Three identical prompts, hands-on testing, and what the model lists and pricing pages don’t tell you.
Having an all-in-one AI chatbot that gives access to ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini with only one login is useful. This is a big deal since there are people who wind up with two or three different AI tools: a fast draft tool, a normal writing tool and a tool integrated with Gmail, while paying each almost $20 per month, making it no less than $600 per year.
Some entry level plans on the shamed services are less than $10 a month if paid annually, but it is not easy to understand their true worth from the tables available on most review platforms.
On October 16, 2026, we used the same three queries on Merlin, Monica, Sider, and MaxAI. We looked into HIX.AI prices and models, it was disappointing that the free account we created didn’t allow us to test the service. The results of the research showed some flaws that the company didn’t mention on its page including a tool that created unreal objects and presented them as real ones.
Affiliate disclosure: This article includes affiliate links, meaning that if you sign up through them, we could receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Please note that our evaluations and rankings are based on our testing and evaluation, and not the commissions we earn.
Quick answer: which all in one AI chatbot platform suits you
Best free plan: Monica – It gives 40 basic-model queries a day, with several smaller models unlocked.
Most specific answers in our test: Merlin – It gave the most detailed research summary, but its free plan is closer to a trial.
Best for browser-agent features: Sider – It advertises a browser agent with a cloud computer on its paid plans, though we didn’t test the agent. It was the only tool that admitted it couldn’t open our URL.
Best for choosing by Fast, Smart or Think tier: MaxAI – Its free plan offers unlimited free chat on a fast model.
Best for a broad model and agent workspace: HIX AI – It lists GPT, Claude and Gemini models plus research, image, video and slide tools, but its free account blocked our tests.
First, it helps to understand how these platforms work, because the “all-in-one” label hides differences that explain our results.
What is an all in one AI chatbot platform, and how is it different from ChatGPT or Claude?
A chatbot aggregator powered by artificial intelligence (AI) is basically a program or extension that allows users to choose among various models from different companies like Claude and Gemini among many others.
These platforms, instead of designing the models on their own, buy them from others and then create their own interface while imposing limitations on access and usage. Consequently, while the same model may be used, it may still work differently than the original.
Since each query costs the aggregator’s money, it will not offer free plans and smart models normally remain out of reach. Actually, the free version limits your requests and the paid ones do the same in some capacity. In addition, there is often an “automatic” mode selecting the AI for the user which makes it impossible to identify the actual model taking part in the conversation.
How we tested each all in one AI chatbot platform: three fixed prompts on free accounts
In some cases, we utilized free accounts and executed the same three prompts in new conversations on each tool. Merlin had a guest mode that expired following two queries; hence, we created an account to proceed with our queries.
The writing prompt requested a friendly comparison of two AI assistants in 150 words for a college student, mentioning pros and cons for each assistant, and a concluding recommendation.
The research prompt requested the two tools to summarize the Wikipedia article about big language models in five points as well as to state three key claims.
The reasoning prompt was a query about pricing. Plan A is $10 per month and provides 300 messages. Additional messages are charged at $0.04 each. Plan B is $18 monthly and provides 800 messages. Thus, which plan is cheaper if 650 messages are used every month? The correct answer is Plan B, cheaper by $6 per month.
Limits of this test: This study includes a limited number of trials and uses every technology in only one test each. As the model selection occurred automatically with the help of Merlin and Sider, we cannot link their findings with any particular model. Monica has used Claude Haiku 5.5 and the model of MaxAI has been chosen as GPT-5.6 for the research purposes and GPT-5.6-Luna for the cost-related questions. Since there are no names of the tools in the writing prompt, we base our interpretation of HIX.AI’s experiment upon the overall theory of the way each instrument responds to a vague prompt. The word count is approximate. HIX.AI displayed the upgrade prompt right after the log-in session that did not allow us to put it through testing, and thus we elaborated on the pricing.
Prices and model lists change quickly, so check each vendor’s page before you buy.
What our tests found: reasoning separated no one, but writing and research did
| Tool | Writing | Research | Reasoning | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merlin | About 161 words. Compared ChatGPT and Gemini. Neutral tone, one dense paragraph | Most specific summary. Key claims were fairly generic | Correct, with steps | 2 guest queries, then 10 per cycle |
| Monica | About 141 words. Compared Google Assistant and Siri. Friendly tone, followed the brief | Accurate but generic | Correct, with the most detailed steps | 40 basic-model queries a day |
| Sider | About 135 words. Used “Assistant A/B” labels and asked for real names | Said it couldn’t open the URL and didn’t invent a summary | Correct, plus an unrequested $72-per-year figure | Credit-based (59 credits showed) |
| MaxAI | About 155 words. Invented “ScholarBot” and “StudyBuddy AI” and presented them as real | Accurate but generic. Not confirmed that it opened the URL | Correct | Unlimited fast-tier chat, 3 Pro chats a day |
| HIX.AI | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested | 20 credits listed on the pricing page; our account showed an upgrade prompt |
Why the reasoning prompt let every tool through
All five tools we could compare got the $6 answer right, which tells you none of them is broken at basic arithmetic, and nothing more.
