10 Best AI Apps for iPad in 2026 (Ranked, With Prices)

Every major AI assistant now ships a full iPad app. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok and Microsoft Copilot all list iPad screenshots and iPad support in the App Store. The question is no longer which AI runs on an iPad. The real questions are which apps earn a window next to your work, which ones use the Apple Pencil, and where to pay for them. Where you pay matters: Claude Max costs $124.99 a month through the App Store and $100 on Anthropic's website.

This guide ranks the 10 best AI apps for iPad in 2026, written for iPadOS 27, which Apple shipped on 14 September. Each entry covers what the app does, what the free plan gets you and what it costs in the App Store. After the list: which iPads run Apple Intelligence, and how to keep an AI app open beside your work.

The Key Takeaways

• Best overall: Fello AI puts ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity and DeepSeek in one iPad app for $11.99 a month, synced with Mac and iPhone.
• Best free: ChatGPT gives unlimited free text chats. From 9 October 2026, Gemini's free plan runs only on its Flash-Lite model, and Flash starts at $4.99 a month with Google AI Plus.
• Pay on the web for some apps: Claude Max is $124.99 in the App Store vs $100 on Anthropic's site, and Claude Pro yearly is $214.99 vs $200.
• Apple Intelligence needs an M1 iPad or the iPad mini (A17 Pro). The entry-level iPad (A16) does not get it, and Siri AI is not available on EU iPads.
• Best Apple Pencil AI: Goodnotes and Notability both turn handwritten notes into summaries, quizzes and searchable text.

What Is the Best AI App for iPad in 2026?

The best AI app for iPad in 2026 is Fello AI if you want every major model in one place, and ChatGPT if you want one free assistant. Claude is the pick for long documents and writing, Gemini for Gmail and Google Drive users, and Perplexity for research with cited sources. For handwritten notes, Goodnotes and Notability lead. Siri AI is free and built in, but only on Apple Intelligence iPads and not yet in the EU.

Best AI Apps for iPad by Use Case

How We Picked the Best AI Apps for iPad

We picked these apps by what they do better on an iPad than on a phone. They sit in a window beside a document, read a full PDF on a 13-inch screen, or work with the Apple Pencil. Every price and feature below comes from the App Store listing or the vendor's own pricing page, read on 5 October 2026. Prices are US rates. Ratings are the US App Store averages on the same day.

One thing we checked and dropped as a criterion: whether an app is a "real" iPad app or a stretched iPhone app. Apple's App Store data shows all ten apps below ship iPad builds with iPad screenshots, so that test no longer separates anyone.

1. Fello AI: The Best All-in-One AI App for iPad

Fello AI is the best AI app for iPad if you want ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity and DeepSeek without paying for each one. It is one native app on Mac, iPhone and iPad, and your chats, files and Projects sync across all three. Start a research thread on your Mac, then pick it up on the iPad with the PDF open beside it.

The iPad is where an all-in-one app pays off most. Open Fello AI in a window next to a document. Send the same question to Claude and then to Gemini, and compare the answers without switching apps or accounts. You can also share a file into Fello AI from other apps, such as Files.

Fello AI goes past chat. It creates real PowerPoint, Excel, Word and PDF files from a prompt, searches the web, runs Deep Research, generates images and turns documents into podcast-style audio. There is a free tier with limited daily messages, and the subscription is $11.99 a month or $89.99 a year through the App Store. The App Store listing gives it a 4.7 average rating worldwide. Setup takes a minute; our getting started with Fello AI guide walks through it.

The trade-off is small. If you only ever use one model and need its newest feature on launch day, the vendor's own app gets it first.

2. ChatGPT: The Best Free AI App for iPad

ChatGPT is the best free AI app for iPad. The free plan gives you unlimited text chats on GPT-5.6 Luna, plus limited uploads, image creation, voice chats and deep research, according to OpenAI's pricing page. The app has a 4.83 rating from nearly 11 million reviews in the US App Store. On an iPad, the bigger screen makes long answers and generated images far easier to work with than on a phone.

Paid plans in the App Store are ChatGPT Go at $8, ChatGPT Plus at $19.99, and ChatGPT Pro from $100 a month. OpenAI's documentation says GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna run in ChatGPT Work and Codex, not in Chat. OpenAI's pricing page also says the $8 Go plan may include ads.

ChatGPT is also built into Siri. Apple lists the ChatGPT extension on iPad, so on an Apple Intelligence iPad you can reach ChatGPT through Siri without opening the app.

