Head-to-head · verified September 25, 2026
ChatGPT vs Claude: price comparison
ChatGPT is cheaper to start: ChatGPT Go costs $8/mo against $20/mo for Claude Pro. At the standard tier it's ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo) against Claude Pro ($20/mo).
Plans tier by tier
| ChatGPT | Claude | |
|---|---|---|
| Free | ChatGPT Free Free | Claude Free Free |
| Entry (under $15) | ChatGPT Go $8/mo | — |
| Standard (~$20) | ChatGPT Plus $20/mo | Claude Pro $20/mo |
| Premium ($90+) | ChatGPT Pro ($100) $100/mo ChatGPT Pro ($200) $200/mo Closed to new sign-ups | Claude Max 5× $100/mo Claude Max 20× $200/mo |
Key numbers
| ChatGPT | Claude | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | ChatGPT Go $8/mo | Claude Pro $20/mo |
| Most expensive plan | ChatGPT Pro ($100) $100/mo | Claude Max 20× $200/mo |
| Plans on sale | 5 | 4 |
| Annual discount | Not listed | Yes |
| Cheapest API model | GPT-6 Luna $0.10 / $0.50 | Claude Haiku 4.5 $1 / $5 |
| Priciest API model | GPT-5.5 pro $30 / $180 | Claude Fable 5.1 $10 / $50 |
| Both standard plans | $40/mo together ($480/yr) | |
Pick ChatGPT if…
First-time AI buyers, everyday questions and voice-first users. Start free, move to Go when upload or image limits bite, and pay $20 when you want GPT-6 or Deep Research.
- Best-known voice mode and mobile apps
- Strong image generation built in
- GPT-6 models now available from the $20 Plus tier
The safe default. Go at $8 is the value pick, Plus at $20 is the full product, and Pro only makes sense if you hit Plus limits every day.
ChatGPT plans in detail →Pick Claude if…
Anyone who writes for a living, works with long PDFs and reports, or ships code.
- Opus 5.5 included from the $20 Pro tier
- Handles very long documents and codebases (1M-token models)
- Pro is $17/month on annual billing
Best-in-class for writing and coding. Pro is the sweet spot; Max is for people who hit Pro limits daily.
Claude plans in detail →Recent changes
- ChatGPT GPT-6 family launched
GPT-6 Astra ($10 / $50), Sol ($2 / $10) and Luna ($0.10 / $0.50) on the API; GPT-6 models added to ChatGPT Plus and Pro. GPT-6 Pro: 50 messages/week on Pro $100, 200 on Pro $200.
- Claude Claude Opus 5.5 launched
API at $4 / $20. Included in Pro and Max (not Free). Paid 5-hour limits raised, plus a one-time reset usable until Oct 22.
- ChatGPT ChatGPT Pro $200 closed to new sign-ups
Existing subscribers keep renewing; the $100 Pro tier remains open.
- Claude Claude Fable 5.1 launched
API at $10 / $50. Not included in Pro; usable on Max for up to 50% of the weekly allowance. Sonnet 5's planned price rise to $3 / $15 was cancelled.
- ChatGPT GPT-5.6 Sol API promotion
$5 / $30 → $4 / $20 until Nov 21, 2026.
- ChatGPT GPT-5.6 Terra and Luna price cuts
Terra $2.50 / $15 → $2 / $12. Luna $1 / $6 → $0.20 / $1.20.
ChatGPT vs Claude: questions
Is ChatGPT cheaper than Claude?
To start, yes for ChatGPT: its cheapest paid plan is ChatGPT Go at $8/mo, versus Claude Pro at $20/mo.
Do ChatGPT and Claude both have a free plan?
Yes. ChatGPT Free: unlimited everyday text chat (abuse safeguards apply), capped uploads, image generation and voice. Claude Free: daily usage limit, projects and chat history.
Should I choose ChatGPT or Claude?
Choose ChatGPT if you are: first-time AI buyers, everyday questions and voice-first users. Start free, move to Go when upload or image limits bite, and pay $20 when you want GPT-6 or Deep Research. Choose Claude if you are: anyone who writes for a living, works with long PDFs and reports, or ships code.
Sources
Checked against the official pages below on September 25, 2026. Prices are USD before local tax. See how we verify prices and the change log.