Plans compared
ChatGPT's free plan vs ChatGPT Plus: price, limits and newest models
ChatGPT's free plan and ChatGPT Plus side by side, each in its company's own words and checked September 28, 2026: what each costs, what each says about its limits, and which of the newest models each chat has.
Other companies' plans checked . Updated .
Short answer
ChatGPT's free plan costs nothing and Plus $20 a month. Neither publishes a chat message count. Plus widens Free's limited Codex and ChatGPT Work and adds GPT-6 Astra there, an estimated 5–45 messages every 5 hours, but neither has GPT-6 in the regular chat. llmwise Pro ($20) has up to 31 GPT-6 Astra messages a month in it.
Sources: OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT Free Tier FAQ, OpenAI: Introducing GPT-6 Sol and Luna, OpenAI Help Center: GPT-6 Pro in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center: What is ChatGPT Plus?, OpenAI Help Center: Managing usage with GPT-6 Astra in Work and Codex and ChatGPT pricing, checked .
ChatGPT's free plan vs ChatGPT Plus, side by side
Each company's figures, checked September 28, 2026; the quotes behind them are on each plan's page.
| ChatGPT's free plan | ChatGPT Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price a month | Free | $20 |
| Billed yearly | Free | Monthly only |
| In India | Not published | Not published |
| Limits, in brief | No count; uploads, images and voice have their own caps | No fixed count; an estimated 5–45 GPT-6 Astra messages every 5 hours, in Work and Codex |
| Newest models | GPT-6 Astra: not in its chat; GPT-6 Sol: not in its chat; GPT-6 Luna: not in its chat | GPT-6 Astra: not in its chat; GPT-6 Sol: not in its chat; GPT-6 Luna: not in its chat |
| Also in the plan | “Search the web and obtain up-to-date information” (OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT Free Tier FAQ) | “Expanded Codex usage” (ChatGPT pricing) |
What OpenAI say about the limits
“File uploads, image generation, voice, data analysis, and other tools have separate usage limits. ChatGPT will notify you when you reach an applicable limit.”
“To ensure a smooth experience for all users, Plus subscriptions may include usage limits such as message caps, especially during high demand. These limits may vary based on system conditions.”
ChatGPT's free plan or ChatGPT Plus: which to pick
Everyday questions and writing
ChatGPT Free: OpenAI describes its limits as caps on tools, not on plain questions.
Coding and long agent tasks
Plus: Codex and ChatGPT Work come with GPT-6 Astra inside them; Free has only limited access to both, and no Astra.
GPT-6 Astra in the chat
Neither: GPT-6 Astra isn't in either plan's regular chat. llmwise Pro ($20) has it there: up to 31 messages a month.
Both in one: llmwise Pro
llmwise Pro ($20) beside both plans, model by model: each count is the most you get if the month goes to that model.
| Model | ChatGPT's free plan | ChatGPT Plus | llmwise Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-6 Astra | Not on Free: as GPT-6 Pro, from Pro $100 up | In Work and Codex only: an estimated 5–45 every 5 hours | Up to 31 a month |
| GPT-6 Sol | Not in Chat on any plan yet | In Work and Codex; not in Chat yet | Up to 125 a month |
| Claude Fable 5.1 | Not offered: GPT only | Not offered: GPT only | Up to 31 a month |
Every limit is published. Paid plans also have a monthly fair-use limit on AI cost: Pro $7.50, Max $20, Ultra $42, Studio $85. Using every message on your plan at typical sizes stays under it; very large messages and heavy research use it faster. Every limit, explained.
Each plan on its own, and more pairs
- ChatGPT's free plan: what it includes, and its limits
- ChatGPT Plus: price, limits and what's in it
- ChatGPT's pricing: every plan and the API
- ChatGPT Plus vs Claude Pro
- ChatGPT Plus vs ChatGPT Pro
- ChatGPT Go vs ChatGPT Plus
- ChatGPT Plus vs Google AI Pro
- ChatGPT Plus vs SuperGrok
- ChatGPT Plus vs Perplexity Pro
- ChatGPT Plus vs Poe
Questions
What does ChatGPT Plus add over Free?
Free has separate caps on uploads, images, voice and data analysis; OpenAI says Plus users "have access to higher rate limits". Plus also widens Free's limited Codex, ChatGPT Work and deep research, for $20 a month with no yearly plan.
Can students get ChatGPT Plus free?
US college students can get Plus free for 4 monthly billing periods if they claim by October 31, 2026; after that it's $20 a month.
Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok, Kimi, and GLM, in one chat.
See what a message costs before you send it. Free is 5 messages to try; sign in with an email link, no password or card.