Does LightOn or Cohere have a free plan?

LightOn is a paid tool. Cohere is available for free. Always verify current pricing directly with the vendor.

LightOn vs Cohere

Q: Can I use LightOn and Cohere together?

Yes, many teams use both tools together for different purposes. Use the Stack Builder section above to combine LightOn and Cohere with other tools and save your AI toolkit.

Comprehensive side-by-side comparison — features, pricing, performance, and more.

Updated May 2026

LightOn

Secure AI Search & Reasoning for Enterprise Data

0.0(0)

PAID

91% data quality

Cohere

Cohere Inc.

Where powerful AI meets practical business solutions.

0.0(0)

FREEMIUM

91% data quality

Trust & Reliability

LightOn

Customers (per vendor):Safran, Babbar, Region Ile De France

GDPR

Cohere

Customers (per vendor):Oracle, Dell Technologies, RBC +7

SOC 2

Too Close to Call

LightOn (6.7) vs Cohere (6.5) — difference of 0.2 points

AI Comparison Summary

LightOn

6.7

avg score

Cohere

6.5

avg score

LightOn leads overall — particularly in Ease of Use.

Based on 6 dimensions

How scores are calculated

Overall Winner

LightOn

6.7 / 10

LightOn

Best For

Implementing secure AI search on internal knowledge bases

Automating RFP responses with reliable content

Powering self-service customer support portals

Developing AI-powered internal assistants

Not Ideal For

Individuals or small teams seeking a free or low-cost AI search solution

Users who prefer fully managed SaaS solutions without data residency concerns

Organizations without significant internal IT resources for deployment and management

Cohere

Best For

Building custom AI applications for enterprises

Enhancing search and discovery across business data

Automating complex workflows with AI agents

Generating content and insights grounded in proprietary data

Not Ideal For

Individuals or small teams seeking free or low-cost AI tools

Users who prefer no-code or low-code AI solutions without API interaction

Projects requiring simple, off-the-shelf AI functionalities without customization

* Verdict is based on our algorithmic scoring of publicly available data. Learn about our methodology

LightOn is best for

✍️Writing & Content9.0💬Chat & Conversation9.0

Cohere is best for

🤖Automation & Agents9.0🎧Customer Support9.0✍️Writing & Content8.0

Filter by your use case:

Pros & Cons

LightOn

Pros

Ensures zero data exfiltration with on-premise or sovereign cloud deployment
Handles massive, multimodal unstructured data including complex formats like images and diagrams
Supports advanced search behaviors like conversational Q&A and agentic reasoning
Mirrors native permissions (ACLs) for strict data governance and segregation
Offers both API for developers and ready-to-use white-label interface for business teams
GDPR compliant and SOC 2 Type 1 compliant

Cons

Requires significant hardware (GPU) investment for on-premise deployment
SOC 2 Type 1 is mentioned, not Type II certification
Deployment takes about three weeks, which might be long for some use cases
No explicit mention of a free tier or transparent pricing

Cohere

Pros

Offers enterprise-grade security and compliance features
Supports flexible deployment options including on-premises and VPC
Provides powerful generative and retrieval models for diverse use cases
Enables extensive customization and fine-tuning of models with proprietary data
Features multilingual models for global communication and discovery
Includes tools like North and Compass for out-of-the-box enterprise AI solutions

Cons

Pricing is usage-based, which can be unpredictable for large-scale use
Trial API keys have rate limits and are not for production use
Requires technical expertise for API integration and model customization
No explicit mention of a free tier for production use, only trial keys
Focus on enterprise solutions may not suit individual developers or small businesses without significant budgets

Weighted Score — Adjust What Matters to You

Pick a profile or drag sliders — scores and radar update instantly on the right.

Quick profiles:

Ease of Use5

Output Quality5

Value for Money5

Customizability5

Support & Ecosystem5

Integration Power5

Dimension Comparison

LightOn

6.7

/ 10

Your pick

Cohere

6.5

/ 10

Dimension Breakdown

Ease of Use

How easy it is to get started and use daily

LightOn

6.0▲ +2.0

Cohere

4.0

Output Quality

Quality and accuracy of generated results

LightOn

8.0

Cohere

8.0

Value for Money

Cost vs. features and output quality

LightOn

7.0▲ +1.0

Cohere

6.0

Customizability

Calculated

Ability to tailor to specific needs

LightOn

6.0

Cohere

7.0▲ +1.0

Support & Ecosystem

Documentation, community, and support quality

LightOn

7.0

Cohere

7.0

Integration Power

Calculated

Ability to connect with other tools and workflows

LightOn

6.0

Cohere

7.0▲ +1.0

Calculated = derived from verified integration count and API/open-source signals. AI = LLM-assessed from public website content. Methodology

Task Performance

LightOn

Task

Cohere

2.0

Code Completion

7.0

2.0

Bug Detection

6.0

2.0

Code Explanation

7.0

2.0

Refactoring

6.0

2.0

Test Generation

5.0

2.0

Multi Language Support

9.0

Context Understanding

8.0

2.0

Documentation Generation

6.0

2.0

Performance Optimization

6.0

2.0

Security Scanning

7.0

* Task scores (1–10) are algorithmically generated from publicly available data.

Data is sourced from public information and vendor websites. It may not always be up-to-date — verify pricing and features directly with the vendor before purchasing.Report inaccuracy

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, LightOn or Cohere?

Both are strong options. LightOn has a rating of 0.0/5 (0 reviews), while Cohere has a rating of 0.0/5 (0 reviews). The best choice depends on your specific use case, budget, and workflow requirements.

Is LightOn cheaper than Cohere?

LightOn starts at free (paid model). Cohere starts at free (freemium model). Use the Cost Calculator above for a detailed estimate.

What are the main differences between LightOn and Cohere?

LightOn — "Secure AI Search & Reasoning for Enterprise Data". Cohere — "Where powerful AI meets practical business solutions.". Key differences include their pricing models, platform support, integrations, and technical capabilities. See the Feature Comparison table above for a complete side-by-side breakdown.

Can I use LightOn and Cohere together?

Explore Alternatives

LightOn Alternatives

Tools similar to LightOn

Cohere Alternatives

Tools similar to Cohere

Compare More AI Tools

Use our comparison tool to compare up to 5 AI tools side-by-side with AI-powered recommendations.