What it is
ChatGPT is OpenAI's chat assistant for the web, desktop and phone. You type or talk to it, and it answers, writes, searches the web, reads files, makes images and runs code.
GPT-6 is rolling out as the default for paid plans. According to OpenAI's help centre, GPT-6 Sol powers the Instant to Extra High thinking levels, and GPT-6 Pro, built on GPT-6 Astra, is available in chat on Pro 100, Pro 200, Business and Enterprise. Plus gets Astra only inside ChatGPT Work and Codex. Free and Go stay on GPT-5.6 Luna. The same release added Intelligent UI, which lets answers include charts, forms and small interactive tools.
The lineup runs from an ad-supported Go tier to three Pro tiers, with Business and Enterprise workspaces for companies.
Our review
ChatGPT remains the one app that does a bit of everything competently. Chat, search, file analysis, image generation, voice, deep research, scheduled tasks, custom GPTs, ChatGPT Work and the Codex coding agent all sit behind one login, and no rival covers that list as evenly.
What you actually get depends on the plan more than ever. OpenAI's help centre says GPT-6 Pro, the Astra-powered mode for the hardest problems, is available in chat on Pro 100, Pro 200, Business and Enterprise but not on Plus. Plus users can reach Astra only through ChatGPT Work and Codex. Free and Go run on GPT-5.6 Luna and now carry ads, which OpenAI says do not influence answers. Pro 100 is capped at 50 Pro-model messages a week.
The Pro tiers are also unstable. After a pause, OpenAI reopened Pro 200 to new subscribers on 29 September 2026 with a smaller usage allowance at the same $200 price; grandfathered subscribers keep the old allowance only until 29 October. Long-time subscribers on OpenAI's community forum complain that caps changed without notice. Anyone budgeting for heavy use should assume the allowance behind a price can shrink.
For companies, Business is better value than it was. Seats cost $20 a user a month on annual billing, and a Premium seat at $100 adds five times the usage with no 5-hour limit. Business data is not used for training by default, and it has a SOC 2 Type 2 report, SAML SSO and admin-set retention. The gaps show at procurement: SCIM, role-based access, IP allowlisting, the Compliance API, data residency and the ISO 27001 family are Enterprise-only. Business also caps GPT Instant at a 54K-token context window against 128K on Enterprise.
Next to Claude it is broader but less careful with long documents and code edits, and Gemini comes bundled with Google storage and apps. ChatGPT's real advantage is that a 20-person firm can give everyone the same workspace for $400 a month and seldom need a second AI tool.
Where it earns its place
The operations lead at a 20-person consultancy
Give every consultant one AI tool for research, drafting and spreadsheets
Business Standard seats at $20/user/month on annual billing come to $400 a month; admins connect Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, and company data is excluded from training by default. SCIM is missing, so leavers are removed by hand.
A security reviewer at a 2,000-person bank
Approve an assistant that meets internal data rules
Only Enterprise offers SCIM, enterprise key management, IP allowlisting, the Compliance API and data residency in ten regions including the EU and UK. Pricing is custom, so expect a sales cycle and a security review before rollout.
A solo full-stack developer
Use one subscription for chat and a coding agent
Plus at $20 a month includes Codex with GPT-6 Astra, but not GPT-6 Pro in chat. Heavier agent work pushes you to Pro 100 at $100, which still caps Pro-model chat at 50 messages a week.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Sign up with an email or Google account and start chatting; a Business workspace needs at least two paid seats and a credit card, as invoicing is Enterprise-only.
- Integrations
- Apps for Google Workspace, Slack, GitHub and Microsoft 365, extensions for Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Google Sheets, plus the Codex CLI and the separate OpenAI API.
- Data and privacy
- Consumer chats can be used for training unless you opt out; Business, Enterprise and Edu data is not used by default, deleted chats are purged within 30 days, and Business and Enterprise have SOC 2 Type 2 reports.
- Cost at scale
- 100 Business Standard seats cost $2,000 a month on annual billing or $2,500 monthly; moving 20 of them to Premium seats raises that to $3,600 a month annually.
- Limits
- Business chats are 'unlimited subject to abuse guardrails', but Pro-model use is capped per week and Business GPT Instant has a 54K-token context window.
What's good
- Widest feature set of any assistant: research, images, voice, Work and Codex in one app
- Business seats from $20/user/month with no training on company data by default
- Premium Business seats remove the 5-hour limit for heavy users
- Data residency in ten regions on Enterprise
What's not
- GPT-6 Pro is not available in chat on the $20 Plus plan
- Free and Go show ads
- Pro 200 allowance was cut for new subscribers in September 2026 at the same price
- SCIM, RBAC and ISO 27001 certification are Enterprise-only
Best for
Anyone who wants a single all-round AI assistant and is fine paying $20 a month for the full experience.
Alternatives
Head to head
ChatGPT: common questions
- Is ChatGPT worth it?
- Still the default AI assistant for most people, and now a credible company workspace too, though choosing a plan and a model has become a job in itself. We rate it 4.7 out of 5.
- How much does ChatGPT cost?
- Free and Go ($8/month in the US) show ads; Plus $20/month; Pro 100, Pro 200 and Pro 500 at $100, $200 and $500/month (monthly billing only); Business Standard seat $20/user/month annually or $25 monthly, Premium seat $100 or $125, 2 to 200 users; Enterprise custom.
- What are the downsides of ChatGPT?
- GPT-6 Pro is not available in chat on the $20 Plus plan; free and Go show ads; pro 200 allowance was cut for new subscribers in September 2026 at the same price; sCIM, RBAC and ISO 27001 certification are Enterprise-only.
- Who is ChatGPT best for?
- Anyone who wants a single all-round AI assistant and is fine paying $20 a month for the full experience.
- How much does ChatGPT cost for a team or in production?
- 100 Business Standard seats cost $2,000 a month on annual billing or $2,500 monthly; moving 20 of them to Premium seats raises that to $3,600 a month annually.
- Is ChatGPT safe for company data?
- Consumer chats can be used for training unless you opt out; Business, Enterprise and Edu data is not used by default, deleted chats are purged within 30 days, and Business and Enterprise have SOC 2 Type 2 reports.
- What are the best ChatGPT alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Claude, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity.
Answers checked Oct 23, 2026.
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