Free AI tiers: what ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Copilot take in return
Free access to the big AI assistants is not a gift. A comparison by Notebookcheck, covered by Frandroid, looks at what ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Copilot take in exchange for a no-subscription tier: advertising, use of your conversations, or a less capable model. The observations below come from that source and have not been independently verified.
Three currencies, not one
The comparison identifies three ways a free AI tier gets paid. First, advertising, which monetises attention. Second, data: conversations may feed model training or even ad targeting. Third, technical limits: an older model, a shorter context window, features kept for subscribers. Most services combine at least two of these, which makes the trade-off less binary than it first appears.
ChatGPT: ads in Europe and a smaller context
Since late August, the free version of ChatGPT has shown ads in Europe, according to the comparison. In the European Economic Area and Switzerland, those ads are described as non-personalised. Another reported point: collection of conversations for training is on by default. Turning it off does not fully close the door, because a thumbs-up or thumbs-down vote on a reply authorises use of that conversation. On capability, the stated context is 27,000 tokens, roughly 12 pages, half of what paid tiers offer. The GPT-6 Luna model is only available to free accounts in the ChatGPT desktop app.
Gemini: Keep Activity on by default
Free Gemini includes Gemini 3.6 Flash, limited access to Gemini 3.1 Pro, Deep Research, image generation and Gemini Live. Google states that Gemini conversations are not used to show ads. However, Keep Activity is enabled by default for users over 18, with human review possible. Conversations that are reviewed are said to be kept for up to three years, even after activity is deleted, according to the source. Switching Keep Activity off does not mean instant erasure: Google would still retain new conversations for 72 hours.
Claude: the top model stays behind the paywall
Free Claude has offered Sonnet 5.5 and Haiku 4.5 since 28 September, but not Opus 5.5, which is reserved for subscribers. This is the clearest trade-off of the four: model quality rather than advertising. One uncertainty remains: the source does not say whether Anthropic's model-improvement option is on by default. Worth checking in your account settings.
Copilot: ads tied to your history
Copilot removed Deep Research from its consumer app on 18 August and keeps conversations for 18 months by default. Microsoft says personalised ads may draw on conversation history and saved memories. This is the most explicit case of directly monetising what you exchange with the assistant.
Paying does not automatically protect your chats
A counter-intuitive point from the comparison: a paid subscription does not guarantee your exchanges stay out of training. ChatGPT and Claude may still use conversations for that purpose, according to the source. In other words, a subscription mainly buys capability and an ad-free experience, not necessarily confidentiality.
Trade-offs at a glance
- Free ChatGPT: ads in Europe (non-personalised in the EEA and Switzerland), training on by default, roughly 27,000-token context, GPT-6 Luna limited to desktop.
- Free Gemini: no ads according to Google, Keep Activity on by default, human review possible, up to three years of retention for reviewed chats, 72 hours after opting out.
- Free Claude: no Opus 5.5, but Sonnet 5.5 and Haiku 4.5; training default not specified by the source.
- Free Copilot: Deep Research removed from the consumer app, 18-month history retention, personalised ads that can use history and memories.
When paying becomes rational
The choice depends on what you produce. If you work with long documents, the reduced context of free ChatGPT is a concrete obstacle: 12 pages is little for analysing a report. If you handle sensitive information — client data, health, contracts — the training and retention questions matter more than model quality. If you need the strongest reasoning available, the absence of Opus 5.5 from free Claude or unlimited Gemini 3.1 Pro weighs more heavily. Conversely, for occasional, non-sensitive tasks, ads and a lighter model remain an acceptable price.
Key takeaways
- Check your settings for training and activity retention, and what turning them off actually changes.
- Do not assume a subscription removes use of your conversations: that is not guaranteed according to the source.
- Assess your real need: long context, a top-tier model and confidentiality are three separate reasons to pay.
- Model names and dates come from the comparison and were not independently confirmed; treat them as pointers to re-check.
This article is published by Roboto, a platform for generating texts, images, videos and voiceovers with AI. It relies on observations reported by Notebookcheck via Frandroid and is not based on any testing performed by us.
Source
ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot : ce que les IA gratuites vous prennent en échange
