Which app should replace ChatGPT on your phone? Whizi first, Gemini second
We ranked each app on three things you want when the ChatGPT app goes: a Claude model, a Gemini model, and a way to bring in your ChatGPT chats or memory. Each one earns a point. Ties go to the app with more US App Store ratings, which we read on 21 October 2026.
ChatGPT isn't ranked, since it's the app you're replacing. It's still the giant. The ChatGPT listing had 11,486,337 US ratings on 21 October, 1.8 times all ten apps below put together. Gemini takes second place because Google imports a ChatGPT export and its app has 2,359,807 ratings. Perplexity, Claude and Poe also score two. They follow in that order, by rating count. This page covers phone apps. For the web and desktop side of the switch, see our ChatGPT alternative page.
Whizi publishes this page, so check its score against the table in the next section. Its losing case sits in the ranking below, next to everyone else's.
Which AI apps can import your ChatGPT chats?
Two of the ten can take your chat history itself: Gemini and Whizi. Claude and Vibe take memory, the facts ChatGPT saved about you, but not the chats. We found no help page from Perplexity, Poe, xAI, Microsoft, Meta or DeepSeek that offers either, as of 21 October 2026. Here's the full score:
| No. | App | Claude model | Gemini model | ChatGPT chats or memory | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whizi (Google Play) | Yes, from Starter | Yes, on Pro | Chats | 3 |
| 2 | Google Gemini | No | Yes | Chats, outside the EEA, UK and Switzerland | 2 |
| 3 | Perplexity | Yes, on Pro | Yes, on Pro | None found | 2 |
| 4 | Claude | Yes | No | Memory only | 2 |
| 5 | Poe | Yes | Yes | None found | 2 |
| 6 | Microsoft Copilot | Yes, on a work Microsoft 365 Copilot license | No | None found | 1 |
| 7 | Vibe by Mistral (ex-Le Chat) | No | No | Memory "from other sources" | 1 |
| 8 | Grok | No | No | None found | 0 |
| 9 | Meta AI | No | No | None found | 0 |
| 10 | DeepSeek | No | No | None found | 0 |
Google's import page is the strictest. It takes the ChatGPT .zip as is, and Google says "The file size limit is 5 GB." You get five uploads a day, and processing can take up to a day. You need a personal Google Account and must be 18 or older. Google writes the steps for gemini.google.com, so you'd run the import on the web and then pick up the chats in the app.
Anthropic moves memory, not chats. Its memory import page says memory imports work on the web and Claude Desktop, on every plan from Free up. Mistral's memory post from September 2025 says Le Chat can import memories from other sources. That app is now called Vibe. Microsoft's Copilot app gets its point from a work license. Microsoft put Claude Opus in the model picker of Microsoft 365 Copilot on 24 July 2026. The post doesn't cover personal Microsoft 365 plans.
Whizi imports the conversations.json file from a ChatGPT export, under Settings, Account, Import Chats on the website. Any Whizi account can run it, free ones included. The chats then show up in the iPhone and Android apps, because conversations follow the account (how the import works). Either way, you start with OpenAI's export. Its help page says the email can take up to 7 days, and the download link dies 24 hours after it arrives.
What are the best ChatGPT alternative apps in 2026?
Whizi is the best ChatGPT alternative app for a switcher, followed by Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Poe. Each app below wins for one kind of user and loses somewhere. We took every pick from the app's own store listing or help pages, read in October 2026:
| No. | App | Best for | Why it wins | Where it loses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whizi (Google Play) | Leaving ChatGPT without losing your chats | Imports your ChatGPT chats, and Pro reaches Claude Opus, Claude Sonnet, Gemini and GPT out of 280+ models | 3 US ratings, no Play rating yet, live only since 26 August 2026 |
| 2 | Google Gemini | Free use on a Google account | Imports a ChatGPT .zip up to 5 GB, and its Play listing shows no ads and no in-app purchases | No chat import in the EEA, UK or Switzerland, and the iPhone app needs iOS 18.2 |
| 3 | Perplexity | Answers with sources | Pro lists Claude Sonnet, Gemini Flash and GPT in its model picker | The free plan "cannot choose an advanced Search model manually," and the App Store rates it 18+ |
| 4 | Claude | Long writing and documents | Its memory import brings over what another assistant learned about you | Memory only, no chat history, no Gemini, and an 18+ App Store rating |
| 5 | Poe | Many bots on one bill | Its listing promises "the best AI, all in one place," from $4.99 a month for Basic | No ChatGPT import found, and the Play app was last updated 27 August 2026 |
| 6 | Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft 365 subscribers | A work Microsoft 365 Copilot license adds Claude Opus to the model picker, and plans sold in the app start at Basic, $1.99 | Claude only on a work license, needs iOS 26, Contains ads on Play |
| 7 | Vibe by Mistral (ex-Le Chat) | An assistant made in Europe | Mistral says memories can come in from other sources | 1,322 US ratings, and no Claude or Gemini |
| 8 | Grok | People who live on X | 4.9 stars on both stores, the top average here apart from Whizi's three ratings | None of the three points, and full SuperGrok costs $30 in the app |
| 9 | Meta AI | Meta AI glasses owners | Its listing calls it the companion app for Meta's AI glasses | None of the three points |
| 10 | DeepSeek | Free use with no upsell | Neither store lists an in-app purchase, and it runs on iOS 15 | 3.9 stars on iPhone and 3.7 on Play, the lowest here |
Perplexity's model list, dated 17 October 2026, names GPT, Gemini Flash and Claude Sonnet for Pro. Claude Opus and the top GPT and Gemini models sit on its Max plan. Poe's App Store listing shows Basic at $4.99 and Plus at $19.99 a month. Neither store page says which models Basic covers.
