Is ChatGPT Plus still worth your $20? I compared it to the Free, Go, and Pro plans – here's my advice

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• ChatGPT Go adds more access for $8 a month, without upgrading to Plus.
• Plus stays best for priority access and higher limits across top features.
• Pro is for power users who need the highest caps and GPT-5.2 Pro.

It’s been a few years since ChatGPT first appeared, and since then, the AI chatbot has continuously updated with new models, features, limitations, and plans. While there’s a lot you can do for free, some tools and perks are reserved for paid tiers.

OpenAI introduced the $20 monthly Plus plan to manage demand and guarantee access during busy periods. But now, it also has ChatGPT Go, a new low-cost plan for just $8 per month. OpenAI has also said that ads are coming soon in the US for the Go and Free tiers as part of early testing, while paid plans like Plus and Pro will stay ad-free.

Also: How to use ChatGPT: A beginner’s guide

It’s therefore a good time to re-evaluate if Plus is worth it. Some of you may even be new to generative AI altogether, are wondering whether to try ChatGPT, and are confused about all the plans. Let’s break it down. I’ll help you finally decide whether ChatGPT Free, ChatGPT Go, ChatGPT Plus, or even the $200-per-month Pro subscription is right for you.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET’s parent company, filed an April 2025 lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

You should use ChatGPT Plus if…

Since Plus costs $20 per month, you’ve probably asked yourself: Why pay when you can use ChatGPT for free? I’ve pored over the details and used the AI chatbot, and from what I can tell, there are nine main advantages. The TL;DR is that the free tier has heavier usage limits, while Plus gets you the newest features and models first, with priority access during peak times.

Also: Want better ChatGPT responses? Try this surprising trick

1. You want to use the legacy models still

When OpenAI launched GPT-5, it initially replaced all legacy models in ChatGPT with a single unified system that automatically switched between fast responses and deeper reasoning. But some paying users preferred older models or depended on them.

CEO Sam Altman later said that suddenly deprecating old models “was a mistake,” and so OpenAI reversed course.

Also: Don’t like GPT-5? You can still use GPT-4 and other legacy models

Paid subscribers now have access to legacy models: Plus users can enable them in Settings and select options like GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, o3, o4-mini, and even phased-out GPT-5 and GPT-5.1 variants from the model picker.

If you have a preferred model from a past era, Plus lets you keep using it.

2. You want access to every new GPT-5.2 model

Since late 2025, OpenAI has steadily iterated on GPT-5 inside ChatGPT.

Plus and Pro subscribers get early access to new model releases, including GPT-5.2 Instant, Thinking, and Auto. Paid users also get deeper personalization controls in Settings, such as tone presets, adjustable warmth and enthusiasm, and emoji frequency.

Also: What is OpenAI’s GPT-5? Here’s everything you need to know

GPT-5.2 is now the flagship model family. It’s more work-friendly for tasks like spreadsheets, presentations, coding, and analysis. If you want to try new models as soon as they launch, Plus remains the most affordable way to do that. While GPT-5.2 Auto is now the default for all logged-in users, manual selection of GPT-5.2 Instant or GPT-5.2 Thinking requires a paid plan.

Free users are capped at up to 10 GPT-5.2 messages every five hours. Plus users get up to 160 messages every three hours, along with a weekly allowance for GPT-5.2 Thinking, while Pro users have unlimited GPT-5.2 usage as well as access to GPT-5.2 Pro.

3. You want to try Sora video generation

OpenAI’s Sora lets you create realistic videos from text prompts or images. ChatGPT Plus gives you access to Sora, while ChatGPT Pro builds on that with faster generations, higher resolutions, and longer video outputs.

Also: I tried the new Sora 2 – and the results were pure sorcery

Sora is a paid feature. Plus users can generate unlimited images and videos but are limited to videos up to 5 seconds at 720p or 10 seconds at 480p, with up to two concurrent generations at a time. Pro users receive videos up to 20 seconds in length at 1080p, support for up to five concurrent generations, and the ability to download videos without a watermark.

