Tested This Week #1 (Oct 2026)

Our first week: hands-on reviews, new AI models and phones sections, a Semrush review, a brand-new agentic AI section, and the AI news worth knowing.

What we published this week

Hands-on reviews: we tested the free plans of ElevenLabs, HeyGen and Synthesia, and partly tested Descript and Writesonic. Our Tested This Week #1 roundup has the short version.
Research-based reviews (clearly labelled, no hands-on test yet): Jasper, Surfer and, new, Semrush, the big SEO toolkit (from $139/month as of Oct 2026).
AI models section: plain-English pages for GPT, Claude, Gemini, Llama, Mistral, DeepSeek and Grok, with a dated “latest releases” list and a which model should I use? guide.
AI on your phone: new guides for iPhone and Android.
New: Agentic AI. Our agentic AI hub explains AI that does things for you, with 8 safety rules, a use-case library, paths for students, small businesses and more, a 15-minute starter guide, and a “What do you want to tackle?” box that matches your problem to ideas, right in your browser.

Oct 13: Gemini 4 Argon reaches developers. Google made its newest flagship available via the Gemini API; in the Gemini app it's on paid Google AI Pro and Ultra plans. Our Gemini page
Oct 12: Meta launches Muse Wonder, a new model family separate from Llama. Our Llama/Muse page
Oct 7: GPT-6 rolls out in ChatGPT. OpenAI says GPT-6 replaces “Latest” in the model menu; free users get GPT-5.6 Luna, per OpenAI's help center. Our GPT page
Oct 6: Mistral Large 4 enters public preview, with open weights promised by the end of October (per Mistral). Our Mistral page
Agents are everywhere. ChatGPT now has separate Chat and Work modes; Work runs longer, multi-step jobs (cloud browser on Plus and up). Claude can use your Mac or PC in beta (since March 2026). The exact launch date of ChatGPT Work wasn't on OpenAI's help page, so we've left it out.

Compare before you buy: ask an agent for a 3-option table with links, and tell it not to buy anything. Details
Tame your inbox: have it list the 5 emails that need replies and draft answers you approve. Details
Automate one boring task: Zapier Agents' free plan includes 400 activities a month (per Zapier). Details

Everything above is research-based unless we say we tested it. Prices and dates as of Oct 15, 2026.