What Are The Big 5 AI Tools Right Now, And Which Ones I Actually Kept Using After The Hype Wore Off
Everyone lists the same five AI tools and calls it a day. I used all five for actual work over three months and tracked which ones earned a permanent spot in my workflow versus which ones I quietly stopped opening.
Claude
Used for long document work and writing, Pro tier around 20 USD or 1650 INR per month
claude.ai
Gemini
Tested for research tasks tied to Google Workspace, Advanced tier bundled with Google One AI plan
gemini.google.com
Perplexity
Used for quick sourced research answers, Pro tier around 20 USD or 1650 INR per month
www.perplexity.ai
Marcus Webb
July 9, 2026
Tools tested over three months of actual daily work: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Midjourney, and Perplexity. Still open on my computer every single day after three months: Claude and Perplexity. Opened maybe twice a week: ChatGPT and Midjourney. Uninstalled and stopped paying for: Gemini, not because it is bad, but because it duplicated what I was already doing elsewhere.
Why 'Big Five' Even Means Anything Right Now
The term gets thrown around to mean the five most talked about AI tools of the moment, but that list shifts every few months and most articles just recycle the same rankings without actually using the tools for sustained work. I tracked my own usage logs for three months across real client work, content production, and personal research to see which ones earned their place versus which ones just got a fair trial and then faded out.
Claude: The One I Write With
For anything involving a long document, a nuanced writing task, or holding context across a multi step project, Claude stayed my default. The difference shows up most on longer sessions where earlier context actually needs to stay accurate rather than degrading into generic filler by message twenty.
Perplexity: The One I Research With
When I need a quick, sourced answer to a factual question rather than a conversation, Perplexity is faster than opening a search engine and clicking through five tabs myself. The citations are the whole value here, since I can verify the source directly instead of trusting an unsourced answer.
ChatGPT: Still Useful, Just Not My Default Anymore
- Strong for quick brainstorming sessions with a lot of rapid back and forth
- Custom GPTs are genuinely handy for repeated narrow tasks I set up once
- Lost my default spot to Claude for anything involving longer writing or document work
- Still the one I recommend to people who are new to AI tools because the interface is the most familiar
Midjourney: Occasional But Irreplaceable For What It Does
I do not open Midjourney daily, but when I need a genuinely striking image rather than a generic one, nothing else in this list matches the output quality for stylized visuals. The learning curve on prompting is real, and the Discord based workflow still feels clunky compared to everything else on this list, but the results justify sticking with it.
Gemini: Good Tool, Wrong Fit For My Workflow
Gemini integrates tightly with Google Workspace, which is genuinely useful if your work already lives in Google Docs and Sheets. Mine mostly does not, so the integration advantage did not translate into daily use for me. This is less a criticism of the tool and more an honest note that fit matters more than raw capability when deciding what stays in your workflow.
Real Monthly Cost If You Ran All Five
- ChatGPT Plus: 20 USD, 18 EUR, 16 GBP, roughly 1650 INR
- Claude Pro: 20 USD, 18 EUR, 16 GBP, roughly 1650 INR
- Gemini Advanced: bundled in Google One AI Premium, around 20 USD equivalent depending on region
- Midjourney Basic: 10 USD, roughly 830 INR, no separate EUR or GBP tier at time of writing
- Perplexity Pro: 20 USD, 18 EUR, 16 GBP, roughly 1650 INR
What I Would Actually Recommend
Do not subscribe to all five. Pick one general assistant based on what kind of work you do most, add Perplexity if you research things constantly, and add Midjourney only if visual output is actually part of your job. Everything past that is subscription fatigue disguised as productivity.