ChatGPT vs Claude

ChatGPT

• General-purpose help with writing, questions and brainstorming
• People who want chat, voice, images and web search in one assistant
• Trying an AI assistant at no cost before paying

Claude

• Writing, analysis and coding help in one assistant
• Developers who want a coding agent included in their subscription
• Teams of 2 to 150 that need SSO and central billing

ChatGPT

• Pro is sold at three price points, $100, $200 or $500 per month, well above the $20 Plus plan.
• Business requires at least 2 users. SCIM, EKM and role-based access control are reserved for Enterprise and Edu.
• OpenAI began testing ads in the free version for logged-in adult US users in January 2026, according to Wikipedia.
• OpenAI's pricing page says the Go plan may include ads.

Claude

• Usage is capped in rolling five-hour sessions on every plan, and paid plans add weekly limits.
• Projects, Research, Claude Code and the Chrome and Microsoft 365 extensions are not in the Free plan.
• Enterprise bills usage at API rates on top of the seat price, and the Max 20x tier has no price on the pricing page.
• Payments are generally non-refundable, listed prices exclude tax, and the Linux desktop app is in beta.

ChatGPT

Conversational help

Answers questions, drafts and reworks text, explains topics and reads uploaded photos in a chat, with history synced across your devices.

Image generation

Creates original images from a description, or transforms existing images from a short instruction.

Advanced Voice Mode

Hold a real-time spoken conversation in the mobile app by tapping the soundwave icon.

Search and Deep Research

ChatGPT Search draws on the web for more up-to-date answers, and Deep Research generates a report from extensive web searches.

Codex

A coding agent that runs on the web, in a CLI, in an IDE extension and on iOS from the Plus plan, with integrations such as automatic code review and Slack.

GPTs and agents

GPTs customize ChatGPT's behavior for a specific use case, and ChatGPT agent carries out multi-step tasks.

Claude

Chat for writing, analysis and code

Write and edit content, generate code and visualize data in a conversation on the web, in desktop apps or on mobile.

Files, code execution and Artifacts

Claude can create files, run code and present generated content as Artifacts. All three are part of the Free plan.

Web search and Research

Web search is available on every plan. Research, for longer investigations, is listed with the paid plans.

Memory and Projects

Memory carries context across conversations on every plan. Projects, which organize chats and documents, start with Pro.

Connectors

Connect apps and tools such as Slack and Google Workspace, or add other context and tools through remote MCP connectors.

Claude Code

A coding agent for the terminal, VS Code and JetBrains. It is included in all paid plans and draws on the same usage pool as chat.

ChatGPT

• Free$0

  Unlimited text chats, with limits on uploads, image creation, voice chats, deep research and memory.

• Go$8

  per month

  More messages with tools, more uploads, image creation and voice chats than Free, and longer memory. OpenAI notes this plan may include ads.

• Plus$20

  per month

  Advanced reasoning models, expanded deep research and memory, plus projects, scheduled tasks and custom GPTs.

• Business$20

  per user / month, billed annually

  For 2 or more users: a dedicated workspace with admin controls, SAML SSO and MFA. $25 per user / month when billed monthly.

• ProFrom $100

  per month

  A choice of three usage tiers at $100, $200 or $500 per month, with the highest limits, pro reasoning and an always-on agent.

• Enterprise & EduCustom

  Sold through sales, with priority request processing, SCIM, EKM, user analytics, domain verification and role-based access control.

Claude

• Free$0

  Chat on web, desktop and mobile, with web search, file creation, code execution, memory, connectors and Artifacts.

• Pro$17

  per month, billed annually ($200 up front)

  More usage, Projects, Research, Claude Code, task scheduling, more models and Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365. $20 if billed monthly.

• Team$20

  per seat / month, billed annually

  For teams of 2 to 150, with SSO and central billing. $25 if billed monthly. Premium seats with 5x more usage are $100, or $125 monthly.

• Enterprise$20

  per seat / month, billed annually, plus usage at API rates

  Team features plus spend limits, role-based access, SCIM, audit logs, a compliance API and custom data retention.

• MaxFrom $100

  per month

  Everything in Pro with a choice of 5x or 20x more usage, higher output limits, early access to features and priority at busy times.

ChatGPT

• Annual discount

  Business is cheaper when billed annually

  OpenAI's pricing page lists Business at $20 per user / month when billed annually, against $25 per user / month when billed monthly.

Claude

• Annual discount

  Lower price with annual billing

  Pro is $17 per month on an annual subscription ($200 billed up front) instead of $20 billed monthly. Team seats are $20 instead of $25, and premium seats $100 instead of $125.

• Nonprofit

  Nonprofit Team pricing from $3 per user

  Registered 501(c)(3) organizations, their international equivalents and K-12 schools can get the Team plan for $8 per user / month, or $3 in low- or middle-income countries.

• Education

  University-wide Education plan

  Anthropic offers institutions a university-wide plan covering students, faculty and staff at discounted rates, arranged through its Education team.

• Startups

  Startup program with API credits

  Venture-backed startups founded within the last four years can apply for free credits and priority rate limits. Credits apply to the Claude API, not to chat subscriptions.