Is using AI for studying allowed?

It depends on your university and your course. Many allow it for understanding material but not for writing graded work. Check the rules first.

Are there student discounts?

Some companies offer them. Our verdict lists the ones we found; check the official page for eligibility.

The verdict

Best AI for students

The best AI for university and studying on a student budget: our pick, a cheap runner-up, the best free option, and student discounts.

The verdict

Rankings updated 26 Oct 2026

Buy this

Gemini Google AI Pro

€21.99/mo

Score 100/100 · powered by Gemini 4 Argon

Source: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026

Gemini Google AI Pro has the highest score for studying (100/100) among the subscriptions we could verify, thanks to Gemini 4 Argon.

Runner-up

Claude Pro

$20/mo

Score 98/100 · powered by Claude Opus 5.5

Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

Best free option

Claude Free

Free

Score 81/100 · powered by Claude Sonnet 5.5 (limited use)

Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

Is the free plan enough?

Mostly

The best free option, Claude Free, covers the basics: it scores 81% of the best paid subscription in the same tests.

The full ranking

Best AI for students: every subscription we could verify.

Gemini Google AI Pro
€21.99/movia Gemini 4 Argon
100based on 3 of 5 tests
Claude Pro
$20/movia Claude Opus 5.5
98based on 4 of 5 tests
ChatGPT Plus
$20/movia GPT-6.1 Sol
94based on 4 of 5 tests
Perplexity Pro
$17/mo, billed yearlyvia Gemini 3.1 Pro
89based on 5 of 5 tests
Lumo Plus
$9.99/mo, billed yearlyvia GLM 5.3
89based on 3 of 5 tests
DeepSeek Free
Freevia DeepSeek V4 Pro (limited use)
77based on 4 of 5 tests
Meta AI Free
Freevia Muse Spark (limited use)
77based on 4 of 5 tests
Vibe (Le Chat) Pro (students)
$5.99/movia Mistral Medium 3.5
67based on 4 of 5 tests

Best free: Claude Free · Best value (paid): Gemini Google AI Pro

How this list is made

Scores combine these independent tests (weights in brackets). 100 = the best model from the companies we cover. A subscription gets the score of the best model it includes. Full method.

Arena: homework help (38%): Blind votes on help with homework from photos and screenshots. Data checked 26 Oct 2026.
Arena: overall chat (25%): Millions of people compare two anonymous AI answers and pick the better one. Data checked 26 Oct 2026.
Arena: maths (13%): Blind votes on answers to maths questions. Data checked 26 Oct 2026.
Arena: writing & language (13%): Blind votes on everyday writing, editing and language tasks. Data checked 26 Oct 2026.
LiveBench: maths (13%): Recent competition maths and hard calculation problems. Data checked 26 Oct 2026.

Leaderboard data: Arena (arena.ai), CC BY 4.0 · Benchmark data: LiveBench (livebench.ai)

The picks up close

Our opinion first, then the sourced facts behind it.

Top pick

Gemini Google AI Pro

By Google · €21.99/mo

Source: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026

Our take (opinion, reviewed 7 Oct 2026)

The obvious pick if you already live in Gmail and Google Drive. The cheap AI Plus tier is hard to beat on price.

Good for

People who use Gmail, Docs and Drive every day
Students on a budget

Not for

People who avoid Google accounts

AI models included

Gemini 3.1 ProSource: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.
Gemini 4 ArgonSource: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026

What you get with Google AI Pro

4x higher usage limits than the free version in the Gemini appSource: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026
5 TB cloud storage for Gmail, Drive and PhotosSource: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026
1000 Google Flow credits for creating film scenes and storiesSource: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026
Pro gives about four times the usage limits of the free version.Source: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026
Pro includes 1000 Google Flow credits for video and story creation.Source: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026

Strengths

The free plan costs nothing with a Google account.Source: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026
Paid plans are available in more than 140 countriesSource: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026
Gemini works inside Gmail and Docs on the paid plans.Source: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026
Gemini helps with everyday tasks inside Gmail and Docs.Source: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026
Deep Research can analyse hundreds of sources in real timeSource: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026

Limitations

App usage limits reset every 5 hours until the weekly limit is reachedSource: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026
Google AI Pro is only available to users aged 18 and over.Source: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026
Usage limits may apply to Gemini use.Source: Google · verified 26 Oct 2026

Is Gemini Google AI Pro worth it? →
All Gemini plans and prices →
Official site: gemini.google.com ↗

Runner-up

Claude Pro

By Anthropic · $20/mo

Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

Our take (opinion, reviewed 7 Oct 2026)

Strong at writing and long, careful work with documents and code.

Good for

Long writing and editing work
Developers who want a coding agent included

Not for

People who want to make images

AI models included

Claude Fable 5.1 (limited use)Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.
Claude Haiku 5.5Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.
Claude Opus 5.5Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.
Claude Sonnet 5.5Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.

What you get with Pro

Pro gives at least 5x more usage per 5-hour session than FreeSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Claude Code is included with the planSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Includes projects and access to more Claude models.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Can hand off and schedule tasksSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Access to more Claude modelsSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
More usage than the Free planSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Projects to organize chats and documentsSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

Strengths

Free plan includes web search, file creation and code running.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Memory across conversations is included on every plan.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Claude Code is included in all paid plansSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Works in Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365 on Pro and MaxSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

Limitations

Your chats may be used for model training unless you opt outSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Usage limits apply and there is no fixed message count.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Prices shown do not include applicable taxes.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Usage limits reset every five hours, with weekly caps on paid plansSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Claude Code is not included in the free planSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Model training on your chats is on by default, with an opt-outSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

Is Claude Pro worth it? →
All Claude plans and prices →
Official site: claude.ai ↗

Best free option

Claude Free

By Anthropic · Free

Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

Our take (opinion, reviewed 7 Oct 2026)

Strong at writing and long, careful work with documents and code.

Good for

Long writing and editing work
Developers who want a coding agent included

Not for

People who want to make images

AI models included

Claude Haiku 5.5 (limited use)Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.
Claude Sonnet 5.5 (limited use)Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.

What you get with Free

Chat on web, desktop and mobile, with web search and file creation.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Memory carries across conversations.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Free covers everyday questions.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Chat on web, desktop, and mobile for freeSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

Strengths

Free plan includes web search, file creation and code running.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Memory across conversations is included on every plan.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Claude Code is included in all paid plansSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Works in Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365 on Pro and MaxSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

Limitations

Your chats may be used for model training unless you opt outSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Usage limits apply and there is no fixed message count.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Prices shown do not include applicable taxes.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Usage limits reset every five hours, with weekly caps on paid plansSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Claude Code is not included in the free planSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
Model training on your chats is on by default, with an opt-outSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

All Claude plans and prices →
Official site: claude.ai ↗

Questions people ask

Is using AI for studying allowed?: It depends on your university and your course. Many allow it for understanding material but not for writing graded work. Check the rules first.
Are there student discounts?: Some companies offer them. Our verdict lists the ones we found; check the official page for eligibility.

How did we pick these? Read how we rank. Want every plan side by side? See the full comparison.

Best AI for students

The full ranking

The picks up close

Gemini Google AI Pro

AI models included

What you get with Google AI Pro

Strengths

Limitations

Claude Pro

AI models included

What you get with Pro

Strengths

Limitations

Claude Free

AI models included

What you get with Free

Strengths

Limitations

Questions people ask

Other verdicts

Head to head

Is it worth it?

Prices per AI