LongCatFree plan
Pricing
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View plans and limitsUpdated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison
LongCat vs Poe:
which should you use?
LongCat and Poe, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.
Find your best fitThe 30-second answer
LongCat meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.
Poe is built for general-purpose ai assistants.
Pricing, simplified
Start free. Upgrade when you need more.
PoeFree plan
Paid from
$4.99 a month
View plans and limitsThe 30-second comparison
If you only read one section, make it this one. Rows where both sides say the same thing are left out — the point is where they differ. Where each row came from is listed underneath.
| Category | LongCat | Poe | Better fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it's built for | Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes. | One subscription across most of the major models, so you can put the same question to several and compare rather than committing to one lab. | Poe |
| Fit for general-purpose ai assistants | Strong fit | Built for this | Poe |
| Free plan | Yes. Free to use at longcat.chat | Yes. Free tier with a daily points allowance | Tie |
| Cheapest way to pay | No paid tier — it is free. | $4.99 a month. | LongCat |
| What the paid tiers cost | No paid tier — it is free. |
| Tie |
| What to watch out for | Built for China first: the service runs from mainland China, data collected there is stored there, and its terms forbid commercial use of what it produces without Meituan’s permission. | Points, not messages, and different models burn them at wildly different rates. Heavy use of a frontier model empties an allowance faster than the plan name suggests. | Tie |
| Who it is usually for | people exploring | people exploring, working professionals, students | Tie |
| Made by | Meituan LongCat — Beijing, CN. | Quora — Mountain View, US. | Tie |
Poe is ahead on 2 of the 8 rows compared, 2 of them about how well it does the job itself, against 1 to LongCat. That is a clear lead rather than a tiebreaker.
Poe
One subscription across most of the major models, so you can put the same question to several and compare rather than committing to one lab.
✓ The job is mainly general-purpose ai assistants
✓ One subscription across most of the major models, so you can put the same question to several and compare rather than committing to one lab.
✓ You are among working professionals or students
✓ It is built for general-purpose ai assistants
Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.
LongCat is the better answer when the job is what it was built for rather than what the pick above does broadly.
✓ Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.
✓ You would rather not take on a subscription at all
✓ Free to use at longcat.chat
✓ It is aimed at people exploring
How we know
Every row that separated these two, and where it came from. Nothing here is a hands-on test — if a line rests on a vendor’s own pricing page, it says so and links it.
| Row | Favours | Weight | Where it came from |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it's built for | Poe | How well it does the job | From this site’s own catalogue record for each product — compiled by hand, not imported. How a product gets listed |
| Fit for general-purpose ai assistants | Poe | How well it does the job | Both products are listed under general-purpose ai assistants in the catalogue, and this is the fit recorded against each listing. Everything listed under general-purpose ai assistants |
| Cheapest way to pay | LongCat | Everything else | From each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below. |
The prices
LongCat. Read by hand off longcat.chat on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. longcat.chat
Poe. Read by hand off poe.com on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. poe.com/subscription_plans
The ratings
The category these two share. General-Purpose AI Assistants — both are listed there in the catalogue, and the fit recorded against each listing is a judgement made here, by hand.
The nine-category grid below. Derived from what each product is listed for, by one script, once per build — so the same pair always reads the same. It is a derivation, not a review.
What this is not
Neither product was run side by side to produce this page. Nobody was paid to appear on it and nothing here is ranked by commission.
To put the same question to both and read the answers yourself, run them side by side — that is a live test, and this is not.
Choose based on what you’re doing
All ten categories, including the ones where neither of these is the answer. These ratings are derived from what each product is listed for, not from running it — a rating here is a reading of the record, and the record is linked.
01
General-Purpose AI Assistants
Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.
LongCat
Bad fitPoe
Built for thisBest choice: Poe
02
Search, Research & Academics
Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.
LongCat
Bad fitPoe
Limited fitBest choice: Poe
03
Writing, Communication & Language
Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.
LongCat
Bad fitPoe
Limited fitBest choice: Poe
04
Coding, Data & Technical Work
Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.
LongCat
Bad fitPoe
Limited fitBest choice: Poe
05
Business, Finance & Professional Work
Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.
LongCat
Bad fitPoe
Limited fitBest choice: Poe
06
Image & Design
Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.
LongCat
Bad fitPoe
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
07
Video
Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.
LongCat
Bad fitPoe
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
08
Audio, Voice & Music
Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.
LongCat
Bad fitPoe
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
09
Marketing & Content Creation
Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.
LongCat
Bad fitPoe
Limited fitBest choice: Poe
10
Productivity, Automation & Personal Life
AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.
LongCat
Bad fitPoe
Limited fitBest choice: Poe
Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.
by Meituan LongCatMeituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.
You would rather not take on a subscription at all
Free to use at longcat.chat
It is aimed at people exploring
One subscription across most of the major models, so you can put the same question to several and compare rather than committing to one lab.
by QuoraThe job is mainly general-purpose ai assistants
One subscription across most of the major models, so you can put the same question to several and compare rather than committing to one lab.
You are among working professionals or students
It is built for general-purpose ai assistants
Pricing, simplified
The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.
PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
Free version
LongCat
Yes — Free plan availableFree to use at longcat.chat
Poe
Yes — Free plan availableFree tier with a daily points allowance
Individual plans
LongCatFree plan only
Poe
Subscription
$4.99 / monthor $19.99 / month
Business plans
LongCatNot sold to teams
PoeNot sold to teams
Enterprise
LongCatNot published
PoeNot published
Tell us what you use AI for
Pick your main job and the verdict below changes to match. Every answer is on the page already, so this works as a reader, not a lookup.
The verdict for that job
Poe
Poe. It is built for general-purpose ai assistants; LongCat does it well without it being its focus; both have a free plan you can start on.
8 rows compared
Frequently asked questions
Is LongCat or Poe better?
Poe is ahead on 2 of the 8 rows compared, 2 of them about how well it does the job itself, against 1 to LongCat. That is a clear lead rather than a tiebreaker. Poe is built for general-purpose ai assistants; LongCat does it well without it being its focus; both have a free plan you can start on. LongCat: Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes. Poe: One subscription across most of the major models, so you can put the same question to several and compare rather than committing to one lab.
Is LongCat or Poe cheaper?
Only one of the two publishes a ladder we have verified, so a like-for-like comparison is not possible yet.
Do LongCat and Poe both have free plans?
Yes. LongCat: Free to use at longcat.chat. Poe: Free tier with a daily points allowance.
What should I watch out for?
LongCat: Built for China first: the service runs from mainland China, data collected there is stored there, and its terms forbid commercial use of what it produces without Meituan’s permission. Poe: Points, not messages, and different models burn them at wildly different rates. Heavy use of a frontier model empties an allowance faster than the plan name suggests.
Read more
LongCat
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
Poe
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
Best AI Assistants
Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.