ChatOn alternatives for iPhone in 2026
If you want a ChatOn-style AI chat app on iPhone with a different price or fewer extras, the closest matches are Genie and Nova, which also bundle chat, image generation and web search behind a subscription. ChatOn itself has the most ratings of the five (about 287,000) and the widest feature list in its listing.
Brainy (ours) is the lightest option: 25 MB, chat plus images, a camera scanner, English only, and a weekly or yearly Pro plan. It is also the least proven here, with 3 ratings and a single chat model. Chat AI - Ask Anything has a high rating but was last updated in December 2024.
At a glance
| App | Price (US) | What it offers | Languages | App Store privacy label | Version (date) | Rating (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brainy AI Helper Chat & Create Our app | Pro weekly $6.99, Pro yearly $89.99 (a $79.99 option is also listed) | AI chat, image generation, camera scanner for text and math | 1 (English) | Data Used to Track You; Data Not Linked to You | 1.3.5 (29 Aug 2026) | 4.7 (3 ratings) |
| ChatOn AI - Chat Bot Assistant | Premium weekly $6.99 to $7.99 (one with free trial); yearly $39.99, or PRO+ $59.99 | Chat, 100+ prompts, image and video generation, image-to-text, writing tools | 19 | Data Used to Track You; Data Linked to You; Data Not Linked to You | 1.98 (5 Oct 2026) | 4.7 (286,946 ratings) |
| Chatbot AI Assistant - Genie | Weekly $5.99 to $7.99; yearly $39.99 to $99.99 | Chat with Deep Thinking, image generator and editor, web search, photo analysis | 14 | Data Used to Track You; Data Linked to You; Data Not Linked to You | 10.7.1 (1 Oct 2026) | 4.7 (202,214 ratings) |
| AI Chatbot - Nova | Weekly $4.99 to $7.99; monthly $9.99; yearly $39.99 to $59.99 | Chat, image generation, web search, voice mode, file work, code help, scanning | 9 | Data Used to Track You; Data Not Linked to You | 4.5.4 (2 Oct 2026) | 4.6 (127,173 ratings) |
| Chat AI - Ask Anything | Weekly $6.99 to $7.99; monthly $19.99; yearly $29.99 to $69.99; credit packs $9.99 and $49.99 | Plain text chat for writing, questions and conversation | 25 | Data Used to Track You; Data Not Linked to You | 1.9 (21 Dec 2024) | 4.8 (130,263 ratings) |
Prices are the in-app purchases listed on each US App Store page on 16 October 2026 (the page shows only some of them, so more plans may exist); all five are free to download. Ratings are the App Store average and number of ratings that day. What each competitor offers is what its own listing says; we did not run quality tests.
1. Brainy AI Helper Chat & Create Our app
Best for: a small, quick chat-and-images app when you do not need a long feature list.
- Chat: in version 1.3.5 the answers come from one model, DeepSeek. Our App Store listing still says Gemini, Claude and Grok; that text is wrong for this version and is being corrected in the next release.
- Images: text to image with Google's Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image), with a small daily allowance of free images.
- Camera scanner: point the camera at text or a maths problem and ask about it.
- 25 MB, iOS 18.0 or later (English interface).
Limits: only 3 ratings so far, a single chat model, English only, and iOS 18 or later. No video generation in this version, no web search, and no model picker.
2. ChatOn AI - Chat Bot Assistant
Best for: people who want the biggest feature list and a ready prompt library in one chat app.
- Its listing says the chat uses several named AI models and offers more than 100 ready prompts.
- Makes images and videos from photos inside the chat; extracts text from photos.
- 19 languages, iOS 16 or later, 259 MB.
Limits: the subscription is the way in (weekly prices from $6.99), the app is large (259 MB), and its privacy label includes tracking and data linked to you.
3. Chatbot AI Assistant - Genie
Best for: a polished all-round chatbot with web search and step-by-step reasoning for harder questions.
- Deep Thinking for coding, maths and logic questions, according to its listing.
- Built-in image generator and image editor, plus Analyze Photos to identify objects, translate text or read handwritten equations.
- 14 languages, iOS 16.4 or later, 206 MB.
Limits: weekly subscriptions with several overlapping prices, and a privacy label that includes tracking and data linked to you.
4. AI Chatbot - Nova
Best for: people who want voice mode, file work and code help in the same chat app.
- Its listing names six model families it says it is built on, and offers voice mode and work on Word and Excel files.
- Translation in 140+ languages according to the listing; the interface itself has 9.
- iOS 15 or later, 228 MB.
Limits: many plan variants at different prices, and it is a large app. Its privacy label lists data used to track you.
5. Chat AI - Ask Anything
Best for: a simple chat with the most languages of the five (25).
- Its listing describes plain chat for essays, emails and conversation; it does not list image or video generation.
- 25 languages, iOS 15 or later, 201 MB.
Limits: the last update was in December 2024, almost two years ago, the listing does not say which AI models it uses, and it mixes subscriptions with credit packs.
Who should use what
- You want the longest feature list and prompt library: ChatOn.
- You want web search and reasoning in a polished chatbot: Genie.
- You want voice mode and work on files: Nova.
- You want a small app with chat and images and no extras: Brainy (ours), knowing it is new and English only.
- You want many interface languages and plain chat: Chat AI - Ask Anything, if you accept that it has not been updated since 2024.
Use cases
- Drafting emails, essays and posts, and proofreading.
- Homework help and explanations (check important facts yourself).
- Making an image from a description.
- Asking about a photo or a page you scan with the camera.
How we checked
On 16 October 2026 we opened each app's US App Store page and Apple's lookup data: in-app purchase prices, version and release date, rating and number of ratings, languages, size, minimum iOS and the privacy label categories. What each competitor offers is taken from its own listing. What Brainy does is taken from its listing and checked in its code for the version in the store (1.3.5). We did not run a quality test of the answers, so this page does not say which chat is smartest. We did not invent ratings or reviews.
Subscription prices change often and App Store pages list only some purchases. Check the price shown inside each app before paying.
Frequently asked questions
What are good alternatives to ChatOn on iPhone?
Genie, Nova, Brainy (ours) and Chat AI - Ask Anything are alternatives that also give you AI chat on iPhone. Genie and Nova are the closest in features (chat, image generation, web search); Brainy is a smaller app with chat, images and a camera scanner.
Is there a free alternative to ChatOn?
All five apps are free to download, but each sells subscriptions or credits, so how much you can do for free depends on the app and changes over time. Check the free allowance inside the app.
Which ChatOn alternative has the best ratings?
On 16 October 2026 in the US App Store, Chat AI - Ask Anything has the highest average (4.8 from about 130,000 ratings), followed by Genie (4.7) and ChatOn (4.7). Brainy has 3 ratings, too few to compare.
Does Brainy use several AI models?
Not in version 1.3.5, the one in the store today. Chat uses DeepSeek and images use Google's Nano Banana. Our App Store text that names other chat models is wrong for this version.
Which of these apps collect data to track you?
According to their App Store privacy labels, all five list Data Used to Track You. ChatOn and Genie also list Data Linked to You. Brainy lists Data Used to Track You and Data Not Linked to You.
Sources
- Brainy (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1667947372 (16 October 2026)
- ChatOn AI (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1661308505 (16 October 2026)
- Genie (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1658377526 (16 October 2026)
- Nova (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1669007652 (16 October 2026)
- Chat AI - Ask Anything (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1660877567 (16 October 2026)