MaxAI review (2026): is the free plan enough?
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MaxAI report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for an AI sidebar in Chrome or Edge
MaxAI is an AI sidebar for Chrome and Edge that answers questions about the page, PDF or video you have open, with several AI labs' models behind one plan. The free plan stops at 3 Pro chats a day, and if you use Firefox, Safari or a phone, there is no extension for you.
Who MaxAI is for
- Fits if you read and write inside Chrome or Edge all day
- Works for people who want several AI models on one plan
Who MaxAI is not for
- Skip it if you use Firefox, Safari or a phone, since no extension or app is listed for them
- Tight if you stay free, as you get 3 Pro chats a day and limited uploads
- Watch out: image generation and model choice are Pro features, and payments are final and non-refundable
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $30 against $12 when billed yearly
Why MaxAI gets a 2.6
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyPro is $12 a member a month billed yearly, which is the middle of what AI assistants charge ($12). It is shown as a limited-time saving off $30 monthly, with no end date.
- BFree plan and trialChat with the fast free models is unlimited and needs no card, but Pro chats are capped at 3 a day and file uploads are limited. No trial is listed.
- CFeaturesSidebar answers about pages, PDFs, videos and email, rewrite and translate tools, and image generation on Pro. The listing shows gaps: no mobile app, and model choice sits on paid plans.
- BEase of useNo store rating on record. It is an extension you add to the browser and sign in to, with nothing else to set up.
- BPlatforms and integrationsChrome and Edge extension plus a web app, working inside Gmail, Outlook, LinkedIn and YouTube. No Firefox, Safari, desktop or phone app is listed.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from MaxAI's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/maxai#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/maxai.svg" alt="MaxAI: 2.6 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where MaxAI stands among AI assistants
MaxAI's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 32 of the 71 other AI assistants we grade, and level with 8.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 42 of 71) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $12 a month for each person, against a middle price of $11 for the category: 22 of the 43 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 10 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 72 AI assistants we grade, cut by the letter each got. MaxAI’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 6 of 71, level with 35
- BFree plan and trialAbove 42 of 71, level with 11
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 71, level with 39
- BEase of useAbove 30 of 71, level with 26
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 32 of 71, level with 26
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 52 AI assistants. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep MaxAI, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace MaxAI you would be making an AI model, which you can rent by the request but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $144 a year.
What you could not
- An AI model, which you can rent by the request but not make.
- A search engine with an AI model behind it.
- An image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make.
- Citation records for millions of papers.
- Grammar checking as you type, wherever you type.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Gmail, Outlook and LinkedIn among them.
What this rests on. MaxAI’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.
What is MaxAI?
MaxAI is an AI assistant that runs as a Chrome or Edge extension and as a web app. It answers questions about the page, video, PDF or email you have open, and rewrites, translates and drafts replies to text. One subscription gives access to models from several AI labs.
Worth knowing
- The browser extension works on Chromium-based browsers such as Chrome and Edge; the vendor lists no Firefox, Safari or mobile app.
- The free plan allows 3 Pro chats a day; image generation and the larger model choices are paid features.
- The pricing page states that all payments are final and non-refundable.
- The $12 Pro price is shown as a limited-time saving with no end date, so the regular rate may differ.
Key features
- AI sidebar
- Opens beside any web page in Chrome or Edge so you can ask about the page without copying text into another tab.
- Ask about different sources
- Questions can be asked about a web page, YouTube video, PDF, email, file, image or audio, and answers carry cited sources.
- Choice of AI models
- The pricing page lists models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI, Meta and DeepSeek, split into Fast, Smart and Think tiers. Paid plans choose among them.
- Writing and reply tools
- Rewrite, fix grammar, change tone, shorten or lengthen selected text, and draft replies inside Gmail, Outlook, LinkedIn and several social and chat sites.
- Translation
- Translate selected text, or show a page's original and translated text side by side.
- Image generation
- Create images from text with models such as GPT-Image-1, DALL-E 3 and FLUX. Listed as a Pro feature.
MaxAI pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, MaxAI has a free plan, and paid plans start at $12 per member / month, billed yearly ($30 billed monthly).
- Starts at
- $12 per member / month, billed yearly ($30 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- Unlimited chat with the free AI models, 3 Pro chats per day and limited file uploads.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0per member / month | Unlimited chat with the fast free models, 3 Pro chats per day, limited file uploads. |
| Pro | $12per member / month, billed yearly ($30 billed monthly) | Unlimited Pro chat, model choice, image generation, higher upload limits. Shown as a limited-time 60% saving off $30, no end date. |
Read from maxai.co on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with MaxAI before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountYearly billing at $12 instead of $30 monthly
The pricing page shows Pro at $12 per member per month billed yearly against $30 when billed monthly, marked as a limited-time 60% saving.
Stated on maxai.co
Works with
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Common questions
Does MaxAI have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. MaxAI is listed for Web.
Does MaxAI have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. MaxAI is listed for Web.
Is MaxAI open source?
MaxAI is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.