Both assistants charge twenty dollars a month for their mainstream tier, and both let you in for nothing — one of them with a paid step at $8.
TL;DR
OpenAI sells ChatGPT in four consumer steps: Free, Go at $8 a month, Plus at $20 a month and Pro at $200 a month. Anthropic sells Claude in three: Free, Pro at $17 a month with an annual subscription ($200 paid up front) or $20 billed monthly, and Max from $100 a month at 5x or 20x Pro usage. Both mainstream tiers include a coding agent — Codex in ChatGPT Plus, Claude Code in Claude Pro — and both free tiers cover everyday chat. Pick ChatGPT for the cheaper entry tier and the widest model range; pick Claude for document-heavy work and a coding agent that starts one tier lower.
OpenAI's ChatGPT pricing page lists four consumer plans. Free gives unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna and limited messages for uploads, image creation, voice, deep research, memory and Codex. Go at $8 a month raises messages with tools, uploads, image creation and voice, extends memory, and may include advertising. Plus at $20 a month adds advanced reasoning with GPT-6, expanded uploads and deep research, projects, scheduled tasks, custom GPTs, expanded Codex usage and early access to new features. Pro starts at $200 a month and adds GPT-6 Astra reasoning, a choice of three usage tiers, longer Codex and Work sessions, unlimited image creation and maximum deep research. Business and Enterprise are priced per user per month, with annual options on those tiers.
Claude's page offers Free for chat on web, desktop and mobile with web search, file creation, code execution, memory and Artifacts. Pro costs $17 a month on an annual subscription ($200 billed up front) or $20 billed monthly, and includes Claude Code, more usage, Projects, Claude Design, Slides and Docs, Claude Science, more models, and Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365. Max starts at $100 a month and multiplies Pro usage by 5x or 20x with priority access during traffic spikes. Anthropic states usage limits apply and prices exclude tax; its Enterprise tier lists $20 per seat per month plus usage billed at API rates.
| Feature | ChatGPT | Claude |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Unlimited text chats on GPT-5.6 Luna; limited uploads, images, voice and Codex | Chat on web, desktop and mobile with search, files, code, memory and Artifacts |
| Entry paid tier | Go — $8/month: more messages with tools, longer memory (may include ads) | Pro — $17/month billed annually ($200 upfront), or $20 billed monthly |
| Mainstream tier | Plus — $20/month: GPT-6 reasoning, custom GPTs, expanded Codex | The same Pro plan — no separate mid tier |
| Top consumer tier | Pro — from $200/month: GPT-6 Astra, three usage tiers, unlimited image creation | Max — from $100/month: 5x or 20x Pro usage, priority access |
| Coding agent | Codex: limited on Free, expanded on Plus, longer sessions on Pro | Claude Code: included from Pro upward, absent on Free |
| Billing | Monthly only for Go, Plus and Pro (per OpenAI's help centre) | Annual commitment needed for the $17 Pro rate; monthly billing is $20 |
| Team plans | Business and Enterprise priced per user per month, annual options available | Team tiers available; Enterprise lists $20 per seat plus usage at API rates |
Pick ChatGPT if
The $8 Go tier and a usable free plan mean you pay nothing until tools matter, and Plus at $20 bundles GPT-6 reasoning, custom GPTs, scheduled tasks and expanded Codex. If image generation and voice matter as much as text, OpenAI's line-up spreads those capabilities across every paid tier.
Pick Claude if
Claude Code ships from $17 a month on the annual plan, and Projects, Docs, Slides and Claude Science turn the subscription into a workspace rather than a chat window. Heavy users get 5x-20x Pro usage at $100 a month — half the ChatGPT Pro rate of $200.
We collected no independent reviews, ratings or user quotations for ChatGPT or Claude in this run. Plan details come from openai.com's ChatGPT pricing page, OpenAI's ChatGPT Go announcement and help-centre billing answers, plus claude.com's pricing page, all fetched October 2, 2026. Model names reflect OpenAI's published line-up on that date.
ChatGPT's entry paid tier is $8 a month (Go); Claude's is $17 a month with annual billing or $20 billed monthly. Their mainstream tiers are Plus at $20 and Pro at $17 annually — effectively the same price, with Claude cheaper if you prepay $200 for the year.
Claude's does not: Claude Code requires Pro or above. ChatGPT's Free plan includes limited Codex access, expanding on Plus and lengthening further on Pro. Both free tiers cover everyday chat, files and code execution in the browser.
Claude: yes — Pro drops from $20 monthly to $17 a month when $200 is paid upfront. OpenAI's help centre says Go, Plus and Pro are billed monthly with no annual option for those consumer tiers; annual billing exists on its Business and Enterprise plans.
ChatGPT Pro adds GPT-6 Astra reasoning, your choice of three usage tiers, longer Codex and ChatGPT Work sessions, unlimited image creation, maximum deep research and research previews. Claude's counterweight is Max at $100 a month, which multiplies Pro usage by 5x or 20x.
Both sell team tiers. OpenAI lists Business and Enterprise as per-user pricing without a figure rendered on the page we fetched; Anthropic's Enterprise tier states $20 per seat per month plus usage at API rates. Model your headcount against both vendors' current calculators before committing.
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