Poe

Overview

Poe brings chats with AI bots from multiple providers together with tools for creating and connecting bots. It is best suited to people who want model choice in one service and builders who want to publish bots without assembling their own hosting. Its breadth is useful, but subscription capacity runs on points whose rollover depends on the plan.

Private and group chats sit alongside web search, file uploads, image generation, app integrations and a team workspace. That makes Poe a flexible shared interface for different kinds of AI work; teams that need a particular provider’s own product or a locally hosted setup may prefer a more focused option.

Key features

• Multiple bots and group chat: Poe lets users chat with bots based on models from different providers, privately or in groups. This is a practical fit for comparing or switching among bots in one service.
• Search and media: Web search, file uploads and image generation extend use beyond text-only conversations. Subscribers get more messages and media generation, though their available capacity is governed by plan-specific compute points.
• Prompt bots: Creators can set custom instructions and optionally add a knowledge base. This provides a relatively direct way to shape a bot for a particular task.
• Script bots: Builders can combine models with custom Python logic, with Poe hosting the infrastructure. That lowers the need to arrange hosting separately, while tying the bot to Poe’s environment.
• API bots: Poe can connect bots to endpoints compatible with the Chat Completions or Responses APIs. Function calling is supported through the Chat Completions API, which is useful for builders whose endpoints use that interface.
• Longer context for subscribers: Subscriber benefits include bot context lengths up to 2 million tokens, compared with 200k tokens on Free. This makes paid access more relevant for work that needs substantially longer context.

Pricing

Poe is freemium. Free is free, billed monthly, and includes a 200k-token context length. It is the sensible starting point for trying multi-provider chat and bot creation, but subscribers receive access to additional bots, more messages and media generation, and longer context.

Paid subscriptions use compute points granted daily and/or monthly. The point schedule depends on the selected plan, and unused points do not roll over unless specified. Check the rollover terms for the plan before subscribing: a recurring allocation is less useful if your usage is irregular and points expire between periods.

• 10 thousand points/day: custom pricing.
• 660 thousand points/month: custom pricing.
• 1.65 million points/month: custom pricing.
• 3.3 million points/month: custom pricing.
• 8.25 million points/month: custom pricing.

The daily and monthly allocations offer different schedules, but the point totals alone do not establish which is best for a given workload. Poe redirects web subscribers to Stripe for subscription payments.

Platforms

Poe is available on Android, iOS, macOS, web and Windows, and offers an API. Its mix of mobile and desktop access suits users who want to move between devices, while API access gives builders another route for connecting bots. Poe also links users to its Help Center and provides a feedback link.

Who it's for

Poe is a strong fit for individuals and teams who value access to bots from multiple providers, group conversations and a range of built-in tools. It also suits bot makers who want to start with custom instructions, add Python logic, or connect compatible API endpoints without separately hosting script bots.

It is less compelling for buyers who need predictable costs before choosing a paid plan, since subscription prices are custom and capacity is measured in points. Readers who want local, self-hosted models or a focused experience from one provider should compare alternatives before committing.

Pros and cons

• Pro — Several providers in one service: A single chat environment can cover bots based on different providers’ models, including private and group conversations.
• Pro — Multiple bot-building paths: Prompt, script and API bots support different levels of customization, from instructions and knowledge bases to Python logic and compatible endpoints.
• Pro — Broad platform reach: Android, iOS, macOS, web, Windows and API access support a range of user and builder workflows.
• Con — Paid costs need scrutiny: Subscription prices are custom, and the point schedule varies by plan, making it harder to judge cost from the allocation alone.
• Con — Points may not roll over: Unused subscription points expire unless the selected plan specifies otherwise, which can disadvantage users with uneven demand.
• Con — Free has lower capacity: Its 200k-token context is shorter than the up-to-2-million-token context available to subscribers, and paid benefits include more messages and media generation.

Alternatives

For a more search-centered choice, Perplexity has a free plan with limited daily use and a Pro plan at 20.00 USD per month for serious work with expanded capacity. That stated price and focus may suit a buyer who prioritizes a defined Pro price over Poe’s custom-priced point plans.

Claude offers a free plan with limited usage and up to 5 projects, as well as a Pro plan with more usage. Choose it when that project-based free tier fits better than Poe’s multi-provider approach.

AnythingLLM offers a self-hosted Docker deployment and an open-source option, plus a Basic plan at 50.00 USD per month. It is a better direction for teams prioritizing self-hosting over Poe’s hosted script-bot infrastructure.

Dust has a free tier with 500 lifetime credits and a Pro plan at 24.00 EUR per month, billed yearly, with 8,000 credits per seat per month. Its per-seat allocation may suit teams that want a stated seat-based allowance rather than Poe’s plan-level point schedules.

Venice AI offers a free plan with 10 text prompts and 15 image prompts per day, and a Pro plan at 18.00 USD per month with 1,000 images per day. Consider it when those stated image limits and price are a closer fit than Poe’s custom-priced subscriptions.

LM Studio is a free option with local LLMs, offline voice transcription and LM Link for up to 5 devices. Pick it when local model use and offline transcription matter more than Poe’s hosted, multi-provider chat.

ChatGPT has a free plan with limited messages and uploads and limited, slower image generation. It is another free chat option for readers who do not need Poe’s bot-building range.

Microsoft Copilot has a free plan with access subject to capacity and usage limits, and a Microsoft 365 Personal plan at 99.99 USD per year. It is worth comparing when that annual plan is relevant to your choice.

Explore more options in AI chatbots and assistants or browse AI Agent Marketplaces.

Verdict

Choose Poe if you want a single place for multi-provider bot chat and a flexible path to creating or connecting bots, especially when group chat, media tools or API endpoints matter. Start with Free to assess whether its 200k-token context is enough. Look elsewhere if you need transparent paid pricing, dependable point rollover, or a self-hosted environment.