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6 apps · Ranking
Best AI chat apps for iPhone without an account in 2026
To chat with an AI on iPhone without creating an account, Brainy (ours) opens straight into the chat with 20 free messages a day; it answers with DeepSeek V3.1 and reads photos with Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite. The big assistants, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity, are free to start too, but their App Store listings describe history synced across your devices, which means signing in.
If you want the most capable models, the official apps are better than ours: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity give you their newest models, with paid plans from $8 (ChatGPT Go) to $20 a month.
At a glance
| App | Price (US) | Free use | Account | App Store privacy label | Version (date) | Rating (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brainy AI Helper Chat & Create Our app | Pro $6.99 a week (3-day trial) or $89.99 a year; discounted yearly $79.99 | 20 messages a day | None (anonymous sign-in you never see) | Data Used to Track You; Data Not Linked to You | 1.3.5 (29 Aug 2026) | 4.7 (3 ratings) |
| ChatGPT | Go $8, Plus $19.99 a month; Pro $100 to $500; credits from $4 | Free tier | Listing says history syncs across devices | Data Linked to You | 1.2026.272 (6 Oct 2026) | 4.8 (11,178,273 ratings) |
| Google Gemini | Google AI Plus $4.99, Pro $19.99, Ultra $199.99 | Free tier | Not stated in the listing | Data Linked to You | 1.2026.3970207 (7 Oct 2026) | 4.7 (2,330,532 ratings) |
| Claude by Anthropic | Pro $20 a month or $214.99 a year; Max $124.99 or $249.99 a month | Free to try | Not stated in the listing | Data Linked to You | 1.261009.20 (10 Oct 2026) | 4.7 (277,404 ratings) |
| Perplexity - AI Search & Chat | Pro $20 a month or $200 a year; Max $200; credits from $5 | Free app | Listing says it syncs across devices | Data Linked to You | 26.40.0 (8 Oct 2026) | 4.8 (513,889 ratings) |
| DeepSeek - AI Assistant | Free, no in-app purchases | Free | Not stated in the listing | Data Linked to You | 2.6.2 (8 Oct 2026) | 3.9 (12,204 ratings) |
Prices are the US App Store in-app purchases on 11 October 2026; all six are free to download. "Account" is what the App Store listing says; where it does not say, we write so. Ratings are the App Store average and number of ratings that day.
Brainy AI Helper Chat & Create Our app
Best for: quick questions, homework and rewriting text without signing up for anything.
- Chat runs on DeepSeek V3.1; photos you send are read by Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite.
- Camera scanner reads text from a page and sends it to the chat; a Solve math shortcut for equations.
- Pro raises the limit to 500 messages a day and adds image generation with Google's Nano Banana (3 images a day).
- English only, iOS 18 or later, 25 MB.
Limits: its App Store listing still says it uses Gemini, Claude and Grok for chat; today the chat model is DeepSeek V3.1, and the listing will be corrected with the next version. The Terms and Privacy links inside the app point to an old domain we no longer control, also fixed in that version. Only 3 ratings in the US.
ChatGPT
Best for: the most complete assistant: voice, images and OpenAI's newest models.
- Image generation and editing from a description.
- Advanced Voice Mode for real-time spoken conversation.
- 60 languages, iOS 18 or later, 271 MB.
Limits: its privacy label says data is linked to you, and the best models need a paid plan.
Google Gemini
Best for: people who live in Google apps; paid plans include Google storage.
- Reads documents, spreadsheets, photos and videos you upload.
- Video generation with Gemini Omni on paid plans.
- 70 languages, iOS 17.4 or later, 391 MB.
Limits: its privacy label says data is linked to you, and video and the newest models need a paid plan.
Claude by Anthropic
Best for: writing, coding and long documents.
- Voice conversations and dictation in several languages.
- Research and data analysis features.
- 32 languages, iOS 18 or later, 203 MB. Rated 17+.
Limits: the free tier is limited and the paid plans are among the most expensive here.
Perplexity - AI Search & Chat
Best for: answers with sources from the web.
- Pro Search and Deep Research for longer questions.
- Uses top models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and others, according to the listing.
- 67 languages, iOS 18 or later, 178 MB.
Limits: it is a search engine first, less suited to long creative chats, and its privacy label says data is linked to you.
DeepSeek - AI Assistant
Best for: free use of DeepSeek's own newest model, the family Brainy also uses.
- DeepSeek's official assistant, free with no in-app purchases.
- 71 languages, iOS 15 or later, 80 MB.
Limits: the lowest rating in this list (3.9), and its privacy label says data is linked to you.
Who should use what
- You do not want to sign up for anything: Brainy (ours).
- You want the strongest models and voice: ChatGPT or Claude.
- You want answers with web sources: Perplexity.
- You use Google apps every day: Gemini.
- You want something completely free: DeepSeek, or Brainy's 20 messages a day.
Use cases
- Asking a quick question on a borrowed or work phone where you do not want to log in.
- Scanning a page of homework and asking for an explanation (Brainy's scanner).
- Researching a topic with sources you can check (Perplexity).
- Long writing or coding sessions (Claude, ChatGPT).
How we checked
On 11 October 2026 we opened each app's US App Store page and Apple's lookup data: in-app purchases, version and release date, rating and number of ratings, languages, size, minimum iOS and the privacy label. Features and account notes come from each listing. For Brainy, which is ours, we also checked the app's code: which models it calls and its daily limits. We did not invent ratings or reviews.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use an AI chatbot on iPhone without an account?
Yes. Brainy opens without any sign-up and gives 20 free messages a day. The App Store listings of ChatGPT and Perplexity describe history synced across devices; the others do not say.
Which AI model does Brainy use?
On 11 October 2026 Brainy's chat uses DeepSeek V3.1 and reads photos with Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite. Its App Store listing still names Gemini, Claude and Grok; that will be corrected with the next version.
Which AI chat app is free?
DeepSeek is free with no in-app purchases. ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity have free tiers, and Brainy gives 20 messages a day for free.
Which AI chat app is best for privacy?
None of the six has the label Data Not Collected. Brainy needs no account. If privacy is the priority, an offline app that runs the model on the phone is a better fit.
Is Fast AI in this list?
No. Fast AI is also ours, but the version on the App Store on 11 October 2026 cannot answer messages; we will add it when the fixed version is live.
Sources
- Brainy (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1667947372 (11 October 2026)
- ChatGPT (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6448311069 (11 October 2026)
- Google Gemini (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6477489729 (11 October 2026)
- Claude by Anthropic (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6473753684 (11 October 2026)
- Perplexity (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1668000334 (11 October 2026)
- DeepSeek (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6737597349 (11 October 2026)