3. Claude: The Best AI App for iPad Writing and Documents

Claude is the best AI app for iPad when the job is a long document. Upload a PDF, a screenshot or a chart and Claude reads it, extracts the text and explains it. Connect Google Drive, Gmail and Calendar and Claude works with your own files. The iPad's screen is wide enough to read Claude's answer and the source document at the same time.

The free plan runs Anthropic's Sonnet and Haiku models and holds up to 5 Projects. Opus needs Claude Pro, which is $20 a month in the App Store.

Buy Claude on the web. The yearly Pro plan is $214.99 in the app vs $200 on Anthropic's website, and Claude Max is $124.99 or $249.99 a month in the App Store against $100 or $200 on the web. Our Claude vs ChatGPT comparison covers which of the two writes better.

4. Google Gemini: The Best AI App for iPad Google Users

Google Gemini is the best AI app for iPad if your work lives in Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar and Photos. The app connects to those Google apps, plus YouTube and Search, so you can ask about an email thread or a photo album without leaving the conversation. Gemini Live lets you talk through an idea and share your screen or camera while you do.

Google narrowed Gemini's free plan in October 2026. From 9 October 2026, Google limits Gemini users without a plan to its Flash-Lite model; Flash needs AI Plus and Pro needs AI Pro, according to Google's Gemini Apps Help. The free plan still lists image generation, Deep Research and Gemini Live.

Gemini keeps the cheapest paid ladder of the big three. Google AI Plus is $4.99 a month for 2x the free usage, Google AI Pro is $19.99 for 4x, and Google AI Ultra starts at $99.99 on Google's website. AI Pro also gains Deep Think. Usage is metered on compute rather than message counts, refreshing every five hours up to a weekly cap; our guide to Gemini usage limits explains how that works.

5. Perplexity: The Best AI Research App for iPad

Perplexity is the best AI research app for iPad because every answer comes with its sources. Tap a citation and the page opens, so you can check a claim before you use it. Pro Search and Deep Research handle multi-step questions, and voice input works the same as typing.

Perplexity Pro is $20 a month or $200 a year in the App Store. Perplexity's website shows Pro at $17 a month billed annually, which is the same yearly deal rounded, so on Perplexity it does not matter where you pay. Pro also lets you choose which AI model answers.

6. Goodnotes: The Best AI Note-Taking App for iPad

Goodnotes is the best AI note-taking app for iPad and Apple Pencil. Write by hand and your notes stay searchable. Goodnotes AI summarises them, generates quizzes and flashcards from them, and turns a recorded meeting into minutes you can merge with your handwritten notes.

The free plan holds 3 notebooks. Essential is $11.99 a year with basic AI features, Pro is $35.99 a year, and the full AI experience is a separate AI Pass at $9.99 a month on top.

That makes Goodnotes cheap as a notebook and less cheap as an AI tool. For a wider comparison, see our ranking of the best AI note takers.

7. Notability: The Best AI App for iPad Lecture Notes

Notability is the best AI app for recording lectures on an iPad. It records audio while you write and syncs the recording to the exact moment on the page, so tapping a word plays what was said when you wrote it. The AI side transcribes the recording, summarises it in real time and builds quizzes and flashcards.

The free Starter plan allows 5 notes. Notability Plus is $19.99 a year at list price (Notability's website often discounts it) with transcription and up to 400 AI quizzes and flashcards a month. Notability Pro is $99.99 a year and adds unlimited transcription and chat with your notes. A one-time Notability Classic purchase is back for people who dislike subscriptions.

8. Siri AI and Apple Intelligence: The Best Built-In AI on iPad

Siri AI is the best built-in AI on iPad, and it is free, but only on iPads that support Apple Intelligence. iPadOS 27 rebuilt Siri as a conversational assistant with its own app. Apple says a conversation started on iPhone continues on iPad. Siri AI is a beta, starts in English, and is not initially available in the EU on iPadOS.

Three features suit the iPad best. Visual Intelligence on iPad lets you circle anything on screen with the Apple Pencil and ask about it. Siri in Notes works on handwritten notes and can turn lecture notes into a study guide. Image Wand turns a rough Pencil sketch into a finished image. Write with Siri drafts text anywhere you type, and Image Playground now generates photorealistic images. Apple says features that run on its servers have daily usage limits.

Siri AI covers quick tasks well, but it is not a replacement for a full chatbot with Projects and file workflows. Our explainer on whether Siri is AI now covers what the beta does and does not do.