4. You need to generate a lot of images

This section is very different from what it was in late 2025. ChatGPT now has a newer image system (aka “New ChatGPT Images” or GPT Image 1.5) that is a major upgrade for both generation and editing. The significant quality improvements include better text rendering and more capable editing, such as recontextualizing an existing image without it falling apart.

And yes, it is available across tiers, including Free. The difference is limits. Free users can create and edit images, but the caps show up faster. Plus and Pro subscribers get much higher quotas, so you can generate more images per day without hitting a wall.

Also: ChatGPT’s new image generator shattered my expectations

If you regularly do image work, Plus is the sweet spot, and Pro is the “stop worrying about limits” tier.

5. You want to code with Codex’s help

OpenAI has integrated its powerful Codex AI coding agent into ChatGPT Plus, allowing anyone with the $20-a-month plan to access coding assistance without needing to upgrade to the $200 plan. Since late 2025, Codex has continued to mature, offering larger and longer-running options for agentic coding work, such as Codex Max (GPT-5.1-Codex-Max), which is available to Plus and Pro users.

Also: 10 Codex secrets I learned after 60 hours of pair programming

Codex helps you write and review code. You can point it at your GitHub repository, and it’ll generate code changes, run checks to ensure everything is working correctly, and even handle installing dependencies if you allow it.

6. You want Agent to handle tasks for you

The Agent feature in ChatGPT is one of those “this feels like the future” tools. Instead of just answering questions, it can browse the web, fill out forms, and handle multistep tasks. For instance, you can tell it to do your grocery shopping. I tried it recently and had it add everything to my Walmart cart, but I needed to check out myself.

Also: My 8 ChatGPT Agent tests produced only 1 near-perfect result

Agent is a paid feature, so if you’re on the Free plan, you can’t use it yet. Plus users reportedly get around 40 agent runs per month, while Pro and Team users can use up to about 400 and get faster execution.

7. You do a lot of deep research

You’re probably noticing a pattern: ChatGPT’s most advanced features tend to launch first for paying subscribers, and while free users eventually get access, it usually comes with tight usage limits.

Deep Research is a great example. Think of it as ChatGPT’s research analyst mode. You can ask a complex question, and it will browse the web, analyze PDFs, images, and articles, then produce a structured report with citations and a summary of its process.

Also: I tested ChatGPT’s Deep Research against Gemini, Perplexity, and Grok AI

Free users can try Deep Research, but only about five lightweight tasks per month. Plus users get roughly 25 tasks monthly across full and lightweight modes, while Pro users get up to 250, with the lightweight version kicking in once full-task limits are reached.

8. You want the best features with higher limits

Subscribing to Plus provides you with early access to OpenAI’s latest tools and features, often before they are available to free users. And even when the more advanced features do roll out to the Free tier, they’re typically limited or capped so severely that they’re not fun to use. On a paid plan like Plus, you can use those features more frequently with fewer restrictions.

With a Plus account, you get higher limits across:

• Messaging
• File uploads
• Data analysis
• Deep Research
• Image generation and editing
• Memory and context retention
• Advanced Voice Mode conversations

That last one, specifically, has improved a lot since late 2025. Voice is now more tightly integrated into the main chat screen, letting you switch seamlessly between typing and speaking, view a live transcript, and keep conversations running in the background. Free users can use voice, but Plus subscribers typically get longer sessions and fewer interruptions.

Also: This ChatGPT upgrade fixed my biggest annoyance with voice mode

OpenAI is gradually phasing out the older standard voice mode, though both versions are available for now.

9. You want an ad-free experience

OpenAI plans to test ads in the US for the Free and Go tiers. If you want to avoid ads entirely, Plus is expected to remain ad-free.

You should use ChatGPT Pro if…

OK, so now that we’ve discussed why Plus is worth it for many, let’s look at the more expensive Pro plan that costs $200 a month. Most people would never pay a car payment’s worth of money to use AI, but there are special instances where it could be worth it. Let’s be clear, though: Pro is for the most hard-core users who need the maximum ChatGPT experience.

