At a glance
| ChatGPT | Claude | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | $8/month | $20/month |
| Category | Chatbot | Chatbot |
| Best for | Drafting, rewriting, and summarizing emails, reports, and marketing copy | Analyzing and summarizing long documents and reports |
Prices come from each official site and can change. Check the official pricing pages before subscribing.
Key features
ChatGPT
- Text chat with OpenAI's latest GPT models
- Image generation and image understanding (vision)
- Voice conversations, with video on paid plans
- Deep research mode for multi-source reports
- File uploads and data analysis
- Projects, memory, and scheduled tasks
- Codex coding agent and Excel, Word, and Google Sheets extensions
Claude
- Chat on web, desktop, iOS, and Android
- Web search, file creation, and code execution
- Artifacts, plus Claude Design, Slides, and Docs
- Memory across conversations and connectors to apps and tools
- Claude Code for terminal-based coding on all paid plans
- Research mode, Projects, and Claude in Chrome on paid plans
- Context window up to 1M tokens, varying by model
Pros
ChatGPT
- Free plan includes unlimited everyday text chats, subject to abuse guardrails
- Wide feature set in one app: chat, images, voice, search, and file analysis
- Available on web, iOS, and Android
- Low-cost Go plan at $8/month sits between Free and Plus
Claude
- Free plan includes web search, file creation, code execution, and memory
- Claude Code is included with every paid plan, from Pro upward
- Large context window (up to 1M tokens, depending on model) for long inputs
- Pro is cheaper with annual billing ($17/month)
Cons
ChatGPT
- Free plan limits uploads, image creation, deep research, and memory
- Go plan may include ads, and advanced reasoning models need Plus or higher
- Pro tiers start at $100/month
- Answers can contain factual errors and should be checked for important work
Claude
- Every plan has usage limits that reset every 5 hours and weekly
- Opus models, Projects beyond 5, and Research need a paid plan
- Heavy users may need Max ($100/month) or Ultra ($200/month)
- Like other AI assistants, it can produce inaccurate answers that need checking
Which one should you choose?
Choose ChatGPT if you need
- Drafting, rewriting, and summarizing emails, reports, and marketing copy
- Researching a topic with web search and deep research reports
- Analyzing spreadsheets and uploaded documents
- Writing, explaining, and debugging code
Choose Claude if you need
- Analyzing and summarizing long documents and reports
- Writing and editing articles, emails, and documentation
- Building and debugging software with Claude Code
- Researching topics with web search and the Research feature
ChatGPT vs Claude: FAQ
Is ChatGPT better than Claude?
Neither is better for everyone. ChatGPT: OpenAI's advanced AI chatbot for conversational interactions and content generation. Claude: Anthropic's helpful and safe AI assistant for natural conversation and analysis. Pick ChatGPT for drafting, rewriting, and summarizing emails, reports, and marketing copy, and Claude for analyzing and summarizing long documents and reports.
Which is cheaper, ChatGPT or Claude?
ChatGPT's paid plans start at $8/month, compared with $20/month for Claude, based on each official pricing page at the last update. Limits differ between plans, so compare what each tier includes.
Do ChatGPT and Claude have free plans?
Yes, both offer free access with usage limits. Paid plans raise those limits and add features.