Editor's notes: what I actually use

Not a leaderboard. An operator who uses AI for real work daily, logging what they actually pay for and why. When products change, opinions get updated.

Last updated 2026-08-18

The AI I actually recommend in 2026 — from real use, not benchmarks

One subscription? Still ChatGPT Plus. Images: ChatGPT first, Doubao fine in China. Video: Seedance 2.0 first pick, MiniMax H3 closing fast. Claude is…

🏆Overall: ChatGPT Plus🖼Images: ChatGPT (in China: Doubao)🎬Video: Seedance 2.0🔥Closing fast: MiniMax H3 · Grok 4.6💪Strong but hard to access: Claude