Comparison · AI Assistants
Claude vs ChatGPT: plans, limits and prices compared
Short answer
Both main plans cost $20 a month (ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro), and both have heavy-use tiers ($100 to $500 for ChatGPT Pro; $100 or $200 for Claude Max). ChatGPT lists unlimited everyday text chats, image generation and a cheaper Go plan that may show ads. Claude lists up to a 1M-token context window on every plan and pools chat and Claude Code usage in five-hour windows. We compare their published plans, not answer quality.
Prices, limits and features change often. We date every figure and link to its source: check the vendor's page before you buy or build. How we make money.
ChatGPT (from OpenAI) and Claude (from Anthropic) are often weighed against each other before people pay for one. This page compares what each company actually publishes about its plans: prices, models, usage limits, context windows, coding tools and data use. Every figure links to the vendor's own page, checked on October 1, 2026.
What this page is not: a quality ranking. We have not run a controlled, hands-on test of both assistants, so we do not say which one writes or reasons better. Disclosure: our drafting tools are built on Anthropic's Claude. That is exactly why this comparison relies only on the two companies' own documentation, never on the tools' opinion of themselves, and why we do not score quality.
Plans and prices (US dollars)
| ChatGPT | Claude | |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, with limited uploads, images, voice and deep research | $0, with web search, files, code execution and memory |
| Entry paid plan | Go (price on the pricing page; OpenAI says the plan "may include ads") | No equivalent |
| Main paid plan | Plus: $20/month | Pro: $20/month (cheaper per month with annual billing) |
| Heavy use | Pro: $100, $200 or $500/month (three usage tiers) | Max: $100/month (5x Pro usage) or $200/month (20x) |
| Teams | Business, from 2 users (per user per month) | Team, 2 to 150 seats, Standard and Premium seats |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | $20 per seat per month plus usage at API rates, billed annually |
Prices can differ outside the US. OpenAI bills in local currency in a list of countries (euros across the European Economic Area). Anthropic says some regions include tax in the displayed price and others add it at checkout. From Spain, for example, ChatGPT Plus is shown at €23 a month and Claude Pro at €18 a month before tax.
Models in each plan
ChatGPT lists about ten models across its plans. On October 1, 2026, the pricing page showed unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna on the free plan, GPT-6 reasoning models from Plus upward, and "Pro reasoning powered by GPT-6 Astra" on Pro.
Claude has fewer, larger families: Haiku and Sonnet on the free plan, Opus from Pro upward, and Fable on Max (where it can use up to half of the weekly limits) or with usage credits on Pro.
Model names change every few months. What matters more is which tier of model each plan unlocks, and that is what the table above captures.
Usage limits
The two companies describe limits differently:
- ChatGPT advertises "unlimited" everyday text chats on every plan, "subject to abuse guardrails", with limits on uploads, image creation, voice and deep research that grow with the plan.
- Claude has no fixed message count. Limits reset on a rolling five-hour window, paid plans add weekly limits, and chats, the desktop app and Claude Code all draw from the same pool. Pro gives "at least 5x more usage per 5-hour session than Free", and Max 5x or 20x more than Pro. On paid plans you can turn on usage credits, billed at API rates, to keep working after a limit.
In practice: if you mostly chat, ChatGPT's unlimited text chats are simpler to reason about. If you code with Claude Code or run long sessions, Claude's pooled limits are the number to watch.
Context window: how much text each can take in
| ChatGPT plan | Fast model (GPT Instant) | Reasoning models |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 27K tokens | Varies |
| Go | 54K tokens | 256K tokens |
| Plus | 54K tokens | 256K tokens |
| Pro | 128K tokens | 400K tokens |
Claude lists a context window of "up to 1M", varying by model, on every plan from Free to Max.
OpenAI notes that the space for your input is smaller than the total window, because instructions, memory and reasoning share it. Its page estimates about 40 pages of text for the fast model on Plus and about 320 pages for the reasoning models. If you regularly paste long documents, this row matters more than any other. For what a token is, see what is a token in AI.
Coding
- ChatGPT includes Codex, OpenAI's coding agent: limited on Free and Go, "expanded" on Plus and longer sessions on Pro.
- Claude includes Claude Code, Anthropic's coding agent, on every paid plan, sharing the plan's usage limits. For heavier use, Anthropic points to pay-as-you-go API credits.
Images, voice and other features
| Feature (as listed on the pricing pages) | ChatGPT | Claude |
|---|---|---|
| Image generation | Yes, on every plan (limited on Free) | Not listed |
| Voice | Yes (limited on Free) | Yes, on every plan |
| Web search | Yes | Yes, on every plan |
| Deep research | Limited on Free and Go, expanded on Plus, maximum on Pro | "Research" on paid plans |
| Office integration | Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Google Sheets extensions (limited on lower plans) | Claude for Microsoft 365 and Outlook on paid plans |
| Projects | Plus and above | Up to 5 on Free, unlimited on paid plans |
Your data
Both let individual users opt out of having their conversations used to train models: OpenAI's pricing page shows "Opt-out available" for Free, Go, Plus and Pro, and Anthropic's shows "Opt-out" for Free, Pro and Max. On Anthropic's Team plan, the default is no training on your content.
