Which AI should you actually start with?

Here's the secret the comparison articles won't tell you: for everyday use — questions, emails, explanations, planning — the free versions of all four major AI apps are excellent, and the differences barely matter for beginners. So choose on convenience, not benchmarks. Pick the one that fits what you already use.

The two-minute decision

You live in Gmail, Google Calendar, or have an Android phone → Google Gemini. It's built into the tools you already use, and on Android it can replace your assistant. One less app to learn.

Your life runs on Word, Outlook, or a Windows PC → Microsoft Copilot. It's already on your computer — that icon on the taskbar. Free, and it works inside the Microsoft tools you know.

You want the one everyone talks about, with the most guides written for it → ChatGPT. When a friend shares a prompt or an article teaches a trick (including ours), it's usually written with ChatGPT in mind. The path is well-trodden.

You mostly want help with writing and long documents → Claude. Widely liked for natural writing and for reading long documents you attach — contracts, reports, school policies — and answering questions about them.

What actually matters (and what doesn't)

Matters: that the app is on your phone's home screen, that you're signed in, and that you use it a few times a week. Habit beats horsepower.

Doesn't matter for beginners: benchmark scores, model version numbers, which one "won" this month's comparison. These change monthly; the basics don't.

Your first week, whichever you choose

I'm brand new to using AI. Ask me three questions about my daily routine, then suggest the three things you could help me with that would save me the most time each week.

Can you switch later?

Yes, and easily — they all work the same way: you type or talk, they answer. Nothing you learn is wasted. Which is exactly why the "which one" question shouldn't delay you a single day. Pick by convenience, start today, switch later if you ever care to.