ChatGPT

OpenAI's flagship AI assistant with the broadest feature set — including image generation, web browsing, code execution, and a massive ecosystem of custom GPTs.

Free / $8 Go / $20 Plus / Pro from $100 to $500 per month

My take

I cancelled my ChatGPT subscription once, and GPT-5.6 brought me back. It's an incredible workhorse, the desktop app is a pleasure to work with, and the usage quota on the Pro plan is quite something. Claude's Fable is still what I use when I need really good thinking, specification, and design — but for getting through the day's actual work, ChatGPT has earned its place back on my machine.

Visit ChatGPT Back to tools

At a Glance

Pros

+ Most versatile AI assistant — text, images, code, web browsing
+ The GPT-6 models are excellent, reliable workhorses
+ The desktop app is genuinely pleasant to work with
+ Very generous usage allowances on the Pro plan
+ Massive ecosystem of GPTs (custom assistants)
+ Built-in image generation (GPT Image)

Cons

− Still less precise than Claude for the hardest reasoning and writing tasks
− Plus plan feels limited compared to what Pro users get

Best for: All-around AI assistant with multimodal capabilities, web browsing, and the largest ecosystem

Powered by

GPT-6 Astra multimodal GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Luna multimodal GPT-Image-2.5 image

Full review

ChatGPT is the assistant that put AI in front of everyone, and it remains the most feature-rich option available. OpenAI has built a wide ecosystem around it, which made it the default choice for many users. With the GPT-5.6 release, the product underneath that default status got noticeably better.

What makes ChatGPT stand out

The breadth of capabilities is hard to match. In a single conversation, you can analyze data, generate images, browse the web for current information, run Python code, and create custom GPTs. No other assistant offers this range in one interface.

The desktop app deserves its own mention. It has matured into one of the most polished AI apps you can install: fast, unobtrusive, and well integrated with what’s on your screen. It has three modes, Chat, Work and Codex (Codex merged into it on 9 July 2026). A surprising amount of my ChatGPT use now happens there rather than in the browser.

Voice mode holds up well. It feels like talking to a knowledgeable colleague, and it’s genuinely useful for brainstorming or when you’re on the go.

The GPT-5.6 difference

GPT-5.6 is the reason I re-subscribed. It was fast and dependable. For pure execution (formatting, summarizing, translating, working through a pile of well-defined tasks) it rarely misses. For the hardest thinking and the best writing, Claude still has the edge, and I use both accordingly.

What GPT-6 changes

September brought the next generation. GPT-6 Astra, OpenAI’s flagship, reached the paid plans in early September. GPT-6 Sol and Luna followed on 22 September at half the API price of their GPT-5.6 predecessors, or less. Since 7 October, regular chats run on the GPT-6 models: Sol on Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise, Luna on Free and Go (from 8 October). GPT-6.1 Sol, launched at DevDay on 29 September, comes close to Astra’s performance at Sol’s price ($2/$10 per million tokens in the API) and is available in ChatGPT Work and Codex for Plus and above.

The ecosystem advantage

The GPT Store and custom GPTs give ChatGPT an ecosystem advantage. Need a specialized assistant for legal research, marketing copy, or financial analysis? Someone has probably already built a GPT for that.

Pricing considerations

The free tier runs on GPT-6 Luna, which makes it a genuinely usable entry point, and Go at $8/month sits just above it. The Plus plan at $20/month is decent value. Pro now comes in three tiers at $100, $200 and $500 per month: Pro 100 gives five times Plus usage, Pro 200 twenty times, and Pro 500 adds Ultrafast mode. Pro used to be hard to justify; with the usage allowances it now carries, heavy users can actually get their money’s worth, and it’s the plan I’m on. For teams, Business is $25 per user per month ($20 billed annually); Enterprise and Edu are priced on request.

Who should use ChatGPT

If you want one AI tool that does everything well and you don’t want to juggle multiple subscriptions, ChatGPT is a strong choice — stronger than it was a year ago. It’s particularly good if you need image generation, web browsing, and code execution in the same workflow, or if you want a first-class desktop app.