ChatGPT is OpenAI's general-purpose AI assistant for chat, writing, research, images, voice and coding. The free plan is generous for everyday use, and paid plans add higher limits, more capable models and the Codex coding agent.
ChatGPT at a glance
Made by | OpenAI |
|---|---|
Price | Free; paid from $8/month |
Platforms | Web, iOS, desktop app (macOS, Windows), Codex CLI and IDE |
Best for | Everyday writing, research, images and coding in one place |
Key features
GPT-6 family models, including GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6 Luna on paid plans.
Deep research, image creation, voice chat and memory.
Codex, OpenAI's coding agent, across a desktop app, CLI, IDE extension and the cloud.
ChatGPT Work on desktop, which shares its usage pool with Codex.
ChatGPT pricing
Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Free | $0 | Unlimited GPT-6 text chat; limited extras |
Go | $8/month | US price |
Plus | $20/month | Higher limits |
Pro | $100, $200 or $500/month | Highest limits |
Business | $20/user/month annually ($25 monthly) | 2+ users |
Enterprise and Edu | Contact sales | Annual plans |
What to know
Paid plans run on five-hour (and possibly weekly) usage windows, so heavy users can still hit limits.
OpenAI said in January 2026 it planned to test ads on Free and Go in the US.
Our take
ChatGPT is still the most complete all-rounder: one app for chat, research, images, voice and, through Codex, real coding work. Start free; Plus is the sweet spot for daily use, and Pro only makes sense if you live in Codex or deep research.
ChatGPT alternatives
Claude: Anthropic's assistant, strong at writing and coding.
Google Gemini: built into Android, Chrome and Workspace.
Microsoft Copilot: free chat plus Copilot in Word, Excel and Outlook.
Frequently asked questions
Is ChatGPT free?
Yes. The Free plan includes unlimited GPT-6 text chats (subject to abuse guardrails) with limited uploads, images, voice, deep research, memory and Codex.
Which plan should I choose?
Free for casual use, Plus ($20) for daily work, Pro (from $100) for heavy coding and research.
Facts checked against OpenAI's official pricing and help pages on November 13, 2026. Prices change often, so confirm on OpenAI's pricing page.
Want four AI tools like this every weeknight? Subscribe to World of AI for free. Browse more in our AI Tools directory.