Whizi, which publishes this page, is the newest app here and loses on every trust signal. It went live on 26 August 2026 and had 3 US App Store ratings on 21 October. On Google Play it shows 100+ downloads and no rating yet. There is no iPad version: the App Store lists it as designed for iPhone, so an iPad runs the iPhone layout, while all nine rivals here ship native iPad apps. It has no Siri action and no widget. Files you attach in the app are capped at 10 MB each. The free tier is thin: text only, on Whizi AI and Auto, with 7 messages on day one and 3 a day after that. Claude Haiku starts on Starter, and Gemini needs Pro. The Whizi listing shows weekly plans at $5.99, $9.99 and $14.99, read on 11 October 2026. On the web, Pro is $29.99 a month.
How do the 10 apps compare on iPhone and Android?
Grok has the best scores on both stores, Gemini has the most ratings of the ten, and Whizi has the fewest. We read every US App Store and Google Play listing on 21 October 2026. ChatGPT sits in the last row for scale:
| App | App Store stars | US App Store ratings | Needs iOS | Play stars | Play reviews | Play downloads | Contains ads on Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whizi (Google Play) | 5.0 | 3 | 16.4 | No rating yet | None yet | 100+ | No |
| Google Gemini | 4.7 | 2,359,807 | 18.2 | 4.5 | 49.5M | 1B+ | No |
| Perplexity | 4.8 | 516,999 | 18.0 | 4.6 | 2.2M | 100M+ | No |
| Claude | 4.7 | 283,011 | 18.0 | 4.5 | 812K | 50M+ | No |
| Poe | 4.7 | 53,846 | 17.4 | 4.4 | 465K | 10M+ | No |
| Microsoft Copilot | 4.7 | 1,362,450 | 26.0 | 4.5 | 9.28M | 1B+ | Yes |
| Vibe by Mistral | 4.8 | 1,322 | 16.4 | 4.5 | 47.6K | 1M+ | No |
| Grok | 4.9 | 1,528,390 | 17 | 4.9 | 4.03M | 100M+ | No |
| Meta AI | 4.7 | 279,949 | 17.2 | 4.6 | 2.65M | 100M+ | No |
| DeepSeek | 3.9 | 12,331 | 15.0 | 3.7 | 346K | 100M+ | No |
| ChatGPT, for scale | 4.8 | 11,486,337 | 18.0 | 4.8 | 65.3M | 1B+ | Yes |
The iOS column matters most on an older iPhone. Microsoft Copilot now needs iOS 26, the newest floor of any app here. Gemini needs iOS 18.2, and Claude and Perplexity need iOS 18. DeepSeek still runs on iOS 15. Whizi and Vibe need iOS 16.4.
On Android, the ads label splits the field. ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot are the only two listings that carry it. Gemini and DeepSeek show no in-app purchases at all. Grok's 4.9 is the best Play score among the big apps, and DeepSeek's 3.7 is the worst.
Which ChatGPT alternative app is free?
Gemini is the best free swap. Its Play listing shows no in-app purchases, and the ChatGPT chat import costs nothing on a personal Google Account. DeepSeek is free on both stores too, but it rates lowest of the ten. Perplexity's free plan answers questions, but you can't pick Claude or Gemini on it.
The free tiers that reach Claude are thin. Claude's own app has a free plan, and its memory import works on Free. Whizi's free account can import your ChatGPT chats, but it chats only on Whizi AI and Auto, 7 messages on day one and 3 a day after. You'll need Starter for Claude Haiku and Pro for Claude Opus and Gemini.
- Request your ChatGPT export first, since OpenAI can take up to 7 days to send it
- Download the export within 24 hours of the email, before the link expires
- Check the "Needs" line on the App Store: Copilot needs iOS 26 and Gemini iOS 18.2
- Import chats into Gemini or Whizi on the web, then open them in the phone app
- Cancel a ChatGPT plan bought in the app from your phone's store settings, not on the web
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free ChatGPT alternative app?
Gemini is the best free one. Its Google Play listing shows no ads label and no in-app purchases, it has 2,359,807 US App Store ratings, and it imports a ChatGPT export on a personal Google Account. Our free ChatGPT alternatives guide compares the free caps on the web.
Is Claude or Gemini better than ChatGPT?
Each wins a different job. In our task by task comparison Claude wins writing and code review and Gemini wins long documents at the lowest cost, while ChatGPT is still the most rated app by far, with 11.5 million US ratings. Our ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini comparison splits them task by task.
Do I lose my ChatGPT chats if I stop paying?
No. Your chats belong to your OpenAI account, not your plan, so they stay after you cancel. Export them before you delete the account, because deletion is what removes them. Our guide on losing chats when you cancel ChatGPT Plus covers what changes.
How do I choose between ChatGPT alternatives?
Run one real task from your week through two or three apps and keep the one that does it best. Start with the jobs you use ChatGPT for most, then check price and model choice. Our guide to choosing a ChatGPT alternative has a seven point test.
