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OpenAI

Editor's Choice
OpenAI is the developer of ChatGPT and GPT models, offering consumer plans from free to $200/month and per-token API access for developers — the most widely used AI platform globally.
Verified: May 4, 2026 Pricing verified May 2026 from OpenAI pricing page. ChatGPT plans updated frequently. GPT-5.5 launched April 23–24, 2026.
Starting at
Free (GPT-5.3, 10 msg/5hr). Go $8/mo. Plus $20/mo (GPT-5.5, DALL-E, voice, web). Pro $100/mo (5x Plus). Pro $200/mo (20x Plus, Sora, 1M context). Business $30/user/mo or $25 annual. API: GPT-5.5 $5/$30 per MTok. ChatGPT and API billed separately.
Free plan (permanent, limited) — no credit card required
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Software Specs

  • Free Trial: Free plan (permanent, limited) — no credit card required
  • Learning Curve: easy
What We Like
  • Most widely used AI assistant globally — largest ecosystem of third-party integrations, plugins, and developer tooling
  • Plus at $20/month provides access to GPT-5.5, DALL-E, Advanced Voice Mode, web browsing, and file analysis in one subscription
  • Batch API offers 50% off standard token pricing for non-time-sensitive workloads — significant developer cost savings
  • DALL-E image generation and Sora video generation (Pro $200) are exclusively available to OpenAI subscribers among peer platforms
Considerations
  • ChatGPT and API are separate billing systems — must manage two separate subscriptions for chat interface and developer access
  • OpenAI leadership signaled future pricing changes in April 2026 — the $20 Plus price may not be stable long-term
  • Free tier limited to 10 messages/5 hours on GPT-5.3 Instant — insufficient for regular professional use without upgrade
  • Pro plan naming confusion — two 'Pro' tiers at $100 and $200 exist simultaneously; verify exact tier before subscribing
Expert Verdict
OpenAI's ChatGPT is the most-used and best-integrated AI assistant on the market. The Plus plan at $20/month covers the daily needs of most professional users. Developers building applications should evaluate whether the API's per-token cost is more economical than a subscription for their usage pattern. The April 2026 signal on pricing evolution warrants attention — if pricing increases, Claude, Gemini Advanced, and Perplexity are the most direct alternatives at comparable capability.

OpenAI is a San Francisco-based AI research company founded in 2015 and best known for developing the GPT series of large language models and the ChatGPT product. As of 2026, ChatGPT is the world’s most widely used AI assistant with over 500 million weekly active users. OpenAI offers its technology through consumer subscriptions (ChatGPT plans), an API for developers, and enterprise licensing.

ChatGPT consumer plans as of May 2026: Free gives access to GPT-5.3 Instant with approximately 10 messages per 5-hour rolling window, with limited file uploads and no Deep Research. The Go plan at $8/month (launched January 2026, initially for India, now expanding globally) provides GPT-5.5 access within Codex with a 400K context window. The Plus plan at $20/month grants access to the full GPT-5.5 family, DALL-E image generation, Advanced Voice Mode, web browsing, file analysis, and custom GPTs with higher message limits. The Pro plan at $100/month (April 2026) provides 5x Plus usage quotas and 500 Deep Research sessions. The Pro $200/month plan adds 20x Plus quotas, unlimited Deep Research, Sora video generation, and GPT-5.5 with 1M context window. Business at $30/user/month ($25/user annual, minimum 2 users) adds admin controls, shared workspaces, SOC 2 compliance, and no training on business data. Enterprise is custom-priced.

The ChatGPT API is a separate billing system. GPT-5.5 costs $5/million input tokens and $30/million output tokens (approximately 2x GPT-5.4 pricing). GPT-5.4 costs $2.50 input/$15 output per million tokens. The Batch API offers 50% off for non-time-sensitive workloads. Cached inputs reduce costs further. A Plus subscription and API access are separate products — a $20 Plus subscription does not grant API access.

OpenAI’s head of product signaled in April 2026 that pricing will “significantly evolve” as technology changes, and suggested the company may phase out unlimited plans at some point. Plus has held at $20 for three years while features expanded, which may not last.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does ChatGPT Plus cost?

ChatGPT Plus costs $20/month and provides access to GPT-5.5, DALL-E image generation, Advanced Voice Mode, web browsing, file analysis, and custom GPTs with higher message limits than the free tier. A Business plan is available at $25/user/month (annual) or $30/month for teams. A Pro plan at $100/month provides 5x Plus usage, and a $200/month Pro tier adds Sora video and unlimited Deep Research.

Is ChatGPT Plus the same as the OpenAI API?

No. ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) gives you access to the ChatGPT web and mobile interface. The OpenAI API is a separate product with separate billing that charges per token consumed. You need a Plus subscription for chat interface features, and a separate API account with billing enabled for developer API access. Many users have both.

What is the difference between the two Pro plans?

OpenAI currently offers two distinct 'Pro' tiers. Pro at $100/month (launched April 9, 2026) provides 5x Plus usage quotas and 500 Deep Research sessions per month. Pro at $200/month provides 20x Plus usage, unlimited Deep Research, Sora video generation, and access to GPT-5.5 with a 1M token context window. These are separate products at different price points — verify which one you are purchasing before subscribing.

How does ChatGPT compare to Claude?

ChatGPT (GPT-5.5) and Claude (Opus 4.6) are the two leading AI assistants at the same $20/month price point. ChatGPT has the largest ecosystem, DALL-E image generation, and Advanced Voice Mode. Claude is generally rated higher for long-document analysis, careful reasoning, and coding tasks. Neither is uniformly better — the right choice depends on your primary use case.

Will OpenAI raise the ChatGPT Plus price?

OpenAI's head of product indicated in April 2026 that pricing will 'significantly evolve' as technology changes and compared unlimited plans to 'unlimited electricity.' The Plus plan has held at $20/month for three years as features significantly expanded, but there is no guarantee this price point is permanent. If pricing increases, Claude, Gemini Advanced, and Perplexity are the most direct alternatives.

Advertiser Disclosure: Pricing verified May 2026 from OpenAI pricing page. ChatGPT plans updated frequently. GPT-5.5 launched April 23–24, 2026.. We may receive compensation for clicks or purchases on this site.

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