Quick Answer
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ChatGPT pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $0 to $200 per user/month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, contract length, and negotiated discounts.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

  • Free tier: Yes
  • Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
  • Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training

ChatGPT offers 5 pricing tiers: Free, Plus, Pro, Team, Enterprise. Standard paid plans include Free at $0/user/month, Plus at $20/user/month, Pro at $200/user/month. The Plus plan is individual power users who need consistent access to the latest models and features.

Compared to other ai chatbots software, ChatGPT is positioned at the budget-friendly price point.

Last verified: February 2026 | Sources: 1 pricing pages and reviews

ChatGPT is OpenAI's conversational AI chatbot powered by advanced language models including GPT-4, GPT-4o, and the latest GPT-5.2 series. Unlike specialized AI tools, ChatGPT is a general-purpose assistant capable of text conversation, image generation (DALL-E 4), voice interaction (Advanced Voice), video creation (Sora 2), code generation, data analysis, and web browsing. It's used by over 300 million weekly active users for everything from creative writing to technical problem-solving.

Pricing starts at $0 for the free tier, but with severe limitations: only ~10 messages per 5 hours and frequent queuing during peak times. The most popular ChatGPT Plus plan costs $20/month with 5x higher usage limits and access to GPT-5.2 Thinking mode, DALL-E 4, and Advanced Voice. ChatGPT Pro at $200/month offers unlimited access to GPT-5.2 Pro and Sora 2 Pro for power users. Teams start at $25-30/user/month with shared workspaces and admin controls. Enterprise pricing is custom.

A critical consideration: ChatGPT's subscription and API usage are completely separate billing streams. Plus, Pro, and Team plans do not include API credits, which are priced per token starting at $0.03 per million tokens. For developers building applications, you'll need both a subscription (for personal use) and API access (for application use). Free tier users face significant rate limiting that makes ChatGPT impractical for daily use.

In this 2026 pricing guide, we break down ChatGPT's five tiers, calculate real-world costs for individuals and teams, expose hidden rate limits and API separation, and compare ChatGPT to alternatives like Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity to help you determine which AI chatbot delivers the best value for your needs.

All ChatGPT Plans & Pricing

Plan Monthly Annual Best For
Free Messages: ~10 messages per 5 hoursModels: GPT-5.2 Instant only Free Free 0 Casual users testing ChatGPT capabilities with light usage needs
Plus Messages: 5x Free tier (~50 per 5 hours)Models: GPT-5.2 Thinking, GPT-4o $20 /user/month $20 /user/month Individual power users who need consistent access to the latest models and features
Pro Messages: UnlimitedModels: All models including GPT-5.2 Pro $200 /user/month $200 /user/month Researchers, developers, and professionals requiring unlimited access and maximum compute power
Team Minimum seats: 2Messages: Higher than Plus $30 /user/month $25 /user/monthSave 17% Small to medium teams collaborating on AI projects and sharing custom GPTs
Enterprise Minimum seats: Typically 50+Messages: Unlimited Contact Contact Large enterprises requiring enhanced security, compliance, dedicated support, and volume discounts
View all features by plan

Free

  • Access to GPT-5.2 Instant
  • Basic text generation and conversation
  • Standard response speed
  • Access on web, iOS, and Android
  • Basic file uploads and analysis

Plus

  • Access to GPT-5.2 Thinking mode
  • 5x higher message limits than Free
  • Priority access during peak times
  • Advanced Voice mode
  • DALL-E 4 image generation
  • Custom GPT creation and access
  • Browse with Bing integration
  • Data analysis and file uploads

Pro

  • Unlimited access to GPT-5.2 Pro
  • Unlimited access to Sora 2 Pro video generation
  • Maximum reasoning compute for complex tasks
  • Largest available context windows
  • Priority access to new experimental features
  • All Plus features included
  • Extended conversation memory
  • Advanced data analysis capabilities

Team

  • All Plus features
  • Shared workspace for team collaboration
  • Build and share custom GPTs with team
  • Admin console for user management
  • Team usage insights and analytics
  • Priority support
  • Data not used for training (by default)
  • Extended context windows (32K tokens)

Enterprise

  • All Team features
  • Unlimited access to GPT-4 and all models
  • Extended context windows (32,000+ tokens)
  • Advanced admin controls and SSO
  • SCIM provisioning and audit logs
  • Dedicated account management
  • Custom data retention policies
  • Priority support with SLA
  • Volume discounts for large teams
  • Enhanced security and compliance
  • API integration support
  • Custom deployment options
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Hidden Costs to Budget For

Watch for 6 hidden costs
  • API usage is separate from subscriptions: ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team plans do not include API credits -- API access requires separate pay-per-token pricing starting at $0.03-$30 per million tokens depending on the model
  • Plus and Team annual billing not available: While Team offers annual billing at $25/user/month (17% discount), Plus and Pro are monthly-only at $20 and $200 respectively -- no annual discount available for individual plans
  • Free tier severe rate limits: Free users get only ~10 messages per 5 hours during peak times, and access is often throttled or queued when servers are busy -- realistic usage requires paid plans
  • Custom GPT hosting limitations: While Plus users can create custom GPTs, public distribution and monetization features require additional setup and may have usage limits -- team or enterprise plans needed for internal GPT sharing
  • DALL-E image generation quotas: Plus includes DALL-E 4 access but with daily generation limits (typically 50 images/day) -- exceeding requires waiting or upgrading to Pro for unlimited
  • Team plan 2-seat minimum: Team plan requires minimum 2 users ($50-60/month commitment), scaling up from there -- solo users cannot access team features even if willing to pay for multiple seats
Tip

Ask your ChatGPT sales rep about these costs upfront. Getting them in writing before signing can save you from surprise charges later.

