Compare Merlin AI, Perplexity AI, ChatGPT, and DeepSeek AI: Which App is the Best?

ChatGPT has a lot of cool features that make it useful for pretty much anyone. It's not just a chat app - it can do a bunch of different things.

What ChatGPT Does Best

1. Smart Chatting:

This is where ChatGPT really shines. It's better at having natural conversations than any other AI app we've tried. You can ask it anything from "What's the weather like?" to "Help me plan a trip to Japan" and it just gets it.

It remembers what you talked about earlier in the conversation, so it feels like talking to someone who's actually listening. You can have long conversations and it keeps track of everything.

2. Voice Chat:

This feature is really cool. You just tap the microphone button and start talking. The app shows a little wave animation so you know it's listening. It's like talking on the phone, but with an AI.

We tested this a lot and it works really well. It understands what you're saying most of the time, and responds quickly. Great for when you're driving or cooking and can't type.

3. Making Pictures:

You can tell ChatGPT to make pictures for you. Just describe what you want to see, and it creates an image. This costs money though - it's only in the paid version.

We tried asking it to make pictures of things like:

• "a cat wearing a hat"
• "a sunset over the ocean"
• "a robot playing guitar"

The results were pretty good. Not perfect, but definitely usable.

4. Works Everywhere:

The best part is that your conversations follow you around. Start a chat on your phone, then open it on your computer and it's all there. Really handy when you switch between devices.

5. Photo Help:

You can take a picture of something and ask ChatGPT what it is. We tried this with:

• Food and recipes
• Landmarks and buildings
• Handwritten notes

It's pretty good at figuring things out.

The main downside is that the free version is pretty limited. You only get the older AI model, which isn't as smart as the paid version. A lot of users complained about this - they want the good stuff without paying.

The app runs smoothly most of the time. We tested it on different devices and network conditions, and it usually responds within a few seconds. The voice recognition works well even with background noise.

Search results load quickly, and the app handles complex questions without crashing or freezing. The sync between devices works reliably, so you can switch between your phone and computer seamlessly.

We did notice some slowdowns during peak hours, and occasionally the app would take longer to respond to very complex questions. Some users have reported connection issues, but we didn't experience any major problems during our testing.

Overall, it performs well for an AI app. The occasional hiccups are minor and don't really affect the user experience.

The app runs smoothly most of the time. You can chat with the AI without any delays or problems, and it loads quickly.

The voice chat works really well too. There's almost no delay between when you speak and when the AI responds. The voice recognition is accurate, and the conversation feels natural and smooth.

However, we did run into some problems during busy times. The app can get slow or even stop working when lots of people are using it at once. This mostly affects free users since paid users get priority access.

The sync feature works great - your conversations show up quickly on all your devices. Even with long chat histories, the app stays responsive and doesn't slow down.

One area that could be better is the image generation. It can take a while to create images, especially for complicated requests. This makes sense given how much work it takes, but it can be frustrating if you're in a hurry.

The app doesn't drain your battery too much, though using voice chat will use more power than just typing. Overall, it runs well and doesn't cause problems with your phone.

The app looks clean and simple, which makes it easy to use right away. We really like how it focuses on the conversation instead of trying to look fancy.

What we love most is how easy it is to tell who said what:

• Your messages show up on the right in blue bubbles
• AI responses are on the left in gray bubbles

Simple, but it works really well.

The voice chat interface is really nice too. When you're talking, you see a little wave animation that moves with your voice. It's a small thing, but it makes you feel like the app is actually listening.

Getting around the app is straightforward. There's a simple menu button that gives you access to settings and your chat history without cluttering up the main screen.

Some people said the app looks a bit plain compared to other AI apps. We get that - it's not flashy, but that's actually what makes it work so well. You can focus on talking to the AI without getting distracted by fancy graphics.

This is where DeepSeek AI really shines. It's completely free, and we mean completely free. No ads, no premium features, no hidden costs.

