Best AI chatbots & assistants (2026)

The top 9 of 9 matching tools in the ShipRadar directory, for anyone picking an AI assistant to chat with, ask questions and get help writing. Updated Oct 14, 2026.

How this list is made: tools are pulled from ShipRadar's directory and ranked by traction on their source (GitHub stars, Hugging Face likes, Hacker News points, Product Hunt votes) plus freshness. Well-known tools are included as editor's picks. Read the methodology.

1. 1

   codex-with-chatgpt

   A trick for programmers: ChatGPT does the planning, and OpenAI's Codex coding tool does the actual work.

   💬 AI Chatbots & Assistants · 7,353 GitHub stars · Visit ↗

2. 2

   chat-on-steroids

   Gives ChatGPT extra powers on your computer, like using Chrome and picking up long tasks where it left off. Fiddly to install.

   💬 AI Chatbots & Assistants · 4,742 GitHub stars · Visit ↗

3. 3

   ChatGPT

   An AI you can chat with to get answers, write emails, plan trips, brainstorm, and create images. You can also talk to it out loud.

   💬 AI Chatbots & Assistants · Editor's pick · Visit ↗

4. 4

   Claude

   An AI chat assistant that is especially good at writing and careful thinking. Good for drafting, editing, and working through long documents.

   💬 AI Chatbots & Assistants · Editor's pick · Visit ↗

5. 5

   Gemini

   Google's AI assistant. Ask questions, write, make images and short videos, and work with your Gmail, Docs, and Drive.

   💬 AI Chatbots & Assistants · Editor's pick · Visit ↗

6. 6

   Microsoft Copilot

   Microsoft's AI assistant. Works inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams to draft documents and summarize email.

   💬 AI Chatbots & Assistants · Editor's pick · Visit ↗

7. 7

   Grok

   The AI assistant built into X (Twitter). Best at telling you what people are saying online right now.

   💬 AI Chatbots & Assistants · Editor's pick · Visit ↗

8. 8

   Gemini 4 Argon

   Google's newest and smartest Gemini model, for the hardest questions and big projects.

   💬 AI Chatbots & Assistants · 0 traction · Visit ↗

9. 9

   ChatGPT Intelligent UI (GPT-6)

   ChatGPT can now answer with interactive charts, buttons, and forms, not just text. Rolling out to everyone, including free users.

   💬 AI Chatbots & Assistants · 0 traction · Visit ↗

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