Merlin vs Monica
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Merlin
AI sidebar extension with models from several labs in one account
Monica
AI assistant with many models, built around a browser sidebar
Where they differ
- Monica also covers grammar & style.
At a glance
| Merlin | Monica | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $8.3 per month, billed annually ($99 per year) |
| Free plan | 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. | 40 requests to basic models a day, basic writing, translation and summaries, and limited trials of image and video generation, ChatPDF and the AI Agent. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Foyer Tech, Inc. | Butterfly Effect Pte. Ltd. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | monica.im |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Merlin
- People who want an AI sidebar on any website
- Summarizing pages, PDFs and YouTube videos while browsing
- Trying models from several labs with one account
Monica
- People who want AI help inside the browser on any web page
- Summarizing web pages, YouTube videos and PDFs
- Using several model families under one subscription
Worth knowing
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.
Monica
- The Free plan allows 40 basic-model requests a day and gives only limited trials of image and video generation, ChatPDF and the AI Agent.
- Pro is capped at 5,000 basic and 200 advanced model queries a month, and image, video and agent features spend Advanced Credits on every plan.
- Accounts are for personal use only, and Monica says a team subscription has not launched. The prices listed are for annual billing.
- Monica's help center describes an August 2026 transition in which data created since December 29, 2025 was set to be deleted for users in certain regions.
Key features
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.
Monica
- Many models in one chat
- Chats with models such as GPT-5.5, Claude 4.6 Sonnet and Gemini 3.1 Pro from one account, and can show answers from several models side by side for comparison.
- Browser sidebar and toolbar
- The Chrome and Edge extension opens an AI sidebar on any web page, and a toolbar explains, translates or summarizes whatever text you select.
- Summaries of pages, videos and files
- Summarizes web pages and files, pulls highlights with timestamps from YouTube videos, and answers questions about PDFs through ChatPDF.
- Writing and translation
- Drafts and rewrites text on any page, checks grammar, suggests replies in Gmail and Outlook, and translates whole web pages for side-by-side bilingual reading.
- AI Agent tools
- Deep Research, Create Slides, Image Studio and Browser Operator run as agent tasks. Each one spends Advanced Credits from the plan's monthly allowance.
- Image and video generation
- Generates images and video with models such as Nano Banana 2, GPT Image 2, Sora 2 and Veo 3, also charged in Advanced Credits.
Plans
Merlin
Pricing could not be confirmed. See getmerlin.in.
Monica
Free$0
40 requests to basic models a day, with limited trials of image and video generation, ChatPDF and the AI Agent. Up to 3 login devices.
Pro$8.3
per month, billed annually ($99 per year)
5,000 basic and 200 advanced model queries a month, 1,500 Advanced Credits, the AI Agent, and image and video generation.
Max$16.6
per month, billed annually ($199 per year)
Unlimited basic and advanced model access with 4,500 Advanced Credits. Formerly Unlimited and still in beta. Shown as a flash sale from $299 per year.
Ultra$82.9
per month, billed annually ($995 per year)
Unlimited basic and advanced model access with 20,000 Advanced Credits and up to 10 login devices, for heavy AI Agent use.
Ways to pay less
Merlin
No public discounts listed.
Monica
- Annual discount
Save 17% with annual billing
The pricing page marks Pro ($99 per year) and Ultra ($995 per year) as saving 17% with annual billing. Max is shown at $199 per year, crossed out from $299, as a 33% flash sale with no end date given.