Full hidden costs breakdown →

Frequently Asked Questions

01 How much does ChatGPT cost?

ChatGPT offers a free tier with limited access, or paid plans ranging from $20-$200/month for individuals. ChatGPT Plus costs $20/month with 5x more usage and access to GPT-5.2 Thinking mode. ChatGPT Pro costs $200/month with unlimited access to GPT-5.2 Pro and Sora 2 Pro. For teams, pricing starts at $25/user/month (annual) or $30/month (monthly) with a 2-seat minimum. Enterprise pricing is custom, typically starting around $60/user/month for organizations with 50+ users.

02 Is ChatGPT free?

Yes, ChatGPT offers a permanent free tier with access to GPT-5.2 Instant. However, the free plan has severe limitations: only ~10 messages per 5 hours, frequent queuing during peak times, no priority access, and no advanced features like DALL-E 4, Advanced Voice, or custom GPTs. For consistent daily use, most users will need to upgrade to ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) or higher tiers.

03 What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI that uses large language models (GPT-4, GPT-5.2) to have human-like conversations, answer questions, write content, analyze data, generate code, and assist with complex reasoning tasks. It supports text, image, voice, and file inputs, can browse the web, create images with DALL-E, and allows users to build custom GPTs for specialized tasks. ChatGPT is used by over 300 million people weekly for everything from creative writing to technical problem-solving.

04 ChatGPT vs Claude: which is better?

ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro both cost $20/month, but differ significantly in capabilities. ChatGPT offers broader multimodal features (DALL-E image generation, Advanced Voice, Sora video), while Claude excels at longer context windows (200K tokens vs 32K) and more nuanced writing. ChatGPT has a free tier with GPT-5.2 Instant, while Claude's free tier offers Claude 3 Sonnet. For coding and technical analysis, many users prefer Claude. For creative tasks, image generation, and voice interaction, ChatGPT wins. Team pricing is similar: ChatGPT Team at $25-30/user/month vs Claude Team at $25-30/user/month.

05 ChatGPT vs Gemini: which should I choose?

ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) and Google Gemini Advanced ($19.99/month) are similarly priced but differ in ecosystem integration. Gemini Advanced includes 2TB of Google storage and integrates natively with Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Sheets), making it ideal for teams already using Google tools. ChatGPT offers superior image generation (DALL-E 4 vs Imagen), video generation (Sora 2), and more advanced reasoning modes. ChatGPT's free tier is more limited than Gemini's free tier. For Google Workspace users, Gemini Business ($20/user/month) or Enterprise ($30/user/month) may offer better value with native integrations.

06 What features are included in each ChatGPT plan?

Free includes GPT-5.2 Instant with ~10 messages per 5 hours. Plus ($20/month) adds GPT-5.2 Thinking mode, 5x higher limits, DALL-E 4 image generation, Advanced Voice, custom GPTs, and priority access. Pro ($200/month) adds unlimited GPT-5.2 Pro, Sora 2 Pro video generation, and maximum reasoning compute. Team ($25-30/user/month) adds shared workspaces, team GPT sharing, admin console, and usage analytics. Enterprise (custom pricing) adds SSO, SCIM, audit logs, dedicated support, SLA, and enhanced security.

07 Does ChatGPT have an API?

Yes, OpenAI offers a separate ChatGPT API with pay-per-token pricing, but API access is not included in ChatGPT Plus, Pro, or Team subscriptions. API pricing ranges from $0.03 per million input tokens (GPT-4o mini) to $30 per million input tokens (GPT-4 Turbo with Vision). The API allows developers to integrate ChatGPT into applications, with fine-tuning, batch processing, and custom deployments available. API usage and subscription usage are separate billing streams.

08 Can I share my ChatGPT subscription with others?

No, ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscriptions are for individual use only and cannot be shared. If you want to collaborate with teammates or share custom GPTs within an organization, you must purchase the Team plan (minimum 2 seats at $25-30/user/month) or Enterprise plan. Each team member requires their own seat. Account sharing violates OpenAI's terms of service and may result in account suspension.

09 What is the difference between ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Pro?

ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) offers 5x higher usage limits than free, access to GPT-5.2 Thinking mode, DALL-E 4 image generation, and Advanced Voice. ChatGPT Pro ($200/month) offers unlimited access to GPT-5.2 Pro (not available on Plus), unlimited Sora 2 Pro video generation, maximum reasoning compute for complex tasks, and the largest available context windows. Pro is designed for researchers, developers, and professionals who need unlimited access and maximum AI performance, while Plus is for consistent daily use by individuals.