The Sider Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about Sider 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.

Pass it onEmail LinkedIn X WhatsApp

ToolGPAOctober 2026

Sider

The Insider’s Guide

AI sidebar for the browser with many models and mobile apps

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI assistants, read from Sider’s own pages.

Made by Vidline Inc. · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com

3.0GPA

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 Sider’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Sider’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

3.0

GPA, above 39 of the 57 other AI assistants we grade

Sider is an AI assistant from Vidline Inc. built around a browser sidebar for Chrome, Edge and Safari, with apps for iOS, Android, Windows and Mac under the same account. It gives access to GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek and other models for chatting, searching, reading, writing and translating in the context of the page you are on, and adds a knowledge base called Wisebase. It is free to install, and paid plans are sold as subscriptions.

To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Sider, taken from its own pages and our grades.

1
Best for an AI side panel on every browser tab
Sider puts an AI side panel on every browser tab, with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and DeepSeek models to summarize the page, translate it or draft a reply, and the same account works in its Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android apps.
2
Paid plans start at $9.99 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $9.99 per month (Basic, US App Store); a mobile Pocket Plan is $49.99 per year.
3
There is a free plan
The iOS app is free to download and the Chrome extension lists free multi-chatbot support. Neither store listing says how much usage the free tier includes.
4
It runs on 4 platforms
macOS, Windows, iOS and Android, with a browser extension too.
5
Sidebar with many models
The extension opens a side panel on any tab for chatting with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek and other models. A Fusion model picks a model for each request automatically.
6
AI group chat
Put the same question to several models in one chat by @-mentioning them, then compare their answers as they arrive.
7
Chat with files and pages
Ask questions about PDFs, images, audio files, a web page or several open tabs. The mobile app accepts more than 30 file formats as well as images and URLs.
8
A 3.0 GPA, above 39 of 57
That is against the other AI assistants we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
9
Keep it
To replace Sider 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.

Sider at a glance

Pricing: Free plan, from $9.99 per month (Basic, US App Store); a mobile Pocket Plan is $49.99 per year
Free plan: Yes
Free trial: None stated
Runs on: macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Browser extension
Made by: Vidline Inc.
Category: AI Assistants
Our grade: 3.0 GPA, very good
Store rating: 4.7 on the App Store, 4,298 ratings

The report card

Best for an AI side panel on every browser tab

Sider puts an AI side panel on every browser tab, with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and DeepSeek models to summarize the page, translate it or draft a reply, and the same account works in its Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android apps. The App Store lists plans from $9.99 a month but never says what any of them include or how much you get free, and the mobile Pocket Plan's credits don't work on desktop.

ToolGPA report cardSiderGraded Oct 10, 2026

Subject	Grade	Comment
Value for money	C	Basic is $9.99 a month on the US App Store, which is ordinary money here, with Pro at $19.99 and Unlimited at $39.99. The listings don't say what any plan includes, and Sider's own site blocks automated readers, so web prices may differ.
Free plan and trial	C	The apps and the browser extension are free to install, and the Chrome listing mentions free multi-chatbot support. Neither store listing says how much usage comes without a plan, so you'll meet the limit before you can read it.
Features	B	It covers the job: a panel on any tab with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and DeepSeek, or several at once in a group chat, questions about PDFs, pages and open tabs, YouTube videos boiled down, grammar and translation, and Wisebase for your files. Monica and Merlin do much the same.
Ease of use	A	4.7 from about 4,300 App Store ratings. Install the extension and the panel is on every tab, so there's no copying between windows, and a Fusion model picks which AI handles each request.
Platforms and integrations	A	A sidebar for Chrome, Edge and Safari plus apps for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android on one account, and it works inside Gmail, YouTube, Google and Bing. One catch: Sider says the mobile Pocket Plan's credits can't be spent in the desktop browser.

