Compare AI tools

	Claude Code S	ChatGPT Operator B	OpenRouter S	Perplexity S
Tagline	Anthropic's CLI agent. Opus-powered, operates on your repo directly.	OpenAI's browser agent. Clicks and types on websites for you.	One API, every model. Pay-as-you-go, no subscriptions.	AI search done right. Cited answers, not chat theater.
Category	coding	agents	dev platform	research
Pricing	Part of Claude Pro/Max/Team plans	Included with ChatGPT Pro $200/mo	Pay per token — model-dependent	Free + $20/mo Pro
Best for	Developers who want an agent, not autocomplete. Large refactors, tests, docs.	Power users willing to pay $200/mo for a browser bot.	Developers experimenting across models. Apps that want fallback logic.	Replacing Google for any question where you want a cited answer in seconds.
Strengths	Runs locally, edits your actual files Strong on large codebases with 1M context Great at multi-step tasks	Actually uses websites — fills forms, clicks, checks out Built into ChatGPT Good for repetitive web tasks	300+ models from one endpoint Automatic fallbacks between providers No subscription — just pay what you use	Sources every claim Fast, current answers Pro Search runs multi-step research Spaces for persistent context
Weaknesses	Terminal-based — learning curve Can't be used without Claude subscription	Slow vs doing it yourself Breaks on complex auth flows $200/mo gate	Slight markup over direct API Some provider features not exposed	Not a general chatbot Answers can be shallow on complex topics
Kai's verdict	S-tier if you live in the terminal. Different shape than Cursor — complementary, not replacement.	B-tier. Still early. Manus is more flexible for less money.	S-tier for model-shopping. I use this for every prototype before committing.	S-tier for search. I use it before Google now. If you're still Googling everything, try this for a week.
Link	Open →	Open →	Open →	Open →