Artificial intelligence tools are everywhere in 2025. From ChatGPT and Copilot to Claude and countless others, the number of chatbots can feel endless. The reality is straightforward: no single AI is best for every job. Some tools excel at automation, others are built for experimentation, and a few stand out for pure reasoning power. The right choice depends entirely on how you work.
If you're tired of using the popular chatbots, you can try these three underrated options.
Zapier Agents: AI Automation That Works While You Don't
Zapier Agents represent a shift from chat-based AI to action-driven AI. Instead of responding to prompts, these agents actively perform tasks across your apps. Built on Zapier's established automation platform, they function like digital teammates that run workflows in the background.
Setting up an agent is refreshingly simple. You describe what you want in plain language, such as qualifying leads, updating a CRM, or enriching data, then connect the relevant apps and triggers. Once activated, the agent operates independently, updating records, sending messages, and logging activity without constant oversight.
What truly sets Zapier Agents apart is scale. With access to more than 8,000 apps and a mature automation engine, they're well-suited for sales, operations, and customer support teams. Agents can be grouped into pods, monitored from a central dashboard, and paused only when human input is needed. All you need is consistent execution and no coding.
Best for: Automation-heavy workflows, business operations, and teams
Pricing: Free plan available; Pro starts at $50/month
Poe: One Interface for Every Major AI Model
Poe is designed for users who don't want to commit to a single AI model. Instead, it brings leading models, such as GPT, Claude, and Gemini, into one unified interface. Usage is billed through compute points, allowing flexibility based on how often and how intensely you use the platform.
Where Poe really shines is in experimentation. You can chain multiple models in a single workflow: generate text, refine it with another model, turn it into an image prompt, or extend it into other formats without switching platforms. Poe also features a large discovery feed of custom bots, covering everything from coding help to document summarization.
Creators and developers benefit as well. Poe lets users build and monetize their own bots through a revenue-sharing program, offering distribution without the need to design or host a separate interface.
Best for: Multi-model testing, developers, and AI experimenters
Pricing: Free tier available; Premium starts at $4.99/month
DeepSeek: Powerful Reasoning at Zero Cost
DeepSeek has gained attention for delivering strong reasoning performance without a price tag. Available as a free app, it offers capable AI models along with optional deep-thinking mode, web search, and document upload support.
Its biggest advantage is openness. DeepSeek's models are open-source, allowing advanced users to self-host and build private AI systems without licensing fees. This makes it especially attractive for developers, researchers, and teams with strict privacy requirements.
That said, there are limitations. Image understanding is still basic, and the hosted version restricts certain sensitive topics. For users who need full control, self-hosting provides greater flexibility.
Best for: Reasoning-heavy tasks, research, and open-source AI projects
Pricing: Free
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