9. Microsoft Copilot: The Best AI App for iPad Office Users

Microsoft Copilot is the best AI app for iPad if your work is in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Microsoft's App Store listing now calls the Copilot app "the AI built for work". It connects to those Office files, summarises documents, drafts emails and analyses spreadsheets. Some features need a work licence, and a free tier exists.

The paid tiers are Microsoft 365 plans: Personal at $9.99, Family at $12.99 and Premium at $19.99 a month, each with higher Copilot usage than free. Our guide to what Copilot gives you for free breaks down the limits.

10. Grok: The Best AI App for iPad Real-Time News

Grok is the best AI app for iPad when you need what is happening right now. It searches X and the web live, and Grok Imagine generates images and short videos with sound. The app holds a 4.87 rating from about 1.5 million reviews in the US App Store.

Grok is free to try. The in-app tiers are SuperGrok Lite at $10, SuperGrok at $30, SuperGrok Plus at $100 and SuperGrok Heavy at $300.

Best AI Apps for iPad Compared

App Store vs Web: Where to Pay for AI Apps on iPad

For Claude, paying on the web is cheaper than paying in the iPad app. For ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, the price is the same either way.

Where the Web Is Cheaper

The App Store lists Claude Max at $124.99 and $249.99 a month, while Anthropic charges $100 and $200 on its own site. Claude Pro yearly is $214.99 in the app and $200 on the web. On Claude Max 20x, that is $49.99 a month, or about $600 a year, for subscribing from the iPad instead of a browser.

Where the Price Is the Same

For ChatGPT, the gap is a cent: Plus is $19.99 in the App Store and $20 on OpenAI's site. Gemini's AI Plus ($4.99) and AI Pro ($19.99) cost the same in both places. Perplexity Pro's $200 yearly plan in the App Store matches the $17 a month Perplexity shows for annual billing. Fello AI's $11.99 a month is an App Store price, and one subscription covers the same app on iPad, iPhone and Mac.

Which iPads Get Apple Intelligence and Siri AI

Apple Intelligence and Siri AI need an iPad with an M1 chip or later, or the iPad mini with A17 Pro. Every third-party app in this list runs on any iPad that supports iPadOS 27, but the built-in Apple features do not.

Apple Intelligence also needs up to 8GB of free storage, or up to 14GB on M4 iPads with 12GB of memory, according to Apple's requirements page. In the EU, the new Apple Intelligence features in apps such as Photos and Safari are available on iPad, but Siri AI is not. For the full device list across iPhone and Mac, see which devices support Apple Intelligence. If you are choosing a new tablet, our guide to the best iPad for AI compares every model.

How to Keep an AI App Open Beside Your Work on iPad

The fastest way to use an AI app on iPad is a Slide Over window that floats above your work. Split View in its old form is gone: iPadOS 26 replaced it with resizable windows, and the steps below are from Apple's iPadOS 27 user guide.

1. Open Settings > Multitasking & Gestures and choose Windowed Apps (or Stage Manager).
2. Open your document or notes app.
3. To tile an AI app beside it, drag the AI app's icon from the Dock to the left or right edge on top of the full-screen app. Drag the divider to resize both.
4. To float the AI app instead, touch and hold the window controls at its top-left and tap Enter Slide Over. The window stays on top at the side of the screen.
5. Drag the Slide Over window past the screen edge to hide it, and swipe in from that edge to bring it back.

Only one window sits in Slide Over at a time. If you swap between assistants a lot, an all-in-one app means you never have to swap the window. Apple's iPadOS 27 page even suggests a Shortcut that turns on Windowed Apps and tiles Safari and Notes side by side when you connect a keyboard.

Best Free AI Apps for iPad

The best free AI apps for iPad are ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Claude, with Siri AI free on Apple Intelligence iPads. ChatGPT's free plan gives unlimited text chats and limited voice, uploads, image creation and deep research. Gemini's free plan includes Deep Research and Gemini Live, but runs only on the Flash-Lite model from 9 October 2026. Claude's free plan runs Sonnet and Haiku with web search and file creation. Perplexity, Grok and Microsoft Copilot are free to start as well. For how far each free plan stretches before it stops you, see our test of the best free AI chatbot. If you also use an iPhone, our list of the best AI apps for iPhone ranks the same assistants for the smaller screen.

Conclusion

On an iPad, the AI app that matters most is the one you keep in the window next to your work, and one window favours one app. That is why Fello AI comes first: it puts ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok behind a single Slide Over window and syncs with your Mac and iPhone. If you will only ever pay for Claude, buy it on Anthropic's website rather than in the app. And if the Apple Pencil is the reason you own an iPad, add Goodnotes or Notability.

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