HARPA AI vs Merlin (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Merlin grades higher than HARPA AI: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Merlin grades higher on the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HARPA AI
Browser extension that runs AI chat and automations on any page
Free plan · from €14.3/mo
Merlin
AI sidebar extension with models from several labs in one account
Free plan
Which one is for you
Pick HARPA AI if
- Fits if you want AI on whatever page you are reading, in Chrome
- Works for people who watch web pages or prices and want alerts
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not use Chrome, as the site names Chrome and only notes for Brave and Edge
- Tight if you stay free: 10 messages a day and 100 command runs
- Pricey if you use a lot of cloud models, as Megatokens are metered and output costs 3 times input
- Watch out: the pricing FAQ says there are no refunds, and euros showed when we read it from India
- Watch out: scheduled commands and advanced automation are on the dearer plan
Pick Merlin if
- Fits if you want an AI helper beside the web pages you read
- Works for long PDFs or YouTube videos where you only want the key points
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a clear price before you start, since its paid plans couldn't be confirmed
- Watch out: the App Store lists Pro at $20.00 a month and Unlimited at $15.00, and Google Play runs $3.49 to $499.99
- Skip it if you want voice chat, premium tools or team features for free, as they're described as premium
- Tight if you buy top-ups and forget them, since 3,000 queries for $4.99 expire after 30 days
- Tight if you go past 102 queries a day, the free plan's cap
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAHARPA AIFair | 2.8GPAMerlinGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFor Everyone is €14.3 a month billed annually, between the category's middle of $12.42 and its dearer quarter at $18. For Life is €238 once. | CWe can't pin the price down. Merlin's site answers automated readers with a security check, and the store listings disagree: the US App Store lists Merlin Pro at $20.00 and Merlin Unlimited at $15.00 a month, and Google Play shows items from $3.49 to $499.99. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe free Demo connects ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini through web sessions, with 10 messages a day and up to 100 command runs. | BUp to 102 queries a day across ChatGPT, Grok, DeepSeek, Gemini and Perplexity models, going by its Google Play listing. Most people could live on that. Voice chat, premium tools and team collaboration are the paid bits. |
| Features | CPage-aware chat, summaries of pages, PDFs and YouTube, commands and monitors. Scheduling and advanced automation are on the dearer plan, and cloud use is metered. | CA sidebar on any tab that summarises, translates and answers questions about the page, a PDF or a video, with models from several labs, Projects on your own files and 70-odd extra tools. The basics of a sidebar assistant, and the listing can't say what the paid tiers add. |
| Ease of use | CA browser extension where you connect web sessions or keys before it works. No store rating is on record. | B4.5 from about 780 App Store ratings. One shortcut opens it beside whatever you're reading, so there's not much to learn. The plans are the muddle, with query top-ups that expire sold on top. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA browser extension linked to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, OpenRouter, Azure, Make, Zapier and n8n. The site names Chrome, with notes for Brave and Edge. | AA browser extension, a web app, and apps for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, all on one account. It works inside Gmail, LinkedIn and YouTube, and beside Google, Bing and Yahoo results. |
| Best for | AI chat and page summaries inside Chrome | an AI sidebar on any web page |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: HARPA AI and Merlin. How we grade
Where they differ
- HARPA AI also covers workflow automation.
In commonFree planBrowser extensionAI featuresChat assistantAI searchAI agents
At a glance
| HARPA AI | Merlin | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €14.3 per month, billed annually | Not published |
| Free plan | Free DEMO plan: ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini through web sessions, limited to 10 messages a day, and up to 100 AI command runs. | Free plan with up to 102 queries per day across ChatGPT, Grok, DeepSeek, Gemini and Perplexity models, according to the Google Play listing. Paid plan prices could not be confirmed. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | HARPA AI TECHNOLOGIES LLC | Foyer Tech, Inc. |
| Price read from | harpa.ai | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HARPA AI
- The pricing page showed euro prices when read from India and no dollar price could be confirmed. The home page FAQ mentions a $12 starting price, so check at checkout.
- Cloud model use is metered in Megatokens: 1 Megatoken is 1 million input tokens, output tokens cost 3 times as much, and premium models use more.
- The pricing FAQ says there are no refunds or discounts, and a demo period is offered instead.
- It runs inside the browser. The site names Chrome and the Chrome Web Store, with troubleshooting notes for Brave and Edge.
Merlin
- Merlin's website answers automated readers with a security check, so its pricing page could not be read and paid plan prices are unverified.
- Store listings do not give a clear lineup: the US App Store lists Merlin Pro at $20.00 and Merlin Unlimited at $15.00 a month, and Google Play shows items from $3.49 to $499.99.
- The free plan is capped at up to 102 queries per day, and voice chat, premium tools and team collaboration are described as premium features.
- The US App Store also sells query top-ups that expire, such as 3,000 queries valid for 30 days at $4.99.
Key features
HARPA AI
- Page-aware AI chat
- Opens on any web page with Alt + A and can use the page's content, search results and uploaded files in its answers.
- Summaries of pages, PDFs and YouTube
- Condenses long videos, articles and documents, and can answer questions about them and jump to timestamps in a video.
- Commands and automation
- Reusable AI commands, over 100 ready-made prompts, scheduled runs and advanced automation, with scheduling and automation on the S2 and lifetime plans.
- Page and price monitors
- Watches a web page for changes or a product for price drops and back-in-stock alerts, and notifies you when something updates.
- Several ways to connect a model
- Connect ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini web sessions, use OpenRouter, Azure or other API keys, or draw on HARPA's cloud connection with a Megatoken balance.
Merlin
- Sidebar on any tab
- Ctrl+M or Cmd+M opens Merlin beside the page you are on, where it can summarize, translate or pull the key points out of that page.
- Multiple models in one interface
- Switches among models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, DeepSeek and other providers inside the same chat view.
- Projects
- Turns a knowledge base, uploaded files or links into a dedicated assistant, with the material kept together in one searchable place.
- Chat with files, pages and videos
- Answers questions about PDFs, documents, images and one or several open tabs, and summarizes YouTube videos, with bilingual subtitles available.
- Writing and translation help
- Suggests and rewrites text in any text box, including tweets, LinkedIn posts and Gmail, and translates selected text or whole pages in more than 50 languages.
- Search answers and AI tools
- Adds concise, citation-linked answers beside Google, Bing and Yahoo results, and bundles more than 70 tools such as an AI detector and an AI humanizer.
Plans
HARPA AI
Demo$0
Web session connections limited to 10 messages a day, up to 100 AI command runs, custom commands and web monitors.
For Everyone (S1)€14.3
per month, billed annually; 75 Megatokens a year
Unlimited power messages, cloud models, PDF and YouTube summaries, chat history and web monitors. No scheduling or advanced automation.
For Pros (S2)€19.6
per month, billed annually; 225 Megatokens a year
Everything in S1 plus scheduled commands, advanced automation, and a 10% discount on extra seats.
For Life (X)€238
one-time, paid once, single user only
Lifetime access with 30 Megatokens. Use your own API keys or web sessions. Cloud tokens can be bought at a discount.
Merlin
Pricing could not be confirmed. See getmerlin.in.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, HARPA AI or Merlin?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HARPA AI starts at €14.3 per month, billed annually, and Merlin has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, HARPA AI or Merlin?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both HARPA AI and Merlin have a free plan.
Which platforms do HARPA AI and Merlin run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Merlin lists a web app and macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a browser extension. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.