Which one should you try first?
Without a quality test, the honest answer depends on what you need from the plan:
- You want images, voice and one subscription for everything: ChatGPT Plus lists image generation and voice on every plan and unlimited text chats.
- You work with long documents: Claude lists a context window of up to 1M tokens (depending on the model) on every plan, against 27K to 400K on ChatGPT.
- You code daily: both include an agent (Codex, Claude Code). Claude's limits are shared between chat and code; ChatGPT's Codex limits grow with the plan.
- You are on a budget: both free plans are usable. ChatGPT also has Go, a cheaper paid tier that may show ads.
The cheapest way to decide is to use both free plans on your own work for a week. If neither fits, see ChatGPT alternatives by use case.
What we checked
- ChatGPT plans: Free with unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna and limited uploads, images, voice and deep research; Go may include ads; Plus with GPT-6 reasoning models; Pro with three usage tiers and GPT-6 Astra. (OpenAI, )
- ChatGPT context: GPT Instant 27K (Free), 54K (Go, Plus), 128K (Pro); reasoning 256K (Go, Plus) and 400K (Pro); about 40 and 320 pages of input on Plus. (OpenAI, )
- ChatGPT Business starts at 2 users; Enterprise through sales; training opt-out available on Free, Go, Plus and Pro. (OpenAI, )
- ChatGPT Plus costs $20/month. (OpenAI Help Center, )
- ChatGPT Pro tiers cost $100, $200 and $500 a month. (OpenAI Help Center, )
- ChatGPT Go is available in all ChatGPT countries and may test ads; prices are on the pricing page. (OpenAI Help Center, )
- OpenAI offers local-currency billing in a list of countries, euros across the EEA. (OpenAI Help Center, )
- From Spain, chatgpt.com shows Plus at 23 € a month. (OpenAI, )
- Claude Pro costs $20 per month in the US; some regions include tax in the price and others add it at checkout. (Claude Help Center (Anthropic), )
- Claude Max costs $100 (5x) or $200 (20x) a month. (Claude Help Center (Anthropic), )
- Claude plans: Haiku and Sonnet on Free, Opus from Pro, Fable on Max (up to 50% of weekly limits) or with credits on Pro; context up to 1M by model; five-hour usage windows and weekly limits; Claude Code on all paid plans; training opt-out on Free, Pro and Max; Team 2 to 150 seats without training by default; Enterprise $20 per seat plus API usage. From Spain, Pro is 18 € a month before tax. (Anthropic, )
What may change
- Both companies change model names, plan features and limits every few months; we review this page monthly.
- Prices outside the US depend on currency and tax rules.
- ChatGPT Go's ads and price may change; OpenAI says it may adjust Go pricing over time.
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude Pro the same price as ChatGPT Plus?
In the US, yes: both cost $20 a month. Claude Pro is cheaper per month with annual billing. Outside the US both show local prices, and taxes may be added at checkout.
Which has the bigger context window?
Claude lists up to 1M tokens, depending on the model, on every plan. ChatGPT lists 27K to 128K tokens for its fast model and up to 256K or 400K for its reasoning models, depending on the plan.
Can Claude generate images?
Claude's pricing page does not list image generation. ChatGPT's lists image creation on every plan, limited on Free.
Is Claude better than ChatGPT?
We have not run a hands-on quality test, so we do not rank them. The differences we can document are in plans, limits, context windows and features; try both free plans on your own tasks.
Do they train on my conversations?
Both offer an opt-out for individual plans (Free, Go, Plus and Pro at OpenAI; Free, Pro and Max at Anthropic). Anthropic's Team plan does not train on your content by default.
Sources
- ChatGPT pricing: plans, models, context windows and features, OpenAI. Accessed October 1, 2026.
- Precios de ChatGPT (página en español, vista desde España), OpenAI. Accessed October 1, 2026.
- What is ChatGPT Plus?, OpenAI Help Center. Accessed October 1, 2026.
- About ChatGPT Pro tiers, OpenAI Help Center. Accessed October 1, 2026.
- What is ChatGPT Go?, OpenAI Help Center. Accessed October 1, 2026.
- Multi-currency billing, OpenAI Help Center. Accessed October 1, 2026.
- Claude plans and pricing (Free, Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise), Anthropic. Accessed October 1, 2026.
- What is the Pro plan?, Claude Help Center (Anthropic). Accessed October 1, 2026.
- What is the Max plan?, Claude Help Center (Anthropic). Accessed October 1, 2026.
Spotted an error or an outdated price? Tell us and we will fix it.
Change history
- : First published from OpenAI's and Anthropic's pricing pages and help centers.
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