Grade point averageVery good, out of 4.03.0

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 Sider is for

Fits if you want an AI side panel on every browser tab
Works for people who want several models to answer the same question in one chat

Who it is not for

Not for you if you want to know what a plan includes before paying, as the store listings don't say
Skip it if you'd buy the $49.99 Pocket Plan for desktop use, because its credits are for mobile only
Pricey if you need Unlimited, at $39.99 a month or $299.99 a year, with Pro at $19.99 in between
Watch out: the App Store also lists legacy plans and a $40.00 Plus plan with no description, and Google Play runs to $999.99
Tight if you plan to stay free, since neither store listing says how much usage comes without a plan

Good to know

Good for

People who want an AI side panel on every browser tab
Comparing answers from several models in a single chat
Summarizing and translating pages, PDFs and YouTube videos

Worth knowing

Sider's website answers automated readers with a security check, so the prices here are US App Store in-app prices and web prices may differ.
The store listings do not say how much usage the free tier includes or what each paid plan adds.
Sider told an App Store reviewer that the Pocket Plan is for mobile use and that its credits cannot be spent in the desktop browser.
The App Store also lists legacy Basic subscriptions and a $40.00 Plus plan without describing them, and Google Play shows items from $9.99 to $999.99.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

$9.99

A month to start. There is a free plan too

Sider has a free plan. Paid plans start at $9.99 per month (Basic, US App Store); a mobile Pocket Plan is $49.99 per year.

The listings don't say what any plan includes, and Sider's own site blocks automated readers, so web prices may differ.

From our grade for value for money

Free
$0
The apps and the browser extension are free to install. The store listings do not state how much usage is included without a plan.
Pocket Plan
$49.99
per year (US App Store in-app purchase)
A plan for mobile use. Sider's reply to an App Store review says Pocket credits cannot be used in the desktop browser.
Basic
$9.99
per month (US App Store in-app purchase)
Listed as Sider Basic Plan Monthly. The App Store listing does not describe what the plan includes.
Pro
$19.99
per month (US App Store in-app purchase)
Listed as Sider Pro Plan Monthly. The App Store listing does not describe what the plan includes.
Unlimited
$39.99
per month, or $299.99 per year (US App Store)
Listed as Sider Unlimited Plan, monthly or yearly. The App Store listing does not describe what the plan includes.

The free plan

The iOS app is free to download and the Chrome extension lists free multi-chatbot support. Neither store listing says how much usage the free tier includes.

Read from apps.apple.com on Oct 5, 2026.

Ways to pay less

Annual discount
Unlimited costs less when paid yearly
The US App Store lists the Unlimited plan at $39.99 a month or $299.99 a year. Twelve monthly payments come to $479.88, so the yearly price is about 37% lower.
Stated on apps.apple.com

What the app costs elsewhere

Each country’s App Store price for “Sider Pocket Plan Yearly”, against $49.99 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.

Country	Price there	In dollars	Against the US
Turkey	₺1.999,99	$40.67	19% less
Indonesia	Rp 799ribu	$44.69	11% less
Philippines	₱ 2,990.00	$47.60	about the same
Canada	$69.99	$49.20	about the same
Australia	$79.99	$55.84	12% more
South Africa	R999.99	$60.48	21% more
United Kingdom	£49.99	$66.09	32% more
Germany	59,99 €	$67.22	34% more

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

Places it runs: macOS, Windows, iOS, Android and Browser extension

AI sidebar for the browser with many models and mobile apps. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, chat assistant, AI search, AI agents, grammar & style.

One catch: Sider says the mobile Pocket Plan's credits can't be spent in the desktop browser.

From our grade for platforms and integrations

Sidebar with many models: The extension opens a side panel on any tab for chatting with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek and other models. A Fusion model picks a model for each request automatically.
AI group chat: Put the same question to several models in one chat by @-mentioning them, then compare their answers as they arrive.
Chat with files and pages: Ask questions about PDFs, images, audio files, a web page or several open tabs. The mobile app accepts more than 30 file formats as well as images and URLs.
Reading and video summaries: Summarizes articles, web pages and PDFs, and condenses YouTube videos into highlights, with bilingual subtitles available while watching.
Writing and translation: Offers writing help in any input box, rewording and tone changes, a grammar checker, and translation of selected text, full pages, PDFs and images into 50+ languages.
Wisebase and Sider Claw: Wisebase is a knowledge base for uploaded files and saved websites. Claw, in the mobile app, takes a request and researches, compares, extracts and compiles the results.