1. You want ChatGPT Plus on an even greater scale

Everything included in ChatGPT Plus is also available in Pro, but with far fewer limits, such as:

• Faster, effectively unlimited image generation with priority access
• Higher limits for Deep Research, Agent, Memory, and context size
• Expanded Codex access for long coding runs
• Highest limits and smoothest experience for Sora video generation

In short, Pro offers maximum speed, capacity, and feature access across the platform. If you want the most powerful, no-compromise version of ChatGPT and are comfortable with the higher price, Pro is the top-tier option.

2. You want GPT-5.2 Pro and the most powerful models

With Pro, you get the full lineup of models and modes, including GPT-5.2 Pro with its “research-grade” reasoning. Think of it as the high-performance version of OpenAI’s latest model for those who need serious reasoning power and extended context processing. It runs on the same base as GPT-5.2 but adds extra compute, deeper reasoning, and a larger context window.

Also: What is ChatGPT Pro? Here’s what $200 per month gets you

Not only is GPT-5.2 Pro exclusive to Pro subscribers, but they also get access to other GPT-5 variants and legacy models. Nothing is off-limits. You can switch between older and newer models without worrying about a quota.

3. You’d like early access to the newest features

Pro users are sometimes the first to test major upgrades and features.

For example, ChatGPT Pulse is a feature that lets ChatGPT work proactively on your behalf. Each night, it can research and summarize information from your chat history, interests, and instructions, then generate a personalized morning briefing with five to 10 “cards.” It’s like waking up to your own TL;DR feed. But, for now, Pulse is only available to Pro users.

Also: The best free AI for coding in 2025 – only 3 make the cut now

OpenAI does plan to bring Pulse to Plus users in the future, following the same rollout pattern it uses for most of its newest features.

4. You want an ad-free experience

Again, OpenAI has said it plans to test ads in the US for the Free and Go tiers, but the Pro and Plus plans should remain ad-free.

You should use free ChatGPT if…

Finally, let’s talk about the free version of ChatGPT. I’ve already covered most of its features, so here’s the short version: It all depends on how often you use ChatGPT and whether early access to new tools matters to you. If you only use it occasionally and don’t care about testing the latest features first, the Free plan is absolutely the way to go.

1. You don’t want to pay a monthly fee

If you only need occasional AI help and don’t mind limitations, the Free tier should serve you well. It’s surprisingly capable and now includes features that were once paywalled, such as Deep Research. You get a lot for $0.

As of January 2026, Free ChatGPT users can access most core features, but all of them come with usage limits:

• GPT-5.2 (default model, about 10 messages every five hours on Free)
• Web search (built-in browsing with citations, rate-limited on Free)
• ChatGPT Images (new image generator, around 3 free images per day)
• Shopping research (guided buyer’s guides, throttled on Free)
• Deep Research (five lightweight tasks per month)
• Advanced Voice Mode (shorter sessions on Free)
• File and photo uploads (three files and two images per day)
• Memory (lightweight, limited recall)
• Third-party apps (like Canva, Instacart, Adobe, but free usage is capped)
• Group chat (up to 20 participants, Free-tier limits apply)

ChatGPT has been increasingly shifting to guided, task-based tools that free users can access. For example, there’s shopping research, which functions like a personal assistant, producing buyer’s guides with comparisons and links. Other new features include a waitlist-only ChatGPT Health space and an experimental group chat that supports up to 20 collaborators — all available at no cost.

Also: Everyone can use ChatGPT Group Chat now for free – how to try it

ChatGPT’s app ecosystem is also free and quickly maturing, with integrations for Canva, Instacart, StubHub, and Adobe apps, and more. These are available across Free, Plus, and Pro plans, though free users face tighter limits.

2. You’re a casual ChatGPT user

If you rarely hit daily limits for text, voice, or image generation, upgrading to Plus or Pro may not be necessary. The free tier offers plenty of room for light use, including a few questions per day, basic image generation, file or photo uploads, and simple analysis.

However, if you frequently run into caps for text, voice, images, or research, a paid plan will make more sense for you.

Also: How to get ChatGPT Go free for a year in India (and what it unlocks)

Plus is an affordable middle ground, while Pro is geared toward the ultimate power users (think: people who need maximum capacity and extended access to advanced features). If your needs are minimal and ads and limits don’t bother you, sticking with the free tier is perfectly reasonable. You’ll just get new features later and need to pace your usage.

