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Curated list · 12 tools

Best AI Tools (2026)

The 2026 AI tool stack: cost calculators, model trackers, comparison tools, and budgeters for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi, Perplexity. All free.

Curated June 2026
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Picking the right AI in 2026 is a real spending decision. These 12 tools help you compare costs across Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, DeepSeek; calculate what prompt caching and batch APIs save; track frontier model releases; and budget your AI subscriptions before they balloon. Every tool runs in your browser, no signup, no data stored.

The full list

  1. 01 · Frontier AI Model Tracker

    Frontier AI Model Tracker

    Live tracker of every frontier AI model: Claude 4.7/4.6/4.5, GPT-5/mini, Gemini 3 Pro, DeepSeek R1/V3.2, Kimi K2, Grok 4, Llama 4. Filter by capability.

  2. 02 · AI Feature Comparison Matrix

    AI Feature Comparison Matrix

    Vision, voice, video, tools, agents, memory — every feature × every major AI tool in one matrix.

  3. 03 · AI API Rate Limit Tracker

    AI API Rate Limit Tracker

    Current RPM, TPM, and daily quota limits across Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, DeepSeek, Perplexity, xAI.

  4. 04 · Gemini vs ChatGPT Cost Calculator

    Gemini vs ChatGPT Cost Calculator

    Compare per-token API pricing across Gemini 3 Pro/2.5 Pro/Flash and GPT-5/mini/nano at your real volume.

  5. 05 · Claude vs DeepSeek Cost Calculator

    Claude vs DeepSeek Cost Calculator

    DeepSeek is 10x cheaper than Claude at ~95% the quality. See your savings switching at your real volume.

  6. 06 · Prompt Cache Savings Calculator

    Prompt Cache Savings Calculator

    Anthropic, OpenAI, and Gemini all give 90% off cached input tokens. Calculate your monthly savings.

  7. 07 · Batch API Savings Calculator

    Batch API Savings Calculator

    Batch APIs from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, DeepSeek give 50% off for async work. Calculate the savings.

  8. 08 · AI Agent Loop Cost Estimator

    AI Agent Loop Cost Estimator

    Agent loops accumulate context every step. Triangular-sum cost across 7 frontier models.

  9. 09 · AI Coding Tool Cost Comparison

    AI Coding Tool Cost Comparison

    9 AI coding plans compared by team size: GitHub Copilot, Cursor Pro/Ultra, Windsurf, Claude Pro/Max, Cody, Continue.dev.

  10. 10 · Embeddings Cost Comparison

    Embeddings Cost Comparison

    8 embedding providers compared by cost-per-million-tokens, dimensions, and MTEB benchmark scores.

  11. 11 · Multimodal Prompt Cost Estimator

    Multimodal Prompt Cost Estimator

    Estimate cost when prompts include images, video frames, or audio. Standard token-per-image conversions.

  12. 12 · AI Monthly Cost Budgeter

    AI Monthly Cost Budgeter

    Track every AI subscription and API spend in one place. Set a monthly budget, see your over/under at a glance.

The 5 levers that cut your AI bill

Prompt caching (90% off cached input). Batch API (50% off for async). Right-sized model (Haiku not Sonnet, Sonnet not Opus for routine work). Off-peak DeepSeek (50% off again). Self-host for sustained workloads. Most teams underutilize all five and end up paying 3-5x what they need to. Run your numbers through the calculators above before signing any annual contract.

Picking the right model in 2026

Default to Claude Sonnet 4.6 or GPT-5 for general use; reach for Opus / o-pro only when you've measured a real quality gap. Use DeepSeek V3.2 for high-volume agent loops where total cost dominates. Use Gemini 2.5/3 Pro for native multimodal or 2M context. Self-host Qwen 3.5 or Llama 3.3 if privacy or cost matters more than latency. The frontier-model-tracker above keeps the lineup current.

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