Why honesty was the real differentiator
The writing assignment did not specify the assistants’ names, so the technologies appeared in different ways. Merlin and Monica cited real products (ChatGPT and Gemini; Google Assistant and Siri). Sider used generic titles “Assistant A” and “Assistant B” and asked us for the names. MaxAI invented two products, ScholarBot and StudyBuddy AI, and presented them as real. If you are going to use an assistant in any publication, it is the most significant behavior.
The experiment with research provided a similar divide. According to Sider, it cannot open the page of Wikipedia and suggested three ways of dealing with the task instead of just guessing. The other three tools provided correct summaries, but it is impossible to determine whether they visited the page or answered with the help of the training data, so that does not count for them.
Why more models did not mean better answers
Access, ability to follow instructions and free use were more significant than the length of the list of models. Looking at Merlin and Monica, two free plans of which we could see the locked models, the free access focused on smaller and cheaper models.
Here is how each platform performed in our tests.
Monica: the free plan most people could use daily
Monica is an all-in-one AI assistant available as a Chrome extension, desktop apps and mobile apps. It answered our writing prompt on Claude Haiku 5.5 in a relaxed tone, and it gave the most step-by-step working on the cost question.
Monica’s free plan gives 40 basic-model queries a day on Claude Haiku 5.5, GPT-6 Luna, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash, Qwen3.8 Flash, GLM 5.3 Flash and Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite. Pro is listed at $99 a year (about $8.30 a month) with 5,000 basic and 200 advanced queries a month. Max is listed at $199 a year, shown with a sale discount, and Ultra at $995. The exact prices of the current plans can be found on their Monica pricing page.
Our take: the free allowance resets daily, so you can find out whether the aggregator idea suits you before spending anything. The catch is that “Claude” here means Haiku, not a flagship model. Monica suits light daily users who want several model families at no upfront cost.
Merlin: the most specific research answer, with a trial-sized free plan
Merlin has multiple models from different vendors and operates in the auto mode called Merlin Magic where models are selected for users. We are unable to say which model was used as we ran our tests based on this mode. What we got from the research summary was just merely an overview that included the information about fine-tuning, retrieval-augmented generation, benchmark limits and problem of hallucination, but it was quite general. The text was written in a single paragraph.
A free Merlin account gives you 10 queries for the whole working cycle, with a counter resetting itself every 11 hours. Guest account allows only 2 types of requests. Among the models available for testing are GPT 6 Luna, DeepSeek v4 Flash, GLM 5.3 Flash, MiniMax M3 and Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite. Gemini 3.8 Flash, Kimi K3, Qwen 3.8 Max, Grok 4.7, GLM 5.3 and GPT 6.1 Sol models remained greyed out in the list alongside Claude’s models. We have formed a conclusion solely on the appearance of the models and didn’t confirm their status.
Merlin Pro’s standard annual price works out to about $228 a year, which we derived from the rupee price at checkout. A promo code on our checkout screen brought it to about $60 a year. Indian customers are charged in rupees, and the checkout noted a 4% conversion fee.
Our take: the gap between $60 and $228 matters more than any feature. At the promo price Merlin is a bargain. At the standard price it competes with simply paying one of the big three directly. It suits buyers who can get the promo and want broad model access.
Sider: the only tool that told us what it couldn’t do
Sider is a credit-based AI assistant that works as a browser sidebar, and its pricing page now bundles a cloud computer for its browser agent. When we asked it to summarize a URL, it said it couldn’t open the link and suggested we paste the text, turn on search or upload a file. We didn’t test its summarize button, so this covers the chatbot only.
The fundamental models that were named include Sider Fusion, GPT-6 Luna, Claude Haiku 5.5, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash, and GLM-5.3 Flash, together with a list of more complex models such as Claude Fable 5.1, Claude Opus 5.5, GPT-6.1 Sol, Gemini 3.8 Flash, and Grok 4.6. Only, it was unclear if there would be access to the advanced models for free account users. Discussing the tab of pricing, it was explained that the Nano model would cost $100, while Lite’s cost would be $250. Pro version was indicated at $500, and Max at $1,000.
Our take: a tool that says “I can’t open that” is more useful than one that guesses, especially if you cite what it tells you. The cost is that Sider gave us the least finished research output. If agents are what interest you, our explainer on what xAI’s Grok agents can actually do shows what to expect from them. Sider suits people who want a browser agent and value trustworthy failure over polished guesses.
MaxAI: simple tiers, but verify names and facts
MaxAI’s categories consist of Fast, Smart, and Think. Some of the categories are from several companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI, Meta, DeepSeek and many more. The free version provides unlimited fast chatting services as well Pro chatting services which are capped at three and features limited uploads of files. However, exact details about which categories come under Pro chats were not available for this type of analysis.
The yearly price for Pro is $12 per month which comes at 60% discount, therefore, the yearly total value of this subscription will be around $144. However, the price on monthly basis comes to be $30 and that too under limited hours offer plan.
