At this point, it costs $20 per month to get the ChatGPT Plus plan which is suitable for generic needs. Other AI services like Copilot and Gemini also charges similar cost for their premium plans. This high cost may not be affordable for all users. So, how about getting a premium-level AI without breaking the bank and without breaking the rules? Cool, right? Below are some of the legitimate ways to access the latest, most capable models for free (or nearly free).
Premium Vs Paid
Remember that both ChatGPT free and Plus versions use the latest GPT-5 model with advanced reasoning. However, the free plan comes with usage limitations. This is the same case with Google Gemini’s free and AI Pro plans. You can use the GPT-5 or Gemini AI Pro (or another AI model) with enhanced features using one of the below methods compared to accessing them with limited features directly through their original websites or apps.
In addition, you will have the following advantages (varies based on the method):
- No need to create an account or login.
- Switch between multiple models.
- Your data is not shared and used for AI training.
- It’s free and from official providers.
1. Duck.ai
DuckDuckGo’s Duck.ai is explicitly designed to let users converse with several third-party models anonymously. This is a cool option for private chats as your data will not be shared with the parent company and you can chat without registering for an account.
Simply go to duck.ai website and when you are in the chat screen, click the model’s name button to view the list of available models (free and paid). At this point, you can access models such as GPT-5 mini, GPT-4o mini, GPT-OSS 120B, Anthropic Claude Haiku 3.5, Meta Llama 4 Scout and Mistral Small 3 for free. The list will get updated whenever there is a new model released by the AI companies. Click on the name to understand the free features you will get when using that model.
In this way, you can access various ChatGPT models from OpenAI as well as models across companies on the same screen (model can be switched for new chats and not within a single chat conversation). Paid subscription is also cheaper costing $9.99 per month ($99.99 / year) which allows you to unlock even latest model variants with enhanced features.
2. Firefox
Firefox allows you to add an AI chat icon on the sidebar of the browser’s primary interface. You can click the icon to start chatting or ask AI to summarize / explain the webpage’s content. You can switch between Gemini, ChatGPT, Mistral and Claude models. Though some models can be used without logging in, you need to register an account for using models like Claude.
3. Use Copilot or Google Search AI Mode
If you want to strict to ChatGPT, then using Copilot can easily bring the results from the latest GPT model. As of now, Microsoft does not have their own AI model and still use the latest GPT model for Copilot (GPT-5 as of now). So, you can simply access the Copilot (through Windows app, Mac app or web) to get unlimited responses for free without paying for OpenAI. Copilot will also automatically utilize the new GPT models and capabilities without the need for switching. However, you may still need to select “Smart (GPT-5) option in the prompt box.
AI Mode in Google uses the latest Gemini 3 model. AI Pro and Ultra users can avail the premium features by switching the models.
Note: You can soon expect Microsoft to release their own models and charge users for premium plans similar to Google. Even at this point, you need to pay for using Copilot with Microsoft Office products like Word or Excel.
4. Official Free Trials and Promotional Offers
In our earlier article, we have explained the raining AI offers for Indian users. Most of the AI companies do promotional campaigns and you can make use of those promotions to get the premium plan for long term that includes access to high-quality models. Here are some offers for Indian users at this point. Keep an eye on the social handles of AI companies to watch out the offer announcement for your country.
- One-year free ChatGPT Go plan from OpenAI.
- One-year free Perplexity Pro for Bharti Airtel mobile users.
- One and half year free Gemini Pro for Reliance Jio mobile users.
There are also specific offers for students you can make use of (you may need a verification for this).
5. Perplexity
Though Perplexity offers similar options like Duck.ai / Firefox to switch AI models on a single screen, it is also an aggregator platform offering news feed using various AI sources (including their own Sonar model). However, you need an account to use this AI tool or use Google / Apple account for login. Simply go to Perplexity website or app and login with your account. When you are in the chat prompt, click the “Choose a model” button and select one of the free options. At this point, you can access Sonat, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or GPT-5 or Grok 4. These models may offer unlimited or enhanced features than accessing them through the original website (for example – a Gemini 2.5 Pro).
What Not to Do?
Using the official promotional offers are the best way to get the premium plans for free. All other methods (through browsers or aggregators), though legitimate, may still restrict you when the usage exceeds the limit. Here are some of the things to avoid:
- Don’t use cracked or stolen API keys or follow instructions to bypass paywalls or geo-restrictions (for example, using a VPN to claim an offer intended for another country). These measures might work temporarily, but they violate terms of service and can lead to account suspension or termination (may also carry legal or financial risks).
- Beware of fake websites that impersonate providers and may steal data or install malware. Stick to official pages, well-known aggregators, or community-trusted repositories.
- Read privacy policies about data collection (disable if possible or use privacy protected options like Duck.ai / Firefox). Anyway, never share sensitive personal, financial, or proprietary data (even with paid plans)
