The longer explanations behind the rankings β what the pricing models actually cost you, what the security record looks like, and what the law now requires.
How we handle our own accounts on these platforms β what we never type, what we set up before signing up, and why we treat the whole category as leaky by default.
Why the advertised price is rarely the real one: token systems, hard caps, annual-only discounts, and how to work out your true monthly cost before subscribing.
Context windows versus retrieval-based memory, why most companions lose track of you within a fortnight, and what the platforms that get it right are doing differently.
What we'd tell someone signing up for the first time: the one decision that matters, the mistake almost everyone makes, and how to spend the least money finding out what you actually like.