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Getting-started guide

Which AI should you use first in 2026

No benchmarks, just how ordinary people choose the ones they use most. This covers three things: domestic or overseas, whether to pay, and whether to install on phone or computer first.

🧭 Starting from zero About 8 minutes to read No AI experience needed

Who this is for

Never used any AI chat tool Not sure how Doubao, DeepSeek and ChatGPT relate Unsure whether to use the free tier or pay

Start with these three — no benchmarks, just whether you can use them right away

Here are the three starting points most people meet. You do not need all of them — pick one domestic or one overseas and start.

Domestic · mostly free
Doubao
Domestic / overseas
Domestic, made by ByteDance, sign up with a phone number, no VPN needed
What the free tier gives
Everyday chat, text generation and image understanding; the free quota is enough for personal use
Is paying worth it
The free tier is enough for most people unless you need longer context or heavier use
Phone / web / desktop
Phone app + web
Privacy note
For work secrets or client information, still redact before entering
Domestic · strong reasoning
DeepSeek
Domestic / overseas
Domestic, made by DeepSeek, good for more complex analysis and reasoning
What the free tier gives
The free tier is full-featured, including a deep reasoning mode, with few limits for ordinary use
Is paying worth it
The free tier already covers most personal use, so there is no rush to pay
Phone / web / desktop
Phone app + web + desktop client
Privacy note
Servers are in China, but still avoid entering ID or bank card numbers
✦ Overseas pick
ChatGPT / Claude
Domestic / overseas
Overseas, needs an overseas phone or email to register, and access from China may be unstable
What the free tier gives
The free tier is usage-capped and weaker than the paid one
Is paying worth it
For long documents, code or deep research the paid tier is clearly better; for the occasional chat it is not needed
Phone / web / desktop
Phone app (needs an overseas app store account) + web + desktop client
Privacy note
订阅涉及海外支付方式，选择正规支付渠道，警惕"代充"类诈骗

First registration and setup

Once you pick one, follow these five steps, about 10 minutes in all.

1

Download

Search the tool name in the app store or on the official site, confirm the official developer, and avoid knock-offs or third-party mirrors.

2

Register

Register with a phone number or email and set a password you remember but others cannot guess.

3

Sign in

The first sign-in usually has a short tour; skip it if it is unclear and come back once you are using it.

4

Initial setup

Set your purpose (work / study / daily) in settings; some tools tune their defaults from it.

5

Language setting

Confirm the language is Chinese — many overseas tools default to English and need switching in settings.

A first task to try

Once installed, do not just chat and close it — use a small real task to feel how far AI can help.

✦ Recommended first task

Write a weekly report with AI

Paste this week's notes and see whether AI produces a usable draft. It is one of the easiest tasks to start with and to judge.

Try it now
Want to see more

Browse more task guides

There are other validated task guides for work and study; find the one closest to your day.

View all guides

Common pitfalls

✓ Do this

  • Run one real task on the free tier before deciding whether to pay
  • For work content, remove client names and amounts before pasting
  • Note what you asked and how well AI answered, to compare tools later

⚠ Common risks

  • Do not enter ID or bank card numbers into a free overseas AI
  • 海外服务下载渠道需谨慎，避免使用来路不明的"破解版"或第三方镜像 App
  • When the free quota runs out the UI often nudges an upgrade; confirm you really need it first

About this content

Research draft, not measured performance. The tool information above is compiled from public sources; features and prices may change with versions and are not yet verified by a real user sample.
Source type
Research (internal)
Collected on
2026-08-08
Verification status
Awaiting real verification

Corrections and contributions

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