You should use ChatGPT Go if…

ChatGPT Go is OpenAI’s new low-cost plan available worldwide. It debuted in January 2026, after testing in India. It’s for people who want more access than the free tier but don’t want to pay $20 monthly for Plus.

1. You want a cheaper plan than Plus

If you regularly hit free-tier limits but don’t need everything Plus offers, Go is the mosr budget-friendly option. It gives you more room to chat, upload, and create without jumping to the $20 plan.

2. You want more messaging with GPT-5.2 Instant

With Go, you get you expanded access to GPT-5.2 Instant at a lower price point, including higher caps — up to “10x more messaging” — so you can keep chatting without hitting the free-tier wall as quickly.

3. You upload files or generate images often

Go includes higher limits for file uploads and image creation, making it a better fit if you use ChatGPT for everyday analysis and image work. Like messaging, OpenAI said you get “10x” more file uploads and image generarion than the free tier.

4. You want longer memory and a larger context window

Go has longer memory and a larger context window than the free tier, so ChatGPT can remember helpful details about you over time and handle longer back-and-forth without losing the thread as fast.

How much do ChatGPT’s plans cost?

As of January 2026, ChatGPT Free is free to use. Go is $8 a month, Plus is $20 a month, and Pro is $200 a month in the US.

What is ChatGPT Go?

ChatGPT Go is OpenAI’s new low-cost subscription tier. It’s now available everywhere ChatGPT is, after being tested in India, and is designed to provide expanded access to advanced features at a lower price than Plus. Go users get access to the latest model, GPT-5.2 Instant, and receive “10x more messages, file uploads, and image creation than the free tier,” according to OpenAI.

In the US, ChatGPT Go costs $8 per month, with pricing localized in some other markets.

When are ads coming to ChatGPT?

OpenAI has said it plans to begin testing ads soon in the US for logged-in adults on the Free and ChatGPT Go tiers. Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise are expected to remain ad-free. Below is how ads will look, according to OpenAI.

What is the difference between ChatGPT’s plans?

Simply put, ChatGPT Pro includes everything in Plus, and then some. It offers higher or effectively unlimited limits on advanced features, along with exclusive access to the most powerful tools and models, such as GPT-5.2 Pro and Pulse. 

ChatGPT Go is the most affordable paid plan. It comes with higher caps than Free, including “10x more” messages, file uploads, and image creation, but fewer perks and lower limits than Plus. Here’s a quick table you can scan to see what each plan includes:

Feature	Free	Go	Plus	Pro
Model access	GPT-5.2 Auto	GPT-5.2 Auto + Instant	Auto + Instant + Thinking + legacy	All models + GPT-5.2 Pro
Legacy models	No	No	Yes	Yes
Priority	Standard	Standard	Priority	Highest
Speed	Standard	Standard	Faster	Fastest
ChatGPT Images	Limited	More than Free	High	Highest / near-unlimited
Shopping research	Yes, throttled	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sora 2	No	No	Yes (5s 720p / 10s 480p)	Yes (up to 20s 1080p, no watermark)
Voice	Limited	Longer than Free	Longer, fewer interruptions	Longest
Deep Research	~5 light tasks/mo	Higher than Free	~25 tasks/mo (mix)	~250 tasks/mo
Agent	No	No	~40 runs/mo	~400 runs/mo
Codex	No	No	Yes (incl Codex Max)	Full, longest runs
Web browsing	Yes, rate-limited	Yes, rate-limited	Priority	Fastest
Uploads	~3 files + ~2 images/day	~10x Free	Higher	Highest
Memory	Light, short-term	Longer than Free	Extended	Long-term, highest
Data analysis	Basic	Extended	Extended	Full
Custom GPTs	Limited	Limited	More slots	Full
Third-party apps	Yes, capped	Yes, capped	Higher limits	Highest limits
Group chat	Yes (up to 20)	Yes (up to 20)	Yes	Yes
Pulse	No	No	Planned	Yes
Early access	No	No	Yes	Earliest

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