ChatGPT review: our take

ChatGPT is the broadest of the mainstream assistants: chat, file analysis, web search, image creation, voice and a coding agent in one subscription. Its free plan is the only one in our chatbot roundup that states unlimited everyday text chats, though uploads, images and voice have their own caps. Go at $8 a month raises those caps and may show ads. Plus at $20 adds OpenAI's GPT-6 reasoning models and Codex beyond the desktop app.

The limit that matters is cost at the top end: Pro runs from $100 to $500 a month, and Plus has no annual discount. If you mostly write long documents, compare it with Claude. If your work lives in Gmail and Docs, Gemini starts at $4.99. Our ChatGPT vs Claude page sets the plans side by side.

By the Prompt Hackers team · facts checked 4 Oct 2026

What ChatGPT does

ChatGPT answers questions, drafts and edits text, analyzes uploaded files and data, searches the web and creates images. The Free plan runs GPT-5.6 Luna with unlimited everyday text chats. Paid plans add OpenAI's GPT-6 reasoning models, projects, scheduled tasks, custom GPTs and wider access to the Codex coding agent.

Who ChatGPT is for

Best for

people who want one assistant for writing, research and everyday tasks
students and workers on a budget: Go is $8 a month
developers who want a coding agent in the same subscription

Not for

anyone who wants an annual discount on Plus: OpenAI bills it monthly only
users who want a free tier with no ads: ads may appear on Free and Go

ChatGPT features

F1GPT-6 reasoning models
F2Web search
F3File and data analysis
F4Image creation
F5Voice
F6Deep research
F7Projects and memory
F8Custom GPTs
F9Codex coding agent

ChatGPT pricing and plans

Pricing verified 4 Oct 2026vendor's pricing page ↗

Plan	Monthly	Billed yearly, per month	What it includes
Free	$0	—	GPT-5.6 Luna with unlimited everyday text chats; separate limits on uploads, image creation, voice, data analysis and deep research; ads may appear in some countries
Go	$8	—	More messages, uploads, image creation and memory than Free; may include ads; Codex in the desktop app
Plus	$20	—	GPT-6 reasoning models, projects, scheduled tasks, custom GPTs; Codex on web, CLI, IDE extension and iOS; billed monthly only
Pro 100	$100	—	Everything in Plus with higher usage; Pro reasoning on GPT-6 Astra; unlimited and faster image creation
Pro 200	$200	—	Pro features at a higher usage level
Pro 500	$500	—	Highest Pro usage level; Astra Ultrafast access
Business	$25	$20	Per user, 2+ users; SAML SSO, MFA and admin controls; no training on business data by default
Enterprise & Edu	—	—	Contact sales; SCIM, EKM, audit logs and data residency controls

Free plan: yes. Prices as listed by the vendor in USD, before tax; they change, so check the pricing page before you buy.

ChatGPT FAQ

How much does ChatGPT cost?: Paid plans start at $8/mo, with a discount for yearly billing. Prices checked on 4 Oct 2026.
Does ChatGPT have a free plan?: Yes, ChatGPT has a free plan.
What are the alternatives to ChatGPT?: Tools that cover the same jobs include Claude, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity.

ChatGPT