Forget ChatGPT — 4 reasons why you should try this chatbot you've (probably) never heard of

When it comes to chatbots, ChatGPT really does rule supreme. It’s got the fame, the skills and the backing to be most people’s obvious choice. However, it won’t always be the best choice for everyone.

For a lot of people, other big names like Gemini or Claude could actually be a better option than ChatGPT. But even more surprisingly, there is a smaller chatbot that has been gaining traction recently that could be a great fit for many.

Le Chat, a French chatbot created by the team Mistral AI, has built up a cult following. While there are a number of reasons for this, there are four in particular that I think help it stand out against the currently packed chatbot market.

A winner for privacy

We recently covered the fact that when the biggest chatbots were put to the test on privacy, Le Chat came out on top. That means, across a variety of privacy points, it was a better option than ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and other big competitors.

It is important to note for any die-hard ChatGPT readers here that OpenAI’s tool came second. However, Le Chat’s parent company Mistral has made privacy one of its big promises.

It doesn’t train on your data and it doesn’t sell any of your information off to other companies. It doesn’t even offer up your data to police forces, something that is becoming more common among AI companies.

Super-fast responses

One of Le Chat’s other big selling points is its speed. The chatbot offers a 10x speed option, pumping out responses at incredible rates.

When I asked the chatbot for the best restaurants near me, I was given 10 options with descriptions, prices and sources of information in less than three seconds.

It is not just the speed at which the bot processes the response, but also which it responds. With most chatbots, you’ll see the response slowly appearing on the screen, word by word. This pumps it all out in once.

However, this 10x version is only available a limited amount of times on the free plan. To use it more often you need to upgrade to Le Chat’s Pro plan.

Affordability

Speaking of Pro plans, one of Le Chat’s other benefits is the price of an upgrade. The chatbot offers free versions: Free, Pro and Team. The Pro plan, complete with unlimited access, more use of the 10x mode and increased use of attachments, only costs $14.99 a month.

That makes it one of the cheaper options if you’re looking to upgrade your chatbot. ChatGPT, for example, costs $20 a month to upgrade.

The Free plan also gives you access to a lot of features, including image generation, a few attempts at 10x speed responses and access to the latest and most powerful version of Le Chat.

Memory opt-in

Memory functions in chatbots aren’t for everyone. Le Chat leaves the option up to you, letting you decide whether you want your chatbot to remember details about you and learn your preferences.

This is a standout feature on both ChatGPT and Gemini, with models using past conversations and key points to offer a better experience.

On the other hand, Claude removes all memory functions. This supports privacy and keeps your data separate from the model.

Le Chat leaves that choice up to you, allowing you to choose the version that works best for your needs.

More from Tom's Guide

• GPT-5 will be here any minute — here's what we're hoping to see
• The Plaud NotePin was a winner in our AI awards 2025 — and its hit its lowest price in Prime Day
• You’re not using ChatGPT right unless you ask these 4 questions