ChatGPT

OpenAI's conversational assistant

by OpenAI

Overview

ChatGPT is OpenAI's generative AI chatbot and the product that brought large language models to a mainstream audience. Built on the GPT family of models, it answers in natural language and works across text, voice and images, so the same assistant can draft a document, explain a codebase, summarise an uploaded PDF or work through a spreadsheet. It runs in the browser and on iOS and Android. OpenAI sells it on a freemium model: the free tier covers everyday use, and paid plans raise the limits and unlock more tools - free access has limits that vary by model, tool and plan, so the limit that applies to your account is worth checking rather than assumed. The API is a separate product with its own billing, not part of a ChatGPT subscription.

Data use is part of the decision rather than a footnote: OpenAI states that content from ChatGPT and Codex may be used to train its models, that you can turn this off under Settings > Data controls ("Improve the model for everyone") or through the Privacy Portal, and that conversations are not used to improve models once you opt out. Temporary chats are not used to train models while they stay temporary, feedback you submit can still be used, and inputs and outputs from ChatGPT Business, Enterprise, Edu and the API are not used for training by default (OpenAI Help Center, read 12 October 2026).

Editor's take

A reasonable first candidate when one subscription has to cover several kinds of work: voice, image generation and file analysis sit in the same plan, next to the text, code and browsing features listed above. Whether it is the right one depends on the plan limits for the work you actually do - free access has limits that vary by model and tool, and a job that leans on one narrow ability may suit a tool built for it. Compare the plans rather than the product names.

Our reading of who this suits, based on the sources above. Opinion, offered to help you decide - not a lab result.

Direct comparisons

Key Features

•Natural conversation across many topics
•Code generation, debugging and explanation
•Long-form writing and summarization
•Data analysis and file uploads
•Web browsing and image understanding
•Custom GPTs and plugin connectors (the API is separate, billed on its own)

Use Cases

→Drafting emails, essays and reports
→Writing and debugging code
→Brainstorming and research
→Summarizing documents and data

Pros

✓Handles text, voice and images in one assistant
✓Code generation, debugging and explanation
✓File uploads with analysis, plus browsing
✓Custom GPTs and connectors, with the API billed separately

Cons

✕Can produce confident but wrong answers
✕Available models and limits depend on the plan
✕Knowledge cutoff without browsing

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ChatGPT free to use?

Yes. Free access has usage limits, and the limit that applies can change over time - check the limit on your own account rather than assuming one number covers everything. Paid plans raise those limits; OpenAI lists plans such as Go, Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise, and both the plan list and the limits change over time, so check the pricing page and the model picker rather than treating this list as fixed.

Source: OpenAI Help Center - What is ChatGPT Plus? · ChatGPT plans and pricing

What does ChatGPT Plus cost?

Plus is $20 per month, billed monthly, according to OpenAI's help centre. It is not the cheapest paid plan - Go sits below it, and the paid plans are priced per user per month. API usage is billed separately from any subscription.

Source: OpenAI Help Center - What is ChatGPT Plus? · ChatGPT plans and pricing

Can ChatGPT write and run code?

Yes, it can generate, explain and debug code, and can execute Python in its analysis environment.

How is ChatGPT different from Claude?

Both write, search and code. ChatGPT is the one to try when voice, image generation and file analysis in a single subscription matter most; Claude is the one to try when document and Artifacts-style workflows do. Compare the specific task and the plan limits rather than assuming one is generally stronger.

