ChatGPT vs Claude
Plans, free access, limits and intended use side by side, taken from each vendor’s own pages. No score and no winner: the facts show where the two differ.
Change tools
An assistant for drafting, files and web research.
From an idea to a draft you can actually edit.
- Free access
- ChatGPT: Free access
- Claude: Free access
- Paid from
- ChatGPT: No fixed price listed
- Claude: USD 17 per month
- Plans listed
- ChatGPT: 8
- Claude: 7
- Public API
- ChatGPT: Yes
- Claude: Yes
Where ChatGPT and Claude differ
- PlansChatGPT lists 8 plans and Claude lists 7.
Head to head
Each value from the tool’s profile and the vendor’s own pages
| ChatGPT | Fact | Claude |
|---|---|---|
| Access and price | ||
| Free access availableFree | Free accessSame | Free access availableFree |
| No fixed price listed | Lowest listed paid plan | USD 17 per monthPro · billed yearly as USD 200 · USD 20 billed monthly |
| Free; Go EUR 8 (local price); Plus USD 20 | Pricing model | Free + paid |
| 8 | Plans listedDiffers | 7 |
| Yes | Public APISame | Yes |
| Not confirmed | Card to start | Not confirmed |
| No | Open sourceSame | No |
| What it is for | ||
| General drafting, files and everyday research | Built for | Drafting, document work and coding |
| Writing & content | CategorySame | Writing & content |
| Platforms |
|
| Works with |
|
| How current | ||
| Profile sources checked | ||
| Pricing review due · Sep 24, 2026 | Pricing checkSame | Pricing review due · Sep 24, 2026 |
Official source check for both tools. No hands-on testing and no score: “Differs” marks a documented difference, not a better tool.
Plans and prices
ChatGPT
Pricing review due · Sep 24, 2026- FreeFree
- GoEUR 8 per month
- PlusUSD 20 per month
- Pro $100USD 100 per month
- Pro $200 (Pro 20x)USD 200 per month
Show 3 more plans
- Business (Standard seat)USD 20 per seat per monthbilled annually · USD 25 billed monthly
- Business (Premium seat)USD 100 per seat per monthbilled annually · USD 125 billed monthly
- EnterpriseCustom pricing
Claude
Pricing review due · Sep 24, 2026- FreeFree
- ProUSD 17 per monthbilled yearly as USD 200 · USD 20 billed monthly
- Max 5xUSD 100 per month
- Max 20xUSD 200 per month
- Team (Standard seat)USD 20 per seat per monthbilled annually · USD 25 billed monthly
Show 2 more plans
- Team (Premium seat)USD 100 per seat per monthbilled annually · USD 125 billed monthly
- EnterpriseUSD 20 per seat per monthbilled annually, plus usage at API rates
Strengths and limits
ChatGPT
Strengths
- Many kinds of work in one assistant: Drafting, file analysis, image generation, voice and web research share one account.
- Unlimited basic chats on Free: The Free plan has no cap on text chats with the basic model.
- Projects organize related work: Chats, files and instructions for an ongoing job stay together.
Limits to plan around
- No annual discount for individuals: Go, Plus and Pro are billed monthly only; annual pricing is limited to Business seats.
- Pro $200 closed to newcomers: New sign-ups and upgrades to the 20x tier are paused; existing subscriptions keep renewing.
- Go pricing is regional: Go may include ads. Its January 2026 US launch quote was $8 monthly; confirm today's local checkout amount before subscribing.
Claude
Strengths
- A broad free plan: Web search, file creation, code execution, Artifacts, memory and up to five projects cost nothing.
- Chat and coding on one subscription: Pro and Max cover Claude Code in the terminal and in IDEs alongside the chat apps.
- Four usage levels: Free, Pro, Max 5x and Max 20x let one person scale usage without a team plan.
Limits to plan around
- Limits on every tier: Even Max 20x has a five-hour session allowance and a weekly cap; it raises the ceiling rather than removing it.
- A steep step to Max: Max starts at five times the monthly Pro price and cannot be paid annually.
- Tax comes on top: Listed prices exclude applicable tax, and app-store prices for Max can differ from the web price.
See both products
Start from your task, not from a winner.
We have written up this pair: the documented differences, a worked cost example and which one fits which job.
Claude vs ChatGPT: Plans, Limits and What Each One AddsChange this pair
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Audio & voice
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Data & spreadsheets
Images & design
Presentations
Research & sources
Video & editing
Website builders
Writing & content
Comparing tools from different categories is fine, and often useful — a writing assistant and a research tool solve different halves of the same job. The table will show you exactly where they diverge.
Questions about comparing tools
How does the comparison work?
Add two tools to the comparison tray from any tool card, then open this page. The table pulls each tool's verified plan details, platforms, strengths and limits from its profile, so both columns carry the same kind of evidence, with a separate source-check date for each tool.
Do you declare a winner?
No. The table sets two tools against each other on documented facts, not on a score. Which one wins depends on your task, your budget and your usage volume — three things we cannot see from here.
Why are some cells empty or marked unverified?
Because we could not confirm that detail on the vendor's own pages. Rather than filling the gap with a figure from elsewhere, we mark it and say why on the tool's profile.
Can I compare more than two tools?
Not at once. Two columns keep the differences readable and force a real decision. Remove either selected tool to replace it, or clear both to start a new pair.
Every figure in the table above comes from the linked profile, where the source and the verification date are listed. Browse all tools or read the editorial policy.