Which AI Is the Cheapest for Students? Full Guide Comparing Prices in 2025
With so many AI tools available today, it’s normal for students to wonder which one gives the best value for money. University life is already expensive enough with tuition fees, food, textbooks, and transport. Nobody wants another overpriced subscription added to their monthly budget. Luckily, the AI world now offers a range of affordable tools — but the cheapest one might not be the one you expect.
This guide compares the cost of major AI tools used by students: Duetoday, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Grok, and Mistral. It breaks down their prices, what you actually get for each plan, and which tool is worth your money depending on your study style.
Why Cost Matters for Students
Students use AI almost every day now, whether it’s summarising lectures, writing essays, generating study notes, creating flashcards, or asking for explanations during revision. But AI pricing varies massively. Some tools are free but limited. Others are powerful but expensive. And some give the perfect balance of price and usefulness.
Choosing the right AI is not only about saving money — it’s about finding a tool that supports your learning consistently without draining your bank account.
Duetoday: The Most Affordable Study-Focused AI at $8.25/Month
Duetoday stands out immediately because it’s the only AI built specifically for students at a price that students can actually afford. At just $8.25 per month for the yearly plan, it offers an end-to-end study system rather than a generic chatbot.
Duetoday records lectures, transcribes classes, turns your materials into organised notes, creates flashcards, generates quizzes, builds study guides, and even produces mind maps.
You can upload PDFs, lecture slides, YouTube videos, handwritten notes, or voice recordings and it transforms them into structured study materials automatically. It also includes an AI tutor you can chat with about your lectures.
While other AI tools focus on general knowledge, Duetoday focuses only on studying, memory, and revision. This makes it the best value tool for students who want something affordable and built exactly for university life. And you can try it free.
ChatGPT: Great Quality, Medium Price
ChatGPT has become a student favourite because of its versatility and ability to explain concepts clearly. The paid plan usually sits around the mid-range price point, making it affordable but not the cheapest. Students who write essays, brainstorm ideas, or need help understanding complex topics will find ChatGPT extremely useful.
It’s not built specifically for studying, but it’s strong enough to support almost any type of academic work. If your focus is explanation and writing assistance, ChatGPT offers good value, though it’s more expensive than Duetoday for students who mainly need study tools.
Claude: Higher Price but High Quality for Reading and Writing
Claude is known for its thoughtful reasoning, calm explanations, and high-quality writing. It is particularly good for reading long documents, interpreting academic papers, and structuring essays. Its price, however, sits higher than most student budgets prefer.
It’s great for coursework that involves heavy reading or long writing assignments, such as literature, law, history, psychology, or philosophy. But for general studying or lecture revision, students sometimes find that Claude’s price is harder to justify.
Perplexity: Cheap for Basic Use, More Expensive for Full Access
Perplexity has a free tier that works well for quick research and fact-checking, making it budget-friendly for students who only need occasional help. However, the paid version, which includes deeper research, citations, and advanced models, becomes more expensive.
Students who only want quick searches will find Perplexity cost-effective, but those who need full features may discover that the price quickly climbs above alternatives like Duetoday or ChatGPT.
Gemini: Reasonably Priced, Great for Visual Learners
Google’s Gemini offers a free tier and a reasonably priced premium plan. It shines when dealing with images, graphs, charts, and diagrams. This makes it useful for engineering, design, architecture, science, or math students who rely on visual materials.
Its price sits in the mid-range: not the cheapest, not the most expensive. For students who need strong visual understanding, the pricing makes sense. For others, it may feel unnecessary if they don’t make use of its multimodal features.
Grok: Usually Higher Priced for Students
Grok by xAI has a strong AI model, often known for speed and a more humorous tone, but its pricing tends to be higher than what most students prefer. Because Grok is bundled with other platform subscriptions, it’s less targeted at student budgets.
It’s good for coding, quick explanations, and casual daily use. However, students seeking maximum value often choose other tools first simply because Grok’s pricing is not student-friendly.
Mistral: Affordable If You Use the Right Platform
Mistral’s models are lightweight and used in many apps because they are inexpensive to run. Some platforms offer Mistral for extremely cheap or even free, depending on how the app integrates it. This makes Mistral one of the most affordable options if you find the right app built on top of it.
However, using raw Mistral directly is not common for students. Most benefit from using it inside other tools. Its affordability is real, but its usefulness depends on the platform you access it through.
Which AI Is Truly the Cheapest Overall?
When you compare the actual monthly cost students pay:
Duetoday at $8.25/month is the cheapest premium study-focused AI.
Mistral via third-party apps can be cheap, but not as reliable for studying.
ChatGPT is mid-range pricing.
Gemini is mid-range but strong for visuals.
Perplexity is cheap at first but jumps in price if you need more features.
Claude is high-end pricing.
Grok sits closer to the expensive side.
From a pure cost-for-value standpoint, Duetoday clearly sits at the top because it offers the lowest price with the highest number of student-specific features.
What Students Should Consider Beyond Price
Even though price matters, students should also consider:
How often they study
What subjects they take
Whether they need writing help or revision help
How much they rely on lecture recordings
Whether they work better visually or textually
How much time they spend each week on academic tasks
For example, a law student may value Claude’s reading ability.
An engineering student may rely on Gemini for diagrams.
A general university student may get the most value out of ChatGPT.
A dedicated note-heavy student benefits most from Duetoday.
Price is important, but fit matters even more.
Why Students Should Combine Free + Cheap Tools
A smart strategy is to combine a premium tool with free ones. For example:
Duetoday for lectures, notes, flashcards, revision
Plus ChatGPT free for simple questions
Plus Perplexity free for quick research
Plus Gemini free for basic visual analysis
This setup gives students maximum power at a very affordable monthly cost.
Final Thoughts
AI doesn’t have to be expensive. Students today have more choices than ever, and the cheapest option isn’t always the weakest — in fact, tools like Duetoday show that student-focused AI can be powerful and affordable.
If you want the cheapest premium AI designed specifically for studying, Duetoday offers the best value at $8.25 per month. If you want general assistance, ChatGPT and Perplexity’s free tier work well. If you’re doing heavy writing or reading, Claude might be worth the premium. And if visuals matter, Gemini offers good value.
Choose what fits your learning style and your wallet.
FAQ
Which AI is the cheapest for students?
Duetoday is the cheapest premium student-focused AI at $8.25 per month. Perplexity and Gemini have free tiers, but their premium features cost more.
Is there a free AI that students can use?
Yes. ChatGPT Free, Perplexity Free, Gemini Free, and certain Mistral-based apps all offer no-cost usage with limitations.
Is paying for AI worth it for university?
Yes, if you’re using AI regularly for studying, note-taking, essays, and revision. Paid tools save time and increase productivity.
Why isn’t Grok or Claude considered cheap?
Their pricing targets general audiences, not students. They offer strong quality but sit at a higher price point compared to student-focused options.
Do I need more than one AI tool?
Many students combine one premium tool with free ones. Duetoday for studying plus ChatGPT or Perplexity free often covers everything.
