tom’s Guide team, Alex worked for the brands TechRadar and BBC Science Focus. He was highly commended in the Specialist Writer category at the BSME's 2023 and was part of a team to win best podcast at the BSME's 2025. In his time as a journalist, he has covered the latest in AI and robotics, broadband deals, the potential for alien life, the science of being slapped, and just about everything in between. When he’s not trying to wrap his head around the latest AI whitepaper, Alex pretends to be a capable runner, cook, and climber. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. I test AI chatbots for a living and these are the best ChatGPT alternatives I just tried the emotionally intelligent chatbot that's trying to pull you away from ChatGPT Claude is missing this one key feature — but that might be a good thing The four best AI chatbots for your Android device What is Claude? 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