The LMArena Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about LMArena in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
LMArena
The Insider’s Guide
Compare AI models side by side and vote on the answers
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI assistants, read from LMArena’s own pages.
Made by Arena Intelligence Inc. · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from LMArena’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on LMArena’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 15 of the 87 other AI assistants we grade
LMArena, now branded Arena at arena.ai, is a platform where you send a prompt to AI models and compare the answers. Your votes feed public leaderboards that rank models for text, web development, images, video, search and other tasks. It started as the UC Berkeley research project Chatbot Arena and is now run by Arena Intelligence Inc.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about LMArena, taken from its own pages and our grades.
But the vendor's pages gave no price, so cost and limits are unverified, and models are anonymous until you vote.
- 1
Best for comparing AI models side by side and voting
LMArena, now branded Arena, lets you send one prompt to AI models and compare the answers, with your votes feeding public leaderboards.
- 2
It is free
LMArena has no paid plan at all.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
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.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
A 2.2 GPA, above 15 of 87
That is against the other AI assistants we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
LMArena is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
LMArena at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- It is free
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Arena Intelligence Inc.
- Category
- AI Assistants
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for comparing AI models side by side and voting
LMArena, now branded Arena, lets you send one prompt to AI models and compare the answers, with your votes feeding public leaderboards. But the vendor's pages gave no price, so cost and limits are unverified, and models are anonymous until you vote.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | The 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. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Listed as free, but the terms say an account may be required for some features, and no usage limits are published. |
| Features | C | Battle, Side by Side and Direct modes, leaderboards, image and video generation. A focused tool for comparing models, not a daily assistant. |
| Ease of use | B | A website where you type a prompt and pick the better answer. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web only. The pages name no apps and no integrations. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who LMArena is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- People choosing a model who want to see answers from several side by side
- Anyone who wants to try pre-release or newly launched models
- Readers who follow community-voted AI rankings
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Free
No paid plan at all
LMArena's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
The listing calls it free, but no price page exists and the homepage sits behind a bot check, so the cost is not confirmed.
We could not confirm LMArena’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. arena.ai has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Compare AI models side by side and vote on the answers. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: chat assistant, AI search, image generation, video generation.
Battle, Side by Side and Direct modes, leaderboards, image and video generation.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
LMArena is made by Arena Intelligence Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
15/87
Other AI assistants it is graded above
LMArena's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 15 of the 87 other AI assistants we grade, and level with 15.
It stands best on ease of use (B, above 40 of 87) and worst on features (C, above 1).
LMArena has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 88 AI assistants we grade, cut by the letter each got. LMArena’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 10 of 87
- CFree plan and trialAbove 12 of 87
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 87
- BEase of useAbove 40 of 87
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 87
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 65 AI assistants. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. LMArena is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
LMArena is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 57 of the 87 other AI assistants grade higher.
What you could not
- An AI model, which you can rent by the request but not make.
- An image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make.
- A video model, which you can rent by the second but not make.
- A search engine with an AI model behind it.
What this rests on. LMArena’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Poe, OpenRouter Chat, ChatLLM, T3 Chat and TypingMind
The 5 tools LMArena is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.4GPA
Poe
Free plan · from $4.17/mo
One app for chatting with AI models from many different labs.
- Only Poe lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- LMArena also covers image generation and video generation.
- 2.0GPA
OpenRouter Chat
Free plan · from $0
Compare answers from hundreds of AI models in one chat.
- LMArena also covers AI search, image generation and video generation.
- 2.4GPA
ChatLLM
From $10/mo
Multi-model AI assistant and agent platform from Abacus.AI.
- LMArena has a free plan. ChatLLM does not.
- Only ChatLLM lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only ChatLLM lists a browser extension.
- 2.2GPA
T3 Chat
Free plan
Web chat app with models from several AI labs in one account.
- LMArena also covers image generation and video generation.
- 2.8GPA
TypingMind
Free plan · from $39 one-time
Chat interface for AI models that runs on your own API keys.
- TypingMind is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- TypingMind can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- LMArena also covers image generation and video generation.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
10
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is LMArena free?
Yes. LMArena is free to use.
What platforms does LMArena work on?
LMArena is available on Web.
Does LMArena have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. LMArena is listed for Web.
Does LMArena have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. LMArena is listed for Web.
Is LMArena open source?
LMArena is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Who makes LMArena?
LMArena is made by Arena Intelligence Inc.
What are the alternatives to LMArena?
The closest alternatives to LMArena in our directory are Poe, OpenRouter Chat, ChatLLM, T3 Chat and TypingMind.
How does LMArena compare with other AI assistants?
LMArena's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 15 of the 87 other AI assistants we grade, and level with 15.
Is LMArena good value for money?
ToolGPA grades LMArena C for value for money. LMArena has no paid plan.
Could I make my own version of LMArena?
LMArena is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from LMArena’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from LMArena's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. Its pricing page showed no plan prices in the text we could read, so the grades lean on the listing.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Arena Intelligence Inc. Prices change, so check arena.ai before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- LMArena, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/lmarena
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "LMArena: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/lmarena
Know someone choosing between AI assistants?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/lmarena/guide
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See our other guides
The best-graded AI assistants after LMArena, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- AI Assistants Insider's GuideEvery one of the 88 AI assistants we grade, compared
- Gemini Insider's GuideGoogle's AI assistant, tied into Gmail, Docs and other Google apps3.8 GPA
- Chatbox Insider's GuideAI chat client for your own API keys or a hosted model plan3.4 GPA
- ChatGPT Insider's GuideOpenAI's general-purpose AI assistant for chat, images and voice3.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what LMArena’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. LMArena is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Arena Intelligence Inc. Prices and plans change: check arena.ai before you buy.