Plans compared
Updated · By llmwise, AI-assisted.
ChatGPT's free plan vs ChatGPT Plus: price, limits and newest models
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.
ChatGPT's free plan vs ChatGPT Plus, side by side
Each company's figures, checked October 1, 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 limits do OpenAI publish?
“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.”
Should you pick ChatGPT's free plan or ChatGPT Plus?
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.
Does OpenAI train on your chats, on either plan?
As OpenAI's privacy pages put it on September 28, 2026. Neither question arises on llmwise: it doesn't train on your content, and you decide when a chat is deleted.
| App | Training on your chats | How to opt out | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Yes, unless you opt out | Turn off “Improve the model for everyone”, or use Temporary Chat | Temporary Chats up to 30 days; the page gives no period for saved chats |
“Data controls let you choose whether your conversations help train OpenAI models.”
Quoted from OpenAI Help Center: Data controls in ChatGPT
Both in one: llmwise Pro
llmwise Pro ($20) beside both plans. Its monthly counts assume the allowance goes to one 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-6.1 Sol | Not named on its pages | Not named on its pages | Up to 125 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 |
Behind Pro's counts is a $7.50 monthly ceiling on AI cost, its fair-use limit: typical use stays under it, and huge messages or deep research get there first. 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
- Every ChatGPT plan and its price
- 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
ChatGPT's free plan or ChatGPT Plus: more 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.
ChatGPT's free plan or ChatGPT Plus? Ask GPT-6 Astra and Claude Fable 5.1 first
Both are on llmwise Pro ($20): up to 31 a month on GPT-6 Astra, up to 31 a month on Claude Fable 5.1. Ask one, then switch; the second answers with the whole chat in view.