ChatGPT is the AI assistant from OpenAI, and for many people it is the tool that started their use of generative AI. It began as a chat window. According to the vendor’s current overview page, it is now presented as one place to chat, work and code, with separate experiences for each of those jobs and a long list of named features around them.
This guide is a full profile of ChatGPT: what it is, who it suits, the features OpenAI documents, how the plans are structured, where it is strong, where it is limited, and what its own pages say about your data. It is written for people deciding whether to pay for it, and for teams comparing it with other assistants. We also have our shorter review if you want a quick read.
How we researched this: we did not run hands-on tests for this article. It is based on the vendor’s own documentation and public sources, checked on 14 November 2026. Features and prices change, so confirm details on the vendor’s site before you buy.
Key takeaways
- ChatGPT is made by OpenAI and is offered on the web, on mobile and as desktop apps for macOS and Windows, according to the official overview page.
- The overview page describes three core experiences: Chat, Work (documents, slides, spreadsheets and app connections) and Codex (a coding agent).
- The pricing page lists Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Higher Education and K-12 Teachers plans. We could not read dollar amounts on the page, so we do not quote prices.
- For Free, Go, Plus and Pro, the pricing page says content is used to train models, with an opt-out available. Business and Enterprise terms are not spelled out on that page.
- Check outputs before you rely on them, and read our guides on checking AI output and AI hallucinations.
What it is and who makes it
ChatGPT is a conversational AI assistant built by OpenAI. The footer of the official overview page reads “OpenAI 2015 to 2026”, and the product is delivered through a website, mobile apps and desktop apps for macOS and Windows. You type or speak a request, and the assistant answers, drafts, analyses or acts on it.
The overview page frames the product around three experiences. Chat is for questions, learning and everyday help, such as drafting messages, explaining concepts, searching the web, generating an image or comparing options. Work creates and edits documents, slide decks, spreadsheets, charts, PDFs and images, and connects to apps such as Gmail and Slack to automate tasks. Codex is described as a coding agent that works alongside ChatGPT for planning, writing, testing, reviewing and shipping code.
The page also lists a set of named features: ChatGPT Work, Deep Research, Dots, Finances, Health, Images, Plugins, Remote, Shopping, Sites, Slack and Teams, Slides, Space, Study Mode and Voice. It only describes some of them in detail, so for the rest we repeat the names and no more than the page says.
If you want background on the technology underneath, our explainer what is a large language model covers the basics.
Who it is for
ChatGPT is a general-purpose assistant, so the audience is wide. Based on the vendor’s own pages, these groups are the intended users.
- Individuals and students. The overview page lists Study Mode and offers for students, and the pricing page has a Free plan and a low-cost Go plan described as “expanded access”.
- Knowledge workers. The Work experience targets people who produce documents, slides and spreadsheets and who want to connect Gmail, Slack and similar apps.
- Developers. Codex is positioned as a coding agent, and higher plans mention longer Codex sessions and monthly API credits at the Pro level.
- Teams and enterprises. The Business plan starts at 2 users and the Enterprise plan is sold through sales, with invoicing available. The overview page lists business solutions for data science, engineering, finance, product management, and sales and marketing.
- Education. A Higher Education plan (ChatGPT Edu) and a K-12 Teachers offer are listed. The pricing page says ChatGPT for Teachers is free for verified U.S. K-12 educators through June 2027.
It is a weaker fit if you need a single narrow task done with specialist controls, for example a dedicated grammar checker or a purpose-built SEO platform. A general assistant can do many jobs, but a specialist tool may document more depth for its own job.
Core features
Chat and everyday help
The core of the product is the chat interface. The overview page describes drafting messages, explaining concepts, comparing options and thinking through decisions. The pricing page says the Free plan includes unlimited text chats, subject to abuse guardrails, while uploads, image creation, voice chats and deep research are limited on that tier.
Writing and editing
The overview page says ChatGPT turns rough notes into polished drafts. For longer documents, the Work experience creates and edits docs, which means you can move from a chat to a file rather than copying text between tools.
Images
The overview page says ChatGPT generates images and graphic designs from prompts. The pricing page treats image creation as a metered feature: limited on Free, more on Go, more complex image creation on Plus, and “unlimited and faster” on Pro.
Voice
Voice is described as real-time spoken conversation. The Go plan adds voice with video, according to the pricing page, and higher plans increase voice chat allowances.
Deep Research
Deep Research appears in the feature list and on the pricing page as a metered feature. It is limited on Free, expanded on Plus and listed as maximum on Pro. The overview page does not describe how it works, so we do not describe its method here.
Memory and context
The pricing page lists memory as a plan-dependent feature: limited on Free, longer on Go, expanded on Plus and maximum on Pro. It also lists context window sizes per plan, for example a 27K instant context window on Free and 128K on Pro, with reasoning context windows of 256K on Go and Plus and 400K on Pro.
Study Mode and Health and Finances
The overview page lists Study Mode, plus Health (fitness, wellness and health guidance) and Finances (budgeting and financial concepts, with optional secure linking of financial accounts). Treat any health or money output as a starting point and not as professional advice.
