ChatGPT vs Claude
- ChatGPT starts cheaper: $8 a month against $20 for Claude.
- Both have a free plan; the limits differ (below).
- ChatGPT charges per seat; Claude bills in credits.
| Detail |  ChatGPT |  Claude |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | OpenAI's general purpose AI assistant for writing, research, coding, images, voice and agentic tasks. | Anthropic's AI assistant for writing, analysis, coding and agentic work, including Claude Code and Cowork. |
| Best for | All round AI help for almost anyone | Long form writing, analysis and coding |
| Free | Unlimited text chats (abuse guardrails); limited uploads, image creation, voice, deep research, memory and Codex; small context window. Free and Go may show ads. | Usage limited per rolling five hour session; Sonnet and Haiku models, no Opus. |
| Cheapest paid | $8 a month, $20 billed yearly | $20 a month, $17 billed yearly |
| Billing | Per seat | Credits |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on | Web, Desktop app, Phone app, Browser extension | Web, Desktop app, Phone app, Browser extension |
| Cancel online | Not stated on their site | Yes Source |
| Credits roll over | Not stated on their site | Yes Source |
| Trains on your data | Not stated on their site | No Source |
| HIPAA | Not stated on their site | Yes Source |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Visit | Visit ChatGPT ChatGPT (opens the tool's site) | Visit Claude Claude (opens the tool's site) |
ChatGPT plans
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Per | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | $0 | per user | Limited messages/uploads/deep research; may switch to mini model |
| Go | $8 | Not listed | per user | Higher limits than Free; may include ads; monthly only |
| Plus | $20 | Not listed | per user | Limits apply; monthly only |
| Pro ($100 tier) | $100 | Not listed | per user | ~5x Plus usage |
| Pro ($200 tier) | $200 | Not listed | per user | ~20x Plus usage |
| Business (Standard seat) | $25 | $20 | per user | Min 2 seats total |
| Business (Premium seat) | $125 | $100 | per user | Min 2 seats total |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Not listed | custom | contact sales; annual |
| Edu | Contact sales | Not listed | custom | contact sales; free K 12 Teachers plan for verified US educators through June 2027 |
From ChatGPT's pricing page, checked . Full ChatGPT listing
Claude plans
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Per | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Not listed | per user | rolling 5 hour limits, Sonnet/Haiku only, 5 projects, no Claude Code |
| Pro | $20 | $17 | per user | 5x+ Free usage, Opus, Claude Code, unlimited projects |
| Max 5x | $100 | Not listed | per user | 5x Pro usage, $100/mo API credits, priority access; monthly only |
| Max 20x | $200 | Not listed | per user | 20x Pro usage, $200/mo API credits; monthly only |
| Team Standard | $25 | $20 | per seat (2 to 150 seats) | more than Pro usage, SSO, central billing, pooled credits up to $500/mo |
| Team Premium | $125 | $100 | per seat | 5x Standard seat usage |
| Enterprise | Not listed | $20 | per seat, 20 seat min, usage billed at API rates | contact sales; SCIM, audit logs, RBAC, custom retention, HIPAA ready |
From Claude's pricing page, checked . Full Claude listing
We don't declare a winner: the right one depends on what you'll use it for and how much. Every fact above is from each tool's own pages; we earn a commission from neither of them.