I Stopped Paying $40/Month for AI Subscriptions. Here's What I Use Instead.
Quick question.
How much are you spending on AI subscriptions right now?
Ask most developers and you'll get the same answer: "...too much." ChatGPT Plus at $20/month. Claude Pro at $20/month. Maybe Google AI Pro on top of that. Before you know it, you're juggling four browser tabs and $60/month — still not entirely sure which model is actually worth it.
I was right there with you. Then I found Tenbin AI, and my whole workflow shifted.
What Is Tenbin AI?
Tenbin AI (tenbin.ai) is a multi-model AI platform built by GMO Internet Group, one of Japan's largest tech companies.
"Tenbin" (天秤) means "balance scale" in Japanese — and that's exactly the idea. You type a prompt once, and Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Perplexity, and more all respond simultaneously. Side by side. In one screen.
No more copying the same prompt into six different tabs.
Since launching in May 2024, it's taken off in Japan — GMO rolled it out as a required tool across their ~8,000-person organization. And yet almost no one in the English-speaking dev community has heard of it.
That's what this post is about.
The Part That Made Me Do a Double Take
Here's the thing that genuinely surprised me.
The free plan gives you 80 queries per day with top-tier models like:
- Claude Opus 4.6
- GPT-5.2
- Gemini 3.0 Pro
- Grok 4
- DeepSeek R1
- Perplexity
- PLaMo 2.1 Prime
- ...30+ more
Hold on.
These are the same frontier models that run $20/month each if you subscribe directly. And you can use all of them — simultaneously — for free?
I genuinely stared at my screen for a few seconds when I realized this.
I'd been paying for both Claude Pro and ChatGPT Plus, switching between tabs depending on the task. Then I saw what it looked like to fire the same prompt at six models at once and read the results in a single view and thought:
"Why exactly have I been paying $40 a month again?"
The Real Value: Finally Figuring Out Which AI Is Actually Right for You
Saving money is great, but honestly? This is the bigger benefit.
When you send the same prompt to six models at once, the differences in how each model thinks become impossible to ignore.
Here's a concrete example. I asked all models: "Give me browser game ideas I could build in a day." The results broke down like this:
| Model | What I noticed |
|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.6 | High quality all around — sharp ideas, clean writing. Notable: it pushes back on impractical ideas, which can actually be useful. |
| GPT-5.2 | Reliably solid. Balanced responses across the board, no real weak spots. |
| Gemini 3.0 Pro | Often gives you exactly what you wanted to hear. But some ideas were harder to build than they sounded, and hallucinations were more noticeable than with Opus or GPT. |
| Grok 4 | Tends toward abstract answers. Felt a step behind the others in terms of precision. |
| DeepSeek R1 | Fast and concise. Gets the gist right, but sometimes misses subtleties in how the prompt was phrased. |
| Perplexity | Great at facts and research. Ask it to brainstorm or reason through something and it starts to struggle. Better used directly for research tasks. |
For this kind of creative/technical prompt, Claude and GPT were clearly ahead. Gemini had interesting ideas, but I'd want to sanity-check the scope before committing to building anything it suggests.
The more you use Tenbin AI, the better your instincts get about which model fits which job.
Eventually it becomes natural — "this one's a Claude question," "Gemini 3.0 Flash is plenty for this." The strategy is to start by comparing everything, then once you know your go-to model, use it exclusively and dedicate all 80 daily free queries to that one.
Seeing the Gap Between Free and Paid Models — Side by Side
Here's something else worth mentioning.
Running free-tier models alongside frontier models makes the quality difference immediately obvious. No more wondering whether upgrading is "worth it" — you'll see it directly in the responses.
And it works both ways. Sometimes you'll realize the free model handles your task just fine. Sometimes the gap is stark and the upgrade sells itself.
Either way, you stop making subscription decisions based on vibes and start making them based on actual evidence.
Most of us prefer choosing tools based on data, not marketing. Tenbin AI makes that possible.
The Real Cost Breakdown
| Plan | Monthly cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Plus | $20 | GPT-5.2 |
| Claude Pro | $20 | Claude Opus 4.6 |
| Google AI Pro | $19.99 | Gemini 3.0 Pro |
| Tenbin AI Free | $0 | All 3 above + Grok, DeepSeek, Perplexity, 30+ more |
| Tenbin AI Plus | ¥970/month (~$6) | Free features + 100-conversation history, file uploads, image generation |
For pure model access, it's not even a contest — $0 vs. $60.
To be fair: each individual service has features Tenbin AI doesn't touch — GPT's Code Interpreter, Claude's Projects, Google's Drive integration and Slides generation, and so on. Power users who depend on those features should keep their subscriptions. But as an entry point for getting real value from multiple AI models simultaneously, the free tier is hard to beat.
How It Actually Works
Sign in with your Google account and you're ready to go. Type your prompt, hit send, and watch the responses populate in a tiled layout. Scroll through them, compare, and if you want a meta-level take, the built-in Judge feature will analyze all the responses and give you a synthesized summary.
A quick heads-up for non-Japanese users: the interface is in Japanese. Browser translation handles it fine, and the layout is intuitive enough that you can navigate it even without translating everything. That said, when you send a prompt in English, some models may reply in Japanese — just append Reply in English. to your prompt and that fixes it.
The Honest Downsides
The UI could use some polish
I'll be straight: this doesn't feel like a 2025 product. It works, all the features are there, but the fit and finish isn't at the level you'd expect from ChatGPT or Claude.ai. You adjust to it, but the first impression is a bit rough.
Japanese-only interface
The whole service is built for a Japanese-speaking audience. Browser translation gets you through it, but don't expect an English-first experience.
No context compression — sessions cut off
Long conversations will hit a wall. Expect around 5–10 exchanges before you need to start a new session. If you need to maintain a long chain of context, the individual model services handle that better.
Service-specific features aren't supported
Anything platform-native — Google Drive, Claude Projects, GPT's file analysis — isn't available here. Tenbin AI is focused on text comparison (plus file/image support on the Plus plan).
Usage resets at midnight Japan time (UTC+9)
The 80-query daily limit resets at midnight JST. Depending on your timezone, that might land at an odd hour. Worth knowing.
TL;DR — Should You Try It?
Tenbin AI is worth your time if:
- You're paying for multiple AI subscriptions and not sure any of them are pulling their weight
- You haven't figured out which model you actually prefer for your workflow
- You want access to frontier models without a monthly commitment
- You're new to AI tooling and want to explore before spending anything
The recommended approach: start by running everything in comparison mode. Once you find your preferred model, lock in on it and use all 80 daily free queries on that one. You'll get an experience close to a paid subscription — at zero cost.
Daily limit resets at midnight JST. Worth noting.
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