Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving ERNIE Bot.
Want the closest match?
DoubaoMost similar to ERNIE Bot in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens Doubao in a new tab)Need a free plan?
Mistral Le ChatHas a free plan, rated 4.4 out of 5.
Visit (opens Mistral Le Chat in a new tab)Want the lowest price?
TalkieFrom $8/mo, the lowest starting price here.
Visit (opens Talkie in a new tab)Want the best rated?
Qwen ChatRated 4.3 out of 5 in our review, against 4.1 for ERNIE Bot.
Visit (opens Qwen Chat in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than ERNIE Bot, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 ERNIE BotBaseline | 4.1 | Free | Yes | Repositioned as a search assistant under a new Chinese name | |
| Doubao | 4.2+0.1 | Free | Yes | ByteDance's chatbot, dominant in China the way ChatGPT is in the West | vs ERNIE Bot |
| Mistral Le Chat | 4.4+0.3 | $14/mo | Yes | Europe's answer to US and Chinese AI labs | vs ERNIE Bot |
 Z.ai | 4.2+0.1 | $10/mo | Yes | Zhipu AI's free chat interface for its GLM model family | vs ERNIE Bot |
| Talkie | 3.9−0.2 | $8/mo | Yes | MiniMax's character chat app, built with voice and roleplay first | vs ERNIE Bot |
| Qwen Chat | 4.3+0.2 | Free | Yes | The consumer face of one of the world's most-downloaded open models | vs ERNIE Bot |
 Kimi | 4.3+0.2 | $19/mo | Yes | Moonshot AI's long-context model, with a 2025 coding breakout | vs ERNIE Bot |
 Komo | 4.0−0.1 | $8/mo | Yes | No longer an AI search engine, now a sales revenue automation platform | vs ERNIE Bot |
 Pi | 4.2+0.1 | Free | Yes | Built for supportive conversation, then deprioritized after Microsoft's 2024 deal | vs ERNIE Bot |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches ERNIE Bot.
Doubao
4.2Free
vs ERNIE Bot+0.1
ByteDance's chatbot, dominant in China the way ChatGPT is in the West.
- One of the most widely used chatbots in China
- Backed by ByteDance's existing consumer app distribution
- General chat, image generation, and voice interaction
Massive existing user base through ByteDance's distribution
Primary relevance and user base centers on the Chinese market
Mistral Le Chat
4.4$14/mo
vs ERNIE Bot+0.3
Europe's answer to US and Chinese AI labs.
- Built by Europe's leading independent AI lab
- Open-weight model releases alongside proprietary options
- Strong multilingual performance across European languages
Clear alternative for data sovereignty and non-US, non-Chinese AI needs
Smaller consumer feature set than the largest US competitors
Z.ai
4.2$10/mo
vs ERNIE Bot+0.1
Zhipu AI's free chat interface for its GLM model family.
- Built on Zhipu AI's GLM model family
- One of China's more established AI labs, founded in 2019
- Free chat interface
Backed by one of China's longer-established AI research labs
Less international brand recognition than some newer competitors
Talkie
3.9$8/mo
vs ERNIE Bot−0.2
MiniMax's character chat app, built with voice and roleplay first.
- Voice-forward character roleplay chat
- Large library of pre-made and custom characters
- Built by Chinese AI company MiniMax
Voice generation quality is a genuine standout in character chat specifically
Data handling practices warrant independent research given its origin
Qwen Chat
4.3Free
vs ERNIE Bot+0.2
The consumer face of one of the world's most-downloaded open models.
- Consumer interface for Alibaba's widely used open-weight Qwen models
- Multimodal chat including image understanding
- Free to use
Backed by one of the most widely adopted open model families available
Consumer app itself is less differentiated than the open model ecosystem behind it
Kimi
4.3$19/mo
vs ERNIE Bot+0.2
Moonshot AI's long-context model, with a 2025 coding breakout.
- Unusually long context window for processing lengthy documents
- Kimi K2 model release noted for strong coding and agentic performance
- Open-weight model availability
Long context window handles lengthy documents other models struggle with
Less mature consumer feature set than longer-established Western competitors
Komo
4.0$8/mo
vs ERNIE Bot−0.1
No longer an AI search engine, now a sales revenue automation platform.
- Sales signal monitoring across markets and accounts
- CRM, email, calendar, and LinkedIn integration
- Automated meeting briefs and outreach drafts
Signal-based selling approach is a genuinely useful sales research capability
No longer serves the AI search or general chatbot use case this category implies
Pi
4.2Free
vs ERNIE Bot+0.1
Built for supportive conversation, then deprioritized after Microsoft's 2024 deal.
- Built for supportive, everyday conversation rather than task completion
- Free to use
- Underlying technology licensed by Microsoft in a 2024 deal
Distinct focus on supportive conversation rather than task-oriented chat
Consumer product development has been deprioritized since 2024
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is ERNIE Bot free?
ERNIE Bot has a free plan.
What is the best free alternative to ERNIE Bot?
Mistral Le Chat is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (4.4 out of 5). Other free options: Qwen Chat, Kimi, Doubao.
What is the cheapest alternative to ERNIE Bot?
Among paid plans, Talkie has the lowest starting price (from $8/mo). If you need it free, start with Mistral Le Chat.
How did you pick these alternatives?
We match tools on what they do, their category and their price, using the details in our directory. Ratings come from our reviews and reader reviews.