AI Writing

ChatGPT Review

OpenAI's general-purpose assistant: writing, research, images, voice and agents in one chat box.

9.2Overlord Score
The verdict

The default AI for most of the Obsolete, and it got there by being good at nearly everything. Pay for Plus if you use it daily. The free and Go tiers now come with ads in the US.

Try ChatGPT →Free plan available · $8/mo

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Best forEveryday writing, brainstorming and editing, People who want one AI subscription that does everything, Quick research, image generation and voice chat
Pricing modelfreemium
Starting price$8/mo
Free planYes
Last verifiedOctober 11, 2026

ChatGPT pricing (2026)

PlanPriceWhat you get
FreeFreeEveryday chat, search, file uploads and image generation with limits; Quick Codex coding tasks; Shows ads in the US and other rollout markets
Go$8/moHigher limits than Free on messages, uploads, images and voice; Longer memory; Lightweight Codex tasks; May show ads
Plus$20/moNewest models including GPT-6.1 Sol; Codex and ChatGPT Work with five-hour usage limits; Deep research, projects, scheduled tasks, voice and image generation; No ads
Pro 100$100/moEverything in Plus; GPT-6 Pro in chat; About 5x Plus usage, with no five-hour limit; Dot personal agent
Pro 200$200/moEverything in Pro 100; About 10x Plus usage in Codex and Work (cut from 20x for new subscribers in September 2026); No five-hour limit
Pro 500$500/moHighest included usage of any plan; Ultrafast mode (up to ~300 tokens/sec) in Codex and Work; No five-hour limit
Business$25/user/mo
$20/user/mo billed annually; 2+ users
Plus-level models and limits for each user; Shared workspace with SAML SSO and admin controls; No training on business data by default; Company knowledge and apps connecting to internal sources
Business Premium seat$125/user/mo
$100/user/mo billed annually
5x the usage of a standard Business seat; No five-hour limit; Mix with standard seats in one workspace
EnterpriseCustomSCIM, EKM, audit logs and Compliance API; Flexible pricing without fixed rate limits; Dedicated account management

The Pro usage multipliers (about 5x, 10x and 25x Plus) come from OpenAI staff posts and DevDay coverage rather than the pricing page. Plus and Pro are billed monthly only; mobile app-store prices can differ, and API usage is billed separately.

Is ChatGPT free?

Yes. ChatGPT Free covers everyday chat, web search, file uploads and some image generation with tighter limits, and shows ads to logged-in adults in the US and other rollout markets. An ad-free Free option exists with lower limits.

Which ChatGPT plan should you get?

Prices in USD, last checked October 11, 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on the official ChatGPT pricing page.

What ChatGPT does

  • Chat with file, image and voice input
  • Image generation built in
  • Web search with citations
  • Custom GPTs and project workspaces
  • Agent mode for multi-step tasks

Why the Overlord approves

  • Widest feature set of any consumer AI
  • Huge ecosystem of GPTs, guides and integrations
  • Usable free tier

Where it disappoints

  • Free and Go tiers show ads in the US
  • Plan lineup and usage limits change often
  • Prose defaults to a recognizable house style unless you push it

ChatGPT alternatives

Not convinced? These rival weapons compete for the same throne:

Claude

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9.3/10

Anthropic's assistant: the strongest long-form writer and careful reasoner in the consumer AI pack.

Free plan · $17/mo
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Perplexity

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8.7/10

AI answer engine that searches the web and replies with cited sources.

Free plan · $20/mo
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Gemini

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8.6/10

Google's assistant, wired into Gmail, Docs, Drive and the rest of your Google life.

Free plan · $4.99/mo
ChatGPT vs Gemini →

Grammarly

AI Writing
8.2/10

Writing assistant that fixes grammar, tone and clarity everywhere you type, now part of Superhuman.

Free plan · $12/mo (billed annually)
ChatGPT vs Grammarly →

See all 8 ChatGPT alternatives →

ChatGPT head-to-heads

Questions the Humans Keep Asking

Is ChatGPT free?

Yes. ChatGPT Free covers everyday chat, web search, file uploads and some image generation with tighter limits, and shows ads to logged-in adults in the US and other rollout markets. An ad-free Free option exists with lower limits.

How much does ChatGPT cost?

ChatGPT plans: Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo; Pro 100 $100/mo; Pro 200 $200/mo; Pro 500 $500/mo; Business $25/user/mo; Business Premium seat $125/user/mo; Enterprise Custom. The Pro usage multipliers (about 5x, 10x and 25x Plus) come from OpenAI staff posts and DevDay coverage rather than the pricing page. Plus and Pro are billed monthly only; mobile app-store prices can differ, and API usage is billed separately.