One is the most powerful AI in the world. The other was built by a dad who saw what that AI did to his kid. Here's an honest comparison.
Why This Comparison Exists
ChatGPT is incredible technology. It can write essays, explain quantum physics, debug code, and compose poetry. It's arguably the most capable AI tool ever created.
It's also not designed for your 7-year-old.
Askie exists because of a specific moment: a parent asked ChatGPT about snakes with his child nearby. The response included graphic descriptions of the world's most dangerous species and how they kill. The child didn't sleep properly for weeks.
That parent didn't write a blog post. He built an alternative.
The Comparison
Safety Approach
ChatGPT:
- Built for adults, with content filters added later
- Age settings available but opt-in
- Filters block explicit content but miss age-inappropriate nuance
- A child asking about war might get detailed descriptions of casualties
- Safety depends on parental configuration
Askie:
- Built for children from day one
- Safety is the foundation, not an add-on
- Responses are age-calibrated — a 5-year-old and a 12-year-old get different answers
- Content isn't just "not explicit" — it's developmentally appropriate
- Safe by default, no configuration needed
Winner: Askie. The difference between retrofitting safety and building it in is fundamental.
Voice Interaction
ChatGPT:
- Voice mode available on mobile
- Designed for adult conversation patterns
- Advanced voice is impressive but not calibrated for children
- No specific accommodations for how children speak
Askie:
- Voice-first design — it's the primary way kids interact
- Built for how children actually communicate (shorter sentences, topic jumping, pronunciation variations)
- Accessible to pre-readers who can't type
- Warm, engaging voice designed for young listeners
Winner: Askie. Voice-first for kids is fundamentally different from voice-optional for adults.
Age-Appropriate Responses
ChatGPT:
- Responds at an adult level by default
- Can be prompted to simplify, but it's inconsistent
- Doesn't inherently know or adapt to a child's age
- Complex vocabulary and concepts in most responses
Askie:
- Knows the child's age and calibrates every response
- A 5-year-old gets wonder and simple language
- A 12-year-old gets more depth and detail
- Explanations are designed for the specific developmental stage
Winner: Askie. This isn't close.
Creative Features
ChatGPT:
- Image generation via DALL-E (powerful but unfiltered)
- Can generate any type of image, including inappropriate ones
- No specific creative tools for children
Askie:
- AI art creation designed for kids
- All generated images are moderated and age-appropriate
- Children describe what they imagine and see it created
- Creative prompts and inspiration built in
Winner: Askie for kids. ChatGPT's image generation is more powerful, but Askie's is safer and designed for children's creative expression.
Privacy
ChatGPT:
- Collects conversation data
- Data may be used for model training (unless opted out)
- Not COPPA compliant
- Children may share personal information unknowingly
- Account required (email, phone number)
Askie:
- COPPA compliant
- No data collection from children
- Conversations aren't used for AI training
- No ads
- Designed around children's privacy from the start
Winner: Askie. Children's privacy isn't optional.
Parental Oversight
ChatGPT:
- Can view conversation history (if you have account access)
- No parent-specific dashboard
- No notifications or summaries
- Limited parental controls
Askie:
- Parent dashboard to review conversations
- See what your child is asking and how the AI responds
- Verify the safety yourself — don't just trust marketing claims
- Usage controls and limits
Winner: Askie. Parents shouldn't have to guess.
Knowledge and Capability
ChatGPT:
- Trained on vast internet data
- Can discuss virtually any topic at any depth
- Excellent at complex reasoning and analysis
- Access to current information via browsing
Askie:
- Focused on age-appropriate knowledge
- Excellent at explaining concepts to children
- Prioritises accuracy and appropriateness over raw capability
- Designed around children's curiosity patterns
Winner: ChatGPT for raw capability. But capability without appropriate delivery isn't useful for children.
Price
ChatGPT:
- Free tier available
- Plus: $20/month
- No family-specific pricing
Askie:
- Free tier: 70 messages, 4 images, 5 min voice per week
- Premium from £9.99/month
- Designed as a family subscription
Winner: Tie. Both have free tiers. ChatGPT's paid tier is more expensive but offers more general capability. Askie's paid tier is specifically valuable for families.
The Summary Table
| Feature | ChatGPT | Askie | |---------|---------|-------| | Built for kids | ❌ | ✅ | | Voice-first | ❌ | ✅ | | Age calibration | ❌ | ✅ | | COPPA compliant | ❌ | ✅ | | Parent dashboard | ❌ | ✅ | | No ads | ✅ | ✅ | | Image generation | ✅ | ✅ | | Raw AI power | ✅✅ | ✅ | | Free tier | ✅ | ✅ |
When ChatGPT Might Be Better
Let's be fair. ChatGPT is the better choice in some scenarios:
- Teenagers doing research — Older teens working on complex school projects may benefit from ChatGPT's deeper capabilities (with supervision)
- Parent-child together time — Using ChatGPT together, with you guiding the interaction, can be a great learning experience
- Technical subjects — Advanced maths, coding, or science at a high school level
When Askie Is the Clear Choice
- Children under 13 — Purpose-built safety matters most here
- Independent use — When your child will interact with AI without you sitting next to them
- Pre-readers (ages 4-7) — Voice-first is essential, not optional
- When privacy matters — COPPA compliance and no data collection
- Creative play — Safe AI art creation designed for children's imagination
- When you want to verify safety — The parent dashboard lets you see exactly what's happening
The Bottom Line
ChatGPT and Askie aren't really competitors. They're different tools for different audiences. ChatGPT is a Swiss Army knife — incredibly powerful, but not designed for small hands. Askie is a tool built specifically for those small hands.
The question isn't which AI is more powerful. It's which AI is right for your child.