Newer and advanced features and integrations
Beyond chat, the vendor’s pages describe a growing set of connected and agent-style features. We list what the pages say and no more.
ChatGPT Work
Work is the experience for producing files. According to the overview page it creates and edits documents, slide decks, spreadsheets, charts, PDFs and images. The pricing page says Work is limited on desktop for Free users, available in a limited way in Go, and expanded to desktop, web and mobile on Plus. Pro adds longer Work sessions.
Plugins and app connections
The overview page says Plugins connect ChatGPT to apps such as Gmail, Google Drive, Slack, Notion and Outlook. It also lists “ways to use” it with Canva, Spotify and PowerPoint, and chatting with PDFs and spreadsheets.
Codex
Codex is the coding agent. The pricing page says Codex access is limited on Free, with expanded usage on Plus and longer Codex sessions on Pro. If coding is your main use, compare it with dedicated tools; our Cursor review and GitHub Copilot review cover two of them.
Sites, Slides, Projects and custom GPTs
The pricing page lists projects, custom GPTs and Sites as Plus features. Slides appears in the overview feature list. The pages do not give enough detail for us to describe how each works.
Dots and Remote
The pricing page describes “Dot” as an always-on agent on the Pro plan, and the overview lists Dots and Remote as features. We could not confirm more than the names from the pages we read.
Scheduled tasks
The Go plan is listed as including scheduled tasks. The page does not say how many you can run.
Pricing and plans
Checked on 14 November 2026. The official pricing page lists these plans. When we read the page, the price fields showed only “/ month” with no amounts, and the Pro plan showed “From” with no figure. Because we could not read a dollar amount, we do not quote any here. Please confirm the current price on the vendor page for your country before you buy.
| Plan | Described on the pricing page as | What the page says it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Intelligence for everyday tasks | Unlimited text chats subject to abuse guardrails; limited uploads, images, voice, deep research, memory and Codex |
| Go | Expanded access | More messages with tools, uploads, images, voice and memory; voice with video; scheduled tasks; the page says this plan may include ads |
| Plus | Do more with advanced intelligence | Advanced reasoning models, expanded limits, projects, custom GPTs, Sites, expanded Codex, ChatGPT Work on desktop, web and mobile, early access to new features |
| Pro | Maximize your productivity | Choice of 3 usage tiers (Pro 100, Pro 200, Pro 500 are named), Pro reasoning, Dot agent, unlimited and faster images, maximum deep research and memory, monthly API credits |
| Business | Billed per user per month | Starts at 2 users; monthly and annual options per the FAQ; credits can be bought for more access |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Annual billing per the FAQ; invoicing and alternative payment options |
Other offers on the same page: Higher Education (ChatGPT Edu) is described as an affordable plan for universities with enhanced security and privacy controls, K-12 teachers can use ChatGPT for Teachers free through June 2027, and nonprofits can access up to a 75 percent discount on Business or Enterprise through OpenAI for Nonprofits.
The page lists model families by plan, with names such as GPT-6 and GPT-5.6 variants. Model names and which plan gets which model change often, so treat that list as a snapshot. For help reading plan tables like this, see how to read an AI tool’s pricing page.
Strengths
Breadth in one product
The overview page covers chat, documents, slides, spreadsheets, images, voice, research and coding in one account. If you want one subscription that touches many tasks, that range is the main selling point.
A free entry point
The Free plan is documented as including unlimited text chats, subject to abuse guardrails. You can test whether the assistant suits your work before paying, which is the approach we recommend in how to test an AI tool before you pay for it.
A clear ladder of plans
Free, Go, Plus and Pro scale in documented steps, with context windows and features listed per plan. That makes it easier to see what you gain from each upgrade, even without a price in the text we could read.
App connections
The documented connections to Gmail, Google Drive, Slack, Notion and Outlook mean ChatGPT can sit inside existing work routines instead of living only in a browser tab.
Explicit security statements
The pricing page says data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2) and at rest (AES-256), and that access controls limit who can access data.
Weaknesses and limits
Pricing was not readable on the page we fetched
We could not confirm any dollar price from the official page. That is a limitation of our read and not necessarily of the page as shown in a browser, but it means you must check the vendor page yourself.
Consumer content may be used for training by default
The pricing page lists “Content is used to train our models” for Free, Go, Plus and Pro, with an opt-out available. The data controls FAQ says the “Improve the model for everyone” setting can be turned off. If you handle sensitive material, change the setting before you start.
Ads on one tier
The page states that the Go plan “may include ads”. If an ad-free experience matters to you, check the current terms for each plan.
Limits that are hard to predict
Almost every feature is described as limited, expanded or maximum, with no fixed numbers on the page. Heavy users should expect to run into limits and should test with real workloads.
Model names change quickly
The model list on the pricing page uses many names and tiers. Comparing models across vendors from marketing names alone is difficult, so rely on your own tasks.
Answers can be wrong
Like every large language model assistant, ChatGPT can produce confident mistakes. Use a review step for anything that matters. Our guide to checking AI output gives a practical checklist.
