Meta AI

Meta AI is a free AI assistant for chat, research, images and shopping, available on the web, in its own app and inside WhatsApp and Instagram.

Meta AI is Meta's general assistant, available on the web, in iOS and Android apps, as a Mac app in beta, on Meta's AI glasses and inside Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. It offers an Instant mode for fast answers and a Thinking mode for harder questions, plus deep research, local recommendations, shopping help and scheduled tasks. Answers can cite public posts from Instagram, Facebook and Threads. People can upload photos, files and documents, talk by voice in 13 languages, and use live AI to ask about what the camera sees. Incognito Chats keep conversations private, and the Mac app can look at any window or take dictation in other apps.

Meta AI at a glance

Best for: Social media creator, Marketer, Writer, Student, Support
Runs on: Web, iOS, Android, macOS
Pricing: Free
Released: April 2024
Category: AI chat assistant
Website: meta.ai

Key features

Instant and Thinking modes for quick or reasoned answers
Deep research, local recommendations and shopping help
Answers that cite public Instagram, Facebook and Threads posts
Photo, file and document understanding
Voice conversations in 13 languages and live camera help
Incognito Chats for private conversations
Built into WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and Facebook

Use it for

Ask questions or plan things inside a WhatsApp group chat
Get help with a photo of a product, menu or broken item
Research a topic or compare products before buying

Alternatives to Meta AI

ChatGPT — Provides tailored responses, image creation, and file uploads.
DeepSeek — Free chat with strong reasoning and a very cheap API
Character.AI — Huge library of community-made characters for role-play and stories
Gemini — Works with Gmail, Drive and other Google apps, with a generous free tier
Pi — Warm, patient conversation partner, free to use
EasyChat AI — Native Windows chat app with a compact Quick Chat flyout and 20 free daily requests
NextChat — Bring your own access credentials or use flexible pay-as-you-go credits.
AI Virtual Phone — Simulates complete mobile phone interactions with AI characters in the browser.
Ari Helper 7 — Combines local and cloud AI models with on-device photo and film studios for one price.
Grok — Live answers from X posts plus built-in image and video generation
Merlin — Access multiple top AI models through one account without switching tabs.
AI Chat Menu Bar — Access chatbots instantly from the menu bar without switching windows.

All Meta AI alternatives