Our take: Ideated product names were the main issue for us in testing; one iteration isn’t conclusively representative, but that does provide one way of embarrassing the user. MaxAI needs to be verified wherever it names something existent as it is designed for people willing to sacrifice names for speed and verify everything.
HIX.AI: a broad model catalogue with credit-based plans
The company has developed technology that combines chat, research, data analysis, slide-making, and image and video generation into one application called HIX.AI.
The pricing page lists several different models: GPT-6 Astra, Claude Fable 5.1, and Gemini 3.8, as well as an image model like Nano Banana 2.1 and GPT Image 2.5, and a video model such as Veo 3.1 and Seedance 2.5. The page notes that the multi-model accessibility, slide making, and image and video models are not offered with the free plan.
According to the website, 20 credits are free at the cost of $0. Where Pro subscription costs monthly at ₹631(annual cost of ₹7572) providing 1,500 credits per month. The Max subscription costs monthly at ₹946(annual cost of ₹11352) providing 2,500 credits per month. Crossed-out amounts in both subscriptions are based on a 50% discount during the promotional period. So be sure to check on the latest prices before buying.
Our take: HIX.AI was unable to be tested prior to its writing, research, or reasoning. The reasoning for being prompted to upgrade could have to do with the lack of access to multi-model features in the free plan. Although it does offer research, and image and video production tools, the efficacy of such features cannot be determined.
How to choose an all in one AI chatbot platform: match it to your AI habits
Choose Monica as an option when you want to test beforehand. The best choice is the AI that acknowledges limitations, and be sure to double-check names and facts. The good news about MaxAI is that it offers the simplest possible tiers. If you care about price, check what the yearly cost is instead of the monthly. When you need to get your hands on research, imagery, and video tools, HIX.AI should be your pick.
Readers in India should check the rupee price at checkout for every tool, because conversion fees change the real cost. Our list of free AI offers in India can also help you avoid paying for something you can get free.
All in one AI chatbot platform vs native subscriptions: when the big three make more sense
What the big three cost
Native prices as of mid-October 2026 (US, before tax): ChatGPT Plus is $20 a month, Claude Pro is $20 a month ($17 on annual billing, per Anthropic’s pricing page), and Google AI Pro is $19.99 a month.
How aggregator prices compare
| Option | Billing | Approximate yearly cost | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Plus + Claude Pro + Google AI Pro | Monthly | About $720 | Full access to three model families |
| One native plan | Monthly | About $240 | Deeper access to one model family |
| Monica Pro | Annual | $99 | 5,000 basic and 200 advanced queries a month |
| Sider Nano | Annual | $100 | Credit-based. Confirm before buying |
| MaxAI Pro | Annual promo | About $144 | Regular price is $30 a month |
| Merlin | Annual | $60 promo, about $228 standard | Standard price derived from a rupee checkout price |
| HIX.AI Pro | Annual (Indian checkout) | ₹7,572 | 1,500 credits a month |
| HIX.AI Max | Annual (Indian checkout) | ₹11,352 | 2,500 credits a month |
When compared to the use of three subscriptions, the entry-level platform is much cheaper. On the other hand, when compared to a native subscription, it becomes harder to determine how much you save because it depends on discounts you may have received and the limitations of the entry-level platform. Plus, native apps offer better access to advantages. Claude Pro and Google AI Pro have annual billing which costs around $200 per annum. This is the limit of our testing since we haven’t verified whether native platforms get new features first.
Our view: if one assistant does most of your work, pay for it directly. If you regularly switch among several, an entry-level aggregator may cover the rest for less.
Also consider data. Aggregators route your prompts through an extra company before they reach the model maker. We did not audit any vendor’s privacy terms, so read them before pasting anything confidential. Our look at AI data security for sensitive business data covers what to check.
FAQ
Yes, against three subscriptions: about $60 a month for the big three versus lower entry prices for some aggregators. Against one subscription the gap narrows, and metered allowances or credits apply.
Partly. On Monica’s free plan we saw Claude Haiku 5.5 and GPT-6 Luna, which are smaller models. On Merlin’s free plan, the strongest models, including its Claude models, appeared locked. We couldn’t confirm which advanced models are free on Sider or MaxAI.
We didn’t test that side by side. Aggregators wrap models in their own interface, and some auto-route, so results may differ.
We did not audit privacy practices. Read each vendor’s data policy before using confidential material.
Verdict: the best all in one AI chatbot platform to start with is Monica’s free plan
In most people’s cases, try the free plan of Monica, find out if having access to multiple forms is crucial, and check the annual pricing for the regular fee. If you want our most accurate answer from the trial and can use the discount, consider Merlin. If you prefer a tool that acknowledges its shortcomings, go with Sider. Always verify what MaxAI writes when it mentions real life objects. HIX.AI proposes quite a few researching, visual and film making options, however we were unable to test it so we can’t say anything about its efficiency. If you test it, pay attention to its fee package.
Prices and model lists change, so verify them before buying. If you’re deciding which model family to favour, our GPT-6 and Claude Opus 5.5 launch breakdown compares the major models.
