LMArena vs T3 Chat (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, LMArena and T3 Chat share a 2.2 GPA, both have a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on which features you need.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick LMArena if
- Fits if you are choosing a model and want to see answers from several at once
- Works for people who follow community-voted AI rankings
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a daily assistant with memory and files, as it is built for comparison
- Not for you if you mind your votes being public, as they feed the leaderboards
- Watch out: the cost and any limits could not be confirmed from the pages read
- Watch out: in Battle mode models stay anonymous until you vote, and an account may be needed for some features
Pick T3 Chat if
- Fits if you want OpenAI, Anthropic and Google models under one account
- Works for people who chat in short, frequent bursts, since one quota refills every 4 hours
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to see the price before you sign up, as it's only shown in the app's settings
- Not for you if you want a phone or desktop app, because only a web app is described
- Tight if you run long threads with big attachments, which drain the usage meter faster
- Watch out: the terms say no refunds are given when you cancel your account
- Too light for images, voice or agents, as none of them is on the listing
How we grade them
| 2.2GPALMArenaFair | 2.2GPAT3 ChatFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe listing calls it free, but no price page exists and the homepage sits behind a bot check, so the cost is not confirmed. That leaves it in the middle. | CNo price on record. The terms say usage past the free limits is charged, but the rates live in the app's settings and couldn't be read for this listing, and the terms add that there are no refunds when you cancel. |
| Free plan and trial | CListed as free, but the terms say an account may be required for some features, and no usage limits are published. | CFree up to certain usage limits, says the terms of service, and nowhere do those limits appear outside the app's settings. When both buckets run dry you sit and wait for the refill. |
| Features | CBattle, Side by Side and Direct modes, leaderboards, image and video generation. A focused tool for comparing models, not a daily assistant. | CThe basics with the gaps on show: models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google plus OpenRouter, reasoning effort set per chat, web search, PDF and image attachments, profiles and temporary chats. No image generation, no voice and no agent tools on the listing. |
| Ease of use | BA website where you type a prompt and pick the better answer. No store rating is on record. | BNo rating on record, but there's nothing to install or configure: it's a chat window in a browser tab. The usage meter takes a minute to grasp, with one bucket refilling every 4 hours and another on your renewal date. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only. The pages name no apps and no integrations. | CA web app, and that's all the readable pages describe. No desktop or phone app, and the only things it connects to are the model providers behind it. |
| Best for | comparing AI models side by side and voting | several labs' models in one browser tab |
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: LMArena and T3 Chat. How we grade
Where they differ
- LMArena also covers image generation and video generation.
In commonFree planWebChat assistantAI search
At a glance
| LMArena | T3 Chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | Not published |
| Free plan | None | The terms of service say T3 Chat is provided without charge up to certain usage limits, with fees for usage beyond them. The limits and paid prices are shown only in the app's settings. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Arena Intelligence Inc. | T3 Tools, Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
LMArena
- The pricing could not be confirmed: the homepage sits behind a bot check and no pricing page exists, so cost and any usage limits are not verified here.
- In Battle mode the models are anonymous until you vote, and your votes become part of the public leaderboards.
- The terms say an account may be required to access certain features of the service.
- The vendor's pages describe a web product and name no desktop or mobile apps.
T3 Chat
- Prices and usage limits are shown only in the app's settings page and could not be read for this listing.
- Usage is metered: long threads, attachments, search and costlier models drain the quota faster, and when both buckets are empty you wait for a refill.
- The terms of service say no refunds are given when you cancel your account.
- The pages that could be read describe a web app only; no desktop or mobile apps are mentioned.
Key features
LMArena
- Battle mode
- Two anonymous models answer the same prompt and you vote for the better reply. Pre-release models can show up under codenames, according to the FAQ.
- Side by Side and Direct modes
- Side by Side lets you pick two models to compare, and Direct Mode lets you chat with one model of your choice. The FAQ describes how votes are used in each.
- Public leaderboards
- Rankings come from votes using the Bradley-Terry rating system and cover categories such as text, WebDev, vision, document, search, image and video.
- Image and video generation
- The site lists use cases for generating images and videos, with matching text-to-image, image edit and video leaderboards, and a help article on Video Arena.
- Agent and web app building
- The navigation lists an Agent leaderboard and use cases for building apps and websites and completing multi-step tasks.
T3 Chat
- Models from several providers
- Runs models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google and routes others through OpenRouter. The model and its reasoning effort are chosen per chat.
- Web search
- Search can be switched on for a chat so that answers draw on more recent results, with between 1 and 5 search queries or tool calls allowed per run.
- Two-bucket usage meter
- Usage is spent from a Base bucket that refills every 4 hours, then from an Overage bucket that refills on the monthly renewal date. Settings show each as its own percentage bar.
- File and image attachments
- Prompts can include uploaded PDF files, images and text files. Large or numerous attachments raise what a message costs against the usage meter.
- Profiles and temporary chats
- A chat can be started under a named profile, or as a temporary chat that is not kept as a saved thread. A /new URL with query parameters presets the prompt, model and search setting.
- Training opt-outs
- T3 Chat says it does not train its own models and has opted out of training-data collection with its providers where possible. Models that require training are labeled.
Plans
LMArena
Pricing could not be confirmed. See arena.ai.
T3 Chat
Pricing could not be confirmed. See t3.chat.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, LMArena or T3 Chat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, LMArena has no price we could confirm, and T3 Chat has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, LMArena or T3 Chat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both LMArena and T3 Chat have a free plan.
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.