Privacy, data handling and security
This section covers only what OpenAI’s official pages state.
- Training on content. The pricing page lists, for Free, Go, Plus and Pro, that content is used to train models with an opt-out available. The data controls FAQ says ChatGPT improves by training on users’ conversations unless they opt out, and that turning off “Improve the model for everyone” stops new conversations from being used for training.
- Temporary Chats. The FAQ says these are deleted from OpenAI systems within 30 days, reviewed only when needed to monitor abuse, and not used for training.
- Advertising and profiles. The FAQ says OpenAI does not use data to sell services, for advertising or to build profiles of people.
- Account deletion. The FAQ says deleting an account is irreversible and also deletes data from any API use under the same account.
- Business, Enterprise and Edu. The FAQ points to separate sections for these plans, and the pricing page does not state training terms for them. We could not confirm their terms from the pages we read, so ask the vendor and read the contract.
- Security. The pricing page cites TLS 1.2 in transit and AES-256 at rest.
For company use, set rules before people paste in client data. Our guide on how to protect company data when using AI tools covers a sensible baseline.
How it compares
The table compares ChatGPT with three other assistants from the 50-tool list, using only what each vendor documents. It is a map of differences and not a ranking. For a method to compare assistants on your own tasks, see ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini: how to compare assistants.
| Aspect | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini | Microsoft Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maker | OpenAI | Anthropic | Microsoft | |
| Free tier | Yes, with limited features | Yes, with usage limits every 5 hours and weekly | Yes, with a Google Account | Copilot app has free use; individual paid plans bundle with Microsoft 365 |
| Work files and slides | Work experience for docs, slides, spreadsheets | Artifacts for designs, slides and documents | Canvas and other tools listed | Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook |
| Coding agent | Codex | Claude Code | Antigravity (developer plan) | Not a focus of the pages we read |
| Consumer training default | Content used to train, opt-out available | Chats not described as used by default; setting in privacy settings | Used when Keep activity is on | Not confirmed from pages we could read |
Read the other full guides in this series for more depth: Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot each have their own profile on Genrosys, and our older Claude review and Gemini review remain available.
A second view, by job:
| If your main job is | Look first at | Why, from vendor documentation |
|---|---|---|
| Writing and research chat | ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini | All three document chat, research and file features; test them on your own prompts |
| Working inside Microsoft apps | Microsoft Copilot | Documented inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams |
| Many connected apps and one subscription | ChatGPT | Plugins list Gmail, Drive, Slack, Notion and Outlook |
| Coding agent | Codex, Claude Code or a dedicated editor | Each documents a coding agent; try your own repository |
Getting started
- Open ChatGPT on the web or install the desktop or mobile app, and sign up for the Free plan.
- Open the data controls and decide whether to leave “Improve the model for everyone” on or off before you enter anything sensitive.
- Pick two real tasks from your week, for example a draft and a spreadsheet clean-up, and run them on Free.
- Note where you hit limits: uploads, images, voice or research.
- Only then compare Go and Plus on the vendor page, using the features you actually hit limits on.
- If a team will use it, review the Business plan terms and set a usage policy first.
Frequently asked questions
Who makes ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is made by OpenAI. The overview page footer reads OpenAI 2015 to 2026.
Is ChatGPT free?
There is a Free plan. The pricing page says it includes unlimited text chats, subject to abuse guardrails, with limits on uploads, image creation, voice, deep research, memory and Codex.
How much does ChatGPT cost?
We could not read dollar amounts on the official pricing page when we checked on 14 November 2026, so we do not quote a price. Check the page for your country.
Does ChatGPT use my chats for training?
For Free, Go, Plus and Pro, the pricing page says content is used to train models with an opt-out available, and the data controls FAQ explains the setting. Business, Enterprise and Edu terms are not stated on the pages we read.
What is the difference between Plus and Pro?
The pricing page says Pro adds a choice of three usage tiers, Pro reasoning, the Dot agent, unlimited and faster image creation, maximum deep research and memory, longer Codex and Work sessions, and monthly API credits. Plus adds expanded limits, projects, custom GPTs and Sites over Go.
Can ChatGPT code?
The overview page describes Codex as a coding agent that works alongside ChatGPT. Its allowance depends on the plan.
Does the Go plan show ads?
The pricing page states the Go plan may include ads.
Conclusion
ChatGPT is documented as a broad assistant: chat, work files, images, voice, research and coding in one account, with plans that scale from Free to Pro and business tiers above that. Its strength is range. Its main cautions, from the vendor’s own pages, are that consumer content may be used for training unless you opt out, that limits are described in relative terms, and that we could not confirm prices from the page we read.
The sensible route is to start on Free with real tasks, review the data controls, and upgrade only when a documented limit blocks you. For broader selection advice, read how to choose an AI tool and how to compare AI tools side by side fairly.
Sources
- ChatGPT overview page (OpenAI), accessed 14 November 2026
- ChatGPT pricing page (OpenAI), accessed 14 November 2026
- Data controls FAQ (OpenAI Help Center), accessed 14 November 2026