Task guides for this product

Key facts and where they come from

PriceDocumented: Plus is US$20 per month billed monthly. OpenAI lists Go, Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise as paid plans and states that they are priced per user per month, with monthly billing for Go, Plus and Business and annual billing for Business and Enterprise; the pricing page we read did not show the plan amounts.Source: OpenAI Help Center - What is ChatGPT Plus? · ChatGPT plans and pricing
AvailabilityDocumented: OpenAI publishes a supported-country and territory list for ChatGPT on web and mobile. It includes the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and Singapore; access from outside listed regions may lead to an account being blocked or suspended. This is a declared support policy, not a per-plan sales guarantee or a test of local network access.Source: OpenAI Help - ChatGPT supported countries
Commercial useDocumented: The ChatGPT FAQ permits commercial use of outputs, including reprinting, selling and merchandising, for both free and paid plans, subject to OpenAI’s Content Policy and Terms. That permission does not remove the user’s obligations under those policies or establish rights in third-party material.Source: OpenAI Help - ChatGPT commercial outputs
Training on your dataDocumented: OpenAI states that content from ChatGPT and Codex may be used to train its models; training can be turned off under Data controls or through the Privacy Portal and stops applying to later conversations; temporary chats are not used to train models; submitted feedback may still be used; and Business, Enterprise, Edu and API inputs and outputs are not used for training by default.Source: OpenAI Help Center - how your data is used
API billingDocumented: The API is a separate product with its own billing and is not part of a ChatGPT subscription.Source: OpenAI Help Center - What is ChatGPT Plus?
Export formatsDocumented: Completed Deep Research reports in ChatGPT can be downloaded as Markdown, Word or PDF. Deep Research availability and usage depend on the plan, supported country or territory, and workspace permissions. The Word label does not establish a particular filename extension here; the evidence does not cover every ChatGPT surface or verify the correctness of exported reports.Source: OpenAI help — Deep research in ChatGPT
Usage limitsDocumented: Plus subscriptions may include usage limits such as message caps, and those limits may vary with system conditions; because model availability and limits change over time, OpenAI directs readers to the model picker for the options on their account.Source: OpenAI Help Center - What is ChatGPT Plus?

Official sources

The vendor pages we read for the claims on this page, what each one states, and the day we read it.

OpenAI Help Center - What is ChatGPT Plus? ↗
Plus is $20/month billed monthly, available on the ChatGPT website and supported apps; API usage is billed separately. Also states that Plus subscriptions may include usage limits such as message caps, that those limits may vary with system conditions, and that model availability and limits change over time - the page directs readers to the model picker for the options on their account. Read on 14 October 2026 through a Wayback snapshot of this same help page because the live host blocks our requests (HTTP 403).
Read on October 14, 2026
OpenAI Help Center - ChatGPT release notes ↗
The September 2026 entries describe connecting external accounts to plugins, and record the retirement of GPT-4.5 (June 2026) and o3 (August 2026).
Read on September 23, 2026
OpenAI Help Center - how your data is used ↗
Read on 12 October 2026 through a Wayback snapshot of this same help page because the live host blocks our requests (HTTP 403). States that ChatGPT and Codex content may be used to train models, that training can be turned off in Data controls or the Privacy Portal and stops applying to later conversations, that temporary chats are not used to train models, that submitted feedback may still be used, and that Business, Enterprise, Edu and API inputs and outputs are not used for training by default.
Read on October 12, 2026
ChatGPT plans and pricing ↗
Lists the plans as Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise, and states that the paid plans (Go, Plus, Business, Enterprise) are priced per user per month, with monthly plans for Go, Plus and Business and annual plans for Business and Enterprise. Its comparison table marks the advanced models as unavailable on Free and on Go. Read on 14 October 2026 through a Wayback snapshot of this page because the live host blocks our requests (HTTP 403); no plan amount appeared in the text we read, so none is recorded here.
Read on October 14, 2026
OpenAI Help - ChatGPT supported countries ↗
OpenAI publishes a supported-country and territory list for ChatGPT on web and mobile. It includes the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and Singapore; access from outside listed regions may lead to an account being blocked or suspended. This is a declared support policy, not a per-plan sales guarantee or a test of local network access.
Read on October 15, 2026
OpenAI Help - ChatGPT commercial outputs ↗
The ChatGPT FAQ permits commercial use of outputs, including reprinting, selling and merchandising, for both free and paid plans, subject to OpenAI’s Content Policy and Terms. That permission does not remove the user’s obligations under those policies or establish rights in third-party material.
Read on October 15, 2026
OpenAI help — Deep research in ChatGPT ↗
Completed Deep Research reports in ChatGPT can be downloaded as Markdown, Word or PDF. Deep Research availability and usage depend on the plan, supported country or territory, and workspace permissions. The Word label does not establish a particular filename extension here; the evidence does not cover every ChatGPT surface or verify the correctness of exported reports.
Read on October 15, 2026

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Kimi	Moonshot AI	Freemium	2023-11-16	Chat
Grok	xAI	Freemium	2023-11-03	Chat
DeepSeek	DeepSeek	Free	2023-11-02	Chat