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ChatGPT became the face of generative AI when OpenAI released it to the public for free, but there are some costs involved.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT launched on November 30, 2022 and quickly became synonymous with public-facing generative AI. Since then, the team has continually grown the features of the service, expanding it to learn from you through ongoing memory and develop an upgraded voice mode, and allowing users to interact with the platform in real-time.
However, with more features and improvements come increased costs. Here’s a look at how much ChatGPT costs and whether you can use it for free.
Can you use ChatGPT for free?
From the very beginning, you have been able to use ChatGPT for free. That said, it was initially quite limited in what it could do in its free version. With more generative AI models, OpenAI has managed to add more features even to the free version.
Now, ChatGPT free users can use OpenAI’s flagship GPT-4o model. This offers responses using content found across the web, access to the GPT Store to add extras to your chatbot, and the ability to upload files and photos and ask questions about those uploads.
Preferences are also stored for users as “memories”, meaning it learns from you the more you use it. There’s also advanced data analysis, where it can analyze data and files like spreadsheets and PDFs.
Of course, there are downsides in a bid to encourage users to upgrade to a paid version. There are daily capacity limits on the more advanced GPT-4o model, after which you will automatically get downgraded to the lesser GPT-3.5 model.
How much does ChatGPT cost?
For users who want more from their ChatGPT, you can upgrade to ChatGPT Plus, for the cost of $20 per month.
This offers five times more capacity than the free version, as well as early, priority access to future updated learning models and new tools and features, such as OpenAI’s macOS client for ChatGPT. Users can also use more data analysis features to create interactive charts and tables, as well as integration with Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and device storage.
There are other plans to be aware of as well, depending on who you are and what you’re using ChatGPT for. For those who own a small business or organization and want more than one ChatGPT license, you can pay for ChatGPT Team at $30 per user per month or $25 per user per month billed annually, with plans available for up to 149 users.
As well as all the features that come with ChatGPT Plus, ChatGPT Team offers a dedicated workspace and admin tools for team management. Those within a team can also build and share custom apps, much like those found in the GPT Store, based on OpenAI models to better fine-tune the model to their communal needs.
For larger organizations, the next level up is ChatGPT Enterprise, priced at $60 per user per month with a minimum of 150 users and a 12-month contract. This corporate-focused plan isn’t publicly advertised price-wise, but those terms are what those with a contract have reported.
This plan includes all of the above and also “enterprise-grade” privacy and data analysis, as well as enhanced performance and customization options. It’s unclear exactly what that enhanced performance brings, but the admin console features tools to help manage how employees are using ChatGPT. There are also integrations for single sign-on, domain verification and a dashboard showing usage and engagement statistics.
Shareable conversation templates also help ChatGPT Enterprise users to put together internal workflows and bots within ChatGPT to get more out of the platform. Companies can also create entirely customized solutions to best suit their needs as required.
Last but not least, ChatGPT Enterprise customers are eligible for Business Associate Agreements with OpenAI, which are required by American law for companies using tools like ChatGPT with private health information such as medical records.
Are there lower cost options for ChatGPT?
For students, as well as university faculty, staff researchers and campus operations teams, there’s also the ChatGPT Edu plan. This is a relatively new offering with unpublished pricing that is presumably communicated on request. It works much like ChatGPT Enterprise, with the addition that it supports SCIM. This open protocol helps to simplify cloud identity and access management.
Another new plan is OpenAI for Nonprofits, a pretty recent offering geared towards nonprofit tech solutions. It doesn’t come with a set of its own features but acts more like a tiered range of discounts for select eligible organizations.
Those discounts in real terms mean that nonprofits can access ChatGPT Team for a discounted rate of $20 monthly per user. Larger nonprofits (those who need more than 149 users) can get a 50% discount on ChatGPT Enterprise, which works out to about $30 per user.
Interested organizations must prove themselves through various strict eligibility requirements, however. They can be based anywhere in the world to apply for discounts, but OpenAI isn’t currently accepting applications from academic, medical, religious, or governmental institutions.