What you get for free:

• Unlimited access: Use it as much as you want
• Powerful AI: Same quality as paid alternatives
• No restrictions: All features are available to everyone
• High-quality responses: Sophisticated answers that rival paid services

Compare this to ChatGPT Plus at $20/month or other paid AI services, and it's pretty amazing. You're getting similar quality for zero cost.

The only reason it's not a perfect 10 is that some people might want extra features like voice input, image generation, or plugins that you'd get with paid services.

But for basic AI chat and coding help, you can't beat the value. We give value for money a 9.5 - it's basically free AI assistance that works really well.

This might be the easiest AI tool we've ever used. You literally just open it and start asking questions - no setup, no learning curve, no complicated menus.

We tested it with people who aren't very tech-savvy, and they figured it out immediately. The voice feature is especially intuitive - you just tap the microphone and start talking.

The app responds quickly, and the conversation flow feels natural. You can ask follow-up questions without having to repeat yourself, which makes it feel like talking to a real person.

Everything is where you'd expect it to be:

• Search bar is prominent
• Settings are easy to find
• Navigation makes sense
• No instructions or tutorials needed

That's why we gave it a 9 out of 10. It's so simple that anyone can use it, but it still has enough features to be useful for power users.

This might be the easiest AI app to use. It works right away - no complicated setup or learning curve.

Downloading it is simple, and it works on both iPhones and Android phones. Once you open it, you can just start typing or tap the microphone to talk. That's it.

The voice feature is really easy to use:

• Just tap the microphone and start talking
• The app shows you when it's listening
• It's so natural that you forget you're talking to a computer

The chat interface looks like any other messaging app you've used - WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc. So it feels familiar right away. Your conversations are organized clearly, and you can easily find old chats.

Even though it has lots of features, nothing feels overwhelming. The advanced stuff like making images is there if you want it, but it doesn't get in the way of basic chatting.

The only confusing part is figuring out what's free and what costs money. The app could do a better job of showing you what you're missing out on with the free version.

That's why we gave it a 9 out of 10. It's super easy to use, though some of the fancier features take a little time to figure out.

Security and privacy get a 7 out of 10 from us. The app uses standard security practices like encryption, which is good. The privacy policy is clear about what data they collect and how they use it.

You have some control over your data:

• Delete your search history
• Manage your account settings
• Control what data is shared

However, some users have concerns about how much data is being collected for AI training. The privacy controls could be more detailed and easier to access. We'd like to see more options for users who want to limit data collection.

Overall, it seems safe to use, but we'd recommend reading the privacy policy if you're concerned about data collection.

We gave ChatGPT a 7 out of 10 for security and privacy. It uses standard security practices, which is good, but there are some things to be aware of.

The good news is that OpenAI is pretty open about how they handle your data. You can easily find their privacy policy in the app, and they explain what they do with your information.

However, there are some concerns. The app collects a lot of your personal data:

• Everything you say in conversations
• Your voice recordings
• Your conversation history

OpenAI says they use this to make their AI better, but that means they're storing and potentially using your private conversations.

We noticed that some users were worried about the sync feature. Since your conversations are stored on OpenAI's servers (not just on your phone), they can access everything you've said. This is what makes the cross-device sync work, but it also means your chats aren't really private.

The voice chat feature is convenient, but it also means your voice is being recorded and stored. You should know that your voice conversations could be used to train the AI.

OpenAI does give you some control - you can delete your chat history and opt out of some data collection. But these options are kind of hidden and not easy to find.

Privacy is a mixed bag with DeepSeek AI. On the plus side, you don't need an account to use it, which means they're not collecting your email or personal info.

What we liked:

• No account needed: You can use it without giving any personal information
• Minimal data collection: They don't seem to track much about you
• No social features: Your conversations stay private

The downside? It's an AI assistant, so it has to process and store your conversations to work. They probably use your chats to improve their AI model, which is pretty standard for these apps.

They don't sell your data to third parties, which is good. But you should know that your conversations are being processed and stored somewhere.

It's more private than apps that require accounts and collect lots of personal info, but less private than apps that keep everything on your device.

We give privacy a 7.0 - reasonable for an AI assistant, but not perfect.