1
Arena
arena.ai/text/directAlso covers ai models, programming, and research
Arena lets users prompt multiple frontier AI models in one place for research, coding, and creative tasks.
Alternatives
The Best Direct Alternatives in 2026
24 alternatives1 free · 4 open source
Looking for something like Direct? Here are 24 alternatives, ranked by how closely they match it on purpose, features and platforms. Of these, 1 are free or have a free plan and 4 are open source.
Direct lets you prompt multiple open-source and proprietary language models in one place for research, coding, and creative tasks.
Top picks at a glance
First suggestionArenaArena lets users prompt multiple frontier AI models in one…Free or freemium optionOdysseusOdysseus provides a self hosted AI workspace with chat…Open source optionIntelliIntelli builds chatbots and agents from user-defined…Another optionMerlinMerlin offers an AI chat interface for accessing models…
Quick comparison
| # | Alternative | Pricing | Open source | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arena | — | Not stated | Web |
| 2 | Merlin | — | Not stated | Android, Browser extension, iOS |
| 3 | AI Assistant | — | Not stated | Web |
| 4 | Chatbox | — | Not stated | Android, iOS, Web |
| 5 | Intelli | — | Yes | — |
| 6 | ChatHelp.ai | — | Not stated | Web |
| 7 | ChatSonic | — | Not stated | Web |
| 8 | WizyChat | — | Not stated | Web |
| 9 | Alphaxiv | — | Not stated | Web |
| 10 | Exa | — | Not stated | Web |
All Direct alternatives
2
Merlin
getmerlin.inAlso covers ai models
Merlin offers an AI chat interface for accessing models such as ChatGPT and Gemini to research, write, code, and create images.
3
AI Assistant
aiassistantbot.pages.devAlso covers ai models
AI Assistant provides users with chat access to more than 30 different AI models.
4
Chatbox
chatboxai.appAlso covers ai models
Chatbox brings several AI models into one app for chat and work using user supplied API keys.
5
Also covers ai models · open source
Intelli builds chatbots and agents from user-defined intents and model choices.
6
ChatHelp.ai
chathelp.aiAlso covers ai models
ChatHelp.ai offers a business, work, and study assistant, a website chat widget, and curated AI tools and agents.
7
ChatSonic
writesonic.com/chatAlso covers research · same kind of website
ChatSonic combines AI chat with marketing workflows, research, and connected tools.
8
WizyChat
wizy.chatAlso covers programming · same kind of website
WizyChat creates custom GPT chatbots trained on website pages, help centers, stores, FAQs, and other data.
9
Alphaxiv
alphaxiv.orgAlso covers research
alphaXiv helps users discover, read, and discuss arXiv papers, with research answers grounded in the underlying work.
10
Exa
exa.ai/searchAlso covers research
Exa Agent provides a web research interface with a chat and API playground.
11
Owlbot
owlbot.aiAlso covers programming
Owlbot lets companies create AI chatbots and workflows trained on their business information.
12
Also covers programming
ResolveAI creates a custom business chatbot from website pages, documents, and other connected data resources.
13
Paper2Gal
paper2gal.comAlso covers research
Paper2Galgame turns academic papers into interactive visual novels, with PDF uploads and chat-based study features.
14
Same kind of website
Microsoft Copilot provides AI chat for answering questions, writing, image creation, work tasks, and coding.
15
Chatbot
chatbotapp.aiChatbot offers an AI chatbot app with assistant features and tools for productivity and creative tasks.
16
LLM-API-Key-Proxy
github.com/Mirrowel/LLM-API-Key-ProxyLLM-API-Key-Proxy provides a gateway for multiple language model APIs, with compatible endpoints and provider translation.
17
Ollama
ollama.comSame kind of website
Ollama runs open models for coding agents while keeping model use local.
18
Open source
TextFX is a deprecated AI experiment from Google Creative Lab for exploring language and text.
19
ChatGPT
chatgpt.comChatGPT supports questions, writing, image creation, work tasks, and coding through chat.
20
Open source
OpenAgent supports personal AI tasks involving retrieval, browser and computer use, and coding assistance.
21
Nova
novaapp.aiMultiple AI models are available through Nova, a chatbot interface powered by ChatGPT.
22
Inception
chat.inceptionlabs.aiSame kind of website
Inception Chat provides conversation with Mercury, a commercial diffusion language model.
23
Open source · free
Odysseus provides a self hosted AI workspace with chat, agents, tools, model serving, email, and research.
24
Monica
monica.imMonica combines chat, image, video, and research tools with models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.
No alternatives match this filter.
Alternatives to similar tools
Microsoft Copilot24 alternativesChatbot24 alternativesAI Assistant24 alternativesChatbox24 alternativesIntelli24 alternativesLLM-API-Key-Proxy24 alternatives
What is the best alternative to Direct?
Based on features, tags and platforms, the closest alternatives to Direct are Arena, Merlin, and AI Assistant.
Is there a free alternative to Direct?
Yes. Odysseus is free or offer a free plan.
Are there open-source alternatives to Direct?
Yes: Intelli, Generative AI Docs, OpenAgent, and Odysseus.
Alternatives are suggested from the purpose and features described in our listings. Different pages for the same product appear once. Read each description to check whether it fits your task. How we choose alternatives · Suggest an alternative