We reviewed 9 tools for general-purpose use. 6 offer a permanent free plan, 2 are developed in France and none clearly states European data hosting. 7 out of 9 show a public starting price.
How to choose
- For business use, choose a team or enterprise plan, which governs how your data is used.
- Test on your real tasks: writing, document analysis, research.
- “Agent mode” (browsing, actions in tools) still needs supervision.
- If data sovereignty matters, look at the vendor’s country and the stated hosting.
By profile
- Start without paying
- ChatGPT (agent mode), Claude, Gemini, Le Chat / Vibe (Mistral), Lumo (Proton) and Perplexity offer a permanent free plan.
- Working with a French vendor
- Le Chat / Vibe (Mistral) and Mammouth are developed in France.
- Keeping data in Europe
- No tool in this selection clearly states European hosting on the pages we checked: ask the vendor.
- A website in French
- ChatGPT (agent mode), Claude, Gemini, Le Chat / Vibe (Mistral), Mammouth, DeepL and Manus have an official website in French.
- Price on request
- Lumo (Proton) and Manus don’t publish a starting price: you have to ask for a quote.
The selection, tool by tool
Order: number of criteria confirmed by the vendor (free plan, French website, EU hosting, GDPR), then alphabetical. This is not a quality ranking: we haven’t tested the tools, we report what the vendors publish.
ChatGPT (agent mode)
United States · 11General-purpose assistants
OpenAI’s ChatGPT, with an agent mode that browses, fills in forms and completes tasks for you.
The first paid plan listed by the vendor is: Go US$8/month; Plus US$20/month. ChatGPT (agent mode) offers a permanent free plan. The official website is available in French. European hosting isn’t mentioned on the pages we checked; GDPR mention not verified.
Note: Free at US$0.
- Free plan
- Site in French
Full profile · Official website ↗ · Official pricing ↗ · Alternatives
Claude
United States · 11General-purpose assistants
Anthropic’s AI assistant for writing, analysing, coding and creating files, with connectors and agents.
The first paid plan listed by the vendor is: Pro $17/month (annual) or $20/month. Claude offers a permanent free plan. The official website is available in French. European hosting isn’t mentioned on the pages we checked; GDPR mention not verified.
Note: Free: “Free for everyone”.
- Free plan
- Site in French
Full profile · Official website ↗ · Official pricing ↗ · Alternatives
Gemini
United States · 11General-purpose assistants
Google’s AI assistant, with Gemini Live for real-time conversation and managing your tasks.
The first paid plan listed by the vendor is: Google AI Plus €4.99/month. Gemini offers a permanent free plan. The official website is available in French. European hosting isn’t mentioned on the pages we checked; GDPR mention not verified.
Note: No-cost version with a Google account.
- Free plan
- Site in French
Full profile · Official website ↗ · Official pricing ↗ · Alternatives
Pro $14.99/month excl. taxMistral AI’s (Paris) assistant, now called Vibe: Work, Code and Chat modes.
The first paid plan listed by the vendor is: Pro $14.99/month excl. tax. Le Chat / Vibe (Mistral) offers a permanent free plan. The official website is available in French. European hosting isn’t mentioned on the pages we checked; GDPR mention not verified.
Note: Free plan.
- Free plan
- Site in French
- French vendor
Mammouth
France · 11General-purpose assistants
French service giving access to the main AI models (GPT, Claude, Gemini, Mistral…) in a single subscription.
The first paid plan listed by the vendor is: Starter US$12/month excl. tax. We found no mention of a permanent free plan. The official website is available in French. European hosting isn’t mentioned on the pages we checked, but GDPR is.
- Site in French
- GDPR mentioned
- French vendor
DeepL
Germany · 11General-purpose assistants
AI translation platform for text, documents and voice, with an API and uses for AI agents.
The first paid plan listed by the vendor is: Starter €7.49/month (annual). We found no mention of a permanent free plan. The official website is available in French. European hosting isn’t mentioned on the pages we checked; GDPR mention not verified.
Note: 30-day free trial.
- Site in French
Lumo (Proton)
Switzerland · 11General-purpose assistants
Proton’s AI assistant, with zero-access encryption, which does not keep your conversations.
The vendor doesn’t publish a starting price on its pricing page: you have to ask. Lumo (Proton) offers a permanent free plan. We couldn’t verify whether the site is available in French. European hosting isn’t mentioned on the pages we checked; GDPR mention not verified.
Note: Usable for free; a free account raises the limits. Paid plan price not readable.
- Free plan
Manus
Singapore · 11General-purpose assistants
General-purpose AI agent that carries out research and builds websites, slides and documents on its own.
The vendor doesn’t publish a starting price on its pricing page: you have to ask. We found no mention of a permanent free plan. The official website is available in French. European hosting isn’t mentioned on the pages we checked; GDPR mention not verified.
Note: Prices can’t be read automatically.
- Site in French
Perplexity
United States · 11General-purpose assistants
AI answer engine that cites its sources, with deep research and access to several models.
The first paid plan listed by the vendor is: Pro $17/month (annual). Perplexity offers a permanent free plan. We couldn’t verify whether the site is available in French. European hosting isn’t mentioned on the pages we checked; GDPR mention not verified.
Note: Free version; site in English.
- Free plan
Full profile · Official website ↗ · Official pricing ↗ · Alternatives
The summary table
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Which AI tools for general-purpose use offer a free plan?
According to the vendors’ pricing pages, ChatGPT (agent mode), Claude, Gemini, Le Chat / Vibe (Mistral), Lumo (Proton) and Perplexity offer a permanent free plan. A mere free trial doesn’t count.
Are there French solutions for general-purpose use?
Yes: Le Chat / Vibe (Mistral) and Mammouth are developed in France.
Which tools for general-purpose use host data in Europe?
No tool in the selection clearly states European hosting on the pages we checked. That doesn’t mean it isn’t possible: ask the vendor.
How much does an AI tool for general-purpose use cost?
Starting prices shown by the vendors: ChatGPT (agent mode): Go US$8/month; Plus US$20/month; Claude: Pro $17/month (annual) or $20/month; Gemini: Google AI Plus €4.99/month; Le Chat / Vibe (Mistral): Pro $14.99/month excl. VAT; Mammouth: Starter US$12/month excl. VAT; DeepL: Starter €7.49/month (annual); Perplexity: Pro $17/month (annual). No public price: Lumo (Proton) and Manus.
Answers based solely on information published by the vendors and collected on 19 Oct 2026.