Where it runs

macOS
Windows
iOS
Android
Browser extension

What it works with

Gmail
YouTube
Google Search
Bing
DuckDuckGo
Quora
Stack Overflow
LinkedIn

Sider is made by Vidline Inc.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

39/57

Other AI assistants it is graded above

Sider's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 39 of the 57 other AI assistants we grade, and level with 8.

It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 45 of 57) and worst on value for money (C, above 5).

Its paid plans start at $9.99 a month, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 17 of the 38 others that charge start lower.

On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.7 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 58 AI assistants we grade, cut by the letter each got. Sider’s own letter is outlined.

CValue for money
Above 5 of 57
CFree plan and trial
Above 5 of 57
BFeatures
Above 28 of 57
AEase of use
Above 44 of 57
APlatforms and integrations
Above 45 of 57

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 45 AI assistants. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Sider 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

To replace Sider 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 is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 39 of the 57 other AI assistants we grade. It costs $119.88 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 AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
Grammar checking as you type, wherever you type.
Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
It plugs into other products, Gmail, YouTube and Google Search among them.
The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.

What this rests on. Sider’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

Monica, Merlin, ChatHub, Poe and ChatGPT

The 5 tools Sider is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

3.2GPA
Monica
Free plan · from $8.3/mo
AI assistant with many models, built around a browser sidebar.
- Only Monica lists a web app.
Sider and Monica compared in full
2.8GPA
Merlin
Free plan
AI sidebar extension with models from several labs in one account.
- Only Merlin lists a web app.
- Sider also covers grammar & style.
Sider and Merlin compared in full
2.6GPA
ChatHub
Free plan · from $14.99/mo
Ask several AI models one question and compare answers side by side.
- Only ChatHub lists a web app.
- Sider also covers AI agents and grammar & style.
Sider and ChatHub compared in full
3.4GPA
Poe
Free plan · from $4.17/mo
One app for chatting with AI models from many different labs.
- Only Sider lists a browser extension.
- Only Poe lists a web app.
- Sider also covers AI agents and grammar & style.
Sider and Poe compared in full
3.4GPA
ChatGPT
Free plan · from $8/mo
OpenAI's general-purpose AI assistant for chat, images and voice.
- Only Sider lists a browser extension.
- Only ChatGPT lists a web app.
- Only ChatGPT lists a Linux app.
Sider and ChatGPT compared in full

Part 06 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

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 Sider free?

Sider has a free plan. The iOS app is free to download and the Chrome extension lists free multi-chatbot support.

How much does Sider cost?

Sider lists 5 plans. Free: $0.

What platforms does Sider work on?

Sider is available on macOS, Windows, iOS and Android. It also has a browser extension.

Does Sider offer any discounts?

Sider publicly lists the following: Unlimited costs less when paid yearly.

How is Sider rated?

Sider's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4,298 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 5, 2026.

Does Sider have a Linux app?

No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Sider is listed for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.

Is Sider open source?

Sider is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.

What does Sider integrate with?

Sider's listing names Gmail, YouTube, Google Search, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Quora, Stack Overflow and LinkedIn.

Who makes Sider?

Sider is made by Vidline Inc.

What are the alternatives to Sider?

The closest alternatives to Sider in our directory are Monica, Merlin, ChatHub, Poe and ChatGPT.

How does Sider compare with other AI assistants?

Sider's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 39 of the 57 other AI assistants we grade, and level with 8.

Is Sider good value for money?

ToolGPA grades Sider C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $9.99 a month, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 17 of the 38 others that charge start lower.

Could I make my own version of Sider?

To replace Sider you would be making an AI model, which you can rent by the request but not make.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Sider’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Sider's own App Store, Chrome Web Store and Google Play listings on 5 October 2026, as its website turns automated readers away, and its App Store rating. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-07-08.

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 Vidline Inc. Prices change, so check sider.ai before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

3,189

Tools graded, in 94 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.

3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

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, "Sider: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/sider

Know someone choosing between AI assistants?

Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/sider/guide

ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa

See our other guides

The best-graded AI assistants after Sider, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

ToolGPA

Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.

Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›

Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Sider’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. Sider is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Vidline Inc. Prices and plans change: check sider.ai before you buy.