ChatGPT in 2026: Pricing, Free Plan, Models and Features

ChatGPT is OpenAI’s AI assistant: you ask it a question or hand it a task (write, summarize a document, search the web, analyze a spreadsheet, create an image) at chatgpt.com, on your phone or in the desktop app. Since August 2026, the free plan has unlimited text chats but shows ads; individual subscriptions run from $8 (Go) to $200 a month (Pro) in the U.S.

This page covers where things stand as of September 25, 2026: plans and U.S. pricing, what the free plan includes, the models, the features, what OpenAI has shut down and the privacy settings worth changing. Everything here comes from OpenAI’s official pages (pricing page, Help Center, release notes), linked throughout. Génie Artificiel earns no commission on ChatGPT.

What Changed Since 2025

Guides that mention GPT-4, DALL·E or the Team plan describe a product that no longer exists in that form:

• New models: GPT-5.6 became ChatGPT’s default model in summer 2026, and GPT-6 Astra, introduced on September 3, 2026, is limited to paid plans. GPT-4o, GPT-4.1 and o4-mini were retired from ChatGPT on Feb. 13, 2026, and GPT-4.5 on June 26, 2026 (model release notes).
• An agent, ChatGPT Work (July 9, 2026), for longer tasks that end in a document, spreadsheet, presentation or website (ChatGPT release notes).
• Unlimited free text, with ads: GPT-5.6 Luna became the model for the Free and Go plans in August 2026, with unlimited text chats. OpenAI started testing ads in the U.S. in February 2026, on the Free and Go plans only (OpenAI announcement).
• Plugins instead of GPTs: the Plugin Directory replaced the App Directory on July 9, 2026, and custom GPTs are scheduled to retire on December 11, 2026 (retirement FAQ).
• No more video: the Sora app shut down on April 26, 2026, and its API on September 24, 2026 (OpenAI Help Center).
• Plans: Team was renamed Business on August 29, 2025, and now has two seat types; Pro comes in two tiers.

What Is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT brings together three modes (OpenAI Help Center):

• Chat, for questions, search and everyday conversation;
• Work, an agent for multi-step tasks that end in a finished deliverable;
• Codex, for software development, in the desktop app.

You can use it on the web, in the iOS and Android apps, in the desktop app for macOS and Windows (Linux has been in public preview since Aug. 14, 2026), and through add-ins for Excel, Google Sheets, PowerPoint and Word (release notes).

How Much Does ChatGPT Cost?

U.S. prices from OpenAI’s Help Center and announcements (checked Sept. 25, 2026). The ChatGPT pricing page shows prices for your location.

Sources: Go announcement (Jan. 16, 2026, which gives $8 as the U.S. price), ChatGPT Plus, Pro tiers, ChatGPT Business and the pricing page for plan contents (checked Sept. 25, 2026). Go, Plus and Pro are billed monthly only: there’s no annual option. The previous version of this page listed Team at $27; that plan, now called Business, costs $20 (annual) or $25 (monthly) per user for a Standard seat.

ChatGPT Go vs. Plus

Go gives you more volume than Free, but not a better model: it stays on GPT-5.6 Luna, with a Think button for harder questions, and may show ads. Plus moves you to GPT-5.6 Sol with the Medium and High thinking levels, unlocks the Work agent on every platform, removes ads and lets you create custom GPTs (GPT-5.6 help article, checked Sept. 25, 2026). For regular work use, Plus is the plan to start with; Go is mostly for people who keep hitting the free plan’s upload or image limits.

Pro: Two Tiers

Pro comes in two tiers: $100 a month for 5 times Plus usage and $200 a month for 20 times. On September 10, 2026, OpenAI paused new sign-ups and upgrades to the $200 tier; existing subscribers keep it (Pro tiers, checked Sept. 25, 2026). For now, new subscribers can only choose the $100 tier.

GPT-6 Pro isn’t unlimited, even on Pro: 50 messages a week on the $100 tier and 200 on the $200 tier (GPT-5.6 and GPT-6 Pro, checked Sept. 25, 2026).

Business and Enterprise

Business is a self-serve plan with a two-seat minimum. A Premium seat gets 5 times the usage of a Standard seat with no 5-hour limit, and you can mix both seat types in one workspace. Teams can buy credits to go beyond the included limits (ChatGPT Business, checked Sept. 25, 2026). The OpenAI API is billed separately on every plan. Enterprise is for large organizations that need invoicing, custom terms and advanced admin controls. Verified U.S. K–12 teachers can get ChatGPT for Teachers for free through June 2027, according to the pricing page FAQ.

Is ChatGPT Free?

Yes. Without paying, you get unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna, subject to abuse safeguards. Everything else is capped (pricing page and release notes, checked Sept. 25, 2026):

• Limited: file uploads, image generation (slower), voice conversations, deep research, memory, Codex, and Work in the desktop app only.
• Scheduled tasks: up to three active tasks, running no more than once a day.
• Storage: 500 MB of files, versus 4 GB on Go, 20 GB on Plus and Business, and 100 GB on Pro.
• Not included: GPT-5.6 Sol, GPT-6 and Sites.
• Ads: shown on Free and Go. OpenAI says ads are clearly labeled, kept separate from answers, and that advertisers don’t get access to your conversations (OpenAI announcement).

You can even use ChatGPT without an account, with fewer features.

Which Models Does ChatGPT Use?

OpenAI now ships its models in three sizes: Sol (most capable), Terra (mid-range) and Luna (fastest and cheapest). In a regular chat, the model depends on your plan (GPT-5.6 and GPT-6 Pro, checked Sept. 25, 2026):

GPT-6 Astra, introduced on September 3, 2026, improves on coding, research, computer use and multi-step work. In Chat, it’s only available as GPT-6 Pro (Pro, Business, Enterprise); Plus subscribers get it in Work and Codex, with limited usage. GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna, released on September 22, 2026, are only used in Work and Codex (release notes).

Since September 14, 2026, ChatGPT no longer switches from Instant to thinking on its own for Plus and Pro users: for a hard question, pick Medium or High in the model picker yourself.

What Can ChatGPT Do?

Answer, Search and Analyze Files

• Web search with sources, plus deep research for a sourced report on a topic.
• Files and data: PDFs, documents, spreadsheets; ChatGPT can run calculations, build interactive charts and keep your files in a Library, which also connects to Google Drive, Box, Dropbox and SharePoint on paid plans.
• Writing: “writing blocks,” with a full-screen editor, replaced the old canvas on recent models on May 28, 2026. For technique, see our tutorial on writing high-quality content with ChatGPT.
• Studying: interactive quizzes and, since September 22, 2026, flashcards.

ChatGPT Work: The Agent

Work takes a request (“build a slide deck from these three reports”), researches, analyzes, uses your connected apps and produces the deliverable: a document, spreadsheet, presentation, report or Site (a shareable web page or lightweight app). You can follow its progress and change direction, and it asks for approval before important actions (OpenAI Help Center).

• Scheduled tasks: run once, on a schedule or, on Plus and Pro, in response to a new Gmail message, a Slack message or a GitHub pull request.
• Browser: on Plus and Pro, Work can act on websites that require signing in; you enter your credentials yourself, and it asks for confirmation before a payment or booking.
• On desktop: with your permission, Work can use local files and desktop apps.

Work and Codex draw from the same usage allowance, and you can buy credits to go beyond it.

Images, but No More Video

ChatGPT Images 2.5, rolled out on September 8, 2026, creates and edits images, offers ready-made templates and, on mobile, turns a sketch into an image. Image generation is limited and slower on Free and unlimited on Pro (pricing page, checked Sept. 25, 2026). The official DALL·E GPT was retired on August 30, 2026. The 2025 wave of “Ghibli-style” images raised copyright questions: see our story on AI-generated Studio Ghibli-style images.

ChatGPT no longer generates video since Sora shut down. For alternatives, see our top 10 AI video tools.

Voice

Since July 8, 2026, voice runs on GPT-Live-1 (Plus and Pro) and GPT-Live-1 mini (Free and Go), two models that listen and speak at the same time, so you can interrupt naturally. Daily limits: up to 3 hours on Go (with GPT-Live-1 mini) and on Plus, 15 hours on Pro $100, unlimited on Pro $200 (release notes, checked Sept. 25, 2026).

Memory, Projects and Instructions

• Memory: ChatGPT remembers your preferences and context. The Sources icon below a response shows which memories it used; you can correct or delete them, or turn memory off.
• Projects: chats, files and instructions grouped by topic, with optional project-only memory.
• Custom instructions: up to 5,000 characters on Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise.
• Temporary chats: kept out of your history, create no new memories and aren’t used for training.

Plugins, Custom GPTs and Add-ins

Plugins bundle skills, connected apps (Gmail, Google Drive, Slack, Notion, GitHub…) and app templates. Custom GPTs keep working until December 11, 2026, when they retire: creators can migrate them to plugins, but custom actions don’t carry over automatically (retirement FAQ).

The Excel and Google Sheets (May 2026), PowerPoint (July) and Word (September 17, 2026) add-ins open ChatGPT in a sidebar, including on the free plan, within your plan’s limits. To pair ChatGPT with a video tool, see our tutorial on creating an educational video with Synthesia and ChatGPT.

Codex for Coding

Codex, OpenAI’s coding agent, is included on every plan, with limits that depend on your subscription. It works with local folders, repositories and the terminal from the desktop app. For an AI-first code editor, see also our Cursor review. Developers who want OpenAI’s models inside their own apps use the API, billed separately.

U.S.-Only Features

Several recent additions are available only in the U.S. (release notes, checked Sept. 25, 2026):

• Health: connect medical records and Apple Health data (adults 18 and over).
• Finances: connect bank accounts through Plaid, track spending and, since September 21, 2026, your credit score (Plus and Pro).
• Job search with live listings from sources like Indeed and Upwork.
• Restaurant reservations with Resy and Yelp, in addition to OpenTable, which works worldwide.

Your Data and Privacy

• Training: on Free, Go, Plus and Pro, your conversations can be used to train OpenAI’s models. To opt out, go to Settings > Data controls and turn off “Improve the model for everyone.” The setting also covers Codex (Data controls).
• Businesses: by default, OpenAI doesn’t train on content from Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces.
• Temporary chats may be kept for up to 30 days for safety purposes.
• Privacy Center: since September 21, 2026, it brings together explanations about memory, data use and connected apps, with links to the relevant settings.
• Lockdown Mode: an optional security setting that restricts web access and external services to reduce the risk of prompt injection attacks.

For the regulatory picture, see our overview of AI regulation.

Limitations to Know About

• Mistakes happen: ChatGPT can state wrong things confidently. Check numbers, quotes and sources before you reuse them.
• Vague limits: the pricing page mostly says “limited” or “expanded” without numbers.
• Ads on Free and Go.
• A constantly changing product: model names (Sol, Terra, Luna, Astra) and retired features (Sora, canvas, custom GPTs) mean many 2024 and 2025 tutorials describe an interface that’s gone.
• The $200 Pro tier has been closed to new subscribers since September 10, 2026.

ChatGPT vs. Gemini vs. Mistral Vibe

Sources: ChatGPT Plus, Google AI plans, Mistral pricing (checked Sept. 25, 2026).

ChatGPT stands out for handing off complete tasks, thanks to Work, plugins and the Office add-ins. Google Gemini makes sense if you live in Gmail, Docs and Drive. Mistral Vibe (formerly Le Chat) suits people who want a European assistant with a cheaper subscription. For other use cases, see our roundup of AI productivity tools.

FAQ

Is ChatGPT Free?

Yes. The free plan includes unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna, with limits on uploads, images, voice and deep research, and it shows ads.

How Much Is ChatGPT Plus?

$20 a month in the U.S., billed monthly with no annual option (ChatGPT Plus, checked Sept. 25, 2026). Prices vary by country.

What’s the Difference Between ChatGPT Go and Plus?

Go ($8/month) raises the free plan’s limits but keeps the GPT-5.6 Luna model and ads. Plus ($20/month) adds GPT-5.6 Sol with thinking, the Work agent on every platform, GPT-6 Astra in Work and Codex, and no ads.

What Is ChatGPT’s Latest Model?

GPT-6 Astra, introduced on September 3, 2026, available as GPT-6 Pro in Chat on the Pro, Business and Enterprise plans. GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna (September 22, 2026) run in Work and Codex. Everyday chats use GPT-5.6 Sol (paid plans) or GPT-5.6 Luna (Free and Go).

Can ChatGPT Make Videos?

No. OpenAI shut down the Sora app on April 26, 2026, and its API on September 24, 2026. ChatGPT creates and edits images, not videos.

How Do I Stop ChatGPT From Training on My Chats?

Go to Settings > Data controls and turn off “Improve the model for everyone.” Temporary chats are never used for training, and Business and Enterprise